Congratulations to our 2025 spring Park Pics contest winners! And thank you to all of the participants who entered – we had a record-breaking number of entries! Our seven-member jury selected the category winners and they were looking for photos that capture the essence of San Mateo County Parks and were original, technically excellent and created a strong overall impact. The People’s Choice Award is chosen by vote of the general public, which took place over one week in early June. Over 500 people voted!
Enjoy the winning photos and learning more about the photographers behind the lens. Also check out the twenty outstanding finalists from this year’s contest.
People’s Choice Award
Jeff Regan, End of the Line
About Jeff Regan:
Moving to the Coast 6 years ago is one of the best decisions of my life. Photography gives me a great excuse to immerse myself in nature and capture its beauty. I especially enjoy chasing sunsets. Something that makes me proud is using my photos to raise money for nonprofits on the Coast by selling prints and calendars of our stunning, diverse open space areas. The community has been so receptive and generous and now I’m excited to help directly tell the stories of these worthy nonprofit organizations via images. I feel like this is where I should be and what I’m supposed to be doing!
Inspiration for photo:
I am fortunate to live within half a mile of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. It’s really like two parks in one – the enchanting cypress grove and the picturesque Seal Cove beach and tide pools. My photo was taken at the north end of the Reserve on a bluff just beyond the cypress grove, which overlooks the ocean and birthing area for harbor seals. This is my go-to magical place to capture beautiful coastal sunsets, dramatic fogginess, and occasional sun rays breaking through the majestic cypress trees. I’ve repeated this framing at different times of the year and my wife even hung a very large canvas print of just this spot in our home. I think she agrees with me that Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is a special place.
Location: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Landscapes & Waterscapes
Richard Nishiki-Finley, Spring Afternoon
About Richard Nishiki-Finley:
A native of San Francisco, I have lived on the Peninsula for most of my life with the exception of five years banishment to SoCal. I grew up in Pacifica where my photograph was taken. I first became interested in the photographic process while in graduate school, spending countless hours in the darkroom developing radio autograms. After working as a chemist in several different disciplines and as a part-time chemistry instructor at Mission College in Santa Clara, I retired to enjoy family, travel, and photography. Although I enjoy nature photography, my preference is for cats and black and white film photography of inanimate objects.
Inspiration for photo:
Growing up in Pacifica, I learned to love the fog. In my previous attempts in entering this photo contest, I sought out foggy coastal venues but this was a sunny day, so I told my wife, “let’s check out Pacifica on a sunny day.” After some time photographing this and that, we were done and headed to the car when I noticed how the footpath was perfectly framed. I’m an avid roadie, and the path reminded me of the open road, ready to be visited and investigated. I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon this scene.
Location: San Pedro Valley Park
People in Parks
Vitaly Lavrukhin, Racing Twins
About Vitaly Lavrukhin:
Growing up in Russia, I’ve always been attracted to nature and the outdoors whether it was just a walk in local woods, or a camping trip, or family mushroom and berry foraging. When I moved with my family to California 8 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised with how many diverse public lands are available for recreation and how many people are enjoying them and taking care of them. Ever since, we have become avid hikers and admirers of national, state, and county parks. Photography is just another hobby that I like practicing outdoors, capturing natural wonders and candid family moments.
Inspiration for photo:
When I learned about the photo contest organized by San Mateo County Parks Foundation, I decided to grab a camera and explore one of the county parks. Looking at the map, my family’s choice was to check out Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. We had never been to this park, and oh boy, that was a great decision that led us to returning back many times. As we moved through the cypress tree tunnel, my twin sons were eager to discover what beauty was hidden behind it. They started running, and that’s how I took the shot. It is very exciting that the photo from our very first visit was selected by the judges.
Location: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Up Close with Fauna
Michael Pagano, Osprey on Deck
About Michael Pagano:
As a Bay Area native and raised here on the Peninsula, I have had the opportunity to explore the many open space and natural preserves in relative proximity. As far back as I can remember, I have always been interested in nature and exploring the wonders it has to offer. It has been over a decade since my retirement from a successful career in the food and beverage package design business. It was shortly after my retirement that I decided to pursue my interest and passion for bird photography. Eventually, I concentrated on amateur wildlife conservation photography. It became the perfect marriage. Once I became familiar with all the nuances of the digital camera, I became hooked! Recently, I became a member of the San Mateo Camera Club, an excellent forum for expanding your vision as a photographer and learning new techniques. My bird and wildlife images have since been featured in PUNCH Magazine, Bay Nature Magazine, Golf Course Management Magazine, and various non-profit newsletters.
Inspiration for photo:
What encouraged me to take this particular shot at first was observing the Osprey’s perseverance and ability to build their nest under not-so-favorable conditions, not only because of its location at a busy entrance to the Coyote Point Marina and yacht harbor, but additionally, it can get extremely windy at this location. This makes it difficult to maintain the structure’s stability at such an exposed location. Fortunately, it all worked out. The photo was inspired by observing the ability of some species to coexist here and share their life journeys with ours. In addition, the San Francisco Bay and the East Bay Hills make for an idyllic backdrop to the nest location.
Location: Coyote Point Marina
Up Close with Flora (tie)
Lupe Brooke, Busy Bee
About Lupe Brooke:
I’m a city kid with a deep love for the outdoors. Growing up in the Bay Area – San Francisco born, Daly City raised, now living in San Bruno – I love the Bay Area trails with a camera as my companion. The tiny details are my favorite with my macro lens. I enjoy photographing just about anything – people, landscapes, animals and birds – but flowers hold a special place in my heart. I’m happiest on a road trip with nature photography in mind.
Inspiration for photo:
I took the family dog for a walk at Coyote Point and noticed the California poppies were blooming everywhere! My iPhone just wasn’t capturing the shot that I wanted, so I woke up early the next morning, left the dog behind and brought my camera instead. I took hundreds of photos of the poppies and bees that morning. This bee with the pollen buildup on his legs was so huge and I followed him around as he flew from flower to flower. I was fortunate enough to get this crisp action shot. I was so excited to capture him right as he was climbing out of this poppy with the morning light!
Location: Coyote Point Recreation Area
Suzanne Coberly, The World of Tidy Tips
About Suzanne Coberly:
I’m an MD pathologist who’s worked in biotech cancer research for many years and have always found nature and ecology fascinating. My father started me hiking and noticing plants and animals when I was a kid in Fresno – we’d watch the migrating birds on the Pacific flyway and plants and animals in the nearby Sierras. I came to the Bay Area after medical school to be near my now husband and used hiking and photography as stress relief during training. I explored the Peninsula’s parks throughout training and later with my husband we settled into a house in the San Mateo hills; the plus for me was the large oak and pine-filled backyard and its proximity to an open space. Now 25 years later, it is filled with California native plants, birds, insects and animals – all potential photography subjects!
Inspiration for photo:
I’ve always liked to be outdoors, to hike, and to capture my view of the natural world. Our county parks allow me easy access to multiple different beautiful areas to do this! I’m most interested in photographing plants, animals, and insects in different environments, living their lives from their point of view, especially those that people don’t often notice. On this hike to Edgewood during wildflower season, we had noticed a large area of blooming tidy tips that were very well used by many insects. I wanted to see if I could get a view of them as the insects saw the flowers in their day to day life; to capture a picture that would show the tidy tips as being an encompassing sunlit forest with a view of the abundant California ringlet and other insects going about their day to day business. I stood there for 20 minutes taking multiple pictures to get the effect I wanted – and was very happy to later realize I had at least one that worked!
Location: Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve