The most amazing close-up images of some of nature's tiniest life forms

A COMPETITION by camera manufacturer Olympus has resulted in the most amazing close-up images of some of nature's tiniest life forms.

While it's hard enough for most of us to get a decent photo of a human, talented snappers that entered the BioScapes competition have taken artwork-worthy shots of microscopic animals and insects.

The outstanding pictures were captured using microscopes and offer up-close and personal views of nature that the human eye could never pick up - such as looking into the detailed eyes of a fly or the colourful scales on a butterfly's wings.

The overall winning picture is a psychedelic-looking shot taken by Dr Igor Siwanowicz, which shows the open trap of an aquatic carnivorous plant with single-cell organisms inside.

Here are our favourite images from all the entries. Prepared to be stunned: