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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

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Mantonyas | High School Senior and Family Photography | Destination: Colorado Springs

The Mantonyas reside in the heart of the Midwest, and when mom was planning to compete in the race up Pikes Peak last summer, their oldest daughter had the thought that it would be perfect to photograph her high school senior portraits in Colorado.

Each year we work with a nice handful of out of state families who choose us to capture portraits in the mountains – something completely unique from what their home cities have to offer. We have a great time with these families and have created a variety of ways in which we bridge the distance of miles between us for the “before” and “after” steps of our client experience.

The Mantonyas wanted to make sure to give their high school senior a wonderful, dedicated time for senior portraits, so they chose our one-hour session for her. We helped match her to Red Rock Canyon for the location of her portraits. We then helped them add a mini-session for their family photography and were able to match them with Mesa Overlook for the family portraits. The two locations gave them wonderful variety of settings and scenes yet also ones that all complimented each other well. We made sure to help them do the sessions back-to-back as their time in Colorado was limited, yet each type of photography had a dedicated time. We feel it is incredibly important to give each type of portrait a dedicated time to be the focus. With multiple session structures to choose from, we can come alongside every client family uniquely – for this family, it was a perfect combination of a one-hour with a mini-session. We’re excited to share favorites from each of their sessions!