Wildlife and macro photographer Steven Scott Grogin says his Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers award-winning results—so much so that his work has placed first in “Macro & Details,” seventh globally in “Mobile Photography,” and 70th globally in “Wildlife Photography.”
He doesn’t describe it like a gear flex. He talks like someone who’s spent enough time in the wild to know what matters when the moment finally arrives.
Steven Scott Grogin. a pro wildlife and macro photographer. has built a run of international recognition around a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. His reptile-focused images have collected multiple awards for mobile photography. including a top finish in the “Macro & Details” category at the Mobile Photography Awards. At 35AWARDS, he ranked seventh globally in the “Mobile Photography” category.
What made his submissions stand out wasn’t just the phone-first start. One entry moved beyond the phone-only lane. After his work was submitted and cleared the phone-only classification, it was entered into the general wildlife photography category—where it earned 70th position globally.
Grogin ties the results to what he calls “real wild encounters,” built entirely from time spent across Florida and Michigan. He often shoots from immersive ground-level and water-level perspectives. focusing on wildlife many people overlook: alligators. frogs. snakes. moths. insects. and swamp species.
The camera, in his telling, is only one part of the equation. Grogin argues that the bigger story is how Samsung Galaxy mobile imaging can handle serious wildlife and macro work that traditionally belonged to DSLR and mirrorless setups. He even pushes back against the broader criticism aimed at Samsung for making among the fewest changes to its flagship phone camera systems. In his view, there have been significant improvements to Samsung phones’ camera “chops.”.
The logic behind that confidence is personal. Grogin’s awards arrive as proof that expensive equipment alone doesn’t automatically make someone a better photographer. The message lands with particular force if you’ve ever felt trapped by gear—always waiting for the “right” camera instead of sharpening the eye that finds the right frame.
You can find more of Grogin’s work in his 500px portfolio, and the photographer suggests following him there as a way to keep up with his shots. For his part, he keeps returning to the same idea: what you’re able to see—and how closely you can get to it—matters as much as the device in your hand.
Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone photography wildlife photography macro photography Mobile Photography Awards 35AWARDS Steven Scott Grogin Samsung camera