Snow is a Beautiful Thing

It was difficult for me to type the title for this article, because I don't really like snow and most definitely hate the cold -- but the images in this article put on full display just how beautiful snowflakes are and how one artist uses the snowy landscape to create gorgeous works of art. Using a very powerful macro lens, photographer Alexey Kljatov took photos up close of single snowflakes in his backyard in Moscow. The results are breathtaking -- snowflakes to the human eye are just white specks falling from the sky -- but to the potent camera lens, you can see the intricate nature of these natural works of art. Snowflakes are truly special, and this display shows just that.

The next artist using the cold weather to his benefit is Simon Beck. The French artist uses a pair of snowshoes, an orienting compass, and the snowy landscape as his canvas to walk patterns into the unadulterated white surfaces that surround his home by the mountains. Photos via: Alexey Kljatov and Simon Beck