Evan’s Top 25 Photos from 2025
Hey friends!
What a wild year it’s been for our country and our community. To mark the end of the year, I’ve curated a list of my favorite community photos from 2025.
Planning, organizing, and hosting our events is technically my day job, but capturing our community through the lens of a camera is by far my favorite “night job.” Below, in no particular order, are 25 of my favorite moments from the past year. I hope you enjoy!
- Evan Clark (Executive Director)
LA Fires in January
While I would love to start off this album with a joyful group shot, its undeniable that this year was shaped by the tragic fires that swept through Altadena and the Pacific Palisades in January.
Our community jumped into action, raising $15,000 and converting our office building into a day shelter and donation site. The majority of our funds were passed to our local partner Black Skeptics LA, who funded micro-grants for impacted black families in Altadena.
This photo was taken in May during a silent walk to close out the Climate Justice Now! rally hosted by the Los Angeles Faith and Ecology Network (Atheists United is a member). It was a somber, necessary moment to understand the destruction of climate change up close.
Bonus rally photos:
80’s Party at Heretic House
Our first party of the year was an unforgettable 80’s themed bonanza at the iconic Heretic House in Angelino Heights. As always, our community went all-in on the theme and dressed to impress.
Once the disco-infused dancing transitioned into all-80s karaoke, the energy hit a whole new level. My wife, Carly, captured this shot (and the bonus photos below), which perfectly bottles the electric atmosphere of the night.
Bonus party photos:
Mohawk Fundraiser
One of the silliest—and most successful—decisions I made this year was promising to let the community give me a mohawk if we hit our January fundraising goal.
Seen here through the stained glass windows of Heretic House (great framing Carly!) a group can be seen taking photos, livestream, and just staring in awe at the chaos that became my new hair cut. Special thanks to Marsha for doing the deed.
Bonus mohawk photos:
Food Distribution Volunteers
Launched in June 2020 during the height of the pandemic’s food insecurity crisis, our Food Distribution program was originally an "emergency site." We weren't sure how long we’d last.
Five years later, we are now a permanent LA Food Bank site, distributing over 4,000 lbs of food every month. This photo captures some of our most dedicated volunteers and the pure joy that comes from mutual aid.
Bonus volunteer photos:
Saturday Sing-Along
Singing can be a "hot button" issue in atheist communities due to religious trauma, but in LA, we’ve found a unique way to reclaim it. Every other month, we host a community sing-along to the biggest pop hits of the last 50 years.
Led by piano extraordinaire Fletch (the big smile and black shirt in the center), this event has developed its own cult following. This is one of the few group photos we’ve managed to capture, and it says everything you need to know about the event’s vibe.
Bonus sing-along photos:
Voices of Reason at Sunday Assembly
Sunday Assembly Los Angeles is our favorite sister community. Every month they congregate for a secular assembly filled with music, food, and TED-talk style speakers. In February, they hosted Voices of Reason (Atheists United’s choir) as their musical guests in the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Theater. Nine singers from our group took the stage and wowed audiences with their uniquely playful music selection.
Bonus choir photos:
Science Sunday at the LA Zoo
Our first Science Sunday of 2025 took us to the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park for a docent-led tour. This candid photo of an Asian tri-colored squirrel sticking its tongue out was taken early in our tour and is easily my most shot of the year.
Bonus human photos:
Atheists United in D.C.
Taken in front of the U.S. Capitol in April, this photo represents Atheists United’s deep commitment to advocacy. Each year leaders of our community fly to Washington D.C. to partake in advocacy trainings and lobby days organized by Americans United for Separation of Church and State or Secular Coalition for America.
Featured here are Board President, Christine Jones, and Fundraising Assistant, Eric Z. I love how this shot captures their "steely-eyed" resolve while standing in front of a Republican-controlled Congress.
Science Sunday: Mount Wilson Observatory
For our second Science Sunday, we visited the legendary Mount Wilson Observatory, where Edwin Hubble famously discovered that the universe is expanding. Established in 1904 by George Ellery Hale as a solar-observing station, the facility built two of the largest telescopes in the world in the early 1900’s.
We had 40 people turn out for an unforgettable tour of the grounds and telescopes. This shot captures our guide sharing historical artifacts just before we headed into demonstrations of how the solar telescopes work, and tours of the massive 60-inch and 100-inch telescope domes.
Bonus observatory photos:
Halloween Pumpkin Carving
In October, we hosted a free Pumpkin Carving party at Heretic House where people could “slice and dice” decorations for our Halloween Party the next evening. This event was special because it drew so many newcomers—including some who, because of their religious backgrounds, had never been allowed to celebrate Halloween before. Seeing a teenager carve her first pumpkin (because of religion) is a powerful reminder of why safe secular spaces matter.
Bonus pumpkin photos:
Atheist History Lesson with Dr. Kristina Lee
In August, we hosted Dr. Kristina Lee, a scholar specializing in the history of secularism and Christian nationalism. My favorite part of her talk was the connection she drew between our modern atheist community organizing and the “Infidel Convention” of the late 1800s. In this photo, she’s sharing a news clipping about a convention that attracted 500 people from 10 states—long before the automobile existed!
Bonus infidel photos:
International Women’s Day Protest & Rally
Our community attended many rallies in 2025, but the International Women’s Day protest downtown was a standout. I love this photo because it captures the quintessential "Downtown LA" protest aesthetic: City Hall, palm trees, harsh sun, and a defiant atheist woman holding a sign for the separation of church and state.
Bonus protest photos:
No Kings Protests
Did you have "inflatable green frog costume" as a symbol of resistance on your 2025 bingo card? This photo was taken at the No Kings rally in October outside City Hall. It became one of the largest single-day protests in American history, and we’re proud that so many AU members participated across the state.
Bonus resistance photos:
Santa Clarita 4th of July Parade
Every year, our local chapters march in the Santa Clarita 4th of July Parade. This year felt different—almost existential. How do you march for the 4th of July when the Constitution feels under threat?
In this photo, a member holds a sign reading “Religious Freedom for Everyone” while flashing a peace sign. To me, that’s exactly what the day should represent.
Bonus patriotic photos:
Atheist Adventure in Malibu Creek State Park
Age diversity is rare in many communities, but not here! Since we launched our Atheist Adventures in 2021, our camping trips have consistently hosted everyone from pre-teens to folks in their 70s at every event. This photo shows an age diverse group of community members posing inside an abandoned vehicle on the old MASH* filming set in Malibu Creek State Park.
Bonus happy camper photos:
Hiking through Hollywood History
In addition to MASH*, Planet of the Apes was also filmed locally in Malibu Creek State Park. On our Atheist Adventure trip in March a local tour guide walk us through the various film sets. I love how this photo captures the scale and motion of our group against such an epic, cinematic backdrop.
Bonus set photos:
Moving the Bread Box
We transported and served 47,571 lbs of food in 2025. How? Lots of U-Hauls and even more muscle. I love this shot because it highlights the sheer physical effort required to move a single box each month filled with 500+ loaves of bread.
Bonus weightlifting photos:
Youthful New Leaders
This photo features Francis and Dave, two of our most energetic volunteers who joined our Board of Directors this year. They are the future of this organization, helping us design new advocacy initiatives during these turbulent times. In the thick of a food distribution in August they stopped for a quick photo break.
Picnic in the Park (South Pasadena)
Our Picnic in the Park events are designed to be "low-stakes and hyper-welcoming" for new members. Launched as a new program in 2024, our Picnic in the Park events finally found their footing when they moved to South Pasadena in 2025. Marsha (center) is one of our primary hosts, and I love how the rainbow lens flare frames her as she engages the group in conversation.
Death Valley Salt Flats
We returned to Death Valley in 2025—the place where our "Atheist Adventures" first began. Its dark skies, epic mountains, and unique name just scream Atheist Adventure. This sunset shot on the salt flats highlights the "least photographed" member of any community: the person behind the camera.
Bonus salt flats photos:
Covina Christmas Parade
Marching in a Christmas parade as an atheist group always draws... intense reactions. According to Dr. Kristina Lee, it’s because we challenge "theistnormativity"—the idea that American culture is inherently religious. This photo of one of our most active members (who happens to be an immigrant) leading the group with pride and joy is my favorite from the night.
Bonus parade photos:
Pirate Party & Art Exhibit
The Atheist Street Pirate program has gone national, with recruits in 30 states. By December, we will have "plundered" over 10,000 illegal religious signs from public streets. Huzzah!
In May, our Pirate Party transformed that "trash" into an art exhibit, reminding the world to not take itself too seriously. Features in this photo are two jolly new pirates that went all in on the pirate theme.
Bonus pirate photos:
Upcycling Religious Propaganda
What’s a pirate’s favorite subject? Arrrr-t. We invited attendees to "walk the artistic plank" and improve the messaging on the signs we collected. This photo shows the community admiring the fresh, upcycled masterpieces.
Bonus artist photos:
Community Party at Dockweiler Beach
At our annual beach party, Dave (one of our more senior members) built a kite for one of our youngest attendees... who immediately ran off to the ocean. Dave ended up flying the kite alone, looking perfectly content.
Bonus kite photos:
Valentines Day Karaoke at Heretic House
What did my wife and I do for Valentine's Day? We spent it with the AU family at Heretic House. This photo is of Carly (in her “Maybe Today Satan” sweatshirt) about to sing some Chappell Roan then noticing the camera and telling me how she feels about my constant photography through hand signals.
Bonus karaoke photos:
Thank you for being a part of our incredible community!
We can’t wait to continue the journey in 2026!
Make a $25 donation today if you want us to keep hosting more events like these.
