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Weather photographer finds new passion in capturing snowflakes

Dr. Jason Persoff used to just take pictures of tornadoes and auroras. Boring!
Snowflake photographer
Posted at 8:47 AM, Feb 28, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-01 11:14:04-05

AURORA, Colo. — Dr. Jason Persoff says photographing snowflakes has helped him appreciate winter more, something I think we all could use help with this particular go-around.

The fulltime Colorado physician has also been a part-time "weather photographer" for decades, but has recently expanded from tornadoes and auroras to capturing the much, much smaller aforementioned crystals.

It's an unorthodox process, involving the use of a wool sock as your landing pad for the falling flakes, and then layering 20-40 tight shots to capture the detail. It takes quite a while, but Dr. Persoff is passionate about this mission.

"Normally, you know, you see the snowflakes falling and you're thinking, 'How long is that going to add to my commute?" he told us, before demonstrating his process. "All I'm thinking is 'Man, there's a trillion or more photos just waiting to happen, and I've got to hurry up and capture them all."

In the video above, you can see his intricate approach, and watch me fail at trying to complete it.

Dr. Persoff currently has a gallery open, at the Fulginetti Pavillion on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. It is open until March 24.