Taking Photographs in Falling Snow
Falling snowflakes in a camera photograph—the large feathery, slow falling kind—often make an exquisitely beautiful picture out of a commonplace scene. And while the great majority of the attempts to get them prove failures, the photographer—usually an amateur-needs only to provide an avenue in front of his lens a short distance, that is free from falling flakes by the use of a shelter such as a tree or porch. The slow snapshot necessary in cloudy weather will not stop the motion of the flakes nearest the camera and these passing through greater angles of space in equal length of time than those farther away, will blur on the negative. We made some excellent outdoor views in deep snow, while heavy snow was falling, with flakes splendidly decorating the darker regions of figures and foliage, by holding a felt hat and two umbrellas in a line in front of the camera, and above the range of the lens.—J. Cecil Alter, Cheyenne, Wyo.