Winners of the 2025 Bird House Photo Contest
Thank you to everyone who participated in our annual photo contest! This year we recieved over 260 photos and each was better than the last. The photos were so good judges had a hard time deciding the winners. Also thank you to everyone who came in to the store to vote for the Customer’s Choice voting!
Meet the judges of this years contest:
Marie Costanza
As a partner of Image City Photography Gallery, I have had the privilege of working closely with talented photographers from across the region and beyond. My own photographic journey has taken me in many directions, but I am particularly drawn to wildlife photography---especially birds. There is something endlessly fascinating about their grace, behavior, and the challenge of capturing them in fleeting moments of beauty or character. Over the years I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous photography competitions, both as an entrant and as a judge. When I was a new photographer, the Birdhouse competition was the first one I entered, and I was delighted to receive a first prize award for my image of a sunset on Lake Ontario. As a participant, I always appreciate competitions that value not only technical skill, but also the story and emotion behind an image. Those experiences have shaped my approach as a judge--I strive to look beyond the surface and consider how effectively a photographer's vision connects with the viewer. When judging, I focus on a blend of composition, technical execution, originality and the emotional or narrative strength of the photograph. I believe that every image entered represents a moment the photographer felt was worth sharing, and it's a privilege to honor that effort through thoughtful and fair evaluation. If you need additional information, please don't hesitate to let me know. I look forward to working with the other judges.
Dick Horsey
My interest in birding and bird photography stems from my grandfather, who was the foreman of Highland Park in 1908-1948. He became one of the first serious birders in Monroe County and even provided weekly park bird lists (1920s) to the newspaper. However, his attempts at bird photography were limited to an old box camera with black & white film, which he developed himself. His favorite photo was a black & white picture of a bluebird! Compare that image to the colorful digital photos of birds today, up to a hundred years later. No more needing to have a darkroom with expensive chemicals and papers to develop yourself, or even sending your exposed film off for costly development and waiting two weeks to see if any of your pictures were even in focus. Once you have a decent digital camera today, you can take as many pictures as you like of each bird you find and examine them instantly. I take hundreds of photos weekly so even I’m bound to get a few good ones. Today you can even purchase bird houses and bird feeders with installed cameras which send photos directly to your cell phone. All of the technology and new-fangled photo wi-fi capabilities make it easier every year to start to become a superb photographer. The year over year increasing number of excellent photos submitted for the photo contest is a testament to this trend. After having started up and run the Rochester Birding Association online photo gallery for almost ten years with its thousands of postings, I am amazed at the improvements. I feel honored to be chosen to be one of three contest judges again and look forward to examining over 250 submitted photos to try to find the cream of the crop. So send in your best pictures and make our job as difficult as possible!
Aaron Winters
I’ve been an avid photographer since retiring in 2010. The free time allowed me to get out and really get to know my gear, my area, and other photographers. A good friend and excellent photog once said to me “If you want to get better, Shoot, Shoot, Shoot!” You learn to see what makes you enjoy a photograph and helps set them apart from the snapshots. The Bird House Photo Contest has provided and excellent platform to see what others are shooting and to display your work. I’ve won a couple and judged several and am delighted to be a participant, and be able to see the growth in both quality and size of the contest. Aaron Winters: aaronwintersphotography.com
Fabulous photos of our wonderful world!! Thank you for sharing them this way!
Great Photos!
Wow! What talented photographers we have in our area!
This contest is so wonderful! Thank you for putting it on! We look forward to it every year!