Watch the Competition Judging Results and Meet Our Esteemed Panel of Judges
Airing Nov 19! Join us to Watch the APNPI Image Competition Judging event!
Curious about the winners of our latest photography competition? Join us to watch the APNPI Image Competition Judging Event! We’re thrilled to share the official judging results video, where you can watch each award-winning image unfold and gain insight into what makes each piece stand out. In this post, you’ll also meet our panel of distinguished judges, who bring decades of expertise in newborn and maternity photography. Learn about their backgrounds, unique judging styles, and the criteria they used to evaluate this year’s impressive submissions. We hope you enjoy and are inspired by the artistry that continues to shape the photography community!
A warm congratulations to all of our makers for bravely entering this round of accreditation submissions! We hope you’ll find the judges’ feedback helpful in the advancement of your journey as maternity, newborn or baby photographers and thank you all for your submissions. Best of luck to all of our members who have submitted for this round of Accreditations!
*Are you an accredited member of APNPI and interested in our judge training program? Email us at admin@apnpi.com
First of all I’m looking for images with that wow factor. First impressions are so important! Likewise, technical expertise is essential for a highly scoring image in competition. I love a good story and creativity but sometimes simplicity can be powerful too. I can’t wait to see the submissions!
Shailee Connolly is an accomplished professional photographer who specializes in Newborn and Maternity Portrait photography. Based out of her commercial studio in San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, she has received awards and recognitions for her work. In 2020 and 2022, she was awarded first place in the APNPI competition in the newborn category, as well as a PPA silver photographer of the year award in 2017 and a bronze photographer of the year award in 2018. Additionally, she earned second place in the Children’s Portraits Category of the Professional Photographers of America’s Western District print competition in 2017. Shailee holds bachelor’s degrees in Fine Art and Education, with a major in painting. Her previous career as a high school Visual Arts teacher in her hometown of Brisbane, Australia, gave her a solid grounding and passion for creating art in a variety of disciplines. When she became a mother in 2011, she transitioned her skills to newborn and maternity portrait photography. She has been photographing bellies and babies since 2013 and has been a professional photographer for over 10 years after relocating to the US with her family from Australia. Shailee always aims to create stunning, timeless images that her clients will cherish for a lifetime. Her style blends fine art with a more natural, organic approach to photography, and she works closely with her clients to ensure that their vision is brought to life. Her clients receive heirloom quality, archival printed artwork that they can proudly display in their homes.
Overall impact is the first thing I look at – it’s automatic, when you see an image for the first time, how you react and how it makes you feel are important aspects. Obviously I look for technical competency, from lighting control, to posing, to how the maker uses their camera functions to create the image. Lastly I look at editing. Ideally I don’t want to even notice the editing, as usually if we notice the editing it’s to point out an area that could be improved.
Tara Graham:
I am mom to one wildly creative and stong-headed little boy. I started photography long before he came along though, having gone to college for Creative Photography, and then working in various studios doing portrait, commercial/editorial, and wedding work. One day I decided to tell my husband we were moving so I could have a home studio, and that really allowed me to grow my newborn business, having a dedicated space for it. I also love to photograph families! I love the interactions and being able to get those photos that parents say really captures their child’s essence or personality.
Trayc Dudgeon: I’ve been passionate about art my whole life and after taking my first photography class in High School I fell in love. I furthered my photography education at Humber Collage and 20 years later I am still just as passionate as the day I began. I’ve since become an award winning Accredited portrait photographer with PPOC (Professional Photographers of Canada) specializing in Maternity, Newborn, Children, Family as well as Corporate portraits and Weddings. I am also newborn safety trained and Internationally recognised as a qualified Newborn photographer with the APNPI, an international photography association. I have recieved several accreditations, awards and have become on of their mentoring photographers.
I am looking for images that catch my eye and make me feel something. Seeing something different and unique always gets me excited. Good lighting, harmonious colour tones and a clear subject are always things that I look for.
Tamarind Spender:
Tamarind’s passion for photography ignited at the age of 17 when she began working at Black’s Photography, where she fell in love with capturing the world through her lens. This passion led her to turn her hobby into a profession after the birth of her daughter in 2013, founding Azure Photography to show her daughter that following your dreams is possible. Starting from her home, Tamarind poured her heart into every shot, eventually expanding to a grand studio in downtown Guelph. Here, her vision of creating unforgettable photography experiences for her clients has truly flourished. For Tamarind, photography is more than a profession—it’s a way to freeze time and encapsulate the beauty of life’s moments. She specializes in capturing the authentic emotions of pregnancy, newborn sessions, cake smashes, and family portraits, believing that each stage of life deserves to be treasured and celebrated. Tamarind’s goal is to create a comfortable and genuine connection with her clients, crafting images that speak volumes and touch hearts. Whether you’re celebrating pregnancy, welcoming a new baby, or capturing family memories, Tamarind is dedicated to creating cherished moments that will last for generations.
Marcela Limon is a Certified Maternity and Newborn photographer servicing the San Francisco Bay Area from her beautiful studio in Alameda. She’s been specializing in motherhood images since 2015 and has won prestigious awards at international print competitions in the last few years, including APNPI, WPPI and PPA, where she recently earned her Master of Photography degree. She’s committed to newborn safety and that’s why she is Infant CPR trained and has had in person mentoring with renowned photographers from around the world. She’s always looking for education opportunities to make the industry better for both her colleagues and her clients.
