Apple released its new iPhone 13 lineup last September, billing the camera system as the most advanced it has ever made for the handset. With that new hardware came first-of-a-kind macro functionality for the Pro and Pro Max models, and a set of 10 newly-announced winners of an Apple-run photography contest demonstrate the kind of stunning detail they're capable of.
The new Ultra Wide lenses on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max take smartphone photography into new terrain, in the sense that they can focus on subjects just 2 cm (0.8 in) away. Shooting at a wider aperture of f1.8, this offers incredible detail and enables users to get up close and personal in ways you might expect to be reserved for professional photographers with professional gear.
The "Shot on iPhone Macro" challenge was set up to see exactly what these new handsets can do in this regard, and the results are simply stunning. The winners list consists of 10 shots by finalists from around the world and offer awe-inspiring perspectives on the natural world.
"The Cave," by Italy's Marco Colletta shows the interior details of a hibiscus flower, as seen above.
“The enveloping shape of the petals, accentuated by intense shadows, made me think of a deep cave, ready to be explored; by keeping the point of view inside the flower, I wanted the hibiscus’s natural framing to make us feel fully part of its beauty," Colletta said.
"Strawberry in Soda" by the USA's Ashley Lee features a bubbling strawberry descending slowly in a bath of soda water.
"I placed a clear vase on my kitchen counter, poured the soda into the vase, and used a piece of black paper as the background," said Lee. "I then dropped the strawberry in the vase of soda and waited. Slowly, bubbles began to form on the surface of the strawberry, and its texture was completely transformed. I was amazed by the level of detail I was able to capture by taking a macro photo, as I could see the individual bubbles from the soda that were forming on the strawberry’s surface."
"Art in Nature" by India's Prajwal Chougule Kolhapur is another eye-catching image among the winners, detailing dew drops formed on a spider web.
“I am a nature lover and love going on early morning walks with my iPhone 13 Pro," Kolhapur said. "The ‘golden hour’ brings the best out of nature and is a photographer’s delight. Dewdrops on a spiderweb caught my attention, and 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.”
To see the full collection of winners, click through to the gallery.
Source: Apple