Back in January, Apple announced a 'Shot on iPhone' contest designed to show off the photography prowess of the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. The only iPhones to offer macro mode, these models offer the best camera available on iPhone – a fact only emphasised by the stunning winners of the contest.
Apple has unveiled the 10 winning photos, covering everything from flowers to fruit. As Apple days, they all make "even the smallest details seem epic" – and I'd believe you if you told me these were taken by a DSLR. (Want to experience the game-changing iPhone camera for yourself? Check out the best iPhone 13 Pro deals.)
“Volcanic Lava” (sunflower) by Abhik Mondal (Image credit: Apple)
The winners include entrants from China, Hungary, India, Italy, Spain, Thailand, and the US, and were all shot on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. "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," says Apple. "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."
“Honeycomb” (snowflakes on dog hair) by Tom Reeves (Image credit: Apple)
“The Cave” (hibiscus) by Marco Colletta (Image credit: Apple)
Apple has also shared some tips for getting the most out of macro mode, including getting as close as 2 centimetres to your subject, and placing the primary point of focus near the centre of the frame (as that’s where the sharpest focus is when shooting in macro on iPhone).
Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.
