Introducing the Winners of Apple’s Shot on iPhone Photography Contest
Be prepared for some serious Instagram inspo.
One scroll through Instagram’s Explore page, and it becomes abundantly clear that in 2022, everyone is a photographer. Or everyone can be, at least, thanks to smartphones. With every new model and upgrade, Apple continues to take the iPhone’s camera function to new heights. The latest drop—the 13 Pro lineup—features the most cutting-edge, high-powered cameras to date, including a macro photography function.
To prove how accessible it’s become to take professional quality photos, Apple recently hosted a global contest in which users were invited to share their best macro photo #shotoniPhone.
“For years, the technique of macro photography was really just reserved for professional photographers, having to have a second lens [or] some extra equipment,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing, tells ELLE.com. “But now this powerful type of photography is available on the iPhone that you have with you all the time.”
Drance and a global panel of judges reviewed tens of thousands of entries from casual users and pro photographers alike. Today, they reveal the winning snapshots.
“Every day, people are using iPhones to capture the important, significant moments in their lives, and we’re continually amazed by the photographs that they’re creating across skill levels and generations,” Drance adds. “These 10 winning photographs really demonstrate how these small details are captured in such an epic way. It’s a great reminder for all of us to slow down and to enjoy the beauty all around us.”
Here, see the 10 winning photos from Apple’s third annual Shot on iPhone Challenge.
“Sea Glass” by Guido Cassanelli
Provenance: Argentina
Instagram: @laion.ph
Cassanelli has been a lover of the sea since he was a child, when he began summering on Argentina’s beaches. He has since traveled the world’s coasts to surf and take photos. On one beach walk, he collected the sea glass used for this photo.
“The Cave” by Marco Colletta
Provenance: Italy
Instagram: @marcolletta.1
Colletta named this image “The Cave” because of the shadowy curvature of the hibiscus petals. As a photographer, he loves the iPhone’s macro features, saying, “it gives me the possibility to turn nearly everything I see into an abstract subject, different from what it’s in reality. This feature really did unlock my imagination.”
“Art in Nature” by Prajwal Chougule
Provenance: India
Instagram: @prajwal.photos
Chougule was taking an early morning walk when he snapped this picture. “I was fascinated by the way the dry spider silk formed a necklace on which the dew glistened like pearls. It felt like a piece of art on nature’s canvas,” he says.
“A Drop of Freedom” by Daniel Olah
Provenance: Hungary
Instagram: @danesduet
Olah used a spot studio light and a dark background to highlight the water droplets on this lily.
“Leaf Illumination” by Trevor Collins
Provenance: USA
Instagram: @trevor.photos
Collins snapped this picture of the fiddle-leaf fig that adorns his desk. “This one instance was during the sliver of golden hour when the sun is shining directly into my window, illuminating all of the tiny cells in each leaf,” he says.
“Strawberry in Soda” by Ashley Lee
Provenance: USA
Instagram: @ashley.photo
“Using photography to transform everyday items into something more extraordinary is always a fun puzzle that brings out my creativity,” Lee says, noting that she used only household items to stage this photo: a strawberry and a can of soda.
“Volcanic Lava” by Abhik Mondal
Provenance: USA
Instagram: @abhik_mondal_photos
Mondal thought that the brown center of a sunflower contrasted against its golden petals looked like flowing lava, hence the name of this submission. “This beautiful sunflower caught my attention with its intricate details,” Mondal says, after spotting the flower at a grocery store. “I immediately decided to take the bouquet home and capture the beauty of it.”
“Honeycomb” by Tom Reeves
Provenance: USA
Instagram: @tomreevesphoto
Reeves shot this photo while taking his puppy for a walk through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. “As she marveled at her first snow, I was able to capture the ephemeral latticework of this tiny snowflake as it landed among the threads of her many honey colored curls,” he says.
“Hidden Gem” by Jirasak Panpiansin
Provenance: Thailand
Instagram: @joez19
Panpiansin used the macro feature to showcase something the naked eye might not catch. “This tiny, shimmering liquid jewel is delicately nestled at the base of a leaf after a tropical storm, almost imperceptible to the human eye,” he says. “Up close, it sparkles with intense clarity, capturing light from the emerging sun and magnifying the intricate, organic geometry of the leaf’s veins underneath.”
“The Final Bloom” by Hojisan
Provenance: China
Instagram: @hojisan_ins
Hojisan was admiring a tulip with his 3-year-old son when inspiration struck. “As I moved my iPhone closer to the flower, it automatically turned on macro mode, and the details of the petals were brought into the fullest,” he says. “A few moments later, wind came and blew the petals away. Even though the blossom was short, I still captured the highest moment of a tulip’s life, which is a gift from nature.”
Meg is the Associate Fashion Commerce Editor at ELLE.com where she researches trends, tests products, and looks for answers to all your burning questions. She also co-writes a monthly column, Same Same But Different. Meg has previously written for Cosmopolitan and Town & Country. Her passions include travel, buffalo sauce, and sustainability. She will never stop hoping for a One Direction reunion tour.
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