FEP Awards 2022 – Introducing our judges
The FEP Awards is a competition with thousands of images, therefore we do need a whole team of judges to evaluate them. For each edition of the competition, our Chairman Johan Brouwers consults his list of judges nominated by the FEP member associations in order to find the best possible mixture or expertise and also geographical locations.
This year, the pool of judges consisted of 32 international judges, whom we would like to introduce here. The judges are introduced in alphabetical order.
We would like to thank all of our judges for the hard work they have done to complete their task. We couldn’t do this without you!
Robert Biesemans, Belgium
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Reportage, Sports, Illustration, Landscape
After a long career in computers and education, Robert Biesemans switched completely to photography in the last 15 years. His interest in photography started when he was 15 years old and he is still obsessed with it. In 2003, he made the switch from analogue to digital photography.
Robert did not follow a long training course in photography, but he did attend many workshops with many photographers. In this way he gained lots of different insights.
Photographs are made with the eyes of the photographer, not with a camera. A ‘photographic eye’ is an absolute must for every photographer. After that, an eye for ‘details’ is needed.
Now he gives workshops himself and is a mentor in portfolio reviews.
Anatoly Bisinbaev, Russia
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Advertising, Fashion, Portrait
Anatoly Bisinbaev (°1952) is a board member in the Arts and Crafts Section of the Union of Russian Artists.
Since 1991, Anatoly has his own fashion and photo studio in the centre of Saint Petersburg next to the Mariinsky Theatre. He runs a family business in the field of artistic and advertising photography, creation of fancy and theatrical costumes for shows and performances.
Since 1992 he participated in international fashion projects in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Milan, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Paris.
- 1980-1990 senior photo artist for the Russian magazine “Fashion” in Saint Petersburg
- 2000 – Saint Petersburg, International Festival “Master” – was awarded the title of Master (Diploma)
- 2006 – Moscow – Manege Central Exhibition Hall, International festival and competition “Master”, held by Advertising Photographers Guild – 1st place winner (Diploma)
- 2006 – Saint Petersburg – Manege Central Exhibition Hall, Artindex Publishing House, First Petersburg Art Prize in Photography “Photographer of the Year” – 1st place winner, title “Photographer of the Year” and monetary prize (Diploma), catalogue
- 2008 – England, awarded by the FEP with the QEP title with a panel of Theatric Fashion Photography
- 2010 – participation in the first Biennale of Art Photography in the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg; the works were passed to the Museum (letter of acknowledgement), catalogue
- 2012-2015 – elected President of the Guild of Russian Photographers
- 2013-2014-2015 – invited by the FEP as a Qualifications’ (QEP-MQEP) judge in Estonia, Italy and England
- 2015 – first Russian photographer to receive the title of MQEP – Master Qualified European Photographer
- 2015 – organizer of NAPP in Russia (National Association of Photography Professionals), Regional Director of NAPP since 2015
- 1991-2022 – exhibitions of all levels, joint and individual expositions at Moscow and Saint Petersburg exhibition sites, participation in charity events and auctions with own works (letters of acknowledgement).
Anatoly’s works are presented in the Russian Museum of Saint Petersburg and in private collections in Europe, America and Russia.
Michael Böhmländer, Austria
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Landscape, Animal and Theatre Photography
Michael Böhmländer is a German QEP photographer based in Tirol, Austria.
After two decades as a Hotel Manager/Direktor, Michael became a self-taught photo editor, photographer and business owner.
Parallel to his work, Michael has taught photo editing online and hosted international photography workshops.
He has been a jury member for national and international photo contests.
Michael is also a 2 time FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards Finalist.
Ivan Čaniga, Slovakia
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait, Commercial, Illustrative, Fine Art
Ivan Čaniga is a Slovak professional photographer and artist. His main focus is Portrait, Commercial and Fine Art Photography.
Ivan Čaniga is freelance photographer who lives and works in Bratislava, Slovakia. He graduated at the School of Art Industry in Bratislava, specialized in Photography. Ivan is member of the Association of Artists of Western Slovakia and also co-founder and member of the Association of Professional Photographers of the Slovak Republic. Later on, he decided to pass on his experience and from 2008 to 2015 he worked as a lecturer of photography at the Pan-European University at the Faculty of Mass Media in Bratislava and then for three years he worked as a lecturer of photography at the St. Cyril and Methodius University in Trnava. Ivan has completed dozens of individual and collective exhibitions in Slovakia and abroad, from which he has won several remarkable prices. Ivan is the holder of prestigious QEP Certificates in Portrait and Illustrative photography and since 2013 Ivan holds the prestigious Master QEP Certificate which is the most distinguished award for outstanding photographers in Europe. His work is part of public and private collections in Slovakia as well as all around the world, mainly in Austria, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France and the USA.
Valeria Cassina, Spain
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait
Valeria Cassina’s work is a reference, nationally recognized and for years very present in the International Photographic field.
Best Photographer of Spain 2019 FEPFI. Best International Work 2020 in the Portugal Qualifications.
Collection of Honour in the International Qualifications (Fátima, Portugal 2020) and International Photographic Work of the Year with the highest score of the Competition.
National Quixote of Honour Photography Award.
Nominated Spanish representative in the World Photographic Cup.
Photography teacher.
Fernando Cerrone, Italy
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Wedding
Born in Salerno, Italy in 1975, where he obtained a professional diploma in photography at ABAN (Academy of Fine Arts of Nola). His great passion for photography led him to undertake studies and courses that have made him an established name in his field.
As a wedding photographer, he obtained the QEP – Qualified European Photographer certification in 2017. He was the Wedding Category Golden Camera winner at the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards 2018.
That same year he was awarded the MQEP – Master Qualified European Photographer, a title reserved for the best European photographers. In 2019 he became Hasselblad Local Ambassador.
Marie de Verdier, Sweden
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portraits of children, families and domesticated animals
Marie de Verdier has been interested in photography since childhood and has been working as a professional photographer since 2009. Since 2014 she runs her own studio.
Since 2016 Marie is a board member of the Swedish Portrait Photographers association and in 2020 she was accepted as board member of FEP as well. She is part of the arranging committee of the Swedish Nationals Championships in Photography since 2019. In 2020 she was judging for WPC. In 2022 she is judging a Danish competition as well as FEP Awards.
In 2017 Marie got her QEP in Portrait with a panel of dog portraits. In 2018 she got the Master’s letter in Photography from the Swedish Handicraft Council.
Marie has got numerous awards in different Photography competitions. The most valuable to her are the first price in two categories (Fine Art and Judges most appreciated) in 2011, the Judges Special mention in Dog Photographer of the Year (arranged by the British Kennel Club) in 2016 and the First Place in Corona Self Portrait category in the 2021 competition Portrait Photographer of the year (arranged by the Swedish Portrait Photographers association).
Marie is basically self-taught, but when she started working with photography, she read occasional courses at the university to deepen her knowledge. She continues her education through courses, workshops and exchange of experiences with other photographers.
Since 2018 Marie is certified trained judge and has been judging several competitions.
Tom Doherty, Ireland
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Illustrative, Fine Art
Tom Doherty has been a professional photographer for over 30 years. He started his career as a Press Photographer and currently works as a Wedding, Travel and Documentary Photographer.
Tom has been awarded a fellowship from the Irish Professional Photographers and Videographers Association and the Master Photographers Association (U.K.). He was also awarded a Qualified European Photographer Award from the Federation of European Photographers.
Jens Eldøy, Norway
Passionated about photography, especially landscapes, nature and cityscapes.
Jens Eldøy is now retired from his photography business, but still works a lot with private projects and projects for his local and national association. Among other things, he’s educating jurors for photographic competitions in Norway and occasionally in Sweden.
His education was based on a Diploma in photography, from Newport College of Art & Design, South Wales. Ha has also finished the traditional Norwegian photography education. During his whole carrier he has been involved in work for his association, and was in 2017 awarded a Honorable Member of the Norwegian photographers association.
His main professional occupation was portrait, wedding and commercial work, but he also had a keen interest for nature and wildlife photography.
Lucille Feremans, Belgium
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait, Fine Art, Nude, Reportage
Lucille Feremans lives and works in Flanders, Belgium. She has practiced general photography since a very young age. After a career of five decades, she has garnered many awards and important achievements.
Today, Feremans has emerged as one of the elite fine-art photographers in Europe. Now best known for her arresting, brilliantly colored fine art photographs, she seems to reinvestigate the heart and soul of life, as well as the basic materials of photography.
She, more than anyone else, is able to define her conceptual images. Her gentle but determined approach to visual arts makes Lucille stand out from the crowd of ordinary photographers. Her images reflect autobiographical, figural, psychodramas and involve public narratives. We see a sensitive approach to portraits of the human nude in powerful colors and in intense, chiaroscuro, following the best Flemish pictorial tradition.
Final prints are produced as conventional C-Prints, Baryte Silver Prints, Polaroid transfers & liftings and digitally enhanced photographs.
Lucille Feremans adds her own, personal approach to image making; her creative moment coincides with the intuitive, impulsive urge of the artist.
Her photo book WATCH ME was published in 2014.
Miloš Fic, Czech Republic
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Nude, Reportage, Panoramic Landscapes, Sports, Portrait
Miloš Fic a native of Pardubice, a graduate of the Czech Technical University in Prague and Conservatory of the East Bohemian Region, fine art photography, prof. Ján Šmok.
Vice-President of the Association of Professional Photographers of the Czech Republic (APF CR).
2014 – 2018 member of Board of Directors of the FEP.
Educator, freelance photographer, consultant. Teacher of photography at the University in Pardubice and at the School of Graphics design
Member of PANHORAMA, Free Association of East Bohemian Photographers, Free Association of Photographers GM10.
Activities in the field of applied photography: virtual tours in the range of 360 ° x 180 °, custom portrait photography, sports photography (racing, tennis).
Tiina Haring, Finland
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Commercial, Portrait, Teaching
Tiina Haring opened her first studio in 2005. Back then she concentrated mainly on portrait photography, but in 2010 her focus began shifting to more commercial work. She feels that in her heart she is still more a “people photographer” and considers it very important to connect the people she photographs on a personal level.
In 2017 she opened a new company, Rouva Musta (Mrs Black), which focuses mainly on building brands and visual concepts for other companies by for example offering them customized image banks. Tiina’s professional goal is to work with projects which not only satisfy her professional ambitions, but also let her develop as a person and as a professional.
In addition to working as a photographer, Tiina Haring is also an educator and is the course leader for the specialist qualification in vocational photography courses.
She has received several awards and achieved the highest professional qualifications both in Europe and in her native Finland. She is also comfortable on the other side of the table, being a judge in photographic competitions and qualification applications and has a lot of experience on this also on an international level.
Tiina is passionate about helping other photographers to find their full potential and professional pride.
Tiina Haring was the President of the Finnish Professional Photographer 2017-2020, a board member of the Federation of European Professional Photographers since 2016 and part of the World Photographic Cup governing committee since autumn of 2020.
Vanessa Hermann, Germany
Specialities: Domesticated Animals, Fashion, Portrait, Reportage, Wedding
Vanessa Hermann (born Heller) comes from a family of photographers in the third tradition.
She has completed a classical photographer`s training followed by a masters training.
She has been self-employed with her siblings Tanja und Markus Heller since 2004.
Vanessa works for 4 years in the vocational training committee and she has worked for 23 years in the examination board of the professional photographers.
She has 2 wonderful children and a stubborn, lovable studio dachshund.
Vanessa specializes in social photography and she loves photographing people.
Mikaela Holmberg, Finland
Specialities: Portrait, Commercial, Fine Art, Conceptual
I’m Mikaela, an almost forty-something Finnish-Swedish photographer and entrepreneur. I was born in Korppoo, grew up in the Helsinki metropolitan area, spent the summers of my childhood on Kemiön Island, as an adult I made a stopover in Vaasa and from there to Hämeenlinna, maybe to stay?
Photography is my life and the best part of my job is when I can illuminate the beauty of this world through my images. Art, craft, history and love of nature are my passions and have formed the basis of my photographic style. I love the dark and mellow tones of the Baroque, the serene atmosphere of portraits in painting and the many shapes, tastes and scents of nature. I like to bring a touch of picturesqueness and magic to my own work. A good image will stand the test of time and that is what I want to offer my clients. I consider it important to both maintain and continually develop my professional skills. I regularly participate in training courses worldwide and every year in international competitions, with good success.
- Finalist and Best of Nation at the WPC World Photographic Cup 2020
- 2nd Place General and Gold Award winner Classical Portrait Category at the Finnish Photo Awards 2019
- Golden Camera winner Illustration and Digital Art Category at the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards 2018
- Bronze Camera winner Illustrative Category at the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards 2017
www.bymikaelas.com
Image by Toni Härkönen
Friedrich Michael Jansenberger, Austria
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Commercial, Advertising
Friedrich Michael Jansenberger is an advertising photographer in Vienna with a passion. On the second educational path, the meanwhile internationally awarded product photographer opted for the classical apprenticeship with a final master craftsman’s examination. And with 25 years of experience as a conceptual image designer in the field of product photography and advertising, he is an absolute professional and counts among the “old hands”.
Jansenberger’s image worlds stand for creativity, flexibility and commitment to the customer. Adherence to deadlines and first-class image quality are a matter of course. Studio equipment is state-of-the-art and allows for modern photography of unsurpassed precision and quality. Friedrich Jansenberger not only works in his photo studio in Vienna, but is also on the road for his clients throughout Austria and abroad.
Martin Krystýnek, Slovakia
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding, Commercial
President of the Association of Professional Photographers of Slovak Republic APFSR.
Board member of FEP – Federation of European Photographers.
Committee member of WPC – World Photographic Cup
Multi-award winning photographer.
Martin Krystýnek belongs to the elite category of world-class professional photographers.
He is the youngest holder of the prestigious award The Master Qualified European Photographer (MQEP), which has so far won only eighty professionals in the world, for his excellent and long-term work with photography. Martin has also won more than 400 international awards, making him one of the most acclaimed professionals in Europe. He regularly proves his qualities as a judge of many international competitions, exhibitions and as a professional curator. He is a jury member of the QEP and MQEP qualifications of the FEP.
He began his professional journey in 2010, gaining the most experience in South America in the state of Paraguay. Martin has photographed many important men and women from the world of politics, modeling, but also from business and management. His photos have been published in a number of media and publications around the world. He has an admirable talent for perceiving light, loves to take portraits and prefers natural beauty to editing and retouching. He can perfectly discover the unique beauty of each person who stands in front of his lens. He experiences the most beautiful feelings just when people enjoy taking photos, relax and still have beautiful photos for their professional presentation and memory. At the same time, through the lens, it perpetuates and documents emotions, as testimonies of the time, in engaging photo-series with an emphasis on detail.
Jeanette Larsen, Norway
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Commercial, Wedding, youngsters and doing different kinds of personal projects.
Jeanette Larsen obtained her Craft Certificate in 1996 and her Master Builders certificate in 1998.
She opened her studio, jeanettelarsen.no in Stavanger in 1999.
Over the years she has competed and judged in Norwegian competitions, the last years also in the Federation of European Professional Photographers’ competitions.
Career highlights:
- 2020 “Gull med krans” The Norwegian Associations highest honour of competition
- 2020 Best of Nation, World Photographic Cup
- 2019 Portrait Silver Camera, FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards
- 2019 QEP – Qualified European Photographer, with a panel of black and white classical portraits
Jeanette is fascinated by all sorts of photography, but she’s mainly a classical photographer. She loves it when a portrait can tell us something about the person in the picture. And that the portrait will mean something for their loved ones in the future.
Franck Lecrenay, France
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding, Sports, Commercial, Illustrative, Fine Art, Landscape, Digital Art
Franck Lecrenay lives and works in Condé sur Sarthe, Basse-Normadie, France. He’s specialised in Portrait and Wedding Photography, with more than thousand couples photographed in his region.
Franck is also active in many other areas of photography such as corporate photography, reportage and school photography. He has his own photo lab and is ready to answer any image-related questions from his customers.
Franck has won many National and International Photography Awards.
Krister Löfroth, Finland
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Master of the Finnish Professional Photographers’ association
Specialist Qualification of Photography
Specialities: Portrait, Illustrative, Fine Art, Commercial
I’m creative director at Sami Minkkinen – so it means in practice that I’m a visualizer.
I won’t ever be ready, not as a photographer nor as a person. That’s why I look at my life as a teacher, I’m collecting every skill it can offer. As a photographer I need every tiny bit of knowledge I can get to make my expression wider and richer – every day I want to take one more step, so I will live the rest of my life as an explorer. Going further and sharing everything with other crusaders…
So lean back and unbuckle your seat belt – life should not be taken too seriously.
William Moureaux, France
Master Qualified Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Illustrative & Fine Art, Portrait, Wedding, Reportage, Sports, Wildlife
Before settling in Montpellier, William Moureaux trained with the greatest names in international photography and created his own signature. He won numerous competitions in different photographic fields.
The French Portraitist competition, organised by the Fédération Française des Photographes et des Métiers de l’Image (FFPMI), obtained twice, confirms his mastery of the portrait and wedding technique.
The title of Master Qualified European Photographer (MQEP), awarded by the European Federation of Photographers, gives the photographer the highest European qualification.
In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious title of “Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” in the category of fine art photography. This award is the culmination of a work combining technique, passion, work and excellence. In November 2020, the Chambre des Métiers et de l’Artisanat awarded him the title of Master of Art in Photography.
Jenny Puronne, Sweden
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding, Illustrative, Fine Art
Jenny Puronne has a passion for Fine Art photography and digital Illustration.
3rd generation professional photographer since 2004.
She started as a wedding photographer but today she is focused on working in the studio with children, families and adults.
Her passion is to create fine-arts from new ideas and work “outside the box”. She always wants to do better than the last image and loves to find new ways.
She has a passion to teach and help other people grow. In 2019 she gave her first workshops in Creative Portraits. She is also a teacher at the Fotoakademien Sweden.
As a jury member in the Swedish Masterships and the World Photographic Cup (WPC) she enjoys seeing many amazing images from all over the world.
She was recently chosen as an Expert at the EPA (Expression Photography Awards) to teach people worldwide about photography.
She won her first award in 2014 and after that year, she won many top awards in competitions around the world. Winning awards helps her get more out of her photos and have more fun at work. It gives her new ideas for thinking about what a good competition photo looks like.
Find Jenny’s art on Instagram @jennypuronne.photoartist
Yolanda Purriños, Spain
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding
Yolanda Purriños was born in Villalba (Lugo) on 24th October 1974.
Together with her sister, she is the second generation of photographers in her family. Her parents made her feel so passionate about photography that it is her life.
At the age of eleven she started to attend seminars and she made her first photographic reportage.
In 1992, when she was only 17 years old, she had her first exhibition followed by many others in different cities.
She graduated as a Specialist Technician in Artistic Photography at the School of Plastic Arts in Santiago de Compostela in 1996. She is especially interested in fashion and portrait photography.
Yolanda has taken a make-up and aesthetics course, several masterclasses… For her it is important to be always up to date in order so that her images are also up to date.
She gave her first lecture on photography at a professional congress in February 2000 (Cullera, Valencia), followed by many other lectures in major cities in Spain and Portugal. She teaches several lighting workshops at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas “Maestro Mateo”. In 2012 she taught at the Maestro Mateo School of Fine Arts in Santiago de Compostela and at Ramón Falcón in Lugo.
Yolanda has been awarded with several merits and collections of honour for her works in the Qualifying Contests organised by the FEPFI until becoming a Distinguished Photographer in 2003, Master Photographer in 2004 and Master Photographer Instructor in 2006. In all these awards she has been the first youngest to achieve them.
She is a FEPFI Qualifying Judge since 2003 and in at many other competitions. In March 2021 she was appointed Director of the Delegated Commission of the Collegiate Body of the Spanish Federation of Photography and Image Professionals (FEPFI).
She has been nominated on multiple occasions and in different sections from 1999 to the present day in competitions such as Goya Photography Awards (Zaragoza), Awards of the Valencian Community, Awards of the Principality of Asturias, Awards of the Comunidad Foral de Navarra, FEPFI ‘Best photographer of the year’ award, and many more…
In 2004 she was awarded by the FEP with the QEP Certificate in Portrait.
In 2016, 2020 and 2021 she was selected by the Portuguese Federation of Photographers to be a judge for the Portuguese Qualifying Competition.
And in Spain she is asked to be a judge in the Qualifying event year after year.
Alexander Sandev, Bulgaria
European Photographer – EP
Specialities: Landscape, Nature
Alexander Sandev is a freelance photographer and photo tourist guide.
He graduated at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in 2000.
Postgraduate studies International Economics at the Sofia University of National and World Economy 2008-2010.
Miriam Skeide, Norway
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Newborn, Portrait, Reportage, Illustrative, Fine Art
Miriam Skeide runs a small business, Mitt Lille Studio AS, in Averøy/Kristiansund at the north-west coast of Norway.
She has developed as a professional photographer through workshops, self-study and experience, from a hobby, to a hobby business and for the past 10 years, as a full-time profession. She is driven by her passion for the craft, and by the power to freeze time and tell stories through her lens.
Miriam has won several awards for her images.
- 2016 – Norwegian Photographer of the Year.
- 2018 and 2019 – Local Photographer of the Year.
- 2019 – Qualified European Photographer of FEP. (QEP)
- 2021- WPE 1st half, 2nd place in the Children’s category
- 2021- WPE 2nd half, 1st place in the Newborn category
- 2021- WPE 1st half, WPE 2nd half and WPE Annual Final, overall 44th place
She has also won several single awards in Portrait Masters, WPPI, FEP Photographer of the Year, One Eyeland, Rise Awards, among others.
(Image © John Hagby)
Petr Stepan, Czech Republic
Specialities: Fine Art, Portrait, Experimental creation
Petr is a professional photographer and artist based in Prague – Czech Republic. Since 2010 he has worked as a freelance photographer and artist. Since 2015 Petr is also a teacher of photography at high school of arts and advertising in Prague and organize several exhibitions per year for his students on various topics and conceptions. He has participated in several group exhibitions home and abroad and organized three author exhibitions so far. His diploma thesis PER UNIVERSUM, which is about the life and work of the famous czech photographer Vladimír Kozlík, was published as a book in 2019.
2019 – Master of Arts – Institute of creative photography
2010 – present – freelance photographer and artist
2015 – present – teacher of photography at high school of arts
2015 – present – Member of the Association of Professional Photographers of the Czech Republic
2021 – present – Board member of the Association of Professional Photographers of the Czech Republic
Eva Helene Storm Hanssen, Norway
Specialities: Portrait, Wedding
Eva studied photography at Strømmen Upper Secondary School, was an apprentice with Michal Tomaszewicz and graduated in 2000. After a few years in a permanent job, she took over Moment Studio and has run this since 2003.
She has won several awards for her photos, and has been elected Photographer of the Year by both the Norwegian Photographers’ Association and the magazine Ditt Bryllup.
Eva thinks it’s as much fun to photograph now as when she started 20 years ago. She always photographs with a smile on her face, and with infectious enthusiasm and mood.
Aňa Struhárová, Slovakia
Qualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Illustrative, Fine Art, Landscape, Nature, Still Life, Portrait, Abstract
Aňa Struhárová is a photographer born in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. She now lives and works in Bratislava.
She has been working in photography since she was 14 years old.
She graduated in Mass Media Communication at the UCM and in photography at the Department the Slovak Academy of Performing Arts under Milota Havránková.
Aňa is one of the founding members of the Association of Professional Photographers of Slovakia. She is a vice-president of the national photographic association APFSR.
In 2009 she was awarded the non-academic degree QEP (Qualified European Photographer) in Illustrative Photography.
She was a Finalist of the European Fine Art Photographer Of The Year 2009 competition and was nominated at the Colour Awards 2016 Abstract Category – Time to Sleep.
Aňa Struhárová deals mainly with the detail of everyday things, she is fascinated by the beauty hidden in the ordinariness of objects and their graphic representation in photography.
She had several joint exhibitions, e.q. 4x in time, 4. generations of the Struhar family… and many solo exhibitions all over the world. Part of her works are owned by private collectors in Europe, America and Asia.
A deep understanding for light and abstract, coupled with love for detail, has given rise to an unmistakable creative style, which she applies also in commercial photography.
Peter Svoboda, Slovakia
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Landscape, Nature, Wildlife, Sport
Photographer, international photography competitions’ judge and curator.
Peter is an internationally accomplished Landscape photographer based in Slovakia. Peter’s work is mainly focused on landscapes showing a strong mood and interesting light, in color or black&white. His pictures are known as precisely composed, often capturing rare moments of human presence in Nature, intended to emphasize man’s respect to Nature.
His impressionistic landscape pictures evoke emotions and leaving an impression on the viewers.
A significant number of Peter Svoboda’ framed fine art prints decorate interiors all around the Globe.
Besides Peter’s photography work, Peter is often asked to become a judge in photography competitions (European Photographer of the Year, etc.) and also works as a Head Curator on one of the most reputable photography sites – 1x.com.
Peter’s work was exhibited in well-known galleries around the Globe (in USA, GB, Italy, Japan, Austria, France, China, Russia, Slovakia, etc.) and published in many international magazines like National Geographic, Guardian, Telegraph, German Alpha Photo magazine, Landscape Photography Magazine, etc.
Peter’s work was awarded in many prestigious international competitions.
Caroline Tanghe, Belgium
ualified European Photographer – QEP
Specialities: Portrait, Illustrative & Fine Art, Commercial
Caroline Tanghe is best known for her studio portraits, which express serenity and simplicity.
For Caroline, photography is more than a reflection of reality. It is the emotion that gives her images an extra dimension. Feelings that cannot be described with words she manages to express in her photographs.
Caroline obtained the QEP label in June 2015 with the series “Clin d’oeil” a series of portraits made in India. She has been part of the jury for the QEP qualifications several times.
Her images have been on display at various exhibitions both at home and abroad.
As president of beroepsfotografen.be (the national association of professional photographers), Caroline is committed to the interests of all professional photographers.
Neil Warner, Ireland
Master Qualified European Photographer – MQEP
Specialities: Corporate, Commercial, Illustration & Fine Art
Award Winning Photographer.
Neil Warner was the 13th photographer in Europe to achieve Master’s status. He has achieved three fellowships from professional organisations and was Irish professional photographer of the year on three occasions.
Trained in Ireland, England and Germany, he is unusual in the fact that he has also two major qualifications in marketing. He received the MM I I award at University College Galway and has recently successfully studied for a diploma in Digital Marketing at WMC.
He is equally at home working on Corporate Photography and Corporate Video.
He has shot projects from St. Petersburg, Russia to San Diego, California and from Hanoi, Vietnam to Dubai, UAE.
Neil Warner is the Chairman of the FEP Video Qualifications (EV, QEP, MQEV).
Paul Wilkinson, United Kingdom
Specialities: portraits, weddings.
Paul Wilkinson runs an exclusive boutique photography studio between Oxford & London and is hugely in demand for his distinctive images (and the laughter that goes in to creating them!) With a life-long love of photography and a passion for creating beautiful, timeless images, Paul has established himself at the very top of the profession as a people photographer. Paul is a Fellow of the SWPP, the MPA and the BIPP and has won an array of national and international awards for his work and is the UK Portrait Photographer of the Year 2020/2021.
Paul is an international judge, trainer, speaker and author in the photography industry. He is co-author of the bestselling book Mastering Portrait Photography and he has a regular column in Professional Photo and the Nikon magazine NPhoto where he shares his experiences about the trials and tribulations of becoming a pro photographer.
Photography business – ww.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Instagram – www.instagram.com/paulwilkinsonphotography
Podcast – masteringportraitphotography.com/podcasts/
Lilia Yotova, Bulgaria
Specialities: Press Reportage, Portrait, Wedding
Lilia Yotova has been a professional photographer for more than 15 years. Her career has started at Bulfoto, a leading Bulgarian internet photo agency. From 2006 to 2016, she was part of one of the biggest media groups on Bulgarian market – SBB media. She works as a photographer for magazines like Story, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, National Geographic, etc.
Her focus is upon lifestyle photography, especially upon portraits and showing the unique look and beauty of every person. She has been a teacher in Photo Reportage and Journalism at the Art College in Sofia for five years.
Lilia has over 200 magazine covers published. She has photographed most of Bulgarian celebrities and a number of global stars. She has tens of thousands of publications in media with high circulations and in huge demand.
She has received a number of invitations to represent Bulgaria at International events in Venice (Italy), London (UK), Moscow (Russia) and many more.
Member of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. Chairman of Association of Professional Photographers. Mentor at The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards – Bulgaria. Member of the jury in VOUBS International Photography Awards, National Geographic Kids Bulgaria photo contests, and many more.
