Red ants can lift up to 50 times their own body weight – and this award-winning macro photo shows their phenomenal balanced teamwork

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Shot on one of the best, most versatile "all-round" entry-level full-frame mirrorless cameras, this photographer captured the ant's acrobatic juggling act

Three ants balance two textured green seeds on a branch against a solid green background
The image Teamwork is the Macro category winner of the LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 Awards (Image credit: Dikye Ariani)

Nature's inhabitants are strong – even if they're tiny and almost invisible to the naked eye. Ants, for example, are among the strongest creatures on Earth (measuring strength in relation to size) – and macro photography can give us a glimpse into this hidden world of power...

One photographer who knows this world well is Dikye Ariani. The image, Teamwork, just won the Macro category at the LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 – but if you attended the live announcement at The Photography & Video Show, you may have already heard the news.

"This image stood out due to its clarity, color, and narrative," said jury member Jimmy Cheng, an award-winning portrait and travel documentary photographer. It beautifully captures teamwork and determination in such a small world – brilliantly observed and perfectly timed."

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Macro category winner

Close up of Teamwork (Image credit: Dikye Ariani)

Teamwork by Dikye Ariani

Tech info
Gear: Sony A7 III
Exposure: f/16, 1/60 sec, ISO 125

Ariani explains, "Teamwork Red ants are incredibly strong relative to their size, capable of lifting 5,700 times their body weight. They possess powerful mandibles, painful venomous stings, and can form 'supercolonies' of millions.

"Ants actually have four to five times more odour receptors than most other insects. It's this exceptional sense of smell that helps ants find food. Shot in Indonesia.

The A7 III is, like the other A7 models, remarkably small for a full-frame camera and features a 24.2MP full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor (Image credit: Future)

The LCE POTY Awards

The LCE Photographer of the Year 2026 Awards, organized by photo retailer London Camera Exchange, celebrate outstanding photography across 14 diverse categories, including landscape, portrait, macro, street, and more.

Open to photographers of all experience levels, the free-to-enter competition features a £10,000 prize fund, a People's Choice Award, and an Emerging Talent Award.

For more information, visit the LCE POTY website.

The Photography & Video Show continues at the NEC, Birmingham, until Tuesday March 17

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Kim Bunermann
Kim Bunermann
Staff Writer

Kim is a photographer, editor and writer with work published internationally. She holds a Master's degree in Photography and Media and was formerly Technique Editor at Digital Photographer, focusing on the art and science of photography. Blending technical expertise with visual insight, Kim explores photography's time-honored yet ever-evolving role in culture. Through her features, tutorials, and gear reviews, she aims to encourage readers to explore the medium more deeply and embrace its full creative potential.

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