Crystal Patterns

After a recent light snow, thaw and quick refreeze, I found these small icicles on a few trees. The changes in temperature must have been responsible for the intricate patterns that seem to be etched into the perfectly clear ice.

This was a tricky shot to get because the trees kept moving erratically in the wind. With my 105 mm macro lens focused almost as close as it would go, I needed a flash to freeze the motion and illuminate the facets of the design from the side. It still took a lot of tries to get most of the icicle in focus, as it waved back and forth through the focal plane.

Attachment 16940

Cheers
Neil

Very interesting and well done!

What an intricate fragile little icicle - nicely captured neilsp and welcome to the forum!

Lovely. Superb detail. Nicely done.

Love the sharpness! Sort of looks like a plant inside the icicle.