Photographer Dusan Stojancevic can’t always wait for the rain. His popular photo series involves capturing the reflections of famous buildings in water droplets. So when he is visiting a new city and there is no rainwater along the streets, he sprinkles some drops of his own. He tries to do it without a pattern, so it looks natural.

Little else about Stojancevic’s photographs is staged, however. Aside from small color corrections, Stojancevic does not use editing software. His preferred technique is macro photography, in which an object is presented as larger in the image than it is in real life. Macro photography was once difficult to pull off, requiring special add-ons to magnify the camera lens, but the advent of digital photography has proved a boon to people like Stojancevic. Many digital cameras can automatically rearrange their lens elements to optimize close focus.

Eastern Gate of Belgrade, Serbia (Stojancevic's first Droplet Microcosm photo)
Eastern Gate of Belgrade, Serbia (Stojancevic’s first Droplet Microcosm photo) Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic

For fifteen years, Stojancevic’s “droplet microcosmos” series has forced viewers to consider towering world landmarks from a unique perspective—that of a tiny water droplet. His earliest images were taken near his home in Belgrade, Serbia. He added several more to his collection on a trip to New York.

Recently, Stojancevic has also expanded his project to feature more than mere buildings. In a collaboration with the non-profit WaterAid, he photographed—through water droplets—people who have benefited from the expansion of clean water into their communities.

Empire State Building, New York City, USA
Empire State Building, New York City, USA Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, USA
Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, USA Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Flatiron Building, New York City, USA
Flatiron Building, New York City, USA Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Guggenheim Museum, New York City, USA
Guggenheim Museum, New York City, USA Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Ušće Tower, Belgrade, Serbia
Ušće Tower, Belgrade, Serbia Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
House of the National Assembly of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
House of the National Assembly of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Western City Gate (Genex Tower), Belgrade, Serbia
Western City Gate (Genex Tower), Belgrade, Serbia Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Church of Saint Sava, Belgrade, Serbia
Church of Saint Sava, Belgrade, Serbia Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic
Grand Central Station, New York City, USA
Grand Central Station, New York City, USA Courtesy of Dusan Stojancevic