Sometimes even the most ordinary things in nature can reveal something extraordinary when you look at them closely. This is what the Close-up Photographer of the Year competition attempts to highlight. The competition, which is now in its second year, aims to bring forth the tiny world that often goes unnoticed right in front of our eyes through micro, macro, and close-up photography. The organizers announced the winning photos from the contest recently and they are truly stunning!
In this year’s contest, more than 6,500 images were submitted from photographers in 52 different countries. The categories included were Animals, Insects, Plants and Fungi, Intimate Landscape, Manmade World, Young (photographers under 17), and Micro (photos taken using a microscope). Eventually, French photographer Galice Hoarau was named Close-up Photographer of the Year for his outstanding photograph of an eel larva taken during a blackwater dive in Indonesia.
Here, we have selected some of the winning photos from various categories of the Close-up Photographer of the Year awards, and they are sure to take your breath away.
See Also: It's a Beautiful, Colorful World Up Close
Image source: Close-up Photographer of the Year
