At first glance, it was an unassuming patch of woodland: damp leaves, a fallen log, a few pale mushrooms most walkers would barely register. But drop the camera to ground level, push an ultra-wide lens to its limits and start stacking focus, and an ordinary-looking forest starts to transform.
Shot from beneath the fungi at 16mm, this image exaggerates scale, bends perspective and pulls the viewer straight into the scene, with razor-sharp detail running from the delicate gills in the foreground to the mist-softened trees beyond. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most compelling landscapes aren’t found by going bigger or higher; but by getting lower, closer and more technically precise.
Porcelain Dance was captured by Albert Dros, a 40-year-old Dutch landscape photographer and Sony Global Ambassador, and secured second place in Photograph of the Year at the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2025 competition.
Technical approach
Dros captured the scene using the Sony A1 Mark II paired with the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II lens at its widest 16mm focal length. (In an interesting twist, it was actually shot before the A1 Mark II's official announcement, as part of Sony's promotional campaign for the camera.)
This cutting-edge kit combo allowed Dros to leverage the exceptional corner sharpness and minimal distortion that the second-generation G Master lens is renowned for; crucial qualities when shooting ultra-wide compositions with prominent foreground elements.
The image required focus stacking to achieve sharpness throughout the frame, from the delicate gills of the foreground mushrooms to the atmospheric forest background. Dros positioned his camera extremely close to the fungi, maximizing the 16mm focal length's perspective distortion to make the mushrooms appear larger and more dramatic.
The Sony FE 16-35mm GM II, weighing just 547g and measuring 111.5mm in length, proved ideal for this ground-level work, being significantly lighter and more compact than its predecessor.
Creative vision
Tech specs aside, what sets Porcelain Dance apart is Dros's willingness to see beyond the obvious. Many people would simply walk past these mushrooms, which appear unremarkable from above. Instead, his curiosity led him to explore an unusual angle – looking up from beneath the fungi – transforming ordinary woodland mushrooms into ethereal, glowing sculptures.
The morning conditions proved perfect. Dreamy fog filtered the sunlight, creating a soft, diffused illumination that made the translucent mushroom caps appear to glow from within. Importantly, Dros used no artificial lighting, working purely with the natural light that nature presented. This approach required patience and careful timing, waiting for that precise moment when the sun peaked through the fog at just the right intensity.
The composition demonstrates Dros's sophisticated understanding of visual storytelling. The fallen leaves in the water puddle and the reflection of the misty forest create layers of depth and atmosphere. The warm autumn tones of the leaves contrast beautifully with the cool, cream-colored mushrooms, while the soft-focus background trees provide context without distraction.
Despite the image's surreal quality, Dros emphasizes that "there are not much tricks used" beyond the focus stacking necessary to achieve front-to-back sharpness. The dreamlike atmosphere isn't the result of heavy-handed editing but rather intelligent use of natural conditions, precise composition, and the optical excellence of his equipment. This approach aligns with Dros's philosophy of "capturing the beauty of the world" through careful planning and execution, rather than extensive manipulation.
Overall, this image exemplifies how technical excellence and creative vision can transform an everyday subject into an extraordinary photograph. By looking where others don't and seeing what others miss, he demonstrates that sometimes the most magical moments are found at ground level, looking up at the world from an entirely new perspective.
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