Photographer: Michael Coufal from Zachodniopomorskie, Poland
Photographer: Emin Kuliyev from New York (City/Metro), United States
Photographer: Mark Wallis from Derbyshire, England
Photographer: Mike Lupine from Ontario, Canada
Photographer: Erin Leigh from New York (City/Metro), United States
Photographer: Rino Cordella from Lecce, Italy
Photographer: Liliya Gorlanova from Moscow, Russia
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EXCELLENCE IN WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALISM
Since 2002 the WPJA has been helping couples capture the story of their wedding.
The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is a professional organization composed of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world. What sets our members apart in the industry is their candid, documentary approach – a distinctly artistic vision toward wedding photography.
The Wedding Photojournalist Association puts the world’s best wedding photography at your fingertips. We offer a new perspective on wedding photography - quietly capturing the real moments as they happen for the bride and groom. It is our goal to use photography to tell the story of your wedding day, not dictate it for you.
RANDOM WPJA PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT
Illinois, United States
Steve Koo
Steve is a WPJA and AG-WPJA award winning wedding photographer. Before discovering his love for wedding photojournalism, Steve pursued fine art photography with a passion, and it influences his work even today. Steve...
Lecco, Italy
Riccardo Bestetti
Riccardo Bestetti was born in Milano in 1961. After having attended a university level master degree program in the 80s and receiving a diploma in advertising and industrial photography at the European Institute of Design in Milan, he took his first...
New York (City/Metro), United States
Joshua Brown
Joshua is an unobtrusive and award winning wedding photojournalist and filmmaker based on the upper west side of Manhattan. His unique approach to documenting your wedding day enables him to produce spontaneous and fun...
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTS
4th Place in Ceremony: Thomas Graves, United States
3rd Place in Musicians & DJs: Franck Boutonnet, France
3rd Place in Weather: John Hudetz, United States
7th Place in The Cake: Andree Kehn, United States
4th Place in Groom Getting Ready: Paul Simpson, England
10th Place in Trash The Dress (TTD) Portrait: Chad Pilster, United States
3rd Place in Trash The Dress (TTD) Portrait: Sol Tamargo, Mexico
1st Place in The Cake: Liliya Gorlanova, Russia
1st Place in First Dance: Ben Benvie, Canada
4th Place in Creative Portrait: Theodoros Chliapas, Greece
Latest Contest Results - Q4 2011
The Wedding Photojournalist Association is pleased to announce the results of the Fourth Quarter WPJA Photography Competition. Join us as we congratulate all the winners.
The 2011 Q4 Contest showcases the wedding photojournalism of WPJA members from the fourth quarter of the 2011 year in 20 categories.
Every year WPJA hosts the largest wedding photography competitions in the world judged by panels of award-winning photojournalists. Competitions, which are held quarterly and open only to WPJA members, are part of the association’s commitment to upholding the highest standards in wedding photojournalism. Membership in WPJA requires rigorous standards in technical skill, aesthetics and best business practices.
2011 Photographer of the Year
The WPJA congratulates Emin Kuliyev of New York with the POY title for 2011.
WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALISM ARTICLES
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For the PhotographerWORKING THE CAMERA ANGLES
Wedding photojournalists will agree that the most important aspect of their craft is telling the story of the day in an authentic, unplanned way. A key element of that basic definition is how the story gets told—and that’s where the photographer’s individual character and point of view come into play. One of the most defining tools in shaping that unique perspective is angles.
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For the Bride and GroomHIRING A CREATIVE PROFESSIONAL
Like many brides and grooms, your wedding could be the first time you’ll be hiring a creative professional. What could be so difficult, right? But just ask any talented pro, and you’ll get a grateful explanation of why it’s so important to truly understand their creative process. How you manage your relationship with a wedding photojournalist can have just as profound an impact on the photographs as the day unfolding before the camera.
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For the Bride and GroomWEDDINGS CAN BE CHAOS
A wedding is not just the culmination of a couple’s commitment. It’s also the final product of much planning and preparation. Yet despite the best-laid plans, your big day won’t necessarily get a free pass from Murphy’s Law. Some chaos is almost inevitable at some point along the way. Luckily, when you hire a wedding photojournalist, you have someone on hand who is an expert in capturing those moments as memorable visual stories that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
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For the Bride and GroomEVERYONE IS A PHOTOJOURNALIST
These days untold numbers of wedding photographers state in their bios that they have a background in photojournalism. Yet many do not really have any actual professional experience as photojournalists. Some have maybe published just one or two photos, or work occasionally as a freelancer for a newspaper or magazine, while others fudge their own work history and interpretation of the term in order to bolster their own image.
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For the PhotographerWHO ARE YOU SHOOTING FOR?
Couples hire wedding photojournalists for their narrative approach to photography, but they’re also expected to get the more formal shots; portraits of the wedding party, family and friends. Balancing those competing expectations— pleasing our clients while producing unique and timeless images— is an ongoing challenge and a somewhat tricky proposition that not only permeates the wedding day, but also spills over to your web site design and public portfolio.
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WedPix Featured ArticleTRASH THE DRESS
Brides and grooms want awesome imagery from their wedding, but they also want a photographer that can get very creative during a Trash The Dress portrait session. That’s why couples everywhere are donning their wedding finery and not only descending into caves, walking through abandoned amusement parks and chasing other wild pursuits in an increasingly popular ritual and edgy extension of wedding photojournalism called Trash the Dress (TTD).
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For the Bride and GroomCAPTURING WEDDING TOASTS
These days, raising a glass to toast a bride and groom has an important purpose: to wish the couple happiness and success. Toasts can be emotional or funny, sometimes embarrassing, but always heartfelt. They can also be tricky to photograph, logistically and artistically speaking. For example, a bridal couple may be squarely in a photographer’s viewfinder during a toast, but when glasses are lifted, you never know if their faces will be obstructed.
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For the Bride and GroomPHOTO TIPS FOR WEDDING GUESTS
How can you let your guests get great shots at the wedding while helping your wedding photojournalist get his or hers as well? Fortunately, the two goals are not mutually exclusive. A few WPJA members weigh in with professional tips and techniques that your wedding guests can use to kick their personal photos up a few notches, while ensuring that their efforts will not detract from the “official” photos produced by the hired photographer.
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For the Bride and GroomMALE BONDING ON WEDDING DAY
Boys will be boys. Many photographers have found that the best man, the groomsmen and numerous other dudes contributing to the big day often serve as provocateurs and especially interesting subjects for wedding photojournalism. Of course, that’s the stereotype. Yet those same guys who tease one another, engage in colorful hijinks, and liven up the party also offer up plenty of emotion. You just have to look for it a bit more carefully.
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For the Bride and GroomTELLING A STORY THROUGH HUMOR
Even with the best-laid plans, things can happen. A tuxedo may be too short; the caterers may forget the sporks; the custodians could forget to hose down the dance floor after the 4-H fair. These and innumerable other little ”accidents” lend flavor to a nuptial bash, and should be celebrated for their ability to break you out of a routine. If you’re able to appreciate all that comes with living in the moment, you could wind up with some wonderful memories.
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For the PhotographerPRE-VISUALIZING BEFORE THE WEDDING SHOOT
While much of wedding photojournalism requires reacting to the scene presented before you, thinking about certain shots or techniques you may want to use can help you prepare for certain pictures you would like to capture if they arise. It’s similar to how a quarterback studies a playbook in the week leading to a game, when in fact he may not know what the defense will throw at him.
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For the Bride and GroomCAPTURING ROMANCE AT THE WEDDING
A skilled wedding photojournalist knows how to anticipate and capture situations that convey those special feelings. When the day is over, your memories will be enhanced through photographs of the two of you looking at one another or simply being together, thus narrating the story of your love. That is what it’s all about. We talked to three WPJA members to find out how they zero in on the romantic moments.
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For the Bride and GroomWEDDING RECEPTION DANCING
Ever since early man learned to beat a stick on a rock, some guy has embarrassed his family by dancing to it. The primordial urge to shake your booty can be traced back thousands of years, when cave dwellers learned to ward off strangers by loudly grunting and jumping around like maniacs. Luckily, not much has changed.
Go to: Wedding Reception Dancing
