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35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

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Macro photography is also known as close-up photography. Compared to other types of photography, macro photography is quite difficult, because of the nifty equipment, lightning and other techniques involved. However, in the end it comes down to what kind of pictures you want to take and what level of precision you are striving for.

In this inspirational showcase, we’ve collected some beautiful macro pictures, as well as some useful macro photography tutorials – for people at all levels of experience.

You may also be interested in the following related posts:

Stunning Macro Photography

Mr. Attitude
by Cyrus K

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Homies on Da Hood
by Marshall Alsup

Homies in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Deflated
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Flower in a Drop
by Szabolcs Vass

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Eye of a Tokay Gecko

Ye in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Sugar Girl

Sea in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Soul Dance

Lil in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

An insect

Vio in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Ins2 in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Winter Blues
By Ursula I Abresch.

Blue2 in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Cold Miner
by LordV

Coldminer in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Zeitautomatik

Spoon in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Mc in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Treble Chef
Created by Glynn McDonald.

Mcc in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Butterfly
by GOLDENORFE

Butterfly in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Ant
by Alliec2007

Ant in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Recently at the fairytale forest
by Gecko_gr

Snail in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Farewell, Old Friends
by MuffinMummy

Farewell in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Spider
by IRAWAN YUWONO

Spider in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Curved
by Kristoffer Jonsson

Curved in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Summer Refreshment
by Frankieleon

Summer in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Years of Lessons
by Frankieleon

Fender in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Ripples of Colour
by Alex Bates

Ripples in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Stapelia leendertziae flower
by Martin Heigan

Flower-martin in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Multi-Color Bungee
by Frankieleon

Threads in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Drips
by Alex Bates

Drips in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Hover
by Alliec

Hover in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Rose
by 5348 Franco

Rose in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Spider with Egg Case
by Jimmy hoffman

Spider-egg in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Red Eye Tree Frog
by Juza

Frog in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Hover Fly
by LordV

Hoverfly in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Pseudo Scorpion
by LordV

Scorpion in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Gear
by LordV

Gear in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Beauty of Rust
by Frankieleon

Rust in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Grass Drops
by ViaMoi

Grassdrops in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Banded Demoiselle
by Alliec2007

Banded in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Fred Eye
by Snack Happy

Fred-eye in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Dew Drop
by Alliec2007

Dewdrop2 in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Mother Ship
by Frankieleon

Mothership in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Getting Stuck In
by Alliec2007

Beeflower in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Macro Photography Tutorials And DIY Tips And Tricks

Macro Photography for Beginners, Part 1, Part 2
This series of macro photography tutorials is a must for anyone starting a career in macro photography. These tutorials contain almost everything, including detailed explanations of macro photography, lighting, focusing and much more.

Beingasian in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography
Picture by DodogoeSLR

How to Shoot Super Macro Photos
A superb article on macro photography. It gives you a basic explanation of macro photography, as well as equipment, set-up, depth of field, flash and examples of what can be achieved and how.

Canon in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography
Picture by fensterbme

Macro Photography Tutorial For Taking Bug Pictures
In-depth tutorial on how to take bug pictures. It covers camera equipment, close-ups, reversing the lens, lighting, flash, tripods and much more. Very educational for anyone interested in taking macro pictures of small insects and bugs.

Bubbles in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography
Picture by dincordero

Extreme Macro Photography on a Budget
If you want to achieve extraordinary results, macro photography requires both good technique and good equipment. Lenses, lights, cameras and tripods cost thousands of dollars. Here is a useful DIY (do it yourself) tutorial on building a nice macro lens from a Pringles can.

Money in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography
Picture by leafy

How to Take Close-Up Pictures of Small Things
This is an amazing resource for beginners. It covers basic things, such as what kind of camera and lens you need, and then gets into exposure, lighting, focus, combinations and much more.

Nikon in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography
Picture by Clicks 1000

How To Take Macro Photography: Close Up, 030
Another article to bookmark if you’re just learning macro photography. A lot of information, over four pages in fact, which will surely come in handy.

Macrofly in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Depth of Field Calculator
A really useful online tool that lets you calculate Depth of Field (DOF) before taking pictures. It can be used for almost any camera and lets you adjust for focal length (mm), f-stop, the subject’s distance and more.

Dof in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
This tutorial is nothing short of fantastic. It shows you how to build a small lightbox in which you take pictures of small objects, flowers or anything you can think of. It won’t cost you much: all you’ll need is a cardboard box, cutting utensils and some paper.

Macrobox in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Mini Macro Studio for Less than $0.02
Another useful tutorial on building a mini-macro studio out of everyday objects in no time. The set-up is very simple and requires only a sheet of paper, folded and taped. It is very easy to make and produces nice results.

Mini-macro-studio in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

Macro Photography Tips for Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras
Can’t afford all that heavy equipment? Then look at this tutorial. It provides all the basic tips and tricks on taking good macro photos with your point-and-shoot digital camera.

Point-and-shoot-tut in 35 Examples Of Stunning Macro Photography

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  1. 1
    Andrew Turnbull
    June 26th, 2009 6:38 am

    1st. excellent collection, macro photography rocks!

    Thanks Smashing

  2. 2
    kevinsturf
    June 26th, 2009 6:50 am

    these are so cool and hi res. I love the insects ones

  3. 3
    GIEI
    June 26th, 2009 6:51 am

    Awesome macro also on http://www.fotografainerba.com ;)

  4. 4
    Gerd Wippich
    June 26th, 2009 7:12 am

    Thank you. I like the photographs with insects themes very much. Have tried something similar, but my picts are far away from being that perfect, though…

  5. 5
    DKumar M.
    June 26th, 2009 7:29 am

    Some nice examples there… quite inspirational.

    DKumar M.
    @instantshift

  6. 6
    Dan
    June 26th, 2009 7:36 am

    great article. very useful tips. thanks

  7. 7
    Edward
    June 26th, 2009 7:50 am

    I agree nice collection. Super sharp :)

  8. 8
    ubik15
    June 26th, 2009 8:11 am

    I love macro photography, thanks for the useful (and cheap) tips!

  9. 9
    Extraordinare
    June 26th, 2009 8:25 am

    STUNNING!

  10. 10
    Gabe Diaz
    June 26th, 2009 8:50 am

    WOW! Love macro shots, especially those of water and insects. These are beautiful!

  11. 11
    Jorge
    June 26th, 2009 9:02 am

    waoooo exelente colección felicidades

  12. 12
    Armand
    June 26th, 2009 9:11 am

    Some of those are really nothing special. Make it 20 and it will be a really nice list. And there are really way too many snails in one collection…

  13. 13
    Eric
    June 26th, 2009 9:49 am

    Beautiful shots! I love macro photography!

  14. 14
    Ra
    June 26th, 2009 10:18 am

    Wonderful!

  15. 15
    Michael Mogill
    June 26th, 2009 10:18 am

    Excellent collection!

  16. 16
    Peter Klein
    June 26th, 2009 10:26 am

    very cool collection. excellent shots

  17. 17
    peteskenandore.com
    June 26th, 2009 10:29 am

    Captivating.

  18. 18
    Faraz Sayyed
    June 26th, 2009 10:30 am

    supper sharp… nice collection :)

  19. 19
    Jessica
    June 26th, 2009 11:44 am

    I have to preface this by saying I’m a journalistic photographer with a formal education in photography.

    This post and the other post made recently with “stunning” photographs were quite poorly chosen. In fact, the vast majority of the photos were unremarkable, vapid, or simply poor photographs. For example, the photograph of the soaring eagle should not be posted anywhere on the internet that is not a wildlife website or Stephen Colbert’s website, and photos of kitties and puppies should not be hailed as “stunning” photography in any situation.

    While It is true that Smashing Magazine is a GREAT resource for designers, you need to leave the photography blogging to photographers. This is not your area of expertise, and it’s made clear by the photographic content that has been posted. Most professional photographers would (and do) cringe at the two posts I’ve referred to. Please stick to design or hire a knowledgeable photographer to blog about photography.

    Don’t be offended. I still love you guys.

  20. 20
    Karol Kyno~ TwitterSparrow
    June 26th, 2009 12:46 pm

    kKyno says Absolutely beautiful.

  21. 21
    Johnba
    June 26th, 2009 1:30 pm

    Imagine it as video! wow!

  22. 22
    Adam Dexter
    June 26th, 2009 6:29 pm

    Check out my hyper macro photos of human eyes, show with a Canon MP-E 65mm

    http://adamdexterphotography.com/

  23. 23
    Tejendra Shandilya
    June 26th, 2009 7:48 pm

    AWESOME …….

  24. 24
    Bimal
    June 26th, 2009 8:03 pm

    Awesome Pictures !!!

  25. 25
    Jake
    June 26th, 2009 8:20 pm

    Really sweet collection, thanks for the post!

  26. 26
    Sheni Meledath
    June 26th, 2009 10:56 pm

    thanks for the info.

  27. 27
    Mars
    June 26th, 2009 11:04 pm

    wooowww! great shot, nice lens, a very composition

  28. 28
    Enk.
    June 27th, 2009 12:41 am

    Lovely Post.. I love macro Photography !
    Thank you Smash ! :)

  29. 29
    Zeeshan Mian
    June 27th, 2009 5:55 am

    Only those humanbeings who are blessed with love,devotion and belief in natural beauty would must say….

    ” STUNNING “

  30. 30
    Aneslin
    June 27th, 2009 6:29 am

    excellent one
    thanks for the share

  31. 31
    Taa
    June 27th, 2009 6:42 am

    talk about inspiring images! Also makes me really appreciate the miracle of Mother Nature–so many good shots here – thanks :)

  32. 32
    Facundo
    June 27th, 2009 7:40 am

    i love macro pics are the best

  33. 33
    Bine
    June 27th, 2009 8:43 am

    Great pictures !

  34. 34
    Scott
    June 27th, 2009 9:59 am

    I am afraid the soccer ball and the back of the tennis shoe are not macro photos at all, nor even that close.

    From wikipedia: The classical definition is that the image projected on the “film plane” (i.e., film or a digital sensor) is close to the same size as the subject.

    While Smashing Magazine does present some photography that is very appealling the average viewer, I tend to agree with Jessica that many lack the technical qualities that any serious photographer would refer to as “Stunning”. Please hire a pro if you post future photography articles – it will do well for your credibility.

    I do love Smashing Magazine, but have thought this about every one of your photography showcases…

  35. 35
    Therapix
    June 27th, 2009 6:26 pm

    Great pictures indeed!
    RIP MJ
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  36. 36
    smalllotus
    June 27th, 2009 8:36 pm

    wonderful~

  37. 37
    Adrian
    June 28th, 2009 7:20 am

    LOL. Love that Tree Frog. He just chillin’.

  38. 38
    ahmad
    June 28th, 2009 7:22 pm

    very well !!!!!!!!!

  39. 39
    panyang
    June 28th, 2009 8:54 pm

    amazing..great references

  40. 40
    Tanneru
    June 28th, 2009 9:36 pm

    Those things begin to repeat and get boring. Always the same things in different variations. Please something new!

  41. 41
    Prabhakaran
    June 28th, 2009 10:51 pm

    Stunning post, thanks for posting the tips. Need to give a attempt!

  42. 42
    kant
    June 28th, 2009 11:08 pm

    micro photographs are TOO GOOD. Awesome images.

  43. 43
    bielik roman
    June 29th, 2009 1:42 am

    pozri si to ….

  44. 44
    Krish
    June 29th, 2009 9:36 am

    Excellent macros.

  45. 45
    Jehzeel Laurente
    June 29th, 2009 6:40 pm

    Yet another inspiring post. I think I need to buy my own DSLR.. woooooot!

  46. 46
    ReadyPhotoSite
    June 30th, 2009 5:52 am

    insects remind me some 3D creatures, the nature made them perfect indeed!

  47. 47
    ModifyEvolution
    June 30th, 2009 6:51 pm

    macro photography is quite difficult, because of the nifty equipment, lightning and other techniques involved.

    Yes. Lightning is necessary for macro photographs.

  48. 48
    Ana
    June 30th, 2009 7:30 pm

    !Qué belleza!
    Felicidades

  49. 49
    Yatin Taneja
    June 30th, 2009 9:30 pm

    Do we really need a SLR camera. Why not shoot these things with video Camera? We can choose right frame and then same the screen OR frame.

  50. 50
    FreePhotoResources
    July 1st, 2009 2:21 am

    Great Gallery, love the different perspectives in some of the shots!

  51. 51
    Radoslava Marinova
    July 3rd, 2009 11:36 pm

    you have very good ideas. bravo, you are sorcerer…!!!

  52. 52
    MolW
    July 4th, 2009 9:57 am

    Some more nature-themed macros: http://blogs.msdn.com/mswanson/articles/wallpaper.aspx

  53. 53
    romina
    July 5th, 2009 4:00 am

    woooooooooooooooooooow,just say wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

  54. 54
    JESUS E. HERNANDEZ R. (VENEZUELA)
    July 5th, 2009 9:59 am

    Ninguna malabra describe mejor estas tomas como es, excelencia! les felicito, soy amante de la macrofotografia, lamentablemente mi equipo es muy limitado para tan buenos resultados como los que ustedes exhiben, no obtante me gustaria poder la manera de conseguir aqui en venezuela, lentes macro con mayor capacidad. En el blog gentedeprensa.blogspot.com publico de vez en cuando algunos de mis trabajos en macro.

  55. 55
    John
    July 7th, 2009 2:58 am

    Some nice shots but some of these are not macro shots – i feel the author does not have a proper understanding of macro photography

  56. 56
  57. 57
    tom@plasticprinters
    July 13th, 2009 2:03 pm

    macro is my favorite. need to get a better camera.

  58. 58
    CHICOTENN FABIAN
    July 21st, 2009 9:15 pm

    TOTAL WAOOoooooooo SUPER WAOooooooo ME ENCANTAN.

  59. 59
    RICK
    July 26th, 2009 2:50 pm

    Realmente tus fotos no se le pueden colocar una nota de un 10 y no se pueden decir que son excelentes .- Solo se me ocurre decir que tus fotos, la camara y el fotografo no son de este mundo ………………felicitaciones ………. te lo dice un adicto a la fotografia ——- SIGAN ASI

  60. 60
    Mark
    August 5th, 2009 6:24 am

    Wish I could see more of these, but Flickr is blocked here at work. Bummer.

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