Dee Kampe, of Finder Seeker Photography from Melbourne, Australia, has earned herself the title of The 6th International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2022 after out-ranking more than 1,700 images that were submitted to the competition across 10 different categories by over 330 wedding photographers worldwide.
This sixth edition of the awards introduced a new category, "Lit" which encouraged wedding photographers to include the addition of a human-made light source to their images in celebration of Godox sponsoring the competition. These light sources could include on & off-camera flash, LED, Sparklers, and tungsten, and resulted in some fantastic wedding night photography!
• These are the best cameras for wedding photography
The International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards is a renowned annual photography competition that has seen some extremely creative images from around the world and amazing examples of storytelling through glimpses into the subjects and their emotions on what should be the happiest day of their lives.
Open to all photographers, both Professional and Amateur, the awards highlight the very best of the genre and entries are scored based on a fair points system. The 15 highest-scoring entries from each category will then be re-judged by the judges as a new collection, and the grand winner will be the highest-scoring image from those 150 remaining entries. There are no limits to the year the photograph was taken.
Grand Winner Deanne Kempe has shared some details about the story behind the image that earned her the title, "After a year of being in and out of Melbourne’s notorious Covid-19 lockdowns, Liana and Jono’s wedding was my first wedding post-lockdown and this image is all the more sentimental to me for that reason.
"We were setting up for portraits when a strong gust of wind unexpectedly took off with Liana’s veil. While Jono went racing after it, Liana, amused by the whole debacle laughed and embraced the situation for what it was. I instinctively began photographing and this frame was captured a few seconds into the veil’s escape.
Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter
The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!
"Did they get the veil back? Yes, they did. After lifting some 50 meters into the air we assumed it was long gone, but it had come to rest halfway up a telephone pole on the opposite side of the street. But that’s another story.”
The ten categories included: Couple Portrait, Dance Floor, Epic Location, Black and White, Bridal Party, From Above, Single Capture, Solo Portrait, Engagement / Non-Wedding, and the newest category for 2022; Lit.
Runner up for the Grand title and winner of the Black and White category was photographer Matteo Lomonte, from Italy, with his powerful image that shows a young boy in the backseat of a wedding car as the newlywed couple in the background is showered in confetti.
Being a wedding photographer is a huge commitment and responsibility, as these phenomenal photographers have demonstrated through their impressive work. Recognizing that wedding photography is deeply rooted in the business side of photography as well as the creative one, the awards have developed the competition site into an online directory to help couples find their perfect wedding photographer.
The directory on the awards website works by sharing the portfolio and contact details from the archive of past winners and finalists, as well as where they are based and filters such as which languages they speak, areas they specialize in, their pricing and hourly rates, plus years of experience.
• You may also want to take a look at the best lenses for wedding and event photography, as well as the best wedding photo albums to deliver to your clients. Don't forget about the best camera harness to keep your gear attached to you, and these wedding photography tips can help you prepare for the big day.
• Take a look at this Wedding photo book by the legendary Mario Testino, and see the creative winning results from last year's IWPOTY 2021, as well as the collection of images from the 2020 IWPOTY.
