P lay with different colors and textures of paper in your snowflake studio backdrop.This allows the glass to cool enough so the snowflakes don’t immediately melt when they land on the plate Set your glass plate outside 10-15 minutes before you intend to shoot.Helpful hints I’ve learned along the way: Shooting at ƒ/11 provides just enough depth to get clear snowflake shots. I tend to shoot with the following settings: ISO 200, ƒ/11, 1/250. I’ve also placed two sheets of polystyrene in the Graslon Spark for additional diffusion. I pair the flash with the Graslon Spark flash diffuser to diffuse the harsh light. I use my camera’s built-in flash for lighting. Check out my article on reverse lens macro photography to learn more about my setup! This allows me to look through the viewfinder with a completely open aperture, which provides a bright and clear view of my subject. The Vello adaptor retains electrical connectivity between my camera and lens. I use the Vello Macrofier Reverse Mount Adapter to reverse mount my Canon EF-S 24mm ƒ/2.8 lens to my Canon 90D. It’s not very glamorous, but it’s what I had available and it works amazingly well. I placed colored construction paper in the container to create a pastel background. I made my studio using a small plastic food storage container and a small glass plate from an old photo frame. How I Approach Snowflake Photography Planning and Preparationīefore stepping outside, I got to work crafting a snowflake studio. Snowflake photography has intrigued me for years, but I wasn’t brave enough to weather the snow until a few years ago. A “give me 95☏ and 80% humidity and I’ll still be out chasing bugs” kind of photographer. But I’m what some may call a “fair-weather” photographer. I’ve spent the better part of my life photographing nature’s smallest details. My early years of shooting flowers eventually evolved into my obsession with macro insect and spider photography. I’ll listen.How I Fell in Love with Snowflake Photography And feel free to complain about the bad weather. Good luck friends! If you get any good shots link them below. This will give you a more artistic look.įocus stack to get a sharp focus throughout the snowflake. I found this too tricky with so much snow falling and my frozen fingers, but you can try this technique out if you want a sharper snowflake. Use an f-stop around f/5 to get most of your snowflake in focus and the background blurred. Don’t use your finger or it will melt or you will break off it’s lovely little arms. Try bending the fabric or nudging it with a pen. Try to manipulate the snowflake so that it is sitting at an angle rather than flat. You will get more light on the snowflake and it will make a more interesting shot. If it’s too warm, the snowflakes will melt immediately and that is a losing battle. I tried picking a few up off the ground and they were all broken. If they’ve already been kicking around for a bit they won’t have the same shape. Photograph fresh snowflakes right after they fall. If you are bringing the clothing item from inside, put them out in the cold for a few minutes before shooting so your snowflakes don’t instantly melt. Use a piece of dark clothing to catch the snowflakes, so the flakes standout against your background. When you are on the road, you have to make do, so I got out my trusty 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and tried to get the best shot I could.Īfter freezing my little fingers off, I learnt a few things about photographing snowflakes. The video shows my set-up, but here are some additional tips: The piece of gear that would really help for ultra close macros of snowflakes. Since I am in Nova Scotia temporarily, I don’t have all my gear, which includes a set of Kenko extension tubes. We got a wicked Nor’easter here on the East Coast of Canada and since I ran out of British period dramas to watch on Netflix, I thought I would try to capture some macros of big, juicy snowflakes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |