Stunning snowflakes

Russian photographer Alexey Kljatov has gone up close and personal with snowflakes, producing a beautiful set of images captured using a macro lens and an elaborate setup he created to showcase the detail in the snow.

To achieve these stunning images, Kljatov combines numerous photos in a technique called “averaging,” which allows him to create the ultimate snowflake photograph. This image, called “Asymmetriad,” combines eight photos.

To get these amazing close-ups, Kljatov built an elaborate rig for his camera that involves an upside-down stool and a plate of glass. He details the whole process on his blog. This photo was shot in 2009, and Kljatov says he used a “green plastic carpet” for the background.

Kljatov tried to capture some images during a period of several snowfalls in November 2012, but the weather was too warm and the snowflakes melted too quickly, so he posted this shot of the waterdrop instead.

He uses a flashlight to light the snowflakes that land on the glass, and shines the light “through two layers of white plastic bag for more uniform lighting.” He captured this image in January, 2013.

This picture was made from a series of eight photos in Moscow in December, 2012. He says he typically adds colors to his images to enhance their beauty, since the original shots of the snowflakes are “almost monochromatic.”

Kljatov calls this a “relatively big snowflake,” which he photographed using the natural light of the “gray clouded sky.”

Kljatov says this is one of his favorite types of snowflakes: “simple hexagonal plates.”

Kljatov adjusted the contrast, color gradient, and inverted the luminocity to achieve this image.

This group of small snowflakes was photographed in January, 2013.

This “tiny snowflake” was shot against a dark woolen background in January, 2013.

Kljatov captured this “melting snowflake” where he shoots all his images: the balcony outside his home.

This macro shot was taken in February, 2011, against a dark gray woolen fabric.