Rangefinder+WPPI’s photography family is growing. Our parent company Emerald has acquired The Wedding School, a member-based, online wedding photography education platform created by photographer and educator Susan Stripling. The Wedding School joins Rangefinder+WPPI, PHOTOPLUS, Sue Bryce Education and The Portrait Masters as part of Emerald’s Photo Group, adding to the number of opportunities we have for you to grow, find community and explore your creativity through photography.

“We are excited to welcome The Wedding School and Susan Stripling to the Photo Group,” said our Content Director Arlene Evans. “Susan has been part of WPPI for many years as an instructor, competition judge and Rangefinder contributor, and our work together on The Wedding School will grow our already established relationship.”

After honing her teaching skills at WPPI and CreativeLive and becoming a sought-after educator, Stripling co-founded The Wedding School in 2016. She worked with the same team that launched Sue Bryce Education and The Portrait Masters, both of which Emerald acquired earlier this year.

In her career and teaching, Stripling has promoted a high standard for wedding photographers, emphasizing that wedding photography is not as simple as just buying a camera and showing up at a wedding. “Wedding photography is fiendishly difficult,” she has written. “You have to be a documentarian, a keen photojournalist with a sharp eye and quick reflexes, a portrait photographer honing a precise knowledge of lighting, posing and direction.” You also have to be, she added, a fashion photographer, a food photographer, an architecture photographer and more. She created The Wedding School to help others succeed as she has.

Stripling photographed her very first wedding all the way back in 2001 at the request of a friend. “I said yes, then immediately panicked,” she told us. “It was a huge responsibility, and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared or not. But I had six months to figure it out!” From there she was hooked.

When Stripling launched her wedding photography business in 2002, it was difficult to find learning resources. “If you didn’t know about conventions or local get togethers, it was hard to find any education outside of a college degree,” she explains. “I started attending in-person conventions (such as WPPI!) and immediately saw that there was a place in the market for online education. Not everyone could make it to an in-person convention, but to be able to learn in the safety and comfort of your own home? Sign me up. I wanted to build education that people could watch at 3 a.m., in their pajamas, whenever they wanted! I also wanted it to be very well-rounded so that there was education for the brand-new photographer as well as the seasoned pro.”

Fast-forward to current day and the exciting news of The Wedding School joining Emerald’s Photo Group. Stripling will remain involved in the business as a consultant and will continue to draw on her real-world experiences to contribute to the growth of The Wedding School. “Running a business is a lot,” says Stripling. “And as all wedding photographers know, it’s not just about taking pictures at weddings. It’s meetings and editing, emails and emails and emails. The photography takes up only about 10 percent of what we do!” Running The Wedding School was similar, she says, and the acquisition by Emerald “means that we can all do what we do best. I can go back to my first love: content creation and production. As a consultant I can create and find new instructors, produce new classes, delve deeper into community support, and put all of my efforts and endeavors behind that.”

Become a Member of The Wedding School

To celebrate, we’re offering a $50 discount on yearly membership to The Wedding School until August 30. Use the code TWSwelcome at checkout to become a member for just $149/year. To learn more and become a member, visit: https://theweddingschool.net/