On February 1st, I posted a photograph of a snowflake as the photo of the day.  You can see that post here.

I promised that I would explain how I took that photograph.

It’s a little late, but here it is:

Necessary Equipment:

Tripod: As with all Macro photography you MUST have a tripod.  Handheld macro isn’t necessarily impossible, but you can prevent a lot of camera shake with a tripod.

Macro Lens:  I use a 100mm Canon Macro lens, the one I got Ryan for his birthday.   Any Macro lens will work great!

Something that is a solid color (to catch snowflakes):  I used a blue silicone cake pan.  I put it outside before I began taking photographs in order for it to freeze.  It worked great!

Optional Equipment:

A Remote: With Macro the camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button is often enough to blur the photo.  In my snowflake pictures I did not use a remote, but should have.  They’re cheap and certainly help!

It may also be beneficial for you to lock the mirror on your camera, if you still have problems with camera shake while you are using a tripod and remote.  (The mirror snapping up and down causes a lot of shake.)

Taking the photographs:

I simply went out in the snow, as it was falling, and caught snowflakes (in my silicone cake pan).  I then returned to the front porch, where my tripod and camera were set up; and placed the pan under the lens and snapped the photos.  It’s that easy and a lot of fun!

If you have any questions about snowflake photography or Macro photography ASK!