Thank you to all the photographers who participated in our June Photo Challenge—as well as to all the patient friends and loved-ones who agreed to sit still long enough for the shutter to snap. We saw many wonderful and creative interpretations of what makes a portrait. Here are the finalists who stood out to our judges.

We couldn’t help but smile upon seeing this lighthearted homage to pin-up girls by Laura Muehl.

The warm yellow and pink tones combined with the strong backlighting gives Laura Pearson‘s unique portrait a romantic sun-kissed glow.

This beautifully rendered black-and-white portrait by Geri Diamond is well lit and sharp in all the right places. We like the added interest of the motion blur from the hand pulling back the hood.

Good boy! We love the rim lighting on the fur and the warm tones in Frank Zaremba‘s portrait of a very patient friend.

What little girl wouldn’t love this sparkly portrait by Tascha Kowalski, with its beautiful lighting and bokeh effect in the background?

The tight crop and warm processing in this sweet shot by Rosalie Gower nicely reflects the intimate moment.

Two generations find some common ground in Steve Rich‘s delightful portrait. The focus and lighting in the photo are spot on, drawing our eye right to the sleeping comrades.

Strong side-lighting and the dark background give an intimate feel to this beautiful black-and-white portrait by Susan Berger.

Winner: Christell Faul manages to capture a portrait of childhood at its best. We like the frozen movement in the water and the bright saturated colors that call to mind those carefree summer days gone by.

Congratulations to all our winners! Our August Photo Challenge is going on right now. The theme is “Landscapes.” I hope you’ll join us.