Snowflake Photography

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a DSLR Camera. I had not the slightest clue how to use the camera, but I had been wanting one for a while. So I began experimenting and such with different lighting, settings, etc.

January 15 brought a unique opportunity to photograph some snow. I wanted to attempt to take pictures of individual snowflakes. To help promote clarity, I decided to use an old, scratched-up CD as a plate for the snowflake to land on. Below is my very simple setup.

I set my camera on an iso of 100, and a pretty fast shutter speed. I used a faster shutter speed to account for the cold temperatures, and thus, my shaking body. Temperatures were hovering just over 32°, so I also had a limited amount of time to actually get a picture.

It’s good to note that the camera I was using was a Nikon D3200 with an 18-55mm kit lens. But, I found some success last year with a point and shoot camera. I successfully filmed a snowflake melting in real time, which is pretty cool as well.

I went ahead and zoomed my lens as far out as it would and set the focus. A snowflake is a very hard object for the camera to focus on, so I was sure to have it on manual focus. However, I didn’t use that very much. Instead, I waited for a snowflake to land on the disc, then physically moved the camera closer, or tilted it until the snowflake came into focus.

Sometimes, you have to wait for several minutes because the snowflakes just float on by the disc…or land on something really close.

 

Other times, they land on your disc, then melt before you’re ready. But, that picture can still turn out pretty cool too.

Other times they land in clusters, which can be pretty cool. But, I don’t think it’s quite as pretty as the single snowflake.

But, eventually you’ll get a good one, you’ll just have to show some patience.

Also, Protip: Don’t wear flip flops if you’re attempting this. I learned the hard way.