Amazing Close Up Photos Of Snowflakes Will Give You Goosebumps.

We all know that no two are alike. Nevertheless, seeing a snowflake super duper uber close-up is still breathtaking and these macro photographs by Russian photographer Alexey Kljatov will prove that.




These images of snowflakes and snow crystals were photographed in Moscow by Kljatov, who simply taped a $50 lens (an optics Helios 44M-5) to his Canon Powershot A650, a point and shoot camera, as shown below.



His 'processed' shots of the snowflakes are multiple shots averaged to boost signal/noise ratio and reveal subtle details. You can compare his source shots to his processed shots in the image below.



Alexy photographs the snowflakes and water crystals in two different ways. The first is to capture the snowflakes on the open balcony of his house, mostly on glass surface, lit by an LED flashlight from opposite a side of glass, as shown below:



The second way is to shoot them in natural light, using dark woolen fabrics as the background, as shown in the photos below:




The results are astounding. Just take a look at these 25, photographed on a grey wool background and taken in natural light.


























images courtesy of Alexey Kljatov (aka ChaoticMind75 on flickr)


Alexey describes the process in his own words here

More and higher resolution photos of these macro snowflakes can be found at his Flickr account.




Medium size snowflakes, around 4 mm. 8 serial shots averaged to boost signal-to-noise ratio. Background: dark woolen fabric, natural light (gray clouded sky), external optics Helios 44M-5, january 2013, Moscow

The Latest Paper Sculptures, Editorial and Advertising Work From Su Blackwell

The enchanting book sculptures by Su Blackwell have been featured commercially and in fine art galleries around the world. Created on various scales, her amazing craft has been used as full sized sets for videos, theater productions and television commercials, window displays and editorials as well as compelling small boxed sculptures, installations and fine art exhibitions.


above: Su Blackwell's The Little Prince


above: for The 2008 Snow Queen video

While many art sites and blogs showcased her talents, it's been awhile and she has some new work worth sharing.  Here's a look at some of her latest (2012-2013).

Snow White:

Editorial:

Nature:

The Last Unicorn:

Rose:


2013 Editorial work for Intelligent Life Magazine, Oprah Magazine and Real Simple Magazine:


Some of her earlier pieces from 2009-2011 That I especially favor:
Out of Narnia, 2009:


Little Red Riding Hood, 2010:



Baron In the Trees, 2011



Su Blackwell's work is often used in advertising and marketing because it's a nice and unique way to conveyy people and places that is different from photography. Many large brands (Cartier, Volvo, British Airways, to name a few) have featured her work in their stores, commercials and print ad campaigns.

British Airways:


The Fairmont Hotels have commissioned her work on a few occasions:


Crabtree & Evelyn posters:


Volvo:


Pilsner Urquell:


Harper's Bazaar editorial:


Theater set for The Snow Queen:


Video set for Indah:


In-store installations:



Su talks about her craft in this video from the artist:


Available starting December 5th, 2013 (and can be pre-ordered now here) is this Artist Monograph from Su that catalogs her work from 2006-2013:

above: Su Blackwell 'Book Sculptures', Case-bound, hard-back with 84 full-colour pages. Measures 297mm x 210mm.

Su says of her work:
”I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes”.

”For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.”

Paper has been used for communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to communicate with the spirit world. I employ this delicate, accessible medium and use irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions. -- Su Blackwell, 2007

A great holiday gift for both young and old is the book, The Fairy-Tale Princess: Seven Classic Stories from the Enchanted Forest, which features seven classic fairy tales, imaginatively retold and illustrated with Su's specially commissioned paper-cut constructions:






buy it here

Her online shop features laser cut greeting cards, signed monographs, prints of her work, journals and more.

Su Blackwell Studio Ltd. was set up in 2011 to work on a variety of projects, commissions and collaborations. The studio comprises of Su (director) and her assistants, ‘Emma and Freya’.

Su is represented by Long and Ryle Gallery, London.

Su Blackwell