Shooting snowflakes

[JiminDenver]

Earlier this year I found a book on snowflakes and being interested in macro. it peaked my interest. The autor used a microscope which I don't have so it took me a while to work it out.

These are using my Olympus E 5, 35mm macro lens and a 2x converter. I tried using a black plate that gave highly detailed outline but was heck to focus on, so I went to stained glass under lit with a LED puck light.

These are on iridescent glass. Thanks for looking

 

[Tom]

Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Gunny69]

All I can say is WOW!

 

[JiminDenver]

Thank you both.

I hope to see some snow this afternoon so hopefully I can take a few shots of the rig as I shoot. I also will try my ultra macro lens, a OM 20mm f 2 that will give me 5x the magnification that the current set up does.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

That's incredible.  Thanks for sharing.

Ernie

 

[Larry N.]

Wow! Neat stuff, Jim. Gorgeous! Thanks!

BTW, what part of the metro area are you in? We're near 144th and Pecos.

 

[kjansen]

I guess it's true- no 2 snowflakes look alike.  Great job!

 

[JiminDenver]

Wow! Neat stuff, Jim. Gorgeous! Thanks!

BTW, what part of the metro area are you in? We're near 144th and Pecos.

Thank you all.

Larry, we live in Green Vally Ranch at Tower and I 70. Sadly now that I want it to snow, it keeps passing over us like yesterday.

 

[nettech]

X2 on the WOW great photos thanks for sharing

 

[halfwright]

Very nice!!
Good use of your equipment, especially the part between your ears.

 

[JiminDenver]

Very nice!!
Good use of your equipment, especially the part between your ears.

Now you have gone and done it. The two remaining brain cells have started bickering over which one gets the credit.

 

[toastergirl]

Wow, beautiful! ;D

 

[Larry N.]

Sadly now that I want it to snow, it keeps passing over us like yesterday.

Keep pulling for it, Jim. We could use some more.

 

[75sling]

Just BEAUTIFUL as nature is.  Lovely.  I really enjoyed the photos.

Are we allowed to ask you to share with us how you took the photos?

I, for one, would like to learn.

Thanks, again for sharing.

Sal

 

[JiminDenver]

Thank you both.

Larry, I'm pulling but I can see clouds all around us and we have a bubble of clear blue skies as of 4 pm.

Sal

When it starts snowing again here I will take shots of the rig and how I do it for a few Photography web sites. Nothing formal, just a post in the forums but I'll post it here too.

The hardest things are getting the magnification and lighting worked out. Both can be done a number of ways and it doesn't have to be expensive. I want to try it with a point and shoot and even a cell phone.

 

[ArdraF]

Do I hear an echo??  WOW is right.  It does seem to prove no two snowflakes are alike.  In fact they're quite different except for every one of them having six "spokes".  Quite amazing and a really neat experiment.  Thanks for sharing them with the rest of us.

ArdraF

 

[JiminDenver]

I was able to shoot the other day and take pictures of my set up at the same time. Unfortunately they were what I call frosted flakes and unlike Tony the tiger, I don't think they are great.

This is my camera. A Olympus E 5 with a 35mm macro lens and 2x converter. The flash is a FL 20 on a cord. You can see the small foam donut it is fired into at the tip of the lens. It creates a tiny ring flash effect. It is on a tripod slightly tilted towards the table by making one leg longer. You can see the tupperware container with the puck light in it and the stained glass on top.

I catch a flake and place it under the lens with help of the live view screen on the back. I use the center pole crank on the tripod to adjust for focus by lifting or lowering the camera.

You can see how I use the live view on the camera to first place and then magnify the flake so I can get the focus I want.

The first image of the flakes is what is on the live view. The second is the thick flake under the lens. You can see how the water attached to the sides instead of extending the crystal.

 

[75sling]

Again, awesome!

My favorite is #9823.

So are you letting the flakes fall on that sheet of glass, focusing and shooting?

It also looks like you are using your flash along side your lens.  Are you lighting at all from below?

Thanks
Sal

 

[SeilerBird]

You got some beautiful shots Jim. Recently dpreview.com featured an article on a guy who does the same thing you are doing with snowflakes:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/12/02/homemade-rig-captures-extreme-macro-shots-of-snowflakes

 

[JiminDenver]

Thank you Sal

I usually set the pieces of glass out in the yard to collect the flakes, Sometimes when it's snowing enough I can just hold it up and walk around the yard. I'm luckiest when I'm shooting on one side and the flakes are falling on the other.  I move the glass back and forth to see what has fallen in the last few minutes. I haven't gotten to transferring the flakes from one point to another.

The light under the glass is always on but I wont know how much it adds to the picture until I find a way to control it with out disturbing the glass once focus is achieved. When I shoot on black I use a LED BBQ light to aid in focusing from the top.