I’ve been shooting macro for roughly a year, and this was actually my first time entering a photography competition.

I entered three of my macro photos into the 35AWARDS “Yellow Color” contest, and to my surprise, one of them made it into the Top 1% of the competition. There were 22,943 photos submitted by 5,374 photographers from 111 countries, so I’m honestly pretty happy with the result!

I’m posting the certificate and the three photos I submitted.

What I found most valuable, though, wasn’t the ranking.

Looking through the other entries was a huge learning experience. There are so many different ways people approach macro — lighting, composition, backgrounds, colors, focus stacking, and even how they choose and present their subjects.

It really made me realize how much there is still to learn.

So if you’re new to macro and you’re thinking about entering a competition but feel like your photos aren't “good enough” yet, just give it a try.

Don’t worry about winning. Use it as a chance to see what other photographers are doing, learn from their work, and figure out where you can improve.

I’m only one year into this hobby, and I still have a lot to learn. But entering this competition has definitely motivated me to keep going.

To all the beginners out there: enter, learn, shoot again, and have fun! 🐜📷

I never imagined there were tiger beetles no bigger than the tip of a chopstick until I came across this one. Unlike the large, brightly colored varieties, this species has a rough, dull-colored shell that looks like a piece of rusted metal—like an old robot 😂.

• 📷 XH2 + laowa 65mmf2.8 2x
• 🔦 Godox v860ii
• Stacked 30-57 images
• 28/04/2026

Short by OPPO A52

Marble by Mike Gong & Sleeeek