Snowflakes
Living in Northwestern Ontario, I see my share of cold weather and snow, and I came to the realization long ago that I might as well find ways of enjoying and even appreciating this.
One cool way I have found to nurture my appreciation for winter is to photograph individual snowflakes. When observed closely, snowflakes truly can be exquisitely beautiful, and for that reason I love to search for and photograph these frozen gems.
My preferred method for photographing snowflakes has changed. What I used to do for years was to capture shots of snowflakes in the places and positions in which they had naturally fallen. I would look for an individual flake that had landed standing on edge, and then set up my tripod so as to be able to shoot it. In order to accomplish this I spent a lot of time crawling around on my hands and knees in the snow.
Then several years ago I began experimenting with catching snowflakes on clear glass and photographing them laying on the glass. This has now become my preferred method of shooting snowflakes.
I built a simple framework out of 2x4s, on which I lay my glass. My camera mounts (on a sliding focusing rail) onto this framework as well. By shifting the glass around I can bring a snowflake into position under the lens for photographing.
As with anything in nature, there are a host of variables which can play a part in the outcome. First of all, I have to be out there while the snow is actually falling. The fresher the snow the better quality the snowflakes. Even in cold weather, snow crystals can deteriorate rapidly by sublimation, especially in direct sunlight. I have found that I get the best results if I can be done shooting a snowflake within minutes of its having landed.
And I prefer a gentle snowfall with little or no breeze. I have more than once been all set to shoot a lovely snowflake when a wisp of wind swept by, carrying my subject along with it. On other occasions, a rogue snowflake has landed upon the very one I am preparing to capture.
So, if conditions are right and the snowflakes are actually of the right type, I will get out there and get to work. Although I have found greater success using my newer method of photographing snowflakes, still this can often end up being quite time consuming and tedious (not to mention chilling).
Snowflakes come in a variety of styles, and I have found that I prefer to photograph only when certain kinds of snowflakes are falling. Although our Canadian winters can be long and we generally accumulate a fair bit of snow by spring, I have found that only a limited number of the winter’s snowfall events will produce the kind of snowflakes that I like to photograph. But I suppose that this also adds to my drive to get out there when the conditions are good.
So - all of the snowflake images here except for a few at the end of page 3 were captured using my newest method outlined above. I hope you enjoy looking through these photos as much as I have enjoyed capturing them. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions about my work. For information on prices and ordering prints go to my Prices and Ordering page.
Click on any thumbnail below to view a larger version of it.
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