A peeled orange and a red bell pepper. That’s what I thought a pencil and a Coke bottle cap were when I saw them in macro. That’s because when you stare at something from up close, even if it’s something you see everyday, you lose your sense of familiarity with it. The dash of color misleads your brain and the…

Don’t smoke. It might look a teensy bit cool, but it’s a dumb thing to start, a filthy habit to quit, and terrible for you and everything around you. You know what’s way cooler to do with cigarettes than smoking? Lighting them up and seeing them burn on their own in macro.

Peering at the world through a close-up macro lens reveals tiny details that normally go unnoticed. It can also make the smallest of things appear completely grandiose. Steel wool and a battery makes for an easy way to start a fire, but zoom in as it burns and it looks like the entire world has become engulfed in a…

Anything looks cooler in macro. Setting stuff on fire with a blowtorch is rad, for obvious reasons. And even in death, the humble crayon manages to fill us with child-like joy.

Chemistry sure is a pretty science, especially in macro. Just check out the stunning crystallization process of things like potassium chromate, sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, and more. Each one is totally unique and packs its own flair, you don’t know how it’s going to end up until it’s finished. The colors, the…

Throw some dye into milk, add a drop of soap and suddenly the whole thing turns into a psychedelic mess of shapes and colors. Sound familiar? You probably did this science experiment in the 5th grade and felt astounded by it.

We’re in the thick of summer now, which means one thing. The creepy crawly bugs are out. But don’t be afraid. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, grab your camera and take some photos.

Russian photographer Nick Lariontsev made this cool time-lapse using macro lens to show how mold grows from up close. At this zoom level, something that normally disgust us transforms into a beautiful alien universe full of life.

Mazer Media, the people who filmed this short Machines Rule the World, promises that there is a story in this video that stitches together beautiful macro shots of machines being used. I couldn't find it because I was so entranced by the close up scenes that I completely forgot that I was watching something.

Chemical reactions are those magical moments when the matter that surrounds us suddenly bursts into life. A stunning new video collaboration between scientists and artists now showcases eight different types of these reactions in exquisite detail.

Continuing his fantastic series of macro shots of the eyes of animals, here is Suren Manvelyan's Animal Eyes 3. The close up shots of the fish and reptiles and other animals in this series look positively alien when seen up close. I thought they were artist's rendering of deep space planets from a sci-fi movie.

Alex Wild is an entomologist. He's also an amazing photographer who's become famous for his highly detailed, almost too vivid, sometimes alien-looking photography of bugs. And recently, he revealed how he does it.

Zeiss is expanding its lineup of APS-C lenses for Sony E-mount and Fuji X-mount with a new Touit 50mm f/2.8 macro lens.

These are the best kinds of snowflakes: the kind that are under the lens of a camera and not piled up outside my door. A Russian photographer uses a set up he made himself to take these photos. See more below!