A September project started by my friend Justin on Station was to capture the beauty of some Macquarie Island snowflakes. After watching Justin trying to scurry back and forth between the Market Square and the freezer during snow flurries for a few days, I couldn't help but join in the fun, appointing myself assistant snowflake catcher.
Let's be clear, these snow flake images were hard fought.
Snow storms pass in fronts here so just trying to collect them on glass plates during 30 to 40 knot winds was the first challenge. It snows at around minus 1 C here, so the next challenge was to run with the captured snowflake, without it sliding off the glass and before it melted, into the freezer. Justin would then be at the ready inside the minus 18 freezer, with his camera poised. A ridiculous but ingenious set up was devised for mounting his camera and lights using bunsen burner stand and tripods that I found in the science laboratory. Then Justin would have to find the tiny snowflake on the glass plate, all whilst his fingers would be freezing. Then finally we'd stand and hold our breath and be really still and then.....click...
.....wonderful sub-Antarctic snowflake crystals. We ran out of time to perfect the set up, but these images capture the beauty of the delicate and intricate crystals of our Macca snowflakes.
Thank you Justin for sharing your project with me! (Especially in face of my incessant over-enthusiasm!)
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| Snowflake. Photo: Justin Chambers |
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| Snowflake. Photo: Justin Chambers |
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| Snowflake. Photo: Justin Chambers |
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| Snowflake. Photo:Justin Chambers |
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| Snow crystals. Photo:Justin Chambers |
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| Snow crystals. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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