Pia Jessen

EFIAP/p APSEM Hon FAPS

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS MY PASSION

I’m a Danish born, Australian photographer and I’m passionate about photography, people and adventure travel! Put them together and I’m doing the thing that I love the most, travelling the world and meeting fascinating people! I love to photograph people and learn about their everyday lives, their cultures and their traditions. I enjoy revisiting a country multiple times because it allows me to peel back some of the layers and to grasp the culture in more detail.

I’m endlessly fascinated with the group of islands which make up the country of Indonesia, revisiting time and again. Indonesia is a treasure trove of photography, meeting the locals, making new friends, learning and absorbing the Indonesian culture in all its forms. Equally I love exploring the African and Asian continents with Ethiopia and Madagascar being among my favourites!

Despite the fact that I am not a commercial tour operator, my passion for exploring the world helps me to find new destinations and design intriguing and exciting travel itineraries. I genuinely enjoy sharing my favourite travel destinations with other photographers via custom photography tours that I personally plan and research. My travels often take me off the beaten track, so if you’re coming with me you’d better prepare for adventure!

I collaborate and work with amazing guide teams that are always made up entirely of locals who are very skilled and educated about their region. Working with locals is a great way to contribute and to make sure they gain from tourism in their community.

 

CROSSING BRIDGES

Crossing Bridges is an annual photography gathering of Asian Photography Forums and Photography Societies for a week of networking, friend making, bridge building and photography! The event is very social and a great opportunity to meet and connect with fellow photographers from all over Asia! My role as Australian country leader for the international photography group allows me to introduce Australian photographers to many new friends and places throughout Asia, it’s always a brilliant week away with like-minded friends!
Each Crossing Bridges week is a non-profit endeavour with emphasis on activities that encourage mutual learning, discovering little-known places to visit and cultural immersion. Over the course of the week organisers arrange dancers, models, games and other fun activities. It’s an amazing, fast paced week that can be very challenging with early mornings, late nights and often steamy weather!
Crossing Bridges aims to foster photography communities across borders while still respecting the roles that clubs play in their respective countries. Participants are a broad mix of professionals, amateurs, journalists and brand ambassadors, ages range between 20 through 70’s.

Crossing Bridges over the last 15 years have been held in the following countries;
2004 Indonesia, 2005 Hong Kong and Macau, 2006 Vietnam, 2007 Malaysia, 2008 Cambodia, 2009 Indonesia, 2010 Philippines, 2011 Vietnam, 2012 Kuala Lumpur, 2013 Singapore, 2014 South Korea, 2015 Sri Lanka, 2016 Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China, 2017 China, 2018 North Sumatra, Indonesia. 2019: Philippines, 2020 & 2021 Covid Cancelled, 2022 North Vietnam, 2023 Nepal, 2023 Hue > Vietnam, 2024 Singapore.

WHEN I’M NOT TRAVELLING

I participate in my local, national, and international photographic communities.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
Since joining the Australian Photographer Society (APS) in 2009, I have been actively engaged in various leadership roles.
- President Australian Photographic Society 2024 - 2026
- Senior Vice President Australian Photographic Society 2022 - 2024
- Folio Secretary Nature and Open.
- Monitor Magazine Editor
- APS National Competition Director 2015 - 2018
- Australian Chair of the 4 Nations International Inter-country Competition 2019 - 2022

Other APS roles:
- Junior Vice President Australian Photographic Society 2020 - 2021
- Committee Member of the Australian Cup Competition 2018 - 2023
- Committee Member of the APS Events Team 2020 - 2023
- APS Live Event, Presenter Organiser 2020 - 2021
- Coordinator of the APS Photo of Week > Facebook Group 2019 - 2024

REDLANDS CAMERA CLUB
I joined the Redlands Camera Club in 2008 and have had the privilege serving in several key roles since 2009:
- President
- Operations Manager
- Program and Events Director
- Gallery Exhibition Manager & Curator
- PSA Liaison and Interclub Coordinator.
- Other roles include Webmaster, Newsletter editor and Social media manager.

COMPETITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

I’ve been involved in photographic competitions and exhibitions since entering my first international competition in 2009. Since then, I’ve earned numerous photographic distinctions, recognition and awards in International and National Photography Exhibitions. My work has been exhibited in a number of countries and I continue to advocate for local, National and International exhibitions believing that participating in exhibitions and competitions encourages photographers of all levels to grow, stretch and learn, as well as stay current with photography trends.

I've been honoured to serve on National and International Salon juries over the years, and while I enjoy all genres of photography, I'm especially passionate about travel photography, people, nature, and monochrome.

NEW HUMANS OF AUSTRALIA

I’m pleased to be involved with New Humans of Australia organisation. This organisation seeks to reduce discrimination towards migrants, especially refugees, through the powerful medium of storytelling. It tells the true stories of migrants – the difficulties they overcome and what they contribute – in order to celebrate multiculturalism, and to make new arrivals feel welcome on our shores.