13/04/2023

Introducing the MontPhoto 2023 Jury panel

Members of the jury 2023
For this 2023 edition we would like to introduce you to the selected members of the jury, as always,
diverse and with a broad variety of specialties and points of view.
Combining experience and young talents.

CRISTINA GOETTSCH MITTERMEIER
One of the most influential nature conservation photographers in the
world. Founder and director of many and most important organisations. In 2005 she founded the
prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and in 2014
she co-founded along with Paul Nicklen and Andy Mann the Sea Legacy agency.
https://www.cristinamittermeier.com/

BIO:
Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, "Mitty", was born in Mexico City in 1966
and was brought up near Cuernavaca, in the sunny state of Morelos.
Hailed as one of the most influential conservation photographers in
our time, she has dedicated her entire life to protecting the world's oceans,
inspiring millions of others to do the same. She graduated from
ITESM University in Mexico with a degree in Biochemical Engineering in
Marine Sciences. She later attended the Fine Arts Photography program
at Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C.
She is the mother of three, John, Michael and Juliana, all passionate about nature.
She lives in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In 2005, Mittermeier
founded the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP)
to provide a platform for photographers working on environmental and conservation projects and she coined the phrase "conservation photography". 
In 2014, she co-founded SeaLegacy, a non-profit organisation that uses communications
strategies at the intersection of art, science, and conservation to
protect and rebuild the ocean for the benefit of biodiversity, climate and humanity
throughout our lives.

JAIME ROJO
He is a photographer, a National Geographic Explorer and a Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). He has been working for almost two decades to protect the great wild spaces of the planet and his goal is to help and create new protected areas with the diffusion of his images.
https://www.rojovisuals.com

BIO
Jaime Rojo is a photographer and National Geographic Explorer who combines
his passion for wild nature, conservation and storytelling to create visual
communication campaigns that engage the general public on environmental
issues. A strong advocate of wilderness conservation and large-landscape
connectivity. He hopes his images can ultimately become a tool for the creation
of new protected areas. He frequently collaborates as a photographer,
filmmaker and communication advisor with environmental organisations,
corporate clients, educational institutions, and government agencies all over the
world. His most recent projects include “Andorra al natural”, a collaboration with
National Geographic and the Government of Andorra to show the wild nature of
the small country in the Pyrenees, and “Monarchs on the brink”, a visual
exploration of the migration of the monarch butterfly between Canada, United
States and Mexico: from the natural history to the threats it challenges and the
people working to protect them. Jaime is an International League of
Conservation Photographers Senior Fellow, a trustee of the WILD Foundation,
and the recipient of honours in competitions such as the World Press Photo and
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

HERMANN HIRSCH
Is a renowned creative photographer who combines the most diverse genres of
photography and this way creates his own image style. His personal goal
is to open people's eyes to the beauty of nature close to them and make them aware
about its uniqueness and its fragility.
https://www.hermannhirsch.com/

BIO:
Herman Hirsch is a professional photographer from Hessen, author, and a confessed lover of the outdoors. He shows partially abstract views on native habitats with new perspectives, which are often overlooked.
Through his willingness to experiment, he combines the most diverse photographic genres
and this way he creates a new and own image style that
allows him to find the special from the everyday. 
His style has been readily well received by international juries on nature photography.
Hermann Hirsch's personal goal is to open people's eyes to the beauty of nature close to them and make them aware about its uniqueness and its fragility.
In 2017 he was awarded the Environment Award Citizen for his voluntary educational work for the protection of the environment.

MELISSA DALE
For more than 20 years she has been a dedicated advocate of photography working at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s leading environmental
conservation organisation. She works with a global network of photographers and
editors to create photo stories that arouse curiosity and compassion for the natural world.
https://www.nature.org/en-us/magazine/

BIO:
Melissa Dale believes in the power of photography to engage, inform, and
inspire. And to change the world. She is passionate about creative collaboration
and joyfully works with a global network of photographers and editors to create
photographic stories that awaken curiosity and compassion for the natural
world.
For over 20 years, Melissa has been a dedicated advocate for photography at
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s leading environmental
conservation organization. TNC works in over 70 countries and envisions a
world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its
own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.
She has held a variety of positions at TNC, including director of photography for
TNC’s award-winning magazine, and currently serves as the director of
photography for the Global Marketing Division.
Melissa began her career as a social documentary photographer and
newspaper photo editor. She then had a most fortunate opportunity to merge
her love of photography with natural history storytelling as a photo editor for
National Geographic Books, where she edited 16 books on a wide range of
subjects including natural history, travel, science, and culture. She discovered
the power of TNC’s conservation impact while editing a book on the
organisation and quickly decided to join TNC in their quest to protect our natural
world.

RAFAEL FERNANDEZ CABALLERO
Young photographer who combines creativity and conservation. Recently awarded
as 2022 Underwater Photographer of the Year. Storyteller for the Spanish edition of National Geographic Magazine on its 25th anniversary. He uses photography as
a tool for showing the problems that the oceans have to face.
https://instagram.com/rafafdezjr

BIO:
Rafael Fernández travels the world immersed from sea to sea, and although he has visited each of them he stills fascinated, above all, with the Mediterranean sea despite being mistreated.
One of Rafael Fernández Caballero's motivations is to take advantage of
photography as a tool for showing the problems that the oceans have to face.
Recently appointed storyteller for the Spanish edition of National Geographic magazine in its 25th
anniversary.
Just 28 years old, he has a very extensive career of top awards and
international recognitions standing out the European Champion and World Photography Championship Issued by CMAS and the recent appointment as Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2022.