The annual Close-Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) Challenge invites artists to explore the intricate details of the world around us, capturing everything from delicate lilies to frozen water droplets.
CUPOTY's mission is to acknowledge the astonishing splendor of the natural world through a magnified lens. The results of this year's main competition were unveiled in January. Alongside the main competition, a separate event called the "CUPOTY Challenge" focused on the theme of "minimal." The winners of this competition shine a light on the beauty found in ordinary marvels.
“Essentially, what we were looking for was clean, uncluttered images with few elements,” Tracy Calder, who co-founded the CUPOTY competition in 2018 with her husband, Dan Calder, says in a statement. “What we got was so much more. Everything from stink bugs to springtails and plant seeds were put before the judges—each picture a beautiful example of how simplifying a scene can really amplify its message.”
Here, we present a selection of remarkable images from the "Minimal" challenge that captivated the attention of the competition's esteemed panel of four judges.
Related: In Pictures – Close-Up Photographer of the Year 2022
1. 1st Place: "In Her Wedding Dress" By Ferenc Kocsis
Image source: Close-Up Photographer of the Year
A gravid female Danube mayfly gracefully soars above the Danube River in Hungary, depositing its egg clusters near its birthplace. Subsequently, the larvae residing in the riverbed emerge in April, culminating their year-long life cycle with a final dance in August.
2. 2nd Place: "Colour Study 39" By Paul Gravett
Image source: Close-Up Photographer of the Year
Using a stack of glass shelves, the photographer arranged multiple sheets of paper and color transparencies to create this abstract image. Employing a light pad placed beneath the glass, Gravett captured individual layered photographs, later blending them seamlessly through digital manipulation. The resulting snapshot showcases a captivating marriage of photography and modern art, presenting viewers with unexpected and thought-provoking visuals.
3. 3rd Place: "Goose Bumps" By Stefan Gerrits
In the freezing darkness of a Norwegian winter night, Stefan Gerrits braved the elements to seize a remarkable moment. As the clock struck midnight, his camera lens captured the serene image of a mountain hare serenely sitting amidst a relentless snowstorm.
4. Shortlisted: "Behind Blue Eyes" By Clement Boyer
Captured during the early hours of a late July morning, this photograph showcases a Damselfly on a flower at Saint Peyronis in southwest France.
5. Shortlisted: "Ice Droplet" By Morey Gers
On a bitterly cold winter day in St. Louis, MO, USA, I captured this image while exploring my backyard for captivating ice formations on a magnolia tree. This particular ice drop, measuring approximately ¼ inch in length, reveals mesmerizing internal crystal structures. The photographer captured this image on a bitterly cold winter day in St. Louis, MO, USA, while exploring my backyard for captivating ice formations on a magnolia tree. This particular ice drop, measuring approximately ¼ inch in length, reveals mesmerizing internal crystal structures.
6. Shortlisted: "Marpissa Radiata" By Adrian Truchta
Nestled beside a pond, this jumping spider found its home within a curled leaf. Like its counterparts, this particular spider boasted remarkably large eyes, but what set it apart was their extraordinary hue—a captivating shade of blue.
7. Shortlisted: "Four Comatrichia Nigra" By Andy Sands
A line of four Comatrichia nigra slime molds on the underside of a fallen Beech branch.
8. Shortlisted: "A Ray Of Light" By Jose Luis Gigirey
A pair of tiny Mycena sp in a forest near Covas, Ames, Spain.
9. Finalist: "Details Of A Rough Stink Bug" By Benjamin Salb
Rough stink bugs are broad bodied and generally flattened. They are cousins to aphids, leafhoppers, and scale insects.
10. Shortlisted: "Blending In" By Stefan Gerrits
A Willow Grouse blends perfectly with a thick layer of snow.
11. Shortlisted: "Sawfly Larva" By Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas
Captured by German photographer Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, this close-up image showcases a young sawfly appearing larger than life as it scales a blade of grass in a meadow during the previous summer.
12. Shortlisted: "Lunaria Annua" By Ecaterina Leonte
Also known as Annual honesty, this flowering plant is native to southern Europe, and cultivated throughout the temperate world.
13. Finalist: "Murky Waters" By Lovre Culina
A bridge serves as the perfect vantage point to capture this incredible shot of an American crocodile in the Tarcoles River in Costa Rica.
14. Finalist: "Outer Space" By Alex Pansier
Bathed in a gentle, otherworldly glow, this elephant seal bears a striking resemblance to a distant planet or moon observed from the depths of outer space.
15. Finalist: "Lily Tip" By Jane Van Bostelen
This photograph of a calla lily was taken using a studio lightbox, LED lighting, and a green background.
