Top 30 Wedding Photographers in the USA for 2020!!!

January 30, 2021

Who Knew? Thankful for YOU!

When I entered my first international photography contest in 2013, I couldn’t even imagine earning one, let alone 16 Fearless Awards! I am so very THANKFUL to have been recognized in this way, I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of YOU!

The world is a big place, with countless incredibly talented wedding photographers I feel so unbelievably fortunate to be ranked as one of the “Top 30 Wedding Photographers in the United States by Fearless Photographers in 2020.

Awards are given by a rotating panel of judges from all over the world. They look for innovative photographs that creatively tell a story. They want to be stunned, amazed, or feel like your images are redefining wedding photography.

Photographers are grouped regionally, for 2020, I was ranked in the “Top 30 in the USA” for my lifetime awards and “#1 in Pennsylvania” for my recent awards. The competition is intense, and I am extremely humbled to be so highly ranked.

My most recent award winner:

Award-winning images Worldwide

Here are just a few of the other winners across the globe– with stand out images from Bengaluru, Paris, Kyiv, Yorkshire and many other locations all over the globe! Congratulations to all! (See my photo in the middle of the bottom row?)

How does the competition work?

Fearless Photographer rankings are based on the number of awards given by several panels of judges across the globe throughout the year. Winning photographs are chosen for showing creative imagery, bold storytelling, and consistent vision. Narrowing the top wedding photographers world-wide takes time and there are several steps in the year-long process.

In the interest of keeping the judging as impartial as possible, images are anonymous, the panel of curators changes for each collection, and there are rules/limits (especially on photo-shopping, etc). With so few awards given worldwide, earning 2 in 2019 ranked me #1 in PA and in the top 20 in the USA!

My secret sauce:

In general, I try to fill the entire frame with a story, capture emotion, have a lot of pop (either vibrant colors, bold contrast, or both), and to capture something a little unexpected. I also keep in mind general rules of composition like the rule of thirds, leading lines, negative space/pattern, etc.

Of over 10,000 images submitted two of mine were finalists in 2019 but didn’t earn awards. This is one of them:

Lifetime Achievements:

While current awards put me on “top photographers” lists (as I’ve shared I currently have 2), Fearless Awards are also tracked over a lifetime, and I have 16 of those. While my current awards have kept me at the top of several lists annual lists, including being one of the “Top 50 Photographers Worldwide in 2013” (with 6 awards) and “Top 50 Photographers Worldwide in 2016” (with 4 awards).

Here is another 2019 finalist that didn’t make the final cut…

Want to see my other 15 award-winners?

Before I show them to you, I want to mention that something very important to me is incorporating the uniqueness of individuals & capturing authentic moments in my photography– I’ll capture pretty portraits for sure, but what really makes me come alive is capturing authenticity whether that is a country scene in grandma’s back yard, a champagne toast that literally makes you feel a little tipsy, the serenity of having a private beach all to yourself or the hilarious moment when your flower girl attacks the chocolate fondue table in her white gown!

1. My First Award

Country: This is a dress shot from Kyrie & Andrew’s Stormy Lehigh Valley Wedding. I like the country scene here– a storm rolling in the bride’s gown and her baby’s romper pinned to the clothesline, the woodpile, windchime, cornfield, and the star of the show, her grandma’s dog who just wanted me to throw him a tennis ball!

2. Wheelbarrowing Groom

This image was from the same wedding and actually taken at just about the same spot in grandma’s back yard, haha! You can tell from the angle of the field and the mountain in the distance. I wanted to capture the motion and excitement so I used a slow shutter and panned at the same speed as the groom was being pushed by his enthusiastic groomsmen in the wheelbarrow!

3. Window of Time

As the bride’s family members gathered in the sitting room, there was something about the scene through the window that really caught my eye. Part of it was the original glass panes that gave the photo a painterly quality as well as the way they broke up the scene so perfectly if I stood in just the right spot. Geri & Nick’s timeless Philadelphia Wedding:

4. Tipsy Limo

This one might make you feel a little tipsy, which is exactly my intention. You might need to take a second look ;). It is from Lori & Thomas’ fabulous New Jersey wedding:

5. Wedding Toolbox

So many ring shots are surrounded by pretty objects in photographs, I know I’ve taken many photos like that :). But for this shot, I noticed light beautifully hitting rusted tools and coins, and I thought there was something fun about having such practical tools in the shot, particularly the wrench seem to be tightening the ring. From Eileen & Kevin’s wedding:

6. Bridesmaid’s Prayers

When I first met with this couple, they mentioned how important their faith is. They explained their preparation space to me, they said it’s the room in the church where people have Bible studies. When I arrived I saw a room with conference tables and fluorescent lighting, when the girls were gathering to pray for Tina, I asked if it was ok if I turned off the lights, they said sure, when I did the conference table disappeared, so did the flicker and squeal of the fluorescents and what was left is the serene scene you see here. Khoa & Tina’s Harrisburg Wedding:

7. Mirrored Glasses

It was about then that I noticed that one of my photography idols, Todd Laffler, (currently ranked #1 in the USA for his lifetime achievements) was looking to hire his second photographers for the next year. I had one of the dates open, it was even at a venue I had photographed before. I reached out, showed him some of my work. Todd hired me! He had me photograph the groomsmen getting ready and this is one of the shots I grabbed.

Judges shared, “This show makes you do a little work. Your gaze enters on the sharp subject in the background, jumps to the out of focus men framing the foreground, and then- finally- circles back to the reflections in the glasses. This little trick of perspective gives the image a nice sense of depth and narrative, plus a dash of humor.”

You’ll definitely want to take a closer look:

8. Baby Turkeys

This was actually the first time I met Ashley & Jake, I have since photographed several of their friends and family member’s weddings, most recently, Jake’s sister, Joanna’s. But at this point, I knew that Jake was a turkey farmer... I was like, do you think we could get some with them, too? (I love to incorporate unique elements that are significant to the couple whenever I can). I’ve actually since photographed them in the barn with their two boys!!

9. Waiting Patiently

I still remember the moment I showed Angela this photo, she was like, what?? I don’t even remember you being there!! So sometimes I go into ninja mode. I find a place with an interesting scene with key players and good light and I just camp out quietly. Here the groom is helping Angela’s brother’s out on finishing touches as his father watches from the back window and Angela watches out the window as the guests arrive on the lawn for the ceremony.

10. Beach Zen

A private beach all to themselves… I wanted the tranquility of the scene to be palpable with the billowing clouds above waves below and lone sailboat in the distance. I got sooooo far away from Julia & Max as they just enjoyed the view. I was shooting with a 200-millimeter lens and was probably 50 yards away because I wanted to get the full compression in the scene.

11. Jumping for Joy!

When we initially talked about her background Sarah shared that she was a cheerleader and that was something I wanted to bring in to her photos if I could find the right moment. I liked this space, the light and lines, and kind of camped out there. Sarah was just about to put on her dress and I could tell she was super excited, a ball of pure energy, she lept down the stairs and we wound up with this…

Judges said, “This scene is absolutely spilling over with lines and frames and gestures, It took an expert eye to combine them into a composition that works so well. The two brightest areas of the frame link the main narrative events. The dress and the excited bride, in a happy tale of the wedding-day preparations. Everything else either slips away into shadow or guides our gaze back to them. Tilting the camera to make all the lines diagonal perfectly suited the bride’s unexpected pose.”

12. Chocolate Fondue!

Haaaaa, unforgettable– Lauren & Dan’s chocolate-loving flower girl in a white dress and all of the adults are living it up on the dance floor… I used a wide lens here so you could see all the fondue tools to really give a sense of place and filled the frame with elements of the story.

13. Ladybug Kiss

There was luck involved in this image for sure, when Alessia & Tim met me on location for this engagement session, I noticed a bunch of ladybugs hanging out in a very unphotogenic area of the winery, I put on my 100 mm macro lens and headed right for the swarm of them, placing the couple in the best light.

Judges said, “Ladybugs symbolize love, joy, and prosperity– so it’s got to be a pretty good sign to have one land on your engagement ring, right? The photographer got super close to capturing all of the detail, but didn’t overlook the opportunity to enhance the image with a sweet pose. Having him hold her hand and lean down to kiss it made the image even more special.”

14. Anticipation

This was the moment that the limo and Bentley arrived for Nancy & Kevin’s wedding. Everyone is in the same room viewing the same scene, yet they all seem to be thinking something different.

Nancy’s expression is priceless, such focus and anticipation— she shared that she is thinking about how close she is to finally seeing and marrying Kevin. Her little nephew is at the window saying “limo” in his cute, tiny voice. Such a sweet, precious moment. I shot with a tight aperture so that all fo their expressions were in focus.

15. Strike a Pose

Editorially inspired shots like this have become a commonly asked for commodity. I have always been inspired by this style in magazines, with Annie Leibovitz and the like, but as far as thinking it was doable for me personally. That credit goes out to my mentor, Sam Hassas, who took the time to walk myself and several other classmates through the process of posing and editorial shot like this nearly a decade ago.

Live Links to Current Fearless Rankings

Here are live links to today’s current fearless rankings. These are constantly changing. As of the day I wrote this blog, I was ranked in the top 30 for lifetime achievement awards at 16 total awards. I was ranked as #1 in Pennsylvania for having 2 recent Fearless Awards.

It has been an honor for me to have so many of my images recognized and celebrated in such a global way, and to be able to make a living capturing such incredible and beautiful moments.

Let’s Connect!!

Ready to Have Me Capture YOU? Let’s talk! Just contact me here.