When one looks at it, from a distance, in its totality…

It holds little interest.

However upon closer inspection, the wonders of the variation that is life…

[via Gawker] The True Beauty of Grains of Sand

Kat Hannaford — There may be more stars in the sky than sand grains on the world’s beaches, but do they look as pretty as these grains when shot ultra close-up? Maybe not. But it’s mind-boggling to see magnified sand looking so gorgeous.

Magnified at 250x by Professor Gary Greenberg at the University College of London, the individual grains of sand look like gemstones or beautiful miniature seashells, and also help illustrate which larger rock they crumbled from.

As grains of sand are small enough to begin with, Professor Greenberg had to develop a new form of magnification photography to avoid the shallow depth of field he was encountering before:

“I take dozens of pictures at different points of focus then combine them using software to produce my images. Although the pictures look simple each grain of sand can take hours to photograph in a way that I am happy with.”

Should you be reading this post and wishing you could buy a coffee table book featuring photos of these magnificent rocks, good news—Professor Greenberg is selling signed copies of his book for $20 from his website. Along with the intriguingly titled Florotica—Revealing the Sensuality of the Micro World. [SandGrains via Daily Mail via Lost at E Minor—Thanks, Kate! Image Credits: Professor Greenberg/SWNS] [Read More]

Exists…

Despite the fact you often take it for granted.

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” ~William Blake

So, stop. See the wonder that is there, in life…

Everywhere.

If one merely takes the time to look.