First Prize Christina J. Graber, Joppa, Md. “Out of the Smoke"The 2015 ARMY Magazine SFC Dennis Steele Photo Contest had a strong turnout, with Army veteran Christina J. Graber placing first for the second consecutive year.Her photograph, titled “Out of the Smoke,” depicts Spc. (P) Michael Murphy, a competitor during an Expert Field Medical Badge competition in New Jersey in April. As a bystander at the event, Graber took the photo as the smoke surrounded Murphy. Her heart raced, she said.“It happened so fast,” Graber said, adding that as soon as she snapped the photo, Murphy “seemed, without further hesitation, to seamlessly go into the next task.” She said he finished the task in a 9-second window.“I saw that he was thinking through the rest of the testable steps” in the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical/Mission-Oriented Protective Posture skill test, she said.“The pressure was on, as was the time limit to finish the lane. He seemed relieved to have finished the first task, but he was also deep in thought” about the next step in the Mission-Oriented Protective Posture process.Like last year, Graber used a Nikon D800 with a 17-55 mm lens to snap this year’s winning photo. She hopes the photograph will resonate with military members who have had to train and perform tasks in unknown conditions.“He was calm but also quick to continue the mission,” Graber said of her subject. “His training was evident in his continued execution.”Second Prize Anthony Bell, Newport News, Va. “Warrior, One Each, Prepared” Second-place winner T. Anthony Bell aimed to show fighting men and women doing things Americans do not typically see and the sacrifices they make in doing so, he said. Bell first found out about the contest back in 1992 and has entered several times since. This year, his winning photograph was taken at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition, where he’s been snapping photos for nine consecutive years.“I had plenty of experience shooting in the same chamber and knew of the shadow and light possibilities,” said Bell, who has a love for shooting in extreme lighting conditions. “The support personnel equipped and allowed me to enter the ‘gas chamber’ while contestants entered and performed their tasks. The challenge here was shooting with a mask on and getting the right focus, exposure and composition.”After spending a few hours shooting several contestants with a Nikon D300S, he decided to forego the flash. He froze the subject at the moment the door was opened to the chamber, creating a dark, ghostly and seemingly menacing image—“exactly what I was aiming for,” he said.“This is not your typical Best Warrior shot,” Bell said. “This shot is unusual. It is a real representation of what soldiers do on a regular basis to prepare for the horrors of war.”Third Prize Sgt. Maj. Victor J.A. LaBier, USA Ret., Lacey, Wash. “Jacob Deployed to Afghanistan”As a regular reader of ARMY, retired Sgt. Maj. Victor J. A. LaBier, the third-place winner, said he always enjoys looking at the photo contest winners. When his son, Spc. Jacob Jagla, returned from Afghanistan in August 2014 and met his 6-week-old son for the first time,  LaBier captured the moment.The photograph, which was taken with an iPhone 5s after Jagla was released from formation at Campbell Army Airfield, Ky., shows him overcome with emotion as he held baby Gavin for the first time.“It was amazing to see the love for his son as he held him for the first time,” LaBier said. “The photo displays the emotions of a young man, soldier, husband and son after his return from serving in a combat zone and holding his newborn son for the first time. It represents one of many sacrifices soldiers and their families make in defense of this great nation.”Photographs were judged by the ARMY magazine staff on a variety of factors, including clarity, lighting, composition, and the message behind the image.—Jennifer Benitz

Honorable Mentions

Penny Lindsey, Columbia, S.C.“A Soldier’s Bond Is for Life!”Michael N. Curtis, Waynesville, Mo. “Best Sapper Competition”Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Stanek, USAR, Lino Lakes, Minn. “Decisions at Twilight”