Capturing Snowflakes: Winter's Frozen Artistry

by Kenneth Libbrecht, Rachel Wing

As much a work of art as a testament to science, this revised, hardcover edition of the best-selling The Art of the Snowflake (now Capturing Snowflakes ) includes a laser-cut silver snowflake ornament in its cover and showcases 430+ images of snowflakes captured by the photo-microscope of the world’s leading expert on the subject, Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor of physics at Caltech who also served as a science consultant for Disney’s Frozen movies.
 
The snow may seem unvaried to the naked eye, but the microscope reveals an amazing menagerie of beautiful crystalline forms . Building on the pioneering work of Wilson Bentley (1865-1931), Libbrecht has developed techniques for capturing images of snow crystals in unprecedented detail. While wondering at the hundreds of exquisite snowflake portraits ,
 
This book is a breathtaking look at the works of art that melt in an instant.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Capturing Snowflakes is a beautiful and interesting book about not only snowflakes but also the history and science behind snow and snowflakes too.
The book goes back as far as the 1600's and shows amazing pictures of snowflakes throughout.
This book would be good for science projects at school or just to have as an interesting non fiction coffee table read with way much more information than your average coffee table book.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A snowflake appears when water vapor in the air converts directly into ice without first becoming liquid water. As more vapor condenses onto a nascent snow crystal, it grows and develops, and that is when its ornate patterning emerges.

We’re all familiar with stellar dendrites, six sided snowflakes, but there are many other different shapes, including diamond-dust crystals (hexagonal prisms), columns, needles and triangles.

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It’s true that no two snowflakes are alike. The difference shapes form as a result of variations in temperature and humidity, along with the path they take through the clouds. The higher the humidity, the more complex the design. Some snowflakes are even asymmetrical.

Snowflakes are being manufactured in the atmosphere at an astounding rate - from snowfall data, we calculate around a million billion crystals each second.

This book showcases some gorgeous snowflakes, both those generated naturally and designer snowflakes, those created under laboratory conditions. You will discover how snowflakes are formed and what conditions create which types of snowflakes. You will learn how to preserve a snowflake in resin, how to make paper snowflakes and how to photograph them.

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It takes fifteen minutes to an hour to grow a good-sized snowflake. In this time about one hundred thousand nearby droplets will have evaporated away to supply the water vapor to make just one snowflake.

I’ve never seen snow but if I ever get the chance you can bet I’ll be bringing this book with me so I can identify the different shapes and photograph the experience.

My favourite photograph was taken by Jackie Novak. While I loved the details of many of the other photographs, the composition of this one stood out.

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Fun fact: Ken was the snowflake consultant for Frozen, so you won’t see any four or eight sided snowflakes there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Voyageur Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press, for the opportunity to read this book.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. This book was so much more than what I was expecting. I was anticipating a coffee table book with just images of snowflakes, however this book delved into the history and science behind snow. The book is written by a physics professor and a park ranger with a background in geology so I trust the information provided. I was especially fascinated by the history of both snow documentation and depictions of flakes themselves. The information about what needs to happen in the environment for snowflakes to occur was also really interesting. I live in Utah where we’re known for our powdery snow, so it’s not something I really think about. I also like the book included some tutorials about making more accurate paper snow flakes and preserving snow flakes in resin. On top of all that, the pictures in the book are absolutely beautiful.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative book about snowflakes. Snowflake documenting and watching dates back to the mid 1600s. Wilson Bentley gets credited in the USA with pioneering snowflake photography. (I read a children's book about Bentley to the students in my elementary school library each winter.) The book goes on to discuss snowflake weather, crystal symmetry, photography and even how to cut an accurate paper snowflake. The author even speculates how snow would be different on other planets. Individual snowflakes when magnified are beautiful whether they are columns, crystals, needles or prisms. With over 400 photos this book does justice to beauty of snowflakes. This is a lovely coffee table book and also informative for those who have an interest in the subject. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Doreen Prentiss Gabriellini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Capturing Snowflakes: Winter’s Frozen Artistry by Kenneth Libbrecht and Rachel Wing was not the book I was expecting. I was anticipating a ‘coffee table’ book with pretty pictures. This book has more than a beautiful cover. Within the covers of this book is the history of both snow documentation and the science of how snowflakes are created.

The authors are respectively a physics professor and a park ranger with a specialty in geology. The descriptions were easy for the layman to understand and quite fascinating. When you think about crystal symmetry you might think why would I want to know about that. The way the authors approach the science is intellectually stimulating. There is an explanation of the weather (environment) needed to create various types of snowflakes. (i.e. Columns, crystals, needles & prisms)

There are over 400 breathtakingly beautiful photos of snowflakes. Each photo in and of itself is a work of art. Each is unique and singularly awe inspiring. This would be a great gift for the person who loves the snow or for that person who enjoys the science behind anything. It would make a lovely ‘coffee table’ book but it is so much more than that. I recommend this book highly and already have it on my gift list for some this holiday season. Very well done!

Thank you to the authors, Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic, bring both science and the art of photography together. To enjoy learning about how snowflakes are formed and seeing the beautiful up close photographs leave me in awe. I loved this book so much I didn't want it to end. So I read it in small chucks each day, so I could savior each part. this is a wonderful book to have on your coffee table when people visit as a wonderful conversation point, especially in winter. I could of continued to read this book forever, seen as though there are millions of different snowflakes. This is such a fascinating subject. It also explains how we can all enjoy snow flake hunting and photographing them ourselves with in-expensive items. It even explains how we can create a snowflake slide that will last forever. Which is something I just can't wait to do. This book is so well written and very easy to understand anyone could read this book and learn some amazing facts and can be enjoyed by all. It amazes me how something so small can be so beautiful.
I can not praise the authors and publishing team for bringing together such a beautiful and stunning book that you can look at and read time and time again.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about this beautiful book and cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy! The colors are stunning, the images are stirring, and the descriptions satiate my science minded proclivity to new knowledge. These tiny, miraculous gems contain more beauty in their miniscule size than could possibly be logical. Yet, this reference captures so many of these images and provides fascinating descriptions. I love all the additional, incidental information as well, such as how to make a proper snowflake. This book will become a new fixture in my reference book collection.

I received a complimentary copy, with thanks, from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own and freely given.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capturing Snowflakes is a stunning coffee table book full of incredible photographs of individual snowflakes. The detail and clarity of the images was just breathtaking. But this was more than just a coffee table book of beautiful photographs - the authors, a professor of physics and a park ranger/geologist also educate the reader on the science behind the creation of snow crystals (what we normally call snowflakes), and the best way to cut paper snowflakes. Capturing Snowflakes is the perfect book for anyone interested in science, weather, or photography.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book would make a great coffee table book because of the stunning pictures of many snowflakes. But it also goes deeper into the science of various types of snowflakes. It's very informative but told in an easy to understand way. It's really incredible what one can do with a photo microscope and the process to get it just right takes a lot of trial and error.
Awesome book!

[Ellie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me happy. I've been taking cell phone pictures of snowflakes for many years. I'm not real good but it makes me happy. I recently saw people selling real snowflakes in a necklace... And this book simply explained how to do it. (If you look it up online you can find out too) I was fascinated in how a snowflake was made and all the different kinds. Book was beautiful and educational. If you are a snowflake lover especially if you like to take pictures of them. This book is for you.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous and informative book, this would make a great gift for that person who enjoys the science behind anything.

I really enjoyed looking at so many of the different pictures of snowflakes but also reading the science behind them.

Highly recommend this gorgeous book!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This book is beautifully done and the images or really high quality. It would be a great add on or unit study for science.

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book for the photography. I'd never seen a snowflake close up before. Fascinating and beautiful ❄️

*Free e-copy received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.