Results are in for 5th International Wedding Photographer of the Year

bride getting dressed with a lamp head in the foreground covering the dress
(Image credit: © Fabio Mirulla)

Congratulations are in order for International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021 winner, Fabio Mirulla. The Italian photographer entered into the Black & White Category out-ranking over 1,500 images submitted across 9 different categories, by 415 wedding photographers originating from 58 countries across the globe.

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His cleverly composed and light-hearted capture was was praised by many for having the perfect blend of creativity and storytelling. Other works by Mirulla can be seen on his website, showcasing similar elements of subtle humour in his wedding photographs featuring the chaotic actions of a dog eating the bride's dress to the happy couple leaping atop enormous balloons, to name a few.  

The entry was described by James Simmons, last year’s Grand Winner and one of six judges, as “Such a unique image that works on so many levels. The photographer has taken the "earring moment" in your average setting and elevated it with the use of composition, timing, and humour to be a masterful piece of visual communication. The design, content and story are on point, which allows the viewer to extract an interesting narrative from the scene”.

Runners up just short of the winning title were Canadian duo Andrew & Bec as part of Willow & Wolf. Describing themselves as elopement photographers, their incredible image (see below) was entered into the Epic Location Category and shows a newly wed couple holding hands as they approach what looks like the edge of a cliff. Truly outstanding photography.

(Image credit: Andrew and Bec – Willow & Wolf)

Canon Australia were a major sponsor for this year's awards and as a winner, Mirulla will receive a Canon EOS R5 camera prize pool worth around $10,000 inclusive of a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 printer among various other lab dollar products, app bundles and license software. 

Fabio Mirulla is based in the countryside of Tuscany and describes himself as a storyteller, and a privileged witness of a couple's joy. He states "I like to think that I put little pieces of myself in each shoot I realize and you can easily find small clues about me and my life in most of my photos: where I live, the things that I love and how I am".

Congratulations again to Fabio and you can find all of the spectacular International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021 category winners and finalists at the winners gallery, here.

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Beth Nicholls
Staff Writer

A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.