Weekly Photo Contest | August 18-24 | Macro and Close Up Photography

[goldmac2006]

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to kick off my first photo contest here on MR! This week, we’re diving into the world of macro photography. So, grab your macro lens (or if you’re using an iPhone, the 1x or 24mm lens), and get up close to capture the amazing details and shapes of something anywhere in the world!

Can be any subject or entity including plants, animals, fruit, textures on the ground or the walls, and even more!

You can really get in there and snap textures and tiny details at super high levels of magnification! Check out these resources and examples below for some inspiration 👇!

How to Create Breathtaking Macro Photos: The Complete Guide

Dive into the world of macro photography! Our expert guide reveals how to take mesmerizing close-up shots of flowers, insects, and more.

digital-photography-school.com

Take macro photos and videos with your iPhone camera

Learn how to take macro photos and videos with the iPhone camera.

support.apple.com

As always, standard rules apply:

• The photographs must be your own work.
• You may only submit one photo per contest.
• No commenting or liking photos until after the judging has taken place.
• This contest runs for about a week, starting now.
• At the end of the competition, the judge (last week's winner) will choose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place photo, providing as much feedback as possible.
• The 1st place winner will start a new thread here with the topic/theme of their choice, and act as the judge for that contest. (Winner has 48 hours to create new theme, after that it defers to 2nd place).
• Be sure to update the Contest Master List as soon as you post a new theme.
• Contest will end August 24th, 2025 at noon PDT.

Get snapping y’all! Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!

 

[mollyc]

I swapped my image; historically this has been allowed but if it causes a problem, happy to change it back to the original.

 

[Snowlover]

 

[C0ncreteBl0nde]

 

[OldMacs4Me]

 

[Mister Do It]

 

[someoldguy]

 

[Janichsan]

 

[goldmac2006]

Hey everyone! I’ve already received a bunch of shots, and I really appreciate all your support! Just a friendly reminder that the contest is closing in less than 13 hours.

If you’ve just popped over to this thread, please keep an eye out!

 

[oblomow]

 

[Jonk1183]

 

[_timo_redux_]

2023

 

[kendallm]

 

[goldmac2006]

2 hours left y’all before it’s over! Entries will be announced soon for the podium later in the afternoon! Thanks for your participation y’all!

 

[Shawn MacApple]

I took this entry using Indigo on my iPhone 15PM

 

[mollyc]

@Shawn MacApple you are only allowed one entry to this. 🙂 can you adjust your posts to reflect which one you want judged?

 

[goldmac2006]

Okay thanks. Yup…noob here!

Just report it, and a mod will be happy to take it down if you accidentally
made a mistake !

Guess what? The contest is officially over! I’ll be judging once I’m back from the gym 💪! Thanks a bunch to everyone who entered and had a blast!

 

[goldmac2006]

Good afternoon, photographers! I hope you’re all doing great! The critiques will be quick and to the point since I just got home and need to get ready for back-to-school. Then, I’ll be showing off the podium winners.


All entries are ordered by the time they were submitted.


@mollyc that butterfly shot is lovely! I especially love how you highlighted the texture of the monarchs’ wings. It’s a beautiful shot.


@Snowlover that looks absolutely fantastic! 😊 With the close-up of the bee, I can even see its wings, hairy legs, and how it’s pollinating the purple flower. Nice job! 👍


@C0ncreteBl0nde the jewelry looks so fancy, my friend! Another great example of something that isn’t a plant that shines and sparkles. 💖


@OldMacs4Me that brilliant and marvellous purple flower is just like Snowlover’s. I love these purple colors—nice work.

@Mister Do It that really looks like another pretty shot! It’s similar to Snowlover’s but from a different angle. That bumblebee 🐝 looks amazing at even higher levels of magnificence and detail. Really incredible work here!

@someoldguy combining greyscale with a dried-up/dead bug really captures the sorrow among the close-up of the insect. Excellent shot.


@Janichsan 🔥 that flower shot looks fantastic with the way the camera focused on it! Nice technique using lower focal apertures to capture this shot.

@oblomow another way to incorporate perspective and technique into this shot. Macro photography and close-ups can be achieved from the ground, and I like that stone face with the forest in the background!


@Jonk1183 that incredible shot! I love the ants 🐜 perching on the buds of the flowers. Nice focus too!


@_timo_redux_ looks really nice like Jonk1183’s shot, but the water droplets on the buds add a wonderful touch!


@kendallm neat! Another great non-nature example of a close-up shot. The nut and bolt fastener is spot on!


@Shawn MacApple, 🔥 that iPhone 15 Pro Max shot of that insect! The detail and color of the cicada are brilliant amidst the composition of the texture and the way the tree’s bark looks. Nice technique by the camera.


Now, onto the results!


Wow, what a fantastic competition! 🥇 First place goes to @Mister Do It!
🥈 And since we’ve got so many amazing shots, we’re splitting second place between @Snowlover and @Shawn MacApple

🥉 Third place is for @mollyc and @C0ncreteBl0nde


I’m so proud of all my photography friends! I’ll be passing the mic to @Mister Do It for the next photo contest. There are so many amazing examples here and there!

Have an amazing day y’all!

 

[Shawn MacApple]

Thank you! I really appreciate the nice comment.

 

[goldmac2006]

Thank you! I really appreciate the nice comment.

No worries 😉 really stunning work you made there! Keep putting that iPhone 15 Pro camera in good use! I take lotta iPhone photos too!

 

[Snowlover]

Thanks for the kind words and second place finish (tied).
Congrats to @Mister Do It for the win! , and @Shawn MacApple , @mollyc and @C0ncreteBl0nde for podium spots.
Good job everyone.

 

[C0ncreteBl0nde]

Thank you @goldmac2006 for the podium spot and congrats to all the other winners. All the entries this week were epic. It was a fun theme; I had a lot to choose from in my library but I avoided anything flora as I knew there would be stunning entries in that genre and I was right. I am truly honored to get a podium spot with the level of fantastic entries this week.

 

[goldmac2006]

Thanks for the kind words and second place finish (tied).
Congrats to @Mister Do It for the win! , and @Shawn MacApple , @mollyc and @C0ncreteBl0nde for podium spots.
Good job everyone.

Thank you @goldmac2006 for the podium spot and congrats to all the other winners. All the entries this week were epic. It was a fun theme; I had a lot to choose from in my library but I avoided anything flora as I knew there would be stunning entries in that genre and I was right. I am truly honored to get a podium spot with the level of fantastic entries this week.

Awesome! I’m glad this turned out well. Although I primarily use my iPhone camera for photography and only had a chance to use a DSLR camera in my middle school photography class, I discovered that macro photography is an incredible technique. Not many contests incorporate it, as far as I know, and I’ve taken numerous macro shots with my 15 Pro camera. So, when it was my turn to host a contest for the first time, I thought, “Why not include macro photography?”

I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing the next contest from my first-place winner, @Mister Do It! Let’s see what he creates!

 

[iPhone-Guy]

Well this sucks. I’ve been waiting so long for a contest like this and of course I was signed out of my MacRumors account the entire week (mainly busy with school starting back up). I just saw this and wanted to post something so for reference these are some of my favorite photos all taken on my 16 Pro (also congrats to @Mister Do It, just a wonderful shot)

 

[goldmac2006]

Well this sucks. I’ve been waiting so long for a contest like this and of course I was signed out of my MacRumors account the entire week (mainly busy with school starting back up). I just saw this and wanted to post something so for reference these are some of my favorite photos all taken on my 16 Pro (also congrats to @Mister Do It, just a wonderful shot)View attachment 2540708View attachment 2540706View attachment 2540710View attachment 2540709View attachment 2540712

Wow, those shots are absolutely stunning, even with the upgraded macro cameras on the 16 Pro! I’m so sorry for closing the contest earlier yesterday at noon instead of in the evening—it was my last day of summer break, and I had to get the winners before school started again.

And the colors and lighting are spot on! They’re so vibrant! Thanks a bunch for sharing your work.