Macro Photos of Freezer Ice Accumulations Reveal Beautiful Shapes

After a series of experiments, an art director has created a macro photo series of ice crystals after he happened to notice the interesting way they formed on the inside of his freezer.

Montreal-based Christopher Dormoy has previously shared his ice-based photography and video work with PetaPixel. In 2020, during the pandemic, Dormoy created "Black Ice," a visually soothing timelapse that combined ink, ice, and flowers.

During a break Dormoy took from a separate, ongoing project, he was cleaning out his freezer when he noticed the ice crystals that had formed on the interior walls, which he says spurred him to set up his camera to photograph them. As the project progressed, he used a small freezer that he dedicated to these experiments, which he says required "a lot of hours of exploration" using a mixture of time, ice, nature, and light.

Dormoy tells PetaPixel that he is always inspired by the saying "finding extraordinary into the ordinary is never easy," which is part of what attracts him to motion timelapses that "bring a completely new way to see the things around us." His fascination working with ice stems from it being a natural element that can evolve and morph "in a very organic and unpredictable way."

Using a Nikon Z7 with Laowa 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe and a simple LED flashlight, the art director created a series of close-up images that weren't he never planned to capture. As the freezer was in a warm area, the ice melted faster than he had anticipated, which meant that the shoot had to be quick.

The resulting images show ice crystals up close in their various shapes as they are on the edge of breaking down, illuminated by light which reveals the fine details.

Although Dormoy has gathered experience working with macro projects, he tells PetaPixel that he is still refining his way to "reveal the ice," especially after he received comments from his first ice project that he shared. Combined with the ongoing development of technology and equipment, the art director is always looking for originality as he explores various subjects and learns along the way.

For other photographers looking to work with macro subjects, Dormoy recommends investing in a good lens first and foremost.

"To capture the maximum of light and details, don't hesitate to spend money," he says, specifically referencing optics.

Similarly, the camera should have a good sensor that is sensitive to the light because "in macro photography, light and aperture are key elements to realize sharp and vibrant shots." While in regards to video work, working with light can be more difficult because it can be less powerful than shooting stills with speedlights.

Dormoy uses a Nikon Z7 for his photographic work and a Z6 for video. The latter he also combined with Atomos Ninja V, which allows shooting in ProRes RAW video format for additional post-processing flexibility.

Depending on the type of shoot, he uses small and medium-sized LED panels with softboxes, as well as LED tubes which allow creating different reflection effects on ice. He recommends having a powerful light source with adjustable light temperature.

As for now, Dormoy is exploring new ways to experiment with ice and tells PetaPixel that he also has a documentary channel interested in his ice exploration work, and is sure to showcase his projects in the future.

More of Dormoy's photo and video work can be found on his website, Instagram, and Vimeo.

Image credits: All images by Christopher Dormoy and used with permission.

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Timelapse Shows Enthralling Process of a Growing Shiitake Mushroom

A photographer, fascinated by the fungi world, has recorded a creative timelapse of a growing shiitake mushroom, which shows the fascinating progress up-close.

Photographer and YouTube creator Jens Heidler, who has previously shared his innovative approach to documenting macro and timelapse work of various objects and the natural world with PetaPixel , like the 10-day cracking egg timelapse, has released a new video on his channel Another Perspective, where he recorded a timelapse of a growing shiitake mushroom.

As a self-proclaimed "mushroom fan," Heidler plans to record timelapse videos of as many mushrooms as possible, while currently working with a variety of mushrooms, such as king oyster, lion's mane, poplar mushroom, parasol mushroom, and king Stropharia. The latter will see recorded footage released in near future to follow this most recent shiitake mushroom video.

Heidler says that he has always been fascinated with great timelapse video in the past and was curious how to record video footage like that himself, which is why he entered the macro and timelapse world. He explains that one of the main things that bring excitement when shooting timelapse is that irrespective of a prepared plan, it's likely that the creator will discover something new and interesting as the recording unfolds.

When he started out shooting this type of work, he used a simple GoPro and has since upgraded to two entry-level cameras, Sony Alpha a6000 and a6300, and the full-frame Sony a7R IV. For his lenses, he uses Venus Laowa 60mm f/2.8 Ultra Macro and Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro, which the photographer also uses to take photos from a longer distance at f/16 and f/22.

The two entry-level Sony cameras support apps that allow Heidler to take one image every five minutes, with no limitations, whereas Sony a7R IV doesn't and the photographer needs to use an additional timelapse remote controller with it. Besides his cameras and lenses, his setup also includes a tripod, a dummy battery, and a simple softbox.

Heidler recommends other creatives to start out in the macro and timelapse world with something simple at first. For example, recording cress can give satisfying results because it grows very fast. After that, photographers and videographers can begin to plan the next steps by adjusting the light source, perhaps adding a rotation table or even a star tracker to mount the camera on, or a manual focus rail to add movement.

Although Heidler is currently preoccupied with recording the fungi world, he says that if he discovers other opportunities that would make an interesting timelapse, "the mushrooms will have to wait."

Image credits: All images by Jens Heidler and used with permission.

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A 10-Day Timelapse of a Cracked Egg Reveals Glass-Like Patterns

Photographer Jens Heidler recorded a 10-day timelapse of a cracked egg in macro and captured the various stages of its drying and crystalization. What results is are some beautiful and unexpected patterns.

Heidler has an active educational YouTube channel called Another Perspective where he shares numerous project ideas and tutorials for photographers and filmmakers.

His more recent projects involve food products reacting to different environments over time, notably one where he captures macro images and video clips of dissolving M&M's. His latest is just as unusual and focuses on what happens to a cracked egg over the course of 10 days.

Heidler initially set out to create a timelapse of the egg decomposing, but the result of the 10-day experiment surprised the photographer as it less decomposed, but more transformed. As the egg began to dry out, it started to crystalize from the outer edges and slowly moved towards the center, leaving a trail of what is reminiscent of the patterns that appear when glass or ice breaks.

Using a macro lens, Heidler reveals how the egg's white slowly forms holes that spread across the surface as the egg dries. If you look closely -- and it is more easily seen thanks to the blue colored background -- the macro shots of the hardened eggwhite "holes" resemble a combination of Van Gogh's world-famous "Starry Night" painting with a touch of painter Gustav Klimt's intricate details, turning the macro results of days-old egg into a visually pleasing pattern.

As the timelapse goes on, you can also see the result of the egg yolk hardening on the outside, but not quite on the inside as Heidler cuts it in half to demonstrate it's still slightly soft.

The setup for the timelapse was simple, the photographer explains to PetaPixel. It just uses one softbox, with two cameras and a pair of lenses which came together to form the finished macro photos and timelapse: a Sony a7R IV and a Sony Alpha a6000 along with a Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro and a Venus Laowa 60mm F/2.8 Ultra Macro.

Heidler reveals that he had no real expectations from the concept before executing it. He simply decided to set up a timelapse, crack the egg, and waited to see the result, whatever that would be. He hopes that his experiment that he came up with on the fly will encourage others to create something unusual and inspire others to explore the possibilities of the macro world using everyday objects found around the house.

You can see more of Heidler's work on his Instagram or follow his YouTube channel to see his latest tutorials and projects.

Image credits: Images by Jens Heidler and used with permission.

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