Snowcatcher: time lapse photography

I think I have learned the secret to snow accumulation. We've been in drought for what feels like forever, and I long for snowy days so I can photograph snowflakes. This winter, it seems the only time it snows is while I have the good camera set up for a time lapse, and the flower of my dreams is being stubborn, onery and obstinate!

I was trying to get a time lapse of my first amaryllis of the season back on December 18, when it snowed. I was trying to get a time lapse of a Christmas cactus blossom the other three times it has snowed so far this winter. Ultimately, I have sacrificed the time lapse sessions to shoot snowflakes!

My "2 of 3" (moniker borrowed from Star Trek) papillon amaryllis is the latest brat to keep me from spending hours in the cold, freezing my fingers while shooting tiny crystals. The flower had been under the grow lights for more than a week, and more than 400 photos later, it still had not opened. When big, fluffy flakes replaced the tiny graupel falling last week, I decided the time lapse could take a break. I gently removed the camera from the tripod and shot just over 100 snowflakes (including some flakes on my flamenco amaryllis) before returning the camera to the basement and the tripod. I didn't miss a thing on the time lapse. Four days later, the butterfly amaryllis STILL had not opened!!!

I put my already open flamenco amaryllis on the porch for a few minutes to try to capture some flakes on the petals. The flamenco amaryllis did not like that too much, but some of the photos turned out well.

I'm crazy shooting more snowflakes; I still haven't finished retouching my December 14 snowflakes. But I cannot resist shooting more when the flakes are huge. I think there is no such thing as too many snowflake photos!

I was so excited when my first glads ever started sending up shoots! I had seen stems at the grocery store over the years, and I'd always been tempted to buy some and do time lapse photography. Now I could do it with flowers right out of my garden!

I clipped the stem with purple blossoms just hours before our September 1 snowstorm because I wasn't sure it would survive the cold snap. I put it in a vase and started the camera. I waited. And waited. And waited. What a disappointment!!! (It would have survived and probably would have bloomed had I left it alone!!!)

After two weeks of no radiant bloom equal to what was going on in the backyard, even after a 7-inch white blanket, I finally clipped another stem already blooming after the bunnies smashed it to the ground while eating greenery. I set this second stem up in front of the camera and got semi-respectable results. I think this one took two days.

The next day, I found two more glad stems on the ground, thanks to Peter Cottontail and family. I clipped them and put the purple one front and center on my purple towel stage. I let this one go for three days.

I can live with that third video. It didn't turn out so bad. Now I'm doing something much more predictable. My Christmas cacti were fooled by that snowstorm. I'll get the hang of this time lapse photography stuff eventually!