November Frost

November seems to be a good month for shooting frost and dew. This year was no exception. A few weeks ago we had the fortunate combination of freezing temperatures and moisture that yielded several mornings with picturesque frost. After walking the dogs I headed back out with the camera and tripod and set to looking for photogenic leaves.

Close-up picture of frost on gold and orange fallen leaves
Frost on Leaf, Missouri | Nikon D700 @ ISO 200, 1/6 sec., Micro-Nikkor 105mm VR @ f/18

Even at such small apertures, the depth of field at these magnifications is razor-thin, so it’s difficult to get as much in focus as you’d like. Focus-stacking is a great technique for countering this, but it can be labor intensive.

Close-up picture of frost on fallen leaf
Frost on Leaf, Missouri | Nikon D700 @ ISO 200, 1/8 sec., Micro-Nikkor 105mm VR @ f/18

Of course a tripod is essential, but it needs to be one that gets very low to the ground. I use an Induro carbon-fiber unit with a short center column that only extends about 6 inches below. The standard center column is far too long to be useful for me because even at eye-level I don’t want to extend it too far above the body of the tripod. It just gets too unstable.

Close-up picture of frost on fallen leaf and ground cover
Frost on Leaf, Missouri | Nikon D700 @ ISO 200, 1/4 sec., Micro-Nikkor 105mm VR @ f/20

Looks like December here in northwestern Missouri may be relatively mild. Bring on the frosty mornings!

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2 Responses to “November Frost”

  1. Diane Beelman

    Those were beautiful. They look like they were sprinkled with course salt. Really cool!

  2. Marly

    I can’t get over how much frost looks like sugar…I think I want to eat those leaves!

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