A photograph of two mushrooms that brought the tiny species out of the shadows has put photographer Brad Le Brocque on the world stage.
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The Ellalong man had to lie around on damp leaf litter on the forest floor in the Watagon Mountains to get the lighting right and take a photo that truly captured its existence.
“It is about the size of my little finger nail and a macro lens was used to magnify the detail,” he said.
The intriguing result, titled Little Perfect, has won an international FIAP Bronze medal in the nature printed section of the Maitland International Salon of Photography competition – a prestigious quest that attracted more than 5500 entries from across the globe.
His photo will be included in the group’s annual exhibition at Maitland Show, which opens on Friday, along with 11 other photographs he has taken.
Mr Le Brocque cannot contain his excitement.
“It’s the best I’ve ever done in it,” Mr Le Brocque said.
“Little Perfect" was taken in the Watagin national park at boarding house dam on June 8, 2016.”
Mr Le Brocque returned to photography after he found himself surrounded with eye-catching photographs at Maitland Show a decade ago.
He joined the Maitland Camera Club and became the president, he joined the Wangi Wangi Camera Club, and became the president, and has since dabbled in many different types of photography.
Now he runs the Northern Photography Federation, which is the collective group of Hunter photography clubs.
“I’ve been doing photography for 10 years, I did it as a kid at school and I like to do a bit of everything,” Mr Le Brocque said.
He hasn’t had success in the competition since 2013 when he entered a photograph of his mother looking at a photo of herself that was taken more than 70 years before.
He called it Irma Remembers and it won a Salon Gold plaque.
“It was taken just after her 90th birthday, she is looking at herself 70+ years earlier, stepping out in Martin Place with her soon to be husband, just a day or so before she married,” Mr Le Brocque said.
“She passed away a couple of months later and this remains my favourite shot.”
It is about the size of my little finger nail and a macro lens was used to magnify the detail,”
- Photographer Brad Le Brocque