Catching A Snowflake

[Deb Buchanan]

I hand held my EOS Rebel X2i using a Canon EF 100mm L f/2.8 IS Lens to get this capture. I wanted to see if the IS within the camera paid off and would like to know what I could have done to get a better picture...besides using a tripod on a freezing snowy day. Thanks for any comments! Deb



Make:
Canon
Model:
Canon EOS REBEL T2i
F stop:
F/4.5
Exposure:
1/180 sec.
Focal length:
100.0 mm

[Peggyjom]

nice shot. I wish the fibers of the glove weren't competing for attention. But these captured snowflakes need to be snaped carefully you don't get a lot of time to get as much detail as you were able to get clearly! I like the contrast against the red also.

[chicagojohn]

Originally Posted by Deb Buchanan

I hand held my EOS Rebel X2i using a Canon EF 100mm L f/2.8 IS Lens to get this capture....F stop: F/4.5 Exposure: 1/180 sec. Focal length: 100.0 mm

I like this shot a lot due to the color and contrast provided by the background and the feeling it conveys of the transitory nature of this delicate, intricate, and symetrical little individual snowflake. The fibers actually serve to provide size perspective and to me are not a serious distraction. Having attempted shots with a 1:1 macro lens, I can appreciate the trade-offs involved, especially in this case where the opportunity was fleeting and hands quickly numb.

To your request for possible improvement ideas, one thing that comes to mind is that a snowflake is essentially two-dimensional, and so if it were photgraphed flat rather than on an angle as in this case, DOF issues would be minimized and the possibility of getting it all in focus improved. Secondly, if you have a shake-reduction system, maybe it would have been possible even at 100mm to go to 1/125 or even 1/60 and stop down accordingly with a smaller aperture contributing further to DOF.

Thanks for sharing this image.

[Deb Buchanan]

Thank you for the detailed information regarding my snowflake. I was trying to get a better dimensional shot but never thought to capture it flat, that is a great piece of information. Also the stopping down to get more DOF helps me as well! I'm sure I'll have more opportunities today to try these ideas out since there is another storm approaching. I wasn't concerned about the fibers in the material because it gave a different perspective to the photo. I appreciate your comment! Thanks... Deb

[Vinko]

i like it, and my next question how hard was to capture it

[Deb Buchanan]

If I hadn't had the lens I mentioned, I wouldn't have achieved even seeing the flake...nonetheless, the camera was great because of the IS factor. Cold weather is always hard to shoot in because of the temperatures but focusing the snowflake was the hardest for me since I handheld the camera. There isn't a lot of room to play with which made it difficult. Thanks for your comment! Deb