The Story Behind How Melissa Robertson Captures Winter One Snowflake at a Time

It is a delightful blessing to receive an award from the London Photography Awards for my photo, ‘Green Spider’s Web,’ as it is outside of my typical snowflake niche. I was walking along the river in Great Smoky Mountains National Park when I noticed the glimmer of a web on the path. As I squatted down to take a look, the beautiful green spider appeared into view. I went to the car and got my macro lens to capture the beautiful markings on such a tiny spider in the wild. This award inspires me to contribute more macro images of all nature genres to the photography world.

I am also honoured to receive awards for ‘Birthday’s Surprise Frost’ and ‘Cross and Snowflake.’

Birthday’s Surprise Frost is a photograph of a beautiful snowflake that formed on my car window. I awoke the morning of my birthday in December of 2023 to find the window covered in amazing icy designs. This one was my favourite capture of the morning. It was the first hint of frost or snow of the season, and it made my birthday very special.

Cross and Snowflake is a cluster of snowflakes that fell exactly as they are pictured. I became a snowflake photographer because the more snowflakes I captured, the more I saw the story of Jesus Christ in them. This amazing representation through nature’s beauty shows the main symbolic theme in the Good News of Jesus. He offered himself as a sacrifice on a cross for all people, so our souls may be washed as white as snow.

I love the stories behind my pictures. Each picture has a story, and I appreciate the opportunity to share those stories with others, hopefully bringing a moment of joy and happiness to someone else through the beauty of nature. The pictures that bring me the biggest smiles or the most breathtaking moments are the ones submitted to competitions.

I can’t remember what first made me pick up a camera when I was young, except that I wanted to document the fish I caught at the lake and every rainbow that graced the sky after a storm. 

However, the first time I picked up the camera and knew I wanted to really get into it was in March 2018. I went outside for snowflake pictures and was hooked. I love catching the tiny designs that show up in ice crystals, but it has also opened up the world of all small things in nature.

One of the blessings of capturing all things in nature is overcoming my fear of spiders long enough to photograph some of their adoring colours and patterns, as in my ‘Green Spider’s Web’ photo. I have a renewed respect for spiders since I started to picture them.

I love snowflake photography because every snowflake is different and mysterious. I never know what will show up in the camera frame because it is too tiny to see with the naked eye. Even more, I love snowflakes because they tell the story of God and His redeeming love for all people through His Son, Jesus Christ. Some snowflakes I use to illustrate specific parts of the Biblical story, but every snowflake is a reminder of how we are washed white as snow by the love and sacrifice of Jesus.

I use a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with the Canon EF 100mm Macro Lens and up to 4 Kenko extension tubes. When needed, I have a small photo light to illuminate the area around. 

I love how close I can get to the subject without needing a microscope. I hand-hold the camera and lens. It is a great setup for taking close-up, high-resolution pictures and quickly moving from one subject to another.

I would want them to feel joy.

The most challenging part of capturing ‘Green Spider’s Web’ was getting a still shot. Between hand-holding the camera, the spider being tiny and moving at any second, and the wind blowing, it took a few shots to get a focused picture.

I love snowflakes and mountains.

The beauty of God’s creation and sharing it with the world is my biggest influence for going out at any time of day/night, in any weather, to capture the amazing aspects of nature.

Photo competitions are a wonderful opportunity to have your art displayed with people you never would have dreamed of sharing it with. Competitions are a form of feedback from unbiased people outside your typical bubble. The title and story that you place with your photograph are just as important as the photo itself. Always place a description with your work. It is your time to share your perspective. 

My advice to a new photographer is to go have fun and play with all the settings on your camera. Who cares how the pictures turn out at first? We are in the digital world; you can just delete them. Get off auto, turn on manual, and explore the amazing possibilities of creating your own photograph just the way you want it from the beginning. 

This will also help with limiting your editing on the post-processing side.

The largest post-processing step in my workflow is focus stacking. Since I use macro photography, I typically have multiple images that combine into one overall picture.  

I try to create the image I want in-camera using manual settings, so I don’t typically have much post-processing work after stacking. I may move exposure and noise around a bit, but most of the time, what I capture is how it looks at the end.

AI is not an influence that I rely on. I keep my work as natural as possible.

If I ever moved away from snow, I would love to photograph the underwater world of the oceans.