Daily Herald photo contest winners for July 2025
Taking the top spot in July is Kathy Attlan’s charming photo capturing the curious gaze of a small child at the historic Luckenbach General Store, built in 1851. The small hamlet deep in the Hill Country of Texas has been featured in Waylon Jennings’ 1977 hit song “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” and Miranda Lambert’s 2024 song “Looking Back on Luckenbach.”
The Oakbrook Terrace resident writes, “I love the kids, the potbelly stove, the guitars, the lighting … well, I guess I love everything about this photo. This way out in the boondocks place is worth the visit!”
In second place is Adriaan Sachtler’s sweet photo of a sparrow feeding a hungry fledgling. The Des Plaines resident writes, “This sparrow is smart, feeding its young right at the bird feeder instead of flying back and forth to the nest. ... As far as I knew, birds feed their young in the nest. Thus, I was surprised to see that this sparrow is feeding its young (which is old enough to fly) right at the bird feeder.”
Kelley Dorner’s third-place photo captures a monarch butterfly resting with open wings on the delicate pink blossoms of a shrub at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. The Grayslake resident writes, “This beautiful monarch teased us all afternoon … Finally, it came to rest on some gorgeous Japanese spirea, and posed for its glamour shot. The butterfly’s colors stood out wonderfully against the flowers and the lake water.”
Coming in fourth place is a lovely photo of a classic cottage-garden plant growing on Patricia Hartmann’s farm. The Elgin resident writes, “During the summer, old-fashioned hollyhocks bloom. This is a double yellow buttery bloom that enjoys a special corner at our farm in central Kane County.”
An honorable mention goes to Norm Schock of East Dundee who snapped this photo of two deer that almost look like lawn ornaments. He asked his daughter, Heidi, to submit this photo for the contest. She writes, “Early one morning a few weeks ago, my 93-year-old dad took this photo with his phone. He said what he loves about the picture is seeing the deer in his yard against all the different greens in the background.”
Contest rules
The Daily Herald invites readers to submit their own photos to our “Your Images” amateur photo contest.
Once a month, we showcase entries that feature one first-place winner and three runners-up. The contest is open to everyone in the Daily Herald readership area.
• To submit a photo of your own for consideration, email it in .jpg format at highest quality possible to yourimages@dailyherald.com. Please remove any date stamps on the photo.
• Include your name, mailing address and phone number, plus a detailed description of your photo. Remember to include a sentence or two on what you like about it.
• One photo a week per photographer, but enter as many weeks as you’d like.
• First-place winners will receive prizes alternating between The Great Frame Up in Schaumburg and PJ’s Camera in Glen Ellyn.