I was very honored when Rf editor-in-chief Jacqueline Tobin and senior editor Libby Peterson asked me to be part of the judging team for this year’s 30 Rising Stars competition. Each year, emerging wedding photographers are nominated by photo editors, veteran photographers, bloggers, wedding planners and other wedding industry professionals to submit a portfolio of 30 images. The only criteria is that they must be shooting weddings full-time for five years or less, and are creating beautiful and innovative imagery. Nominees come from all over the world. This year’s honorees hail from Spain, Italy, Guatemala, Kenya, Australia, The Netherlands, India, Finland, Mexico, Germany, Slovenia and many other countries, as well as the U.S. (including Hawaii).  

[Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography 2019]

I must admit that I was a little skeptical about the process, as I had previously heard grumblings in the photo industry that the 30 Rising Stars were not always representative of the emerging wedding photography market. What I found was that this is not the case at all: the nominees are newer photographers who are trying to be at the top of their craft but are also working to sustain a full-time business. Doesn’t that sound like the typical wedding photographer you know?  

[Making the Leap to Full-Time Wedding Photography]

And for the most part, the portfolios were amazing. Some were moodier with darker tones and others were softer with muted colors. But all reflected the same thing—the beauty of the wedding itself and the joy of bringing family and friends together to celebrate a very special life event, with all the diversity of the world fully included. Nominees ages ranged from early 20s up to the 50s, showing us that it’s never too late to follow your passion.  

[What’s It Like to Start as a Mom with a Camera?]

As I was judging, a few of the winners really stood out to me for their styles: Lukas Leonte (Austria) for his beautiful outdoor photos, Becy Farr of Belle Art Photography (England) for capturing so much emotion in her images, Janine Licare (San Francisco, CA) for the soft and almost dream-like colors, and Eric-René Penoy’s (Portugal) philosophy of combining fine art and photojournalism. 

[Don’t Be Afraid to Take Creative Risks at Weddings]

Having your portfolio reviewed by mentors and photographers who are your peers is an important way to learn more about how others view your work and what you can learn from their commentary. That’s why we at WPPI feel that the First and Second Half competitions, as well as The Annual for print, album and filmmaking, are so important to the development of photographers. 

As the judging for The Annual at WPPI 2020 (on Feb. 23 and 24) moves to the Mandalay Bay Conference Center with no badge restrictions, all attendees will be able to listen and learn from all of our impressive judges. 

[What Can You Expect at WPPI 2020? Some Exciting Changes Ahead of the Show]

Remember when you were a kid and you’d love to go through old photo albums with your family? It’s not the same when you’re scrolling through images on an iPad. This is where the power of the print comes into play. 

[Printers, Papers and Custom Art Options for Photographers]

I’ve had several photographers tell me that when they send digital orders in for their clients to be printed, they don’t always get to see the finished product. To them, actually printing (or having the file printed by a lab or master printer) can be a scary process—what if the image doesn’t hold up when it’s a physical print? So, they’re challenging themselves when they enter The Annual, making sure that their images look as good when they’re printed as they do on the back of their camera. 

[How to Create an Award-Winning Photo Print]

We have eight divisions covering all three areas of the competition: Wedding, Pre-Wedding, Portrait, Photojournalism, Creative, Film-making, Album and In-Camera Artistry. Each judging room is moderated by a chairperson with five judges in each room, along with print handlers who display the prints and a proctor who announces the print title and records the scores. In 2019 there were 64 judges, many of whom were speakers, and they represented the U.S. and seven other countries. The setup for 2020 will be the same and you won’t need to take the tram this time; you’ll be right there already at Mandalay Bay. 

[What It’s Like to be a WPPI Print Competition Judge]

I hope that you’ll make time in your very busy schedule to come to Vegas a day or two earlier than usual so that you can be part of this amazing event. There aren’t too many print competitions left in the photo world and we’re proud to continue this tradition.

Arlene Evans is the WPPI conference producer. Email her your feedback or topics you want addressed in upcoming issues at arlene.evans@emeraldexpo.com.