January 9, 2026
Goo-grab the popcorn
Photographing the hidden world of slime mould
Garden safari: slime mould glam shots spark 'fake focus' vs magic debate
TLDR: Barry Webb’s award-winning macro photos stack 100+ shots to reveal slime mould’s hidden beauty. Comments erupt over whether focus stacking is “fake” or just showing what eyes can’t, while gearheads share garden-safari tips and old-school fans swap log-foraging lore—proof tech and nature make irresistible drama.
Photographer Barry Webb just turned garden goo into glamour, using a macro lens and over 100 stacked shots to reveal the dazzling, alien fruiting bodies of slime mould. He’s an award-winner west of London, and the Royal Horticultural Society (a UK gardening charity) even says these squishy geniuses help map city transport and hunt dark matter. But the real show? The comments.
One viewer opened with foodie flair: “My, that was a yummy slime mold!” Then the big question hit: Is it art or ‘fake focus’? Critics wondered if focus stacking—the technique of combining many tiny-focus photos—creates something inherently artificial, while fans argued it simply shows what your eyes can’t. Cue a gear parade: hermitcrab pitched the “go on safari in your garden” ethos and dropped the camera, lens, and flash combo like a pro flex. Nostalgics swooned over Kim Fleming’s Flickr gallery, and old-school foragers chimed in with tips: check the undersides of logs.
Amid the drama, everyone agreed on the wow factor: slime mould isn’t plant, animal, or fungus—it’s amoeba-adjacent and crucial for the ecosystem. The thread splits into two camps: science awe and photo purist skepticism, with jokes about goo influencers and amoeba couture keeping things deliciously sticky.
Key Points
- •Barry Webb photographs single-celled slime moulds using macro techniques to reveal microscopic structures.
- •He won the people’s choice award in the macro category of the British Photography Awards.
- •Webb focuses on fruiting bodies, which release spores and display vivid color and form.
- •Slime moulds feed on bacteria, algae, and some fungi, playing an important ecosystem role; RHS notes practical applications in transport mapping and dark matter research.
- •Webb uses focus bracketing and image stacking software, taking dozens to over 100 shots; modern gear automates focus adjustments.