This was such a fun conversation. Give it a listen!

Electric Spice: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... Shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max. UV fluorescing mustard! If you want to know how to get the most out of your phone for macro work, I've also got a workshop coming up soon: princetonphotoworkshop.com/classes/phon... #iphone #macro #science #ultraviolet

Spiral Staircase: flickr.com/photos/donko... I keep a Rhytidoponera metallica (Green Head Ant) colony as a pet. They work wonders in front of the camera too! #entomology #insects #science #macro #macrophotography #refraction

Had such a time chatting with Kersten Luts for this week’s Camera Shake Podcast (@camerashake.bsky.social). Check it out here, or wherever you get your podcasts. youtu.be/IlRDucURNHM?...

Snowflake 977 flickr.com/photos/donko... This snowflake was photographed two days ago on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. The conditions rarely allow for such things to form here, and I'm pretty happy about it. :) #snow #snowflake #ice #sky #macro #microscopy #weather #science #physics #Bulgaria

Snowflake 976 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... I'll call this one a "cascading dendrite". Read the post over on Flickr to see why! They're truly beautiful things. #snow #snowflake #science #physics #weather #meteorology #hydrology #ice #water #frozen #balance #symmetry #macrophotography #microscopy

Snowflake 975: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... I've never seen this many layers in a snowflake this tiny. There's a lot going on here - read the full post over on Flickr. #ice #snow #snowflake #weather #meteorology #science #physics #fractal #hexagon #symmetry #microscopy #macrophotography #water

Crystalline Connections: Freezing Soap Bubbles www.flickr.com/photos/donko... Here's a brief tutorial on how to get started with shooting freezing soap bubbles. Here's a full and comprehensive tutorial in my book: www.amazon.com/Macro-Photog... #snow #ice #winter #winterstorm #frozen #water #soap

Snowflake 974: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... Check out the center on this one, too! So cool how this forms, as well as how the bubbles form on the branches. #snowflake #weather #meteorology #ice #sky #science #physics #microscopy #water #frozen #crystal #macro #macrophotography #Lumix #GX9

Amazon has been restocked, but only 10 copies left! www.amazon.com/Macro-Photog... #science #physics #macro #book #learning #photography #macrophotography

Snowflake 973 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... The center of this one features a "skeletal form"-type crystal splitting, it's really fun to just observe how the #physics works. Read the full post over on Flickr, the character count here doesn't do it justice. :) #science #ice #snow #weather #macro

Snowflake 972 flickr.com/photos/donko... Check out the center on this one! And the sublimation! Full write-up over on Flickr. :) #snowflake #snow #ice #crystal #weather #meteorology #science #physics #winter #water #frozen #fractal #macro #macrophotography #natural #symmetry #sky #microscopy

Only six copies left in stock! www.amazon.com/Macro-Photog... #macro #learning #books #photography #science

Prismatic Crystal - Snowflake 971 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... A different view from the previous snowflake specimen that really focuses on the hidden colours - made much more visible when thrown out of focus. #science #physics #snow #ice #snowflake #weather #macro #water #frozen #meteorology

Snowflake 971 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... The colours here are really special, not often to we see this much prismatic colour in the branches! Read the Flickr post for all the details. :) #snow #snowflake #science #physics #weather #ice #meteorology #sky #crystal #water #fractal #symmetry

Snowflake 970 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... One of the best examples of a thick snowflake causing inward crystal growth. There's a bit to unpack in the full description on Flickr, but this type of snowflake is one of my favourites. #snow #weather #snowflake #ice #water #science #physics #fractal

Snowflake 969 www.flickr.com/photos/donko... Tough to find the words to welcome in the new year. Wishing everyone well, and hoping for a calm start to 2026. Happy New Year!

Ever seen a thirteen-branched snowflake before? Well, you have now (sort of): www.flickr.com/photos/donko... The full description doesn't fit here, but these are effectively crystal clusters. Read on Flickr for more. :) #snowflake #winter #weather #meteorology #science #physics #ice #water #frozen

Snowflake 966 I’ve seen thin film interference everywhere from a cup of Turkish coffee to the meniscus formed around the lid of fountain pen ink. Ever see “Newton’s Rings?”; it’s everywhere if you’re paying attention. Even in snowflakes! Full description: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... #snow #ice

Snowflake 965 There's too much to say about this snowflake here and not enough space - but you can read all about it over on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... It attempts to unlock some mysteries as to how pockets of air form in these gems. #snow #snowflake #weather #ice #winter #water #sky

Snowflake 964 This one has a ton of volumetric details. Not only did it start as a "split crystal" to allow for overlapping branches, it also features collisions with super-cooled water droplets that form their own crystals. Full write-up here: flickr.com/photos/donko... #snow #snowflake #ice #sky

I just listened to a great episode of Photo Geek Weekly, with @donkom.bsky.social engaging @stevebrazill.com in a great photography discussion. You should check it out for yourself. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/p...

Macro lenses. Do you think I have too many? Full write-up here: www.flickr.com/photos/donko... I speak more at length of all of these options in the second edition of my macro photography book, which you can grab here, shipping in 11 days: www.routledge.com/Macro-Photog...

Second Edition is here! With free global shipping. :D This is a huge deal for me. The publisher, Routledge, is highly prestigious with a focus on academic books and journals. To be included in their catalogue is an honour. And for the next five days, it’s 20% off. www.routledge.com/Macro-Photog...

Snowflake 963 Finally, a chance to photograph a snowflake here in #Bulgaria! Problem is, it was melting as I photographed it. That leads to a unique set of challenges but also a rather unique look into the life of a snowflake.

Snowflake 962 Broad branches are always beautiful, as if this snowflake is a set of 7, including the center. Combined with a splash of colour from thin film interference, there’s charm here – but there’s also a mystery. The thin sections of the branches have a feature I can’t easily explain.

Snowflake 961 This is a delightfully odd and exotic snowflake; a variety rarely seen and doesn’t match any of the standard “types” of snow. I’ll call it a “scrolled plate that transitioned to needles”. That’s about as good as it gets! #science #physics #weather #meteorology #nature #macro #ice

Snowflake 960 There are so many varieties of snowflakes, but they break down into two primary categories: plates and columns. Columns can be quite enigmatic, while possessing a simple outline; it’s the details inside the crystal that make them special. Bubbles! And lots of them. :)

Snowflake 959 One of the elements of my snowflake photographs: the black mitten. All of these images are shot on a mitten as the background. The mitten was made by my grandmother; it is with sadness to announce that she passed away on January 1st of this year, peacefully and surrounded by family.

Snowflake 958 I call these “button gem snowflakes”, though they are a variation the split crystal form. If a column grows plates out of both sides, and one of the plates grows faster than the other on all size sides, you get this effect. #snow #snowflake #science #physics #weather #ice #water

Snowflake 957 Merry Christmas! This one is quite special and unique, not only is it one of the rarest varieties of “crystal twinning”, it’s also the reverse side of a snowflake I originally published in 2016. I have no record of a similar ice crystal ever being documented by anyone in history.

Snowflake 956 “Split” crystals begin from a central column-type crystal which grows hexagonal plates from both sides of the column. It’s always a race for these plates. If one corner of one plate grows out further than the same corner on the other end of the column, the race for that corner is won