10 Stunning Shots From The 2025 Close-Up Photographer Of The Year “Something Beautiful” Challenge

Close-up photography has a way of revealing worlds we often overlook: textures, patterns, and tiny details that feel almost magical when magnified. The 2025 Close-Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition embraced this wonder with its “Something Beautiful” challenge, inviting photographers worldwide to capture beauty in its most intricate forms.

#1 Finalist: “Squid On The Run” By Alessandro Grasso

Image source: © Alessandro Grasso | cupoty.com

“I was on a night dive in the Red Sea at Marsa Alam, Egypt, when I suddenly noticed a squid right in front of me. As I approached (with extreme caution) it sped away, only giving me the chance to take two shots. Thankfully, it was enough.”

#2 Winner: “Puddle Reflection” By Linda Repasky

Image source: © Linda Repasky | cupoty.com

“In late autumn, after the leaves have fallen from the trees, the landscape shuts down and heads toward slumber. But in this tiny puddle, the reflection of a bare tree comes alive with soft colours amid a scattering of acorns and pebbles. Puddles, so ordinary and humble, and so easily overlooked, are a source of endless beauty and magic!”

#3 Third Place: “Slime Moulds And Reflections” By Kamilla Szava-Oberndorfer

Image source: © Kamilla Szava-Oberndorfer | cupoty.com

“During a walk in the woods near Vienna, Austria, I found a group of Physarum sp. on a dead branch, lying on the woodland floor. On closer inspection, I spotted water droplets on some of the fruiting bodies. Due to their size (1–2mm) it was a challenge to find one with an interesting reflection. I managed to get a series of shots using the focus bracketing feature on my camera. This image is a result of 26 shots stacked in Helicon Focus.”

#4 Second Place: “At The Hub” By Michael Friel

Image source: © Michael Friel | cupoty.com

“These tiny spiders appear for a short time during autumn. When the forecast promises a sunny day, I visit an ornamental tree nursery in Jinju, South Korea, in the early morning and search for horizontal webs strung across upper branches at chest height. As the sun rises, I point the lens roughly east. When I see the rainbow refractions along the web strands (often helped by a light wind), I fire away. The spider poses proudly, never moving.”

#5 Finalist: “Miracle” By Yann Raulet

Image source: © Yann Raulet | cupoty.com

“In my floating hide on the Lirou, a small river in the south of France near Montpellier, I patiently waited for a kingfisher to land in front of my lens. But it didn’t happen… To pass the time, I started photographing the ripples of the water with my long focal lens. In the viewfinder, my eye got lost in this moving, colourful spectacle. Suddenly, a common pond skater joined the dance. For him, walking on water wasn’t a miracle, but between us, was there anything more magical and beautiful?”

#6 Finalist: “Tulip Gift In Ice” By Kathleen Clemons

Image source: © Kathleen Clemons | cupoty.com

“A friend of mine had surprised me with a bouquet of tulips, and I had photographed them at the height of their beauty in different ways. As the flowers aged and the petals unfurled, I decided to see how they would freeze (some flowers lose their colour during this process). I arranged the tulips in a shallow baking pan with a small amount of water to anchor them. I added more water when that base layer had frozen, choosing to leave some petals above the water line. I love the contrasting textures.”

#7 Finalist: “In The Shelter Of The Mushroom” By Tibor Litauszki

Image source: © Tibor Litauszki | cupoty.com

“A globular springtail climbs along the edge of a mushroom in an autumn forest in Germany. I had originally set out to photograph spore-releasing mushrooms, but it wasn’t a successful trip. However, through the macro lens, I noticed a globular springtail only 3.5mm in size, appear before my camera. As I tried to capture the image and moved closer to the mushroom, my breath in the cold air created an interesting effect with the backlighting.”

#8 Finalist: “Puffin Profile” By Alex Pansier

Image source: © Alex Pansier | cupoty.com

“An Atlantic puffin stands out in a low-light setting, with its colourful beak gently illuminated against a dark background. The rim of light outlining its beak and chest really appeals to me as it brings out the bird’s unique features and creates a quiet, mysterious mood. The contrast between the lit beak and the shadows adds a touch of elegance to the scene.”

#9 Finalist: “Deluge” By Noelle Bennett

Image source: © Noelle Bennett | cupoty.com

“I love the form of achillea flowers, whether they’re alive or dead. In this case, I took a flower that was in full bloom and submerged it in a container of cold water, anchoring it to the bottom with a weighted crocodile clip. I placed the container and flower inside a foldable light studio, then set my camera on a tripod, making sure I had my cable release attached. I then carefully dripped evaporated milk into the container above the flower using a pipette, before releasing the shutter. I had the camera set to burst mode and carried on shooting until all the evaporated milk had sunk to the base of the tank. I really like the drama this technique adds to such a pretty, but somewhat overlooked, flower.”

#10 Finalist: “Wild Welsh Pony” By Richard Sambrook

Image source: © Richard Sambrook | cupoty.com

“I came across a herd of wild ponies in the Preseli Hills of Wales. Although wild, they were curious about people, and I was able to photograph them individually from about a metre away. It was magical to be surrounded and apparently accepted by this wild herd. I was struck by the colouring of one pony and when it bent round and ducked its head, I grabbed what was an unpromising shot from the rear. Reviewing it later, I realised that by cropping in I could create a more intimate, almost abstract, image which better captured the moment.”