At the site of Nagano-ken, Japan, at a height of 1,700 meters, Sukuma captured shining ice crystals gliding through the freezing air.

Masayasu Sakuma

Diamond Dust usually looks white, but the early morning sunrise reflecting off the crystals creates a subtle orange colouration, highlighting them against the dark trees in the background. The piece has an otherworldly feel, with the artist describing the dust as “a silent forest fairy.”

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

Sony World Photography Awards Winner | WWPA shortlisted | IPA Sliver | PX3 Gold

Masayasu Sakuma lives and works in Japan.

“Diamond Dust” is the floating frozen ice crystals that are formed by the sublimation of water in the air. They can only be seen during the coldest times of the year. Sukuma set out to photograph this beautiful natural occurrence. In February 2017, the artist captured this image, it had taken him four years.

“Diamond dust can be seen only a few times during cold season. So, it took four years to make this work since I started taking diamond dust. Orange circle is diamond dust. Diamond dust usually looks white, but it turns into orange just for the morning sunrise. I expressed the diamond dust as a silent forest fairy..”