When Facebook announced that Flixel was a part of their Profile Expression Kit, we wanted to get our community involved in the action immediately. We held a contest asking users to shoot their own personalized profile cinemagraphs and share them on our Facebook page.

It was difficult to pick the best out of a set of submissions that really showcased the excitement and thoughtfulness that goes into a personalized profile video, so we enlisted the help of celebrity photographer Michael Grecco and previous contest winner, Rocky Montez-Carr, to help us make the decision.

And the winners of the Facebook Profile Video contest are…

First Place: Melanie 

Many of us have felt the sudden breeze that hits while weaving our way in and out of metro  stations. Melanie’s winning cinemagraph shows us that we can recreate reminiscent moments by emphasizing even the smallest of details.

“My intern at the time (@TristanLeyco) and I decided one day to go shoot a bunch. We took this one right outside my old office on 8th Ave. We had tons of people stop us to see what we were doing! It really does get pretty windy when a train passes and you’re walking down into the subway. We went back to the office and did some editing and this is what came of it!” – Melanie

Second Place: Mario Sahe-Lacheante

While a part of the illusionary aspect to cinemagraphs lie within the medium itself, the effect can be heightened with a grander vision. We love how Mario is flying through the sky in this incredible cinemagraph, which relied on some imagination.

“Story wise, I guess I just wanted to do something unique – to capture a suspended moment in time that is really impossible to just capture on its own, so you have to create that moment and give it a sense of realism.” – Mario

Third Place: Rebecca

We were thrilled by the creativity that went into each and every one of these cinemagraphs, and we are excited to see how more people will express themselves through their Facebook profile video. Want to learn how to create your very own cinemagraph for your Facebook profile video? Take a look at our simple tutorial here and use our tips to get started on your personalized living photo.