“he saw something in the snowflakes which other men failed to see, not because they could not see, but because they had not the patience and the understanding to look.” -Obituary of Wilson Bentley
As we round the corner on February you might be feeling the chill and staring forlornly at those mounting stacks of snow. Wilson Bentley saw much more. Bentley was the first person to accurately capture a snow flake on film. A recent New Yorker article goes over his life and journey to becoming a snowflake obsessive.
When the standard camera lens could not focus as closely as Bentley needed, he devised an ingenious solution, jury-rigging his beloved microscope to the camera’s accordion-like bellows. His finished apparatus was so long that he could no longer reach the focussing knob of the microscope while looking through the camera, so he fashioned an auxiliary-focussing mechanism out of wood and string. His other tools, he later noted in a piece he wrote for the magazine Popular Mechanics, were humble: “a pair of thick mittens, microscope slides, a sharp pointed wood splint, a feather, and a turkey wing or similar duster.”
You can peruse the full Smithsonian archives of his work here!
Feeling inspired? Create your very own unique LED Noodle Snowflake with some nOOds.
We #celebratephotography here at Adafruit. From photographers of all levels to projects you have made or those that inspire you to make, we’re on it! Got a tip? Well, send it in!
If you’re interested in making your own project and need some gear, we’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out our Raspberry Pi accessories and our DIY cameras.
