2020 Winners Gallery

I’m super lucky that I get clients that will just let me do me. They sign up, take my advice and are usually more than keen to go with any suggestions that I have relating to the timing of their day, locations and when we shoot. So after Lisa and James had their ceremony, we stopped in at a spot in the CBD for a drink and chill with their crew before heading out to their reception. While there, we took the opportunity to shoot some portraits. The location is super architectural and minimalist, with big rectangular columns breaking up the space and the light that reflects into the area. This shot was taken on the corner of a column and was initially a portrait of Lisa standing against the dark side to really show off her stunningly-detailed dress and backlight her veil.

Her husband James was standing pretty close, giving her something to look at and as I shot and reframed, James’ silhouette started to creep in. The Ying Yang symbol instantly came to mind and later as I refined the image in PS the King & Queen chess board design was also an influence that worked well visually.

Eric is all about doing things differently. Not interested in norms and passing trends, he prides himself on cutting his own path, creating dramatic, emotive stories passionately crafted for his beloved couples. In Eric’s mind great art is timeless and that is something he strives for. He believes that to truly create stunning work you need to be just as much a technician as you are an artist so that you have the photographic vocabulary to skilfully and artfully document a wedding day in whatever circumstances get thrown at you. Eric also puts great importance on the uniqueness of each story he captures; not simply applying his same style and approach to each wedding but rather investing himself in the couple and their story in what results as it’s own unique creation.

It’s no wonder Eric has been highly awarded for his albums as he not only puts great importance on a single image but applies a wholistic narrative-based approach throughout his process. With a passion and background in cinematography, Eric sees each image represent a building block used to craft his stories which is evident in his work. Eric’s passion and unique ethos has served him well with his skills taking him to some of the worlds most incredible locations including Kenya, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Cyprus, Montenegro, India, and the Philippines and of course Egypt.

Hi folks! I’m Patrick Lombaert, a French wedding photographer living in Brittany (Breizh Powa!), a well-known place thanks to its famous speciality “galette saucisse”!

After four years and almost 100 weddings, I can say that being a wedding photographer is the most fulfilling job I know. Everybody is kind, beautiful, and celebrates the union of two people who love each other.

I truly love to meet people, observe and understand the mechanism of their links. You know, weddings are like a drug. When the season ends, we are broken, psychologically and physically drained with all the investment we have given. But we only want to go back… Yes, I’m a junky. Isabelle and Arnaud decided to do their couple photoshoot between the getting ready and the religious ceremony.

I like to play with volumes and lines. When I saw this avenue of trees, I quickly saw the graphic potential of the scene. The photo could have been a common image of silhouettes but the elegance of the groom makes his jump special. It is clearly he who offers me the award.

I see my photography as a remarkable way to imprint joy and intimate connections in the present, while serving as a documentary historian for my couples and their families, so their stories can live on and continue to provide a bridge between the past and future. That’s why my camera goes everywhere I go: no matter where I am or who I’m with, I can capture spectacular moments that will allow people to continually connect to each other and with the world around them. It’s amazing how a photograph can remind you what really matters to you, both because of the content of the imagery and whatever aspect draws you in. I started out as a lighting designer and spent many years working in theaters around the country and overseas on occasion, all influencing how I “see” and what drives me in ways I probably don’t fully understand myself. Light can transform a scene and evoke emotion — I know my design background is a strong foundation for my photography work, helping me to capture the unfolding of events in artistic, inspirational ways.

The photo was created outside the Filmore at Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach, Florida. Junia and Gamaliel are two of the sweetest couples I have ever photographed. They had lots of creative ideas and brought lots of props to the shoot.

For this shot, I asked the couple to sit inside the car and pretend they were reading something exciting in the paper. I placed a Canon 600EX-RT with a Mogsphere behind the couple. I then composed and shot the image with a Canon 5D MKIII with a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens. A Yonguo Speedlite transmitter was used to trigger the flash.

Image exposure – ISO = 1600, Shutterspeed = 1/500, Aperature = f/2.8. The photo was shot in color and processed in Lightroom, with some minor edits in photoshop.

We are elopement photographers based in the Canadian rocky mountains and have made this the adventure of our dreams. Soon after we started dating, we decided to create a photography business together. It has led us to the tops of mountains and to the far corners on the world. Now, 5 years on and we have learned more than we knew possible and are beyond grateful for every couple that we have had the privilege to photograph.

It was their priority to spend time away from the hustle of the city and escape to the rugged rocky mountains as they are avid hikers and explorers. They have hiked trails and gone to places that push the limits. It was important to showcase this very important part of their lives when it was time to tie the knot. They wanted to be among nature, and truly spend time together in one of the most beautiful places in Canada. We took a helicopter to the location and spent the entire weekend hiking together before finding the perfect spot. In sharing vows and making lifelong commitments to one another, everything came together beautifully in this intimate setting with two incredibly kind souls.

We have been married since 2005, before Instagram + Pinterest even existed. We both grew up on the prairies and now live by the ocean + mountains. Getting to call Vancouver home for the past 10 years has truly inspired us. It has taught us to dream bigger, to drink good coffee, to explore, to support local and to go after the things that were created deep within us. We have been so lucky to be able to travel the world for work + life and to do it more recently along with our adorable womb nugget, August Grey. Wedding photography is our passion. Getting to meet rad people + be a part of one of the biggest days of their lives makes our job the best. Ultimately, we photograph weddings because we love people + we connect with the story behind what makes every wedding special + unique. It is our goal at every wedding to not just take great photos but to add to the experience. We want to know you, what you love + what makes you tick. We believe that this in turn allows us to document every detail + moment of your day in a more honest, fresh + fun way.

Jess + Jon are all about a good party! We had been lucky enough to shoot a few weddings where they were guests and we knew that the party was a big priority for them.

Hey! I’m Coralee Stone, a wedding photographer based in Auckland, New Zealand. After a few years working as a Physical Education teacher, I rediscovered my love for photography after a gap year overseas in 2009.

I’ve always been a people person so the prospect of documenting life and the beautiful connections between us as humans is what drew me to weddings. I believe there isn’t anything more precious in this world than the emotions and love we have for one another.

I am inspired by nature, and will always find ultimate peace when diving into the ocean (or sipping on a strong coffee!). My creativity for documenting a wedding day is driven by my pursuit for mastering natural light in order to create images that are thoughtful, timeless, joyful and unstaged.

I feel so grateful to have a job that I love dearly and that brings me into the lives of so many incredible people along the way.

My journey to becoming a wedding photographer is quite a unique one. Before I turned twenty one years old I nearly lost my life to a near drowning surfing in Duranbah, Queensland. Crazy right! Even though I was okay after lung surgery, I really did have a different perspective of my life and how I wanted to live it. Quite a cliche but it’s true. I have always been a social butterfly and enjoy spending time with people. I started to realise I was quite a listener and loved hearing about people’s stories. These characteristics really started to emerge in my life shortly after that accident.

I love the feeling of capturing memories for others and the impact it will have on their lives in the future. I hand on heart love this craft and where it has taken me.

The couple are from Newcastle, Australia and decided to get married there. At the time I was living in Newcastle also. The ocean baths are such a big part of the Newcastle culture and originally I wasn’t sure if I should get photos down there as it has been done millions of times. I like to create images that are somewhat unique wherever possible. The couple were keen on getting some portraits down at the beach so I went for a walk with them. I noticed everyone sun baking on the steps and I was worried about taking photos of the public. When I saw the couple walking in I just composed the shot and waited for them to get closer to the middle of the frame. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It wasn’t until I got home that I realised everyone on the steps looked like they were in their own little world. They hadn’t noticed me or even the couple for that matter. The couple were in a perfect position and the groom was holding the brides dress which also made the shot interesting. A lot of people comment on the image saying it has a painterly feel and looks like an artwork.

Midhat Mulabdić aka Benedetto Lee is a destination wedding photographer based in Croatia.
He’s not an Italian child of Bruce Lee or some Kung fu master. He’s more like a Kung fu panda who loves taking photos, meeting new people, and traveling to new adventures. Whether it’s a big or intimate wedding, elopement or engagement session, he approaches every single couple as unique experience and story to photograph.

The photo was captured on a wedding in Lausanne, Switzerland and it’s mostly based on the conventional love between ladies and shoes.

The Rising (Ninja) Star is chosen jointly by Studio Ninja and Award Curator Luke Simon. The Award goes to an entrant who places in the Top 100 entries, who has demonstrated excellence in technique and a unique or courageous perspective as a Wedding Photographer.

Midhat Mulabdić aka Benedetto Lee is a destination wedding photographer based in Croatia.
He’s not an Italian child of Bruce Lee or some Kung fu master. He’s more like a Kung fu panda who loves taking photos, meeting new people, and traveling to new adventures.