Born in Stuttgart on September 20, 1962, Judith Kaufmann spent most of her childhood in Berlin. She took an interest in photography at an early age and was accepted at the Staatliche Fachschule für Foto, Optik und Film (state college for photography, optics and film) in Berlin – better known as the SFOF – after graduating from secondary school. After working as camera assistant to cinematographer Konrad Kotowski on Thomas Brasch"s film "Domino" in 1982, her focus shifted to camera work in film.

Kaufmann gained experience on numerous film and television productions, working as a camera assistant for about ten years – with Gernot Roll, Raoul Coutard, and Heinz Pehlke, among others – before first being hired as director of photography in 1991. She was responsible for the second camera on Wim Wenders" "In weiter Ferne, so nah" (Faraway, So Close!) (cinematographer: Jürgen Jürges) in 1992.

Judith Kaufmann has received a number of awards for her work. In 2003 she was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize for "Elefantenherz" and the German Camera Prize for "Scherbentanz". Her work in "Fremde Haut" was recognized with the Film Prize of the State of Hesse in 2005, and her overall achievements were honored with the Marburg Camera Prize in 2006.

Judith Kaufmann lives in Berlin.