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Extreme Macro Snowflakes

  • Thread starter Thread starter D. Vance
  • Start date Start date

D. Vance

*Well, they used to be in the sky..* ;)

I was trying to capture snowflake pictures yesterday with my 100L and 60D (1:1 macro capabilities) but I basically threw them all out; same result this morning, but then I brought my reverse lens adaptor out of retirement, and mounted one of my old 18-55 IS's backwards, and the results were much better!
Gear for these: EOS 60D, 18-55 IS reverse mounted, and a 430EX II.

I'm almost convinced that no matter how far you travel looking for beautiful sights, you need look no farther than your backyard. Behold, the snowflake.
Destined to melt, but engineered with more precision and beauty than almost anything on this planet.



IMG_9302 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9300 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9299 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9298 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9295 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9294 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9282 by D. Vance, on Flickr


IMG_9274 by D. Vance, on Flickr
 
Great stuff, Darin! I had the most perfectly formed snowflake stick to the side window of my car the other day and I'd have loved to get a shot of it, but all I had was my iPhone camera. That obviously didn't work out well. :D
 
I recently bought a new Canon 100 mm IS Macro lens and am anxious to play around with it. Nothing but an occasional wet snow here in TX.
 
Thank you for the nice compliments, everyone! :):)

STexan said:
I recently bought a new Canon 100 mm IS Macro lens and am anxious to play around with it. Nothing but an occasional wet snow here in TX.
Click to expand...
Cool! I love that lens. So far, it's about the sharpest 'L' I have found! I tried it with these shots, but it just couldn't give me the magnification I wanted, even with macro tubes. The solution? You can get a really cheap mount with 58mm threads on one side, and an EF mount on the other, which allows you to mount the lens backwards! The result is extreme magnification; much larger, even, than the 100L!
Here is one of them, though this is a hair on the expensive side, if I remember right.
(Although if you have a 5D, or other Full Frame camera, you may have to watch for the EF instead of the EF-S version)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/58mm-Lens-R...ens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item5ae42fb40c

These were shot with a mirror, which was placed in the freezer beforehand to chill it. I think the mirror back lights the snowflakes and makes them stand out. You have to be careful to shoot straight down though, or you will get a confusing reflection.

Final gear list for these was the EOS 60D, 430EX II, 18-55IS, on 18, because all lens settings are backwards when reversed, and a reverse lens adapter.
 
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