Macro photography, simply put, is close-up photography. This usually requires a special lens that is optimized to focus sharply on a small area. What I love about macro photography is that it allows us see an entirely different world that is filled with an abundance of detail that usually goes unnoticed by the naked eye.

Here is a collection of 40 truly amazing macro photographs from various photographers. To see larger versions of the photographs and to learn more about both the photograph and photographer, be sure to click on the images.