The Story
My fascination with mushrooms started with illness. Both my mother and I had a bout of misfortune back in 2017. This led me into a world drained of colour. I found solace in walking my new dog and focusing on the small things. I had to force myself to notice tufts of moss growing on walls, a solitary ant passing by or a blade of grass catching the sun. I became very caught up in the minutia of nature to cope with the realities of life. It is this very state that allowed me to notice a world which I would have ordinarily ignored: the fantastical world of fungi. As I started to pay more attention to my surroundings and absorb colour back into my life, I became better equipped at seeing fungi. Their strange alien like appearance intrigued me. I started to take out my phone and take pictures of them. I then bought an Olympus macro camera to take even better pictures of them. My fascination grew every day and eventually turned into a quirky hobby. I am now in awe of fungi.
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I am delighted to report that both my mother and I have survived our ordeal and are better for it. I have gained a wonderful hobby and perspective and, when I visit my parents, my mother and I will often go mushroom hunting together. I feel rather blessed to be privy to a world which so many ignore, yet ultimately depend on for their survival. Fungi are what keep the lights on. Without them the plant kingdom would not exist and many medicines which have transformed humanity would never have been conceived. We owe our modern day lives to these creatures. I hope my site inspires more people to appreciate fungi and the planetary service they provide.
The Photographer
Emma is the Global Sourcing Sustainability Director of a Fortune 500 company in the life sciences industry. Her day job consists of leading her company’s sustainability efforts with a focus on the supply chain. In a previous role, she led a FTSE 100 company's position on sustainable plastics and mobilised the company to eliminate single-use plastics for their operations. She is a big proponent of empowering people to lead change themselves, and firmly believes that it is in everyone’s power to make a difference. Emma has a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University and is passionate about helping procurement functions embed sustainability practices. She is an avid mycophile, spending much time capturing London’s mushrooms on camera.
