Water Droplets Dance In Markus Reugels' Stunning Stop-Action Photos (PHOTOS)

"God has made a beautiful world even in the smallest things."

That's Markus Reugels waxing philosophic about the tiny water droplets that play the starring role in the sublime high-speed photography that has become his passion. But Reugels' stunning photos--which show in exquisite stop-action detail what happens when droplets collide—may owe as much to science and technology as they do to any deity.

"You need to understand the different parameters like temperature, viscosity, drop size, drop distance, etc.," Reugels told The Huffington Post in an email. "I take lots of care with the light and color composition. It's very Important that all parts of the Image get into harmony."

Reugels--who lives in a village outside the German city of Schweinfurt--uses conventional photography equipment, freezing the action with a powerful flash. But the water is mixed with guar gum to give it a milk-like viscosity, and for some of the photos dye is added. And Reugels varies the rate and height at which the droplets are released.

Things don’t always go right. But when they do, Reugels said the images captivate him: "It's incredible what shapes simple water drops can build. You can plan everything, but each drop is unique."