Frost Flowers on our Deck

One of my favorite winter macro photo opportunities happens on very cold mornings…when the humidity is high enough to create frost flowers. I get my phone set up with my clip-on lens and bundle up – this time the location was only a few steps from the house onto our deck. It was my first time with the new lens my husband got for me in December that allows more room to work (i.e. I don’t have to be as close to the subject as with my older clip-on lens).

I found myself taking themed series:

What do the crystals look like around the knot holes on the deck railing? I liked the textures of the knots overlaid with the frost flowers.

How do the crystals change when they go over an edge? The crystals seemed to get almost fuzzy…or flattened.

Where are the largest crystals? The largest crystals seem to form around a center…on a flat surface…making ‘frost flowers’. The ones below were on the cover of our gas grill; the weave of the fabric provides a size comparison.

I’m going to watch the weather forecast…see if I can predict when a good frost flower morning will occur…put out a glass plate the night before…and then photograph the frost flowers that form on a very smooth surface. I photographed some frost on the windshield of my car back in December 2011 (below)…would like to use my improved equipment (and skill) in a similar situation!