With this button you have it in your own hands
Take macro photos on iPhone
Many people enjoy taking macro photos. You can create spectacular effects by photographing an insect, plant or water droplet from very close up. The macro mode uses the ultra-wide-angle camera and autofocus system on these devices. This allows you to take photos from up to 2 centimeters away.
- Suitable devices
- This is how you take a macro photo
- Examples of macro photos
Which devices for macro photos?
Taking macro photos is only possible on these devices:
- iPhone 13 Pro (Max)
- iPhone 14 Pro (Max)
- iPhone 15 Pro (Max) and newer
Unfortunately, there is no workaround to use this specific feature on other iPhones, but you can purchase an external iPhone lens. This allows you to imitate the effect with an attachment.
This is how you take a macro photo
Shooting a macro photo is actually automatic. You don’t have to enable anything or change anything in the settings. If you use the normal camera function of the iPhone (i.e. with 1x zoom), you bring the camera a little closer. From approximately 10 cm, the camera automatically switches to macro mode. You get the same 1x crop of the wide-angle lens, but extremely zoomed in. It works best if the object is well lit.
Macro is also available for video, slow motion and timelapses.
If you find automatic switching to macro mode inconvenient, you can disable it. You must first enable this option:
- Go to Settings > Camera.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom and turn on the Macro control button.
If you now come close to an object to be photographed, the camera automatically switches to the correct macro lens and a yellow button with a flower will appear at the bottom right. Tap this to turn off the macro function. This setting is remembered, so that the camera does not automatically switch to the macro lens the next time. The flower will appear on screen again, if you want to take a macro photo at that moment.
Examples of macro photos
Below you will find a number of examples that Apple has made available. To show that you too can take such photos, we have some more examples below.
This photo was taken by iCulture reader Joost (@js_gallerynl) and included in this article with permission:
We made these ourselves:
You can also have fun playing with water droplets:
Or you can play with a nice dynamic effect:
Have you taken nice macro photos yourself? Tag us (@iCulture.NL) on Instagram or on Twitter (@iCulture) and we will occasionally include the most beautiful ones in a story or retweet them!
