Tracey Fisher of Fort Myers loves photography and hopes to pass along that passion along to her 11-year-old granddaughter, Juliana DiGiacomo-Sisson.
So, when Fisher recently went on a Shutterbug Meetup excursion to Lakes Park and the slough, she lent Juliana a camera and took her along.
The last photo Juliana took that day — a colorful image of leaves — received an honorable mention in the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 2025 Photo Contest honoring Carolyn Babb. Juliana was the youngest person recognized by the judges, one of six in the Youth category.
“This news brings tears to my eyes,” her grandmother said, adding that she will be giving Juliana a camera for her birthday.
It also excited Sabine Vandenhende, the president of the nonprofit Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough organization. For years, Vandenhende has sought to have more entries in the Youth category, as a means of fostering greater love and appreciation of nature and conservation among young people.
In an effort to boost youth numbers, the Friends provide a camera for each child at the Slough’s summer camps and automatically enter each camper’s best photo in the contest. In addition, the Friends waive the contest entry fee for all youth participants.
This year, something clicked — and not just a camera shutter.
“I’m ecstatic,” Vandenhende said. “In past years, besides photos from summer campers, we only had seven or eight other entries. This year, it’s double that.”
There were 64 photos entered in the Youth category — for ages 17 and younger — by 42 photographers. A total of 270 photos were submitted in all categories combined by 113 people. Twenty-nine photos received honors. The contest is limited to amateur photographers.
The grand prize photo was taken by Kristina Mintz, a fifth-grade teacher at Heights Elementary School in Fort Myers. It showed a striped crayfish snake — not a common sighting — coiled around a cypress knee.
Mintz calls the slough her “hobby place where I go after a stressful week.” For visitors, volunteers and staff on weekends, Mintz, camera in hand, is a common sighting.
The photo contest honors Carolyn Babb, who died in December 2023. She served seven years as president of the Friends board, the longest tenure of any president. The contest has been held annually since Babb founded it in 2010. It is conducted by the Friends, the nonprofit that supports the slough’s staff, volunteers and mission.
In addition to the grand prize winner, first, second and third place and honorable mention awards are given in five categories: Animals, Birds, Plants & Landscapes, Youth, and Staff.
The winning photos will be posted on the Friends website, www.sloughpreserve.org, and already can be viewed in the Interpretive Center at the slough. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Mondays. Admission to the center and the boardwalk is free with paid parking, which is $1 an hour or $5 for an entire day.
Serving as judges this year were Friends members and photographers Jason Boeckman, Carol Matthai and Jose V. Padilla-Lopez; Slough Program Specialist Adrienne Martin; and Fort Myers News-Press photographer Andrew West.
Here’s a list of the photographers whose entries were recognized by the judges. An asterisk (*) denotes that the photo was selected to appear as a postcard, which will be available for purchase in the Friends Corner nature store in the Interpretive Center.
Grand Prize
- Kristina Mintz
Animals
- 1st Place: Kristina Mintz*
- 2nd Place: Sarah Walsh
- 3rd Place: Larry Czerwinski
- Honorable Mention: Christian Rehm
Birds
- 1st Place: Damon Bell
- 2nd Place: Pat Lonergan*
- 3rd Place: Jason Walsh
- Honorable Mention: Jeremy Greenfield
- Honorable Mention: Thomas Lonergan
- Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Johnson
- Honorable Mention: Thomas Lonergan
Plants & Landscapes
- 1st Place: James Wulpi
- 2nd Place: Linda Normoyle
- 3rd Place: James Wulpi
Youth
- 1st Place: Bear Tortorello
- 2nd Place: Jonathan Venton
- 3rd Place: Eli Greenfield
- Honorable Mention: Juliana DiGiacomo-Sisson
- Honorable Mention: Dahveed Storey
- Honorable Mention: Silas Powell
Staff
- 1st Place: Sara Maliva
- 2nd Place: Rick Bauer
- 3rd Place: Sara Maliva
- Honorable Mention: Sabine Vandenhende
- Honorable Mention: Rick Bauer
Additional Postcards
- Damon Bell*
- Christian Rehm*
- Ron Lindensmith*
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