Barrie, Ontario-based photographer Don Komarechka has had a life-long fascination with snow. That seems like a pretty practical obsession for a Canadian! But he isn’t interested in landscapes, or bucolic, snow-covered scenes. Komarechka likes to get up close and personal with the snow he photographs.

His macro-photography of individual snowflakes is the result of years of study and practice. His book, “Sky Crystals: Unraveling the Mystery of Snowflakes,” is full of beautiful, super close-up images of the stuff. While his photos look very slick and maybe even digitally produced, his process is anything but.

“Using a steady hand, an old mitten, and freshly falling snow, you can produce an image worthy of sparking that childhood wonder in even the most jaded onlookers. Some people don’t believe my images are real, and that’s when I know I’ve created something worth talking about. Of course, some people simply think I’m crazy watching me take pictures of an old mitten in a snow storm.”

You can view more of Komarechka’s hundreds of snow photos on his website and on Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook.

All images property of Don Komarechka.