DECEMBER 2018 • NEBRASKAland 23
ABOVE: Don Komarechka photographs a snowflake positioned just
beyond the tip of a paintbrush for visual reference.
OPPOSITE and BELOW: Uncommon combinations of temperature
and humidity are at the heart of these unusual snowflake
sculptures, which formed in rarely seen atmospheric conditions.
DECEMBER 2018 • NEBRASKAland 23
Taking Snowflake
Photographs – Don's Method
To take his shots, Komarechka
leaves a black woolen mitten and
a paintbrush outside through the
winter in an enclosed space, keeping
them acclimated to the cold so
the snowflakes don't melt upon
contact. He then lays the mitten flat
and examines the snowflakes that
collect. Often they are in clusters;
Komarechka uses the paintbrush to
carefully separate them and position
a choice snowflake at a preferred
angle. To make sure he can find the
snowflake again when switching to
his camera, he points the end of the
paintbrush toward it, with the brush
resting on the mitten.
Komarechka then takes a few test
shots to find an angle that gives
the snowflake a glowing, reflective
surface. "And then I start out of focus
on one side of the snowflake and
start rapid-fire shooting, passing
the camera through all the focus
points that I need," he said. "This will
typically amount to a few hundred
shots while the snowflake is still
relatively unchanged.
"Once I've got these images, I'll
load them up into the computer,
choose the puzzle pieces I need, and
begin a four-hour process of getting a
perfect image of all of them combined
together in Photoshop."
As far as equipment goes,
Komarechka says any camera that
can accept different lenses will work.
You will also need a specialized
macro lens, sometimes referred to as
an "extreme macro lens," that goes
well beyond the normal 1:1 life-sized
magnification. Komarechka also
uses a ring flash for all his snowflake
pictures. No tripod is needed.
While any snowfall can produce
beautiful snowflakes, Komarechka
says a temperature of about 14
degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. "So long
as it's below the freezing point by a
couple of degrees, the exact same
techniques work anywhere in the
world," he said. Low wind, low cloud
ceilings, and snowfalls during the night
are also promising conditions.
For a complete look at
Komarechka's method, pick up
his book, Sky Crystals: Unraveling
the Mysteries of Snowflakes, at
skycrystals.ca.
