2025 Photo Contest - Living Our Best Life!

Thank you all for sharing your lives and journey with us!

Thank you to all of the participants of the FJP 2025 Photo Contest. We loved your wonderful photos and stories. Congratulations to all of the finalists in the three categories: Nature, Animal, and Other!

Photo Contest Winner - Nature
With 50% of the Vote - Tim G, Snowbasin Resort, Utah

I took the photo on March 7, 2025 at Snowbasin Resort in Utah. Snowbasin is where the 2002 Olympic downhill races - for both men and women - were held. It’s a great mountain, especially when you’re lucky enough to have fresh POW!! 
I drove with a friend from California to Utah on March 6 through heavy snow in Nevada and Utah. On the morning on March 7, we arrived at the ski area early, trying to get “first tracks,” and we did. The snow was super light powder up to 18 inches across the mountain. We were able to carve some tracks near this peak without knowing we would be able to see them from the chair lift heading back up. And that’s what you’re seeing in the photo. We even made a few figure 8s on the way down. 

Photo Contest Winner - Animals
With 29% of the Vote - Russ W, Lionfish at Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

In early 2025, I was at Lembeh Resort, perched on a small island off North Sulawesi, Indonesia, for a two-week scuba diving adventure. Nestled in the volcanic Lembeh Strait—famous among underwater photographers—the region is a mecca for "muck diving." The black sand seafloor looks deceptively barren… until your guide points out that it’s teeming with some of the ocean’s most unusual and camouflaged critters.
One of my favorite moments was capturing this lionfish, native to Indonesian waters. Unlike in the Atlantic where they’re invasive, here in Indonesia, local predators keep their numbers in balance. Because lionfish rely on their highly poisonous spines for defense, they’re surprisingly unbothered by divers. They don’t dart away. They just hover—serene, elegant, and fearsome.
I shot the image using just an iPhone in a waterproof case, rigged with a couple of video lights. Over the course of the trip, I took thousands of images. Some were sharper. Some more dramatic. But this one stood out. It captured not just a fish, but a moment—and a world—most people will never see.

Photo Contest Winner - Other
With 36% of the Vote - Cindy H, Bow Bridge, Central Park, New York

Several years ago, while visiting New York City,  I took a stroll through Central Park and came upon the Bow Bridge, one of the park’s most famous landmarks due to its graceful cast-iron arch with beautiful detail. It was a beautiful autumn day in late October. I was surprised to learn that there are 26 bridges in the over 840+ acre park.    I was particularly drawn to the striking contrast between the assortment of vibrant colors from the trees in comparison to the whiteness of the bridge and the grey of the city in the background.