{"id":54349,"date":"2025-01-29T00:32:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T00:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/aerospace\/see-15-winning-images-from-the-close-up-photographer-of-the-year-competition\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T00:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T00:32:27","slug":"see-15-winning-images-from-the-close-up-photographer-of-the-year-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=54349","title":{"rendered":"See 15 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n \"Sarah\n <\/div>\n
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Sarah Kuta<\/a><\/p>\n

Daily Correspondent<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Beetles battling for mating rights, a bear stalking through the rainforest and a damselfly perched in front of a waterfall are just some of the many scenes that wowed judges during the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year<\/a> contest.<\/p>\n

Now in its sixth year, the competition recognizes photographers who excel at \u201crevealing the hidden wonder of the world through close-up, macro and micro photography,\u201d according to a statement shared with Smithsonian<\/em> magazine. The 2025 contest included more than 11,000 submissions from 61 countries, which a panel of judges carefully reviewed to determine the winners and the top 100 images.<\/p>\n

The jury, made up of 25 photographers, scientists, journalists and editors, spent more than 20 hours on video calls sifting through the entries. In the end, they awarded first, second and third place in 11 categories\u2014ranging from insects to animals to underwater shots. They also named six to eight finalists for each category.<\/p>\n

All the winning images are published on the competition\u2019s website, as well as in an accompanying eBook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, I\u2019m blown away by the caliber of entries,\u201d Tracy Calder<\/a>, who co-founded<\/a> the contest with her husband, Dan Calder, in 2018, says in the statement. \u201cClose-up photography is a celebration of curiosity, and this year\u2019s top 100 is a true testament to the artistry of everyone involved as well as an invitation to look, marvel at and honor the world around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at some of this year\u2019s best shots.<\/p>\n

Clash of the Titans<\/em> by Svetlana Ivanenko<\/h2>\n
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\"Silhouettes

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Clash of the Titans<\/em> by Svetlana Ivanenko<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Svetlana Ivanenko | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Russian photographer Svetlana Ivanenko<\/a> impressed the judges with her striking photo of two male stag beetles<\/a> (Lucanus cervus<\/em>) duking it out for mating rights in an oak forest. Ivanenko traveled more than 430 miles to the Voronezh region of Russia to capture the \u201cbeautiful event,\u201d she says in a statement.<\/p>\n

And after capturing that moment, \u201cI want to share it with everyone,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

As this year\u2019s Close-up Photographer of the Year, Ivanenko gets a $3,000 cash prize, a trophy and a universal license for several photo editing and design apps. The same image also took first place in the insects category.<\/p>\n

God in the Shadows<\/em> by Santiago J. Monroy Garc\u00eda<\/h2>\n
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\"Bear

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God in the Shadows<\/em> by Santiago J. Monroy Garc\u00eda<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Santiago J. Monroy Garc\u00eda | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Santiago J. Monroy Garc\u00eda<\/a>, a Colombian photographer, earned first place in the animals category for his dramatic photo of an Andean bear<\/a> (Tremarctos ornatus<\/em>) walking through the dense foliage of a highland rainforest.<\/p>\n

He traveled to Ecopalacio Nature Reserve\u2014located about 20 miles outside Bogot\u00e1\u2014to see if he could get a shot of a well-known bear nicknamed \u201cNariz de Calavera,\u201d or Skull Nose. The individual is one of the largest bears in the area, and its species is the only bear native to South America.<\/p>\n

The photographer set up a motion-triggered camera so as not to disturb the reserve\u2019s wildlife. Finally, in November 2023, his trail camera captured the image he had been envisioning, without the use of bait.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to capture the bear behaving naturally in its environment, seeking an intimate picture that showcased the unique ecosystem as though it were part of a dream,\u201d he says in a statement. \u201cFortuitously, the rain had splashed the lens in just the right spots, creating brushstrokes and textures that immerse the viewer in the humidity and cold of the highland Andean forests of Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Queen of Hearts<\/em> by Pierluigi Rizzo<\/h2>\n
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\"Spider

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Queen of Hearts<\/em> by Pierluigi Rizzo<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Pierluigi Rizzo | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Italian photographer Pierluigi Rizzo<\/a> merged two photos of a female Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus<\/em>) to create the winning shot in the arachnids category. He saw the spider feeding on its prey at Pollino National Park in Calabria, Italy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first photo, I shot the spider\u2019s abdomen to emphasize the spider\u2019s characteristic red spots,\u201d he says in a statement. \u201cIn the second photo, I wanted to capture the moment of feeding, so I placed a flash with a blue gel behind the spider to obtain its silhouette. The two photos were merged in-camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damselfly by the Waterfall<\/em> by Yong Miao<\/h2>\n
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\"Damselfly

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Damselfly by the Waterfall <\/em>by Yong Miao<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Yong Miao | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A damselfly (Archineura incarnata<\/em>) perches peacefully on a rock in front of a roaring waterfall in Chinese photographer Yong Miao<\/a>\u2019s image, which won the butterflies and dragonflies category of the contest. Taken at Tianmushan Nature Reserve in Zhejiang Province, China, the photo captures a moment when \u201ctime seemed to stand still,\u201d Miao says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts head was lowered to the surface of the water, as if appreciating its own reflection,\u201d he says in a statement. \u201cAny slight disturbance would make it fly away, so I immersed my body in the water and cautiously crawled towards it. From a distance of about [6.5 feet], I firmly set my camera and captured this precious scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bark is Worse than its Bite<\/em> by Aran Gibbs<\/h2>\n
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\"Close-up

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Bark is Worse than its Bite<\/em> by Aran Gibbs<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Aran Gibbs | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Irish photographer Aran Gibbs<\/a> was taking a long evening hike up a mountain near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when he spotted a Caerostris<\/em> spider, also known as a bark spider, resting on a stick. Using his backpack for extra stability, he steadied his camera and snapped this charming photo, which won the invertebrate portrait category.<\/p>\n

Everything\u2019s A-OK<\/em> by Gabriel Jensen<\/h2>\n
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\"Fish

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Everything’s A-OK <\/em>by Gabriel Jensen\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Gabriel Jensen | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even on difficult days, American photographer Gabriel Jensen<\/a> believes that everything will turn out just fine. He reminds himself to feel this way with this photo, which sits on his desk at work and depicts a \u201ccomically calm\u201d doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus<\/em>) in the jaws of a lizardfish (Synodus foetens<\/em>) in Kona, Hawaii, he says in a statement.<\/p>\n

Using its splayed pectoral and dorsal spines to fight back, the doctorfish eventually escaped\u2014but not before Jensen managed to get the winning shot in the underwater category.<\/p>\n

Mosses<\/em> by Piet Haaksma<\/h2>\n
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\"Dew

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Mosses<\/em> by Piet Haaksma<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Piet Haaksma | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many people would have strolled right on past a bit of garden moss covered in dew drops\u2014but not Dutch photographer Piet Haaksma<\/a>. After a foggy, early spring night in Sneek, the Netherlands, he was so moved by the dreamy scene that he got out his camera and started shooting. His resulting image\u2014composed of two combined shots and adjusted to achieve a blue color\u2014won this year\u2019s plants category.<\/p>\n

Ear-Pick Fungus<\/em> by Barry Webb<\/h2>\n
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\"Fungus\"

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Ear-Pick Fungus<\/em> by Barry Webb<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Barry Webb | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

British photographer Barry Webb<\/a> won this year\u2019s fungi and slime molds category with his shot of a half-inch-tall ear-pick fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare<\/em>) growing on a pine cone in southern England.<\/p>\n

\u201cAuriscalpium vulgare<\/em> grows on pine cones and has an eccentric stem attached to one side of the cap, with unusual and distinctive downward-pointing, teeth-like gills,\u201d he says in a statement.<\/p>\n

Webb was also a category winner for his fungus photos in the Close-up Photographer of the Year contest several<\/a> times<\/a> in the past.<\/p>\n

A Network of Life and Death<\/em> by Jean-Philippe Delobelle<\/h2>\n
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\"Network

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A Network of Life and Death<\/em> by Jean-Philippe Delobelle<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jean-Philippe Delobelle | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Female bark beetles<\/a> lay their eggs beneath the bark of trees. When these eggs hatch, the larvae begin to carve tunnels under the bark\u2014and the tunnels get larger and larger as the larvae grow. French photographer Jean-Philippe Delobelle<\/a> spotted one such network of tunnels under the bark of a spruce tree in the French Alps and decided to take a photo. His image won the intimate landscape category.<\/p>\n

The intricate tunnels are \u201ca symbol of life for the larva and death for the tree,\u201d he says in a statement.<\/p>\n

Spring<\/em> by Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco<\/h2>\n
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\"Colorful

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Spring<\/em> by Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco<\/a> may be just 14 years old, but already, the Spanish teen understands how to compose a compelling photo. Blanco\u2019s shot of a colorful European bee-eater<\/a> (Merops apiaster<\/em>) in mid-flight with an insect in its beak won this year\u2019s young photographer category.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving previously observed bee-eaters with binoculars, I knew exactly where they would fly after hunting insects,\u201d he says in a statement. \u201cThis allowed me to strategically place a hide so that I could get a low point of view to blur the foreground and background flowers in the picture. I spent several weekend mornings in the hide, watching each bird catch 15-20 insects per hour, which provided ample opportunities for me to capture some attractive images.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artificial Landscape<\/em>\u00a0by Rob Blanken<\/h2>\n
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\"a

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Artificial Landscape<\/em> by Rob Blanken<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Rob Blanken | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viewed closely through a microscope, a combination of crystallized amino acids captured by photographer Rob Blanken<\/a> of the Netherlands evokes a \u201cfantastical landscape,\u201d according to a statement.<\/p>\n

To set up this shot, which took first place in the studio art category, Blanken mixed two amino acids with water and ethanol. Then, he heated the solution on a microscope slide. \u201cOver time, the crystals form on the slide and can be made visible with the help of polarization filters,\u201d he adds. \u201cI create these images because of the fascinating shapes, colors and endless variations they offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Runners-up: mushrooms, kelp and giant sequoias<\/h2>\n
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Sandy Mushroom<\/em> by British photographer Jamie Spensley won third place in the fungi and slime molds category. He spotted the fruiting body while exploring the sand dunes on Holywell Bay Beach in Cornwall, England.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jamie Spensley | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Flowing Kelp<\/em> by American photographer and marine biologist Sigfrido Zimmermann won third place in the plants category. The image shows a giant kelp frond (Macrocystis pyrifera<\/em>) in the water at Channel Islands National Park in California.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Sigfrido Zimmermann | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Foggy

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Zimmermann also took third place in the intimate landscape category for Among Giants<\/em>, an image showing a white fir tree surrounded by three giant sequoias amid snow and fog at California’s Sequoia National Park.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Sigfrido Zimmermann | cupoty.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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