Check Out the 10 Coolest Macro Photos from Apple’s Latest ‘Shot on iPhone’ Challenge

Although Apple’s Shot on iPhone challenge has always showcased the fantastic things that the iPhone camera system is capable of, this time around, Apple has thrown a twist into the challenge to reveal some even more incredible photography.

The Shot on iPhone challenges have been held since the days of the iPhone 6 to demonstrate how an iPhone can rival some of the best DSLRs — at least when it’s put in the hands of a capable photographer.

Most of these have just been straight photography contests where folks are asked to send in their best pictures. However, Apple also occasionally used them to highlight some of the features of its newest iPhone models, such as the Night Mode Challenge two years ago.

This year, Apple has done something similar to show off the features of the iPhone 13 Pro lineup, announcing the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge in late January.

Apple recently announced the top ten winners of this latest challenge, and the results are nothing short of absolutely stunning.

Naturally, the content was limited to folks with an iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max since those are the only models that support a macro mode. Despite this, however, Apple managed to collect photos from a “diverse community of iPhone photographers” around the world, with the finalists heralding from China, Hungary, India, Italy, Spain, Thailand, and the U.S.

Not surprisingly, most of the winning photos featured shots of things in nature, as it’s the natural world that’s often the most fascinating when it comes to the minute details.

The winning images demonstrate that the beauty of macro photography is its ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, and capture the little things in a big way. Photos include incredible nature shots that might be overlooked by the naked eye, like dewdrops on a spiderweb, snowflakes on a dog’s hair, a cavernous hibiscus flower, and a strawberry engulfed in tiny soda water bubbles.

Apple

The ten best photos were selected by an international panel of judges, which consisted of internationally renowned photographers Anand Varma, Apeksha Maker, Peter McKinnon, Paddy Chao, and Yik Keat Lee. These five experts were joined by Apple managers and executives Arem Duplessis, Billy Sorrentino, Della Huff, Kaiann Drance, and Pamela Chen.

Continue reading to browse the ten winning photos selected by Apple as representing the best of iPhone macro photography!

“Sea Glass” by Guido Cassanelli

Guide Cassanelli, a photographer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shared this image of pieces of sea glass that he found while walking on the beach. Apple’s Billy Sorrentino described the photo as “ethereal, otherworldly, and mysterious,” while photographer Yik Keat Lee said it showed “symmetry in the chaos” and was “super intriguing.”

“The Cave” by Marco Colletta

Italian iPhone photographer Macro Colletta came up with a fascinating macro image of a hibiscus that reminded him of a “deep cave, ready to be explored.” Photographer judge Paddy Chao commended Colletta for his composition, noting that “shooting from the side in macro is not an easy task.” At the same time, Apple’s Della Huff praised it for its balance of rich textures and colors and soft foreground focus.

“Art in Nature” by Prajwal Chougule

From Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, comes this photo of dewdrops on a spiderweb, caught during an early morning “golden hour” walk by amateur photographer Prajwal Chougule. It’s a stunning image that Apple’s Arem Duplessis said is an excellent example of how something simple and graphic can be beautiful. At the same time, photographer Apeksha Maker described it as “so perfect that it looks like an illustration,” adding that “the iPhone does a fantastic job at focusing on such a fine detail.”

“A Drop of Freedom” by Daniel Olah

Hungarian photographer Daniel Olah shared another fascinating macro image of a flower, showing a drop of water on the petal of a lily. He describes it as having “a rhythm that is building toward the euphoria of the composition.” Apple’s Arem Duplessis compared it to “a flower painting done by a Dutch master,” pointing out that the water droplet “could very well be a tear, as this image seduces the viewer’s emotions.” Canadian photographer Peter McKinnon adds that the black background gives it “a very high-end art feel” that people would “pay a lot of money for.”

“Leaf Illumination” by Trevor Collins

Trevor Collins of Boston provided a stunning close-up image of a leaf, shot at the “sliver of golden hour” as the sun shone directly into his window. The leaf itself was from an ordinary houseplant that sits on his desk. “Who knew an ordinary leaf could be so intricate,” said photographer Anand Varma, adding that it was “remarkable how a simple backlight can reveal this hidden world of structure and connection there would otherwise go unnoticed.” Toronto’s Peter McKinnon also praised the photo for its “obvious layering” and the depth of field created with the iPhone, adding that it’s “a perfect example of [the iPhone’s] computational depth of field.”

“Strawberry in Soda” by Ashley Lee

From the other side of the U.S. comes this cool image of a strawberry in a soda from San Francisco’s Ashley Lee. “Using photography to transform everyday items into something more extraordinary is always a fun puzzle that brings out my creativity,” Lee says. In this case, just two items from the kitchen fridge combined to create this unique macro photo. Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, said this one took her breath away with its “clarity with motion and the brightness of the strawberry.” Apple’s aesthetics and visual storytelling lead Pamela Chen saw this as a very creative use of macro “to celebrate the intricate texture of the humble strawberry.” She loved “the energy of the air bubbles, captured at peak fizziness.”

“Volcanic Lava” by Abhik Mondal

Despite the name of this work, New Jersey photographer Abhor Mondal was nowhere near an actual volcano. Instead, this one is another example of how an entirely different world can be hidden in the details of something as ordinary as a sunflower. Apple design team photographer Billy Sorrentino said it was the “contrast, texture, and smart framing” that made this photo a winner, while urban photographer Yik Keat Lee said looking at it made him “feel like the world is my oyster.”

“Honeycomb” by Tom Reeves

Another incredibly unique shot was shared by Tom Reeves of New York City, who captured “the ephemeral latticework of this tiny snowflake” on his puppy’s fur during a morning walk along Riverside Park in Manhattan. Pamela Chen, who leads up Apple’s camera and photos software team, said that the image sets “such a mood” that “you can practically feel the brisk winter wind that swept these snowflakes here. While Apple VP Kaiann France said the snowflakes were so “elegantly captured” that it was hard to tell whether they were real snowflakes or “small jewels.”

“Hidden Gem” by Jirasak Panpiansin

This incredibly surreal image of a water bead in a leaf after a tropical storm comes from Thailand, where budding photographer Jirasak Panpiansin describes it as “nature encapsulated: a world of beauty and wonder made minuscule.” Della Huff, Apple’s product manager for Photos and Camera software, loved the “soft textures and rich greens” reflected and magnified in the water droplet to “really draw the viewer in.” National Geographic Explorer Anand Varma said what makes this a successful photograph is its ability to “encourage your eye to linger and explore.”

“The Final Bloom” by Hojisan

Inspired by a three-year-old son’s fascination with a tulip blossom, China’s Hojisan decided to capture this macro image “when the sun kissed the flower.” The photographer captured the photo just before the wind came and blew the petals away, but "Even though the blossom was short, I still captured the highest moment of a tulip’s life, which is a gift from nature.” India’s Apeksha Maker described this as “nothing short of a painting,” adding that it shows off the high dynamic range of the iPhone “that smoothly evens the harsh and soft light.” The background is well-balanced thanks to the exposure settings of the iPhone, Maker adds, noting that “What completes the image is the ombré colors and fine lines on the petal so crisply captured.”