Photographer Rick Bella earned global recognition at the 2025 MUSE Photography Awards, taking home gold and silver.

Bella won gold in the Commercial Photography/Corporate and Business category and silver in Minimalist Photography/Silhouetted Moments. The competition drew over 4,000 entries from over 40 counties.

Bella’s gold-winning image, Skilled Care, captures surgeons in action at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute in Chesterton. The Barbauld Agency, Lakeshore’s marketing agency group, directed the shoot. It was used in a billboard campaign promoting orthopedic care close to home.

Bella’s silver-winning shot, Elegant Style, was taken at the opening celebration of the Regent Hotel in Santa Monica Beach, California. Bella captured the picture for long-time client Kaleidoscope Vue Consulting.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized among so many talented photographers worldwide,” Bella said in a press release. “These awards inspire me to keep pushing my creative boundaries.”

Bella has been a photographer since age 15. After studying business at Indiana University and photography at the New York Institute of Photography, he and his wife, Jodi, established Bella Photography in Merrillville. They have served clients for over 25 years. Bella is also serving in his 18th year as an elected town councilman in his hometown of Merrillville.

The MUSE Photography Awards celebrate creative photographers around the globe in diverse categories, from fine art to commercial and editorial photography.