The Intermountain Professional Photographers Association, an affiliate of Professional Photographers of America, announced the winners of its 2025 annual photographic competition, held at Pictureline, 305 West 700 South, Salt Lake City.
This year’s competition featured approximately 25 artists entering 205 images in 11 categories. Five Professional Photographers of America-trained Master Judges outside of Utah judged each work using the rigorous 12 Elements of a Merit Image, which evaluate areas such as visual impact, composition, lighting, technical excellence, storytelling and more.
Five members of the Park City Photography Club entered, and all five earned one or more awards.
Liz Dranow earned the title of General Photographer of the Year, based on the average score of her top four images. All four of her entries featured dogs and included the following:
- First Place — “Symbiosis” (Animal Portrait) — an image of a dog at sunset
- Second Place — “Warmth on Winter Shores” (Animal Portrait) — an evening image of a dog along a beach
- Third Place — “Lift Off” (Animal Portrait) — a mountain scene of a dog leaping in the snow
- First Place — Male Portrait — a man in a loving embrace with his dog
Howard Meltzer won four awards:
- First Place — “Winter’s March” (Wildlife) — a bison photographed in Yellowstone
- Second Place — “Where’s Waldo” (Landscape / Cityscape) — a colorful fishing village in Faroe Islands
- Third Place — “Reflections on a Cold Night” (Landscape / Cityscape) — captured in Yellowstone
- Judges Award — “The Hippo” — a sandstone face formation near Kanab Utah
David Winegar won awards in fine art and illustrative, and reportage:
- 1st Place — “Windswept” (Fine Art / Illustrative) — phragmites blowing in the wind / Bear River Bird Refuge
- 1st Place — “Into The Inferno” (Reportage) — a DC-10 dropping retardant on a Utah wildfire
- 2nd Place — “Shades of Summer” (Fine Art / Illustrative — Black & White) — umbrellas on a beach in Camogli, Italy
David Breslauer won an award in wildlife recognition:
- 2nd Place — “Ground Clearance” (Wildlife) — a bald eagle photographed in Alaska
Bill Tafuri won rookie of the year:
- Rookie Award — “SLC Library S Wing Night” — a dramatic black-and-white nighttime architectural image of the Salt Lake City Library South Wing
The Intermountain Professional Photographers Association said it welcomes photographers of all experience levels, from beginners to seasoned professionals, and the Park City Photography Club similarly welcomes residents of any experience level. For membership information, meetings and educational opportunities, contact David Winegar by email at [email protected].