You might think Ysabel LeMay’s works are hyper-realistic paintings but they’re created through an innovative technique called photo fusion. The Quebec-born, U.S.-based artist takes hundreds of photographs for each piece, attunes the light and visual properties, then assembles one detail at a time in a painterly fashion to form a single composition. Each work takes 4 to 8 weeks on average.

These beautiful shots may look like works of modern art – but they are actually close-ups of chemical reactions. The works were snapped with the help of a group of scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Anhui, China. Here: Zinc reacting with lead nitrate in a soft gel to form lead crystals. (Photo by Yan Liang/Caters News)

A gallery assistant poses with the 1972 work “Secretary” at a press viewing of the artist's exhibition “Allen Jones RA” at the Royal Academy of Arts in London November 11, 2014. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)

LONDON - JUNE 04: A piece entitled “Entrance into wood” by Elke Krystufek goes on show at The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition on June 4, 2008 in London. In it's 240th year, the exhibition displays a wide range of recent work by both established and emerging artists. 10,000 artists submitted work for selection this year. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

“A Balinese man shows off his pride and joy, a fighting cock, while on a cigarette break after a morning’s work in nearby fields”. (Photo by Coltrane Koh/The Guardian)

On Keo Wa, 25, carries her 9-month-old baby while working at a banana plantation operated by a Chinese company in the province of Bokeo in Laos April 24, 2017. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Firefighters work to put out flames during a wildfire in Sokcho, South Korea, April 5, 2019. South Korea grappled with the massive blaze that roared through forests and cities along the eastern coast, declaring a national emergency and mobilizing all available resources to bring the inferno under control. (Photo by Yonhap via Reuters)