World in a raindrop

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World in a raindrop

August 26, 2013 by Mike Powell

When drops of rain bead up on the surface of a leaf, the effect is magical—a world of crystal orbs is created. Most of the time the drops appear almost solid, reflecting back the light.

From certain angles, though, the raindrops serve as lenses, offering us a miniature view of the world. Within the drops, the inner world and the world beyond come together and create a beautiful effect.

Posted in Art, Landscape, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged abstract, Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, leaf, rain, raindrops, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on August 26, 2013 at 5:48 am | Reply Otrazhenie

Beautiful !!!
- on August 26, 2013 at 5:51 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It was a lot of fun trying to capture this effect.
on August 26, 2013 at 6:55 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

This is excellent. I love trying for shots like this, and know it isn’t easy.
- on August 26, 2013 at 7:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am inspired enough by this image to attempt it again if I can find the right kind of raindrops. Ideally I would have had the camera on the tripod for optimal sharpness, but it seemed easier to do it handheld.
on August 26, 2013 at 8:22 am | Reply nliakos

Wow, I am dazzled!
on August 26, 2013 at 8:54 am | Reply Mjollnir

Wonderful capture Mike 😀
on August 26, 2013 at 11:30 am | Reply Stephanie

Amazing shot
- on August 26, 2013 at 2:58 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It came out a lot better than I thought it would.
on August 26, 2013 at 3:02 pm | Reply Sid Dunnebacke

I can’t help but like this kind of subject – the color in the drops is beautiful.
on August 26, 2013 at 4:52 pm | Reply lylekrahn

Those reflections are wonderful and you got them in stereo.
on August 26, 2013 at 9:17 pm | Reply krikitarts

I’ve long been a fan of this technique, and you’ve used it to great effect here, Mike. Love it!
- on August 26, 2013 at 10:11 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. Now that I’ve figured out how to do this, I may try to see if I can choose the content of the drop a little more carefully. It was hard, though, to find drops this big that were in an accessible position.
on August 27, 2013 at 12:47 am | Reply owenslaterphotography

Beautiful! I love all of the little drops down the entire leaf!
- on August 27, 2013 at 4:32 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Owen. The little drops were an added bonus–I didn’t even notice them when taking the shot.
on August 28, 2013 at 8:20 am | Reply Sue

Nifty shot! Two worlds, as it were.
- on August 28, 2013 at 7:15 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Sometimes I like to let an artistic side show. 🙂