Jonathan Betz Photography Blog bio picture

Portrait Artist | Jonathan Betz, M.Photog., CPP

Jonathan found his love of photography and light while working in Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1999. During his time there, he mentored under a professional photographer that taught him how to see and capture light - the very foundation of photography. Upon returning home to St. Louis after that summer, he began pursuing a career in professional photography. In 2002, Jonathan accepted a position with a St. Louis Studio as a portrait & wedding photographer and studied under five different Master Photographers. In 2006, he and his wife Lindsay moved to Colorado and opened Jonathan Betz Photography in Colorado Springs.

Jonathan earned his Masters of Photography Degree (M.Photog.) in 2019 and Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) in 2015, conferred by The Professional Photographers of America. His work has been recognized with honors at the national and international level, most recently receiving the Platinum Medal and earning highest honors with a Grand Imaging Award. Jonathan served five terms as the President of the Professional Photographers Guild of Colorado Springs. He has served on the Board of Directors for state and regional professional photography organizations. He's committed to lifelong learning and continually seeks to elevate his craft through professional training, education, and teaching opportunities to help younger photographers refine their skills and businesses.

Studio Manager | Lindsay Betz, Cr.Photog

Lindsay joined the photography industry when she and Jonathan moved to Colorado in 2006, filling the integral role of studio management in the business. Our client families benefit from her guidance for everything before and after the photography session.

As she has embraced the photography industry, she loves opportunities to teach and present to the community of professional photographers from her expertise on the business side of photography. She has presented to professional photographers on the national platform every year since 2018. In 2022, she was recognized with the National Award for Business Education by Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

In 2019, she earned her Photographic Craftsman (Cr.Photog.), the degree that recognizes those in the photography industry that serve through professional-level teaching. She was elected to the National Council for PPA in 2016 and continues that leadership into her third term. She also serves on the PPA Education Advisory Board Committee. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Professional Photographers Guild of Colorado Springs since 2015.

Proud members of:

Professional Photographers of America
Professional Photographers Guild of Colorado Springs

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Matt + Rebecca | Destination Wedding in Taos, New Mexico

Spending the weekend of July 2-4th in Taos, New Mexico with Matt & Rebecca for their wedding weekend was just fantastic! Whenever we photograph a destination wedding, the rehearsal coverage is provided as an extra service, and we love how much more we get to know the families and guests from those weddings. Matt & Rebecca’s families are warm, friendly, and gracious. We had so many great conversations with them and the guests, and how fun that I reconnected with a friend from our summers at Cheley Camps and also with the daughter of a family that we’ve done family pictures for! The local fire ban prevented them from a sparkler exit, but Rebecca’s brother went out and bought out all the light sticks he could find in town, and Jon really enjoyed taking pictures of Matt & Rebecca and their guests celebrating with them! It ended up being a perfect way to end the evening.

Matt & Rebecca’s story is closely tied to Taos, so it was very meaningful to them to be in this place for their wedding. The El Monte Sagrado Resort is a fantastic location for a wedding, and their ceremony site at the Sacred Circle was just breathtaking. We loved that they made photography a priority, and we had time to explore their favorite places all over Taos and take fantastic portraits on the wedding day. For our first trip to Taos, we got a great overview from them and probably got to know some of the more hidden places there too! We’ll be back to Taos this fall, and we love that we have so many ideas of what we hope to do on that trip. Rebecca’s dad published a book this year entitled, Taos Incognito, and we plan to use our signed copy for even more ideas of great places to see and things to do this fall.

It’s really hard to choose just a handful of favorite images from such a fun and adventurous wedding weekend, so enjoy what we chose to highlight!

Congratulations, Matt & Rebecca! Your wedding day was one of elegance, beauty, adventure, and romance, and you’re clearly loved by so many family and friends who blessed you with their presence on your wedding day!