February 2024 General Meeting - Alison Pollack, "The Magical and Marvelous World of Myxomycetes"
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The evening will start at 6:30 pm for those who would like to socialize, snack on Bob Wynn's fantastic spread and chat with fellow mycophiles before the main meeting. Business and announcements will start at 7:00 pm. After the business part of the meeting, Alison Pollock will talk about:
The Magical and Marvelous World of Myxomycetes
Alison will discuss how she "discovered" slime molds (Myxomycetes), and became immediately smitten by them. She will talk about what slime molds are, their life cycle, and their ecological role. She will describe how she finds these tiny organisms, most of them so small that you would not see them as you walk through the forest. She will describe her techniques for field photography, as well as studio photography using extreme macro lenses and microscope objectives adapted to her camera. She will discuss all of the gear she uses, as well as her methods for shooting and post-processing. And, of course, she will share many of her favorite slime mold images, which have captivated viewers around the world.
Alison Pollack is a macro and extreme macro photographer specializing in mushrooms and Myxomycetes (slime molds). Her passion is finding and photographing these beautiful organisms, especially the smaller ones, to bring awareness to the beauty that exists right at our feet as we walk through the forest. Her goal is to reveal these miniature beauties of the forest in a format that is as much art as science. Alison shares her photographs online where she has amassed a large and enthusiastic following from around the world. Her otherworldly images are captioned with information about her subjects, as well as technical details of her photography process. Alison’s photographs have been featured in dozens of print and online publications, including National Geographic, Der Spiegel, Science Weekly, and the Sunday New York Times. For the past three years, she has placed images in the worldwide Nikon Small World photography competition.