The 2022 edition of the “Shot on iPhone” challenge, the photographic contest Apple organizes yearly to promote the latest iPhone's camera, was all about the Macro Mode. Introduced on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, the Macro mode lets the user take close-up shots with a minimum focus distance of 2 centimeters. Traditionally, macrophotography finds its strength in the decontextualization of its subject. In practice, most of the macro shots you’ll see published around fall into the broader category of nature photography. The ten winning shots of the Macro Challenge are no exception.

Flowers and leaves are the most popular subjects, with six out of ten shots depicting them in an unexpected, semi-abstract form. The two most exciting shots are veering away from the crowd. One is a colorful rendition of sea glass, reminiscent of psychedelic gummy candies. The other one is a lucky catch of a snowflake in a long shock of blonde (dog) hair.

A panel of expert judges from the industry and Apple selected the pictures, reviewing all the worldwide submissions over a few weeks. The winners won’t take home any specific prize. Still, they will be compensated for the licensing of the image, which will end up in Apples Shot on iPhone billboards, or will be used for the company’s digital advertising campaigns.