"Shape Cloning" in Water Drops

Photo date: October 30, 2015. Photographer: Mark Mahin.

The photos below were taken while photographing ordinary drops of pure, clean water falling  against a dark featureless background. In all of these photos we see a strange thing that I may call shape cloning. When such a thing occurs, we see within a water drop or water drip several repetitions of the same distinctive shape.

Here is the first example. We see various repetitions of a little sheet-like object.

Here is the second example. In this example, we see six repetitions of a shape resembling a parachute.

One of the most common types of "shape cloning" I see are the appearance of what I call orb crescents. Below is an example from today. See here for 65 other photos of these orb crescents.