When I left the house Wednesday night on other business I noticed that the air was thick with this diamond dust, even at ground level. Already its effect on bright lights around town was manifest. I couldn’t wait until I was able to break away and head out with the camera (which yes, was already on my person). I was not disappointed.
There are a few dilemmas when chasing these ice crystals for purposes of photography. One is that they typically exist only for a fleeting moment, as just the right conditions are required for their appearance. The second is trying to get a good angle and a good foreground object, and doing so before the phenomenon passes. That makes River Road a good safe bet, since there’s a LOT of bright light on the Mandan side of the river.
I was out in the cold, freezing myself silly for quite some time. The spikes of light provided by this “diamond dust” are best witnessed (and photographed) with clear skies. Wednesday night’s skies were partly hazy, but they still worked okay. Then the haze began to overtake the diamond dust, and it was time to go home and warm up.
I’ve got a few more photos of this phenomenon to post in the next couple of days. Yesterday I succumbed to the same stomach flu bug that had attacked the rest of my family and several of my friends, and I’m just now on the mend.
In the mean time, I can refer you to some previous examples of this “diamond dust” phenomenon. They were taken with clear skies, which helps the light spikes stand out even more. Wednesday’s hazy conditions illuminated the sky, but a clear sky gives a dark background from which those light spikes really stand out. You can find those other photos by clicking here and here. The second link includes a much larger version of the photo in which you can see much more going on than just the ice crystals!