Susan Baraz eye for detail has been relied upon by many: since its inception in 2003, Susan Baraz has been the Co-Chair of the Lucie Awards, committed to recognizing Masters of Photography, discovering new and emerging talent and promoting the appreciation of photography worldwide. Susan is also the Head of Judging for The International Photo Awards, a global photo competition, and the Director of Photography, both nationally and internationally for AtEdge, an exclusive, invitation only, photography marketing program.

Susan lends her expertise as a fine and commercial photography consultant through her firm website Phototherapists.com. She is responsible for portfolio reviewing, curating gallery exhibitions, lecturing and editing photo books for private individuals, both amateurs and professionals, worldwide. She is also the founding member/Chairperson of Focus On AIDS (FOA), which she established in 1987, and has become the largest fine art photography auction/benefit in the United States.

Riccardo Busi has been the President of The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) since 2012. A Travel and Nature photographer, he is also a Doctor in Political Sciences, and holds a Master’s degree in Diplomatic and International Organizations.

Since 1982, he has been a judge in over 200 national and international competitions while also being on a number of international juries in 22 different countries.

Riccardo is currently a coordinator and trainer of photography courses and workshops and collaborator of the ‘Panda Photo’ Photographic Agency in Rome, Italy. He has actively participated in shows and competitions since 1980 and taken part in over 330 personal and collective exhibitions and projections.

He has gathered over 1000 admissions in international competitions and over 200 awards. A five time FIAP World Champion in Nature, Riccardo is also a one-time FIAP World Champion in Projected Images (Belgium 2011) and a three times FIAP Gold Medal winner in Projected Images World Cups (Finland 1999, Belgium 2002 and Indonesia 2009). In 2007 he won the Second FIAP World Cup for Clubs, and in 2011 the 60th Anniversary FIAP Cup ‘Children of the World’ in Singapore.

As a photojournalist for the Sygma Photo Agency in Paris, Jon Jones documented conflict all over the world, most notably in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. His work has been widely published by Time, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, the Sunday Times Magazine, Paris Match, and Stern.

Jon has collaborated on numerous books and media projects and his work has been widely exhibited. He was the curator of the Sunday Times 50th Anniversary exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, and is also the editor of a major retrospective book of the Bosnian War, which was published in 2013

Jon is a regular photographic judge and lecturer and has taught the Joop Swart Master-class for the World Press, and the Visa D’Or workshops. His numerous international photographic awards include two World Press Photo Awards.

He is currently the Director of Photography for the Sunday Times Magazine.

Henk van Kooten is a professional photographer from the Netherlands with a distinctive style universally acknowledged by photographic critics. A graduate of the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP), Henk has won numerous awards throughout his career, including the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards (twice), the Lichfield Award (for the most creative use of people), the BIPP 'Overseas Wedding', 'Fashion and Glamour', 'Commercial' and 'Overall Photographer of the Year 2004'.

His background in the mental health sector has helped shape his photographic style in recognizing emotions of subjects and dealing with them. He joined and gained a fellowship from the MPA (Master Photographers Association) and has gained three qualifications within the European Federation in Fashion, Portrait and Wedding photography.

Henk was the first Dutch photographer, and the sixth in Europe, to gain the title of Master Qualified European Photographer with a series of 20 photographs on the theme of 'Disappearing'. During his career he has taught several workshops, master classes and lectures across Europe and the United States. In recent years, has been the Chairman of the Master Photographers Association and is involved with several charities in the Netherlands and abroad.

Hossain Mahdavi was awarded his membership to the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) in 2003, and gained Fellowship with the Master Photographers Association (MPA) and the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) in 2005. Since 1996 he has been actively involved with the MPA and BIPP as a speaker, lecturer, mentor and judge. He is also a past President and Chairman of the MPA.

Since becoming a professional photographer in 1994, he has won many prestigious awards, some of his most recent being National Family Photographer of the Year, National Portrait Photographer of the Year, and London Portrait Group Photographer of the Year. He has also gained regional accolades for commercial, press and PR, fashion, and pictorial photography.

Over the years his work has been widely published throughout the trade and professional media. His international commissions have included photographing royalty, celebrities and dignitaries for all over the world including France, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Nigeria and Swaziland.

He currently runs a successful studio business in the UK, as well as covering all major press events for the My News Magazine Group.

Caroline Metcalfe has worked at Condé Nast Traveller magazine since its launch in 1997. She previously worked on national newspaper magazines such as The Observer, launched The Independent Saturday magazine and launched The Financial Times magazine each of which won international acclaim for their commissioning and use of photography.

She has worked with some of the best-known photographers in the world and has also spent much of her professional career encouraging new talent.

Caroline is a member of the World Press Photo Masterclass and The Young Photographers Alliance committees assessing the work of young photographers and recommending individuals for participation in the mentoring programs.

In addition to her editorial career, she has also worked on many high-profile advertising campaigns for Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, JWT and projects for design groups Pentagram and Vince Frost Design.

Caroline is a judge on several of the most prestigious photographic competitions in the world including, HIPA, Travel Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards, London Olympic City 2012 Mayor of London Photography Awards, AOP, Amnon Bar Tur Award, Azerbaijan Through the Lens, the Private Jet Awards, CBRE, John Kobal Portrait Award and many others.

Cheryl Newman is the award-winning Telegraph magazine’s photography director. Since 2001 she has raised its profile commissioning globally respected photographers as well as seeking young talent found through colleges, festivals and portfolio reviews.

Cheryl’s intelligent, provocative commissioning includes fashion, fine art and portraiture. Alongside this, Cheryl also commissions documentary photographers working in conflict zones to portray truthful, powerful stories.

Cheryl works closely with photographers on book and exhibition projects and remains a regular visitor at universities within the UK and on the faculty of the Bilder Nordic Photography School in Oslo.

She has served as committee member for the Royal Photographic Society Awards, and been a member of the judging panel for the Ian Parry Award, the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery and the Getty Grant.

Waleed is a member of the Photographers Association in Spain and the Emirates Fine Arts Society. During his prolific career in photography, Waleed held several exhibitions and received tens of national and international awards. He has also contributed to judging panels for numerous photography competitions around the world.

Since joining Al-Bayan Press Printing and Publishing in Dubai in 1980, Waleed has become head of the photography department at the newspaper, and amassed a huge collection of photographs that document the development of the United Arab Emirates. His knowledge and expertise has enriched the art of photography in the country through the many lectures and presentations he has delivered at universities, schools and associations concerned with photography.

Sanat Shodhan is a leading Nature and Wildlife photographer from India. He is an Associate of the India International Photographic Council, New Delhi as well as a recipient of the ‘ Gaurav Puraskar’, a State Honor from the Government of Gujarat in India.

From childhood, Sanat has held a passion for the natural world and all that is connected with it: visiting many sanctuaries and national parks around the world to capture various untouched nature and landscapes.

Throughout his long and illustrious career Sanat has amassed over 60 local and international photography awards and accolades whilst having his photographs featured in some of the most illustrious publications and magazines.

His acclaimed book, ‘My Journey into the wild’ includes over 400 colour photographs of magnificent mammals, exotic birds, beautiful flowers and stunning landscapes from across the world. Over the last 6 years, Sanat has been on various judging panels of photography completions and contests in India and abroad.