I’ve been back out in my garage these last few nights, shooting snow crystals.

I like the garage. Last year I had the roof fixed, so I can no longer see the sky while under its shelter. The temperature was cold – in the low 20’s (Fahrenheit). For an hour or two the snow fell in fairly clear and intact crystals, so I had the chance to grab a few specimens before the snow again degraded into sleety pellets, and then stopped all together.

The snow fell pretty fast, so the individual crystals that fell were often bound up with the detritus of the atmosphere. Many shots had bits and pieces of broken crystals littering the glass around them.

It was also another bountiful night for 12 armed crystals – this seems to be the year for them. With another single 12 armed crystal, and a 12 dendrite crystal appended to a common six pointed snow flake. At this point the twelve pointed snow flakes are getting to be a bit less rare – but I have yet to encounter an 18 pointed snow crystal.

In terms of quantity, this winter has produced more good shots than last, but I have yet to get a shot that is really top drawer in terms of quality. Both my lighting setups and the snow have been less than ideal. It always takes a while to re-learn the lighting, and with each re-learning there’s the chance to come up with a new and different take on things. As for the quality of the snow crystals – the atmosphere is constantly churning them out in all shapes as sizes. Its really just a matter of being there when the right one falls, though they only fall for a few moments. 

More photos from last night: