Ethereal Macro Photos of Snowflakes in the Moments Before They Disappear.. Macro fotografii diafane ale fulgilor de zapada realizate exact in momentul dinainte ca acestia sa se topeasca

EN: Ethereal Macro Photos of Snowflakes in the Moments Before They Disappear

Russian photographer Andrew Osokin is a master of winter macro photography. His photo collection is chock full of gorgeous super-close-up photographs of insects, flowers, snow, and frost. 

Among his most impressive shots are photographs of individual snowflakes that have fallen upon the ground and are in the process of melting away. The shots are so detailed and so perfectly framed that you might suspect them of being computer-generated fabrications.

They’re not though. The images were all captured using a Nikon D80 or Nikon D90 DSLR and a 60mm or 90mm macro lens.

You can enjoy many more of Osokin’s impressive photographs (16 pages worth, at the moment) over on his LensArt.ru website.

RO: Macro fotografii diafane ale fulgilor de zapada realizate exact in momentul dinainte ca acestia sa se topeasca

Fotograful rus Andrew Osokin este maestru in macro fotografia invernala. Colectia sa fotografica este plina ochi cu fotografii superbe, realizate in detaliu, care infatiseaza insecte, flori, zapada si gheata. 

Printre acestea, unele din cele mai impresionante sunt fotografiile realizate fulgilor de nea individuali care deja au cazut pe pamant si sunt in proces de topire. Imaginile sunt atat de detaliate si de perfecte incadrate incat le-ai putea suspecta ca sunt creatii generate pe calculator.

Insa nu sunt falsuri. Toate fotografiile au fost capturate cu un aparat Nikon D80 sau Nikon D90 DSLR si cu macro lentile de 60mm sau 90mm.

Puteti sa va bucurati de mai multe imagini impresionante capturate de Osokin pe cele 16 pagini cu fotografii (pana in prezent) de pe profilul sau de pe site-ul LensArt.ru.

Thriving since 1960, my garden in a bottle: Seedling sealed in its own ecosystem and watered just once in 53 years.. Infloritoare din 1960, gradina mea intr-o damigeana: Rasadul sigilat si udat doar o singura data in 53 de ani, si-a creat propriul sau ecosistem

EN: Thriving since 1960, my garden in a bottle: Seedling sealed in its own ecosystem and watered just once in 53 years

For the last 40 years it has been completely sealed from the outside world. But the indoor variety of spiderworts (or Tradescantia, to give the plant species its scientific Latin name) within has thrived, filling its globular bottle home with healthy foliage.

Yesterday Mr Latimer, 80, said: ‘It’s 6ft from a window so gets a bit of sunlight. It grows towards the light so it gets turned round every so often so it grows evenly.

‘Otherwise, it’s the definition of low-maintenance. I’ve never pruned it, it just seems to have grown to the limits of the bottle.’ 

The bottle garden has created its own miniature ecosystem. Despite being cut off from the outside world, because it is still absorbing light it can photosynthesise, the process by which plants convert sunlight into the energy they need to grow.

Photosynthesis creates oxygen and also puts more moisture in the air. The moisture builds up inside the bottle and ‘rains’ back down on the plant. 

The leaves it drops rot at the bottom of the bottle, creating the carbon dioxide also needed for photosynthesis and nutrients which it absorbs through its roots.

It was Easter Sunday 1960 when Mr Latimer thought it would be fun to start a bottle garden ‘out of idle curiosity’.

Into a cleaned out ten gallon carboy, or globular bottle, which once contained sulphuric acid, he poured some compost then carefully lowered in a seedling using a piece of wire.

He put in about a quarter of a pint of water. It was not until 1972 that he gave it another ‘drink’.

After that, he greased the bung so it wedged in tightly... and has not watered it since.

The bottle stands on display under the stairs in the hallway of his home in Cranleigh, Surrey, the same spot it has occupied for 27 years after he and his wife Gretchen moved from Lancashire when he retired as an electrical engineer.

RO: Infloritoare din 1960, gradina mea intr-o damigeana: Rasadul sigilat si udat doar o singura data in 53 de ani, si-a creat propriul sau ecosistem 

Rasadul a fost complet inchis fata de lumea exterioara in ultimii 40 de ani. Insa planta telegraf din interior (in latina Tradescantia, asa cum este cunoscuta dupa numele stiintific) a continua sa prospere, umpland casa ei din damigeana rotunda cu frunze sanatoase.

Domnul Latimer de 80 de ani, spunea: "Sunt 6 picioare(aproximativ 1.83 metri) de la fereastra prin care planta poate sa isi procure putin soare. Creste inspre lumina asa ca este intoarsa din cand in cand astfel incat sa creasca in mod egal.

In afara de asta, este definitia efortului minim cu intretinerea. N-am mai tuns planta, se pare ca a crescut doar in limitele sticlei."