My 21 Favorite Snokeh Photos Of 2021

Before I start this countdown I thought that I might have to explain what snokeh is. Snokeh is a catching the falling snow as bokeh by hitting it with your flash. I found this on accident over ten years ago when I was using my first dSLR and its pop up flash. The auto mode kicked in and fired my flash when I didn’t want it to. What I saw on the screen though made me want to try and do this more. It is just a cool way to make your scene look like a snowglobe. Here is a post where I give some tips on how to make these photos.

One of my favorite things to do during the year is to make snokeh photos. In the past the conditions were never right at the right time for me. Last year though it seemed like I just kept lucking into great opportunities to make snokeh photos. I was able to get out many times and play around a bit with this technique. Hopefully this year brings me lots of chances to try this out. As I write this though things have not worked out so good so far this year. There is plenty of time for things to turn around though. Last year I was making snokeh photos into April. Here are my favorite snokeh photos from last year.

21. I made this snokeh photo on April 20th. A few years ago I thought that I was lucky to make snokeh photos on April Fool’s Day. To get a chance so late in the year is a great thing. I went down to the local park to make a few images because I didn’t think that the snow would last too long. I loved this photo. It just had an Indiana feel to it.

20. I made this photo during a very fun walk through Lafayette in the snow. Normally I try and get somewhere quickly as I never know when the snow will slow down. On this day though I lucked out and had enough time for a walk up and down Main Street.

19. This was the year of experimenting with my snokeh photography. With many more chances it allowed me to risk some things and try something new here and there. Here I tried a longer lens from a higher vantage point. I thought that this had a pretty dreamy look to it.

18. This is usually the kind of snokeh photo that I make. The athletic buildings are very easy to get to with good parking. When you don’t know how much time that you have those are important factors.

17. This was another fun experiment trying to zoom in a bit to see what I could get. I liked how this turned out, and I thought that it would be worth a try to keep working on this as I get some chances this year.

16. A new building with a log to windows makes for a great contrast to the snokeh in the foreground. When you are working in primarily black and white images windows and light helps out a lot.

15. Here the absence of light allowed me to make some fun images. It nearly looked like the fountain was just out there by itself. This was a fun photo because of the fact that I had to make sure and hold my breath or it would end up in the photos. After a while you start to feel as if you could pass out.

14. This was the year when I found that a little warmth could be interesting in these photos. You will see more of that as this countdown goes on. The way the Purdue Union is set up it just allows for some cool photos at night.

13. I am sure that there is a name for this section of campus, but I don’t know what it is. I have always just called it the corridor. It has a lot of things that help make a good snokeh photo. It is also a part of campus that I can get to quickly. This is often the first and last photo that I make on a snokeh walk as I park very close to this area.

12. This is a classic view of campus looking good with a little snokeh around it. Next time I will have to get a light and shine it on Hovde on the right to give it a little love as well.

11. This was an idea that I cam up with on the spot. The normal photo that I make with Armstrong Hall in the background looked good. In fact it was the cover for my 2021 Purdue album for most of the year. This was just different enough though that I really liked it. When you are making these types of photos you have to constantly be thinking on your feet. This might have been my favorite example of that this year.

10. The Lafayette Theater always makes a good photo. With snokeh all around it the photos are even better. This is one part of town that I would like to focus on a bit more this year.

9. This was my first and only trip to the Amelia Earhart statue on campus. My favorite photo of the night was one where I turned my flash off. This one was in the same spirit though, and I liked how it turned out.

8. Sometimes the signs can help make the photo. It is hard to think summer with snow falling all around. The golden light from the inside of the building also helped make this a memorable photo.

7. I always just feel peaceful around these statues at Pao Hall. No matter the conditions they just look chill. Here this one just seems to be enjoying the snow as it comes down. I half expected it to tilt its head and catch a snowflake or two with its tongue.

6. Here was a photo that I had a little fun with. By leaning into the gold lights around the unfinished P I was able to make a really golden photo. I still don’t know how I feel about it, but I like the idea of the experiment.

5. I went down to campus to make this photo on this night. I had a different idea of how to do it though. I was originally going to do it from the top of a parking garage. That was not working though so I went for a walk and did it the old fashioned way. I think that I could improve on this photo in the coming year.

4. I have always liked this photo because of the people in the frame. Here you can see how bundled up everyone was as the snow was falling down. These little scenes on campus are one area where I really want to improve this year.

3. Here once again I leaned into the amber lights around the John Purdue statue. The snow had really slowed down by the time that I made it to the statue on this night, but I still love how this turned out.

2. This area of Lafayette was just made for snokeh photography. The bright lights along with the darker sky just help the photo jump off the page. I have an idea for this year that might improve on this a little. I still like how this scene came out.

1. This was my favorite snokeh photo of the year. I went up to campus to see the VOSS model in the snow, but I never thought that I would have a snowman in front of it. I loved the way that everything worked here. It was not only my favorite snokeh photo of the year, but it was one of my favorite photos that I made this year.