Kirsten Lewis Bethmann
Co-Founder
Website / Instagram / Facebook
While photography is now her career, Kirsten actually began as a painter and ceramicist attending a high school with a strong magnet program in the fine arts in Norwich, CT. Additionally, she spent a significant amount of time on the stage through musical theater and dance, a place she was very familiar with growing up with a father who was an actor and musician. It was not until after she graduated with a Child Psychology degree that she began to explore photography, following in the footsteps of her mother and stepfather. Although it took almost a decade in the field, once Kirsten realized she could apply all of her education, experiences and interests to photography she abandoned the wedding industry and a very successful market in the Outer Banks, NC and focused on carving out a niche in the family photography world, applying her love of visual storytelling and photojournalism to a commercial business.
Kirsten now lives in Denver with her husband, street photographer Gregory Bethmann, their young daughter Byrdie Mae and Golden Retriever Mingus the Dingus. Although at least half the year is spent on the road, they are grateful for the mountains to ski on and bike trails to ride when they are home and spend a lot of time soaking up all the sunshine Colorado has to offer.
Jenna Shouldice
Co-Founder
Website / Instagram / Facebook
Jenna is a documentary and wedding/family photographer based out of Victoria BC, where she works with her husband and they raise their small daughter. Her documentary work focuses on women’s issues and more specifically, the labour process. In addition to being professionally trained in photography, Jenna has a degree in Psychology, trained as a doula in 2011, and her birth work has been published internationally both online and in print. In addition to shooting, Jenna teaches documentary birth and family photography to photographers around the world.
Tristan Shouldice
Co-Founder
Tristan was born in Pennsylvania, USA where he was raised on a dairy farm until his family moved to BC, Canada when he was 10. Attending photography school years later, Tristan met his now wife and co-owner of JENNA & TRISTAN, the documentary based family and wedding business they run together. Tristan has international recognition for his wedding work and he has spoken and taught about his approach across Canada and the USA. Currently, Tristan is based out of Victoria BC where he lives with his wife and daughter. Together they travel for work across Canada and internationally.
Our Judges
WE ARE HONOURED TO HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING LINEUP OF GUEST JUDGES CURATE SUBMISSIONS DURING PREVIOUS AWARD CYCLES
2020 Judge Lawrence Jackson 
2020 Judge Leslie Kershaw 
2020 Judge Jide Alakija 
2020 Judge Jacque Jackson 
2020 Judge Sarah Rabideau 
2020 Judge Lafayette Hicks 
2019 Judge Aniya Legnaro 
2019 Judge Rocio Vega 
2019 Judge Taras Bychko 
2019 Judge Nancy Borowick 
2019 Judge Khalilah Hall 
2019 Judge Kholood Eid 
2017 & 2019 Judge Huy Nguyen 
2019 Judge Kirth Bobb 
2019 Judge Zalmy Berkowitz 
2019 Judge Lyndah Wells 
2019 Judge Parker Eshelman 
2019 Judge Cristal Wallin 
2019 Judge Lauren Mitchell 
2019 Judge Gulnara Samoilova 
2019 Judge Rowena Meadows 
2018 Judge Tasneem Alsultan 
2018 Judge Felicia Chang 
2018 Judge Erika-Jensen-Mann 
2018 Judge Rebecca Kiger 
2018 Judge Dylan E Richards 
2017 Judge Tyler Wirkin 
2017 Judge Anna Kuperberg 
2017 Judge Niki Boon 
2017-2019 Judge Jenna Shouldice 
2017-2019 Judge Kirsten Lewis
