Photographing Snowflakes – All You Need to Know
How to photograph snow flakes. If you think your macro lens is only perfect for the spring season, think again. Most of the photographers put away their macro lenses when the winter arrives. This is because they think that there will not be much to capture using it in the winters. But, you will be amazed to see the many different things offered by the winters that you can capture using your camera and create some shots worth looking at. From photographing glaze ice to capturing snowflakes, there is plenty you can snap in winter. However, capturing something like snowflakes is never an easy thing to do.
If you haven’t yet tried your hands-on capturing photos of snowflakes, here are some tips that can help you out.
Poto by Egor Kamelev
The Right Weather
It is nothing like running out straight into the cold to take photos of snowflakes and being able to do it successfully. All the snow that falls from the sky is not the same. If you want to capture the best photos of snowflakes, you need to shoot either when it has just snowed or when it is snowing. You will not be able to find snowflakes if you are looking for them in the hard-packed two-day-old snow. Similarly, don’t look for snowflakes during heavy wet snow. The lower the temperature, the larger the snowflakes. Thus, try to capture them between -2 to -14 degrees Celsius to get the best shape, size, and pattern.
Equipment You Need To photograph snowflakes
Here is a list of equipment you need to capture mesmerizing photos of snowflakes.
- A paintbrush to transfer snowflakes
- Blackboard or black cloth
- A DSLR or a camera
- A macro lens
- A lamp
- A softbox
Other accessories that are not compulsory but can come in handy include
Taking the Photo
Once you think the weather is perfect to click snowflake photos, head out and check using 100% magnification offered by your camera and lens. This will give you an idea if the weather is right as you will be able to see the patterns through the camera. If you feel it is the right time, take a black glove and throw it out in the snow for a bit. This will prevent the snowflakes from melting as you will be using the glove as the background. Once there are snowflakes on it, turn them on the side you like better or just photograph a clump of them together. Once you have found the snowflake you want to shoot, get into some covered area to ensure other falling snowflakes don’t disrupt the photos.
Average Out the Noise by Clicking Multiple Photos
It is important not to be content with taking just a couple of shots of the snowflakes. You never know which angles you might miss this way. Thus, it is best to take several shots and then choose the best among them while you are in the post-production phase. You might have to layer multiple photos on top of one another to get a photo that has no noise and is sharp and crisp. This will also give the image a natural look and feel.
It might look easy when you see photos of snowflakes on the internet, but capturing photos of these little marvels of nature is one of the most difficult things to do considering you are dealing with such delicate and fragile things. It will take some time to master the art of photographing snowflakes, but once you look at the photos, all the efforts will seem worth it.
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