Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography is our annual coveted list of promising wedding photographers from around the globe—nominated by industry tastemakers in the early days of summer, judged and chosen by members of Rangefinder’s staff in early autumn, and then announced in early December.

This year, we had two esteemed wedding photography insiders join us to judge this year’s competition—Blair deLaubenfels, Editor-in-Chief of World’s Best Wedding Photos, and Jennifer Stein, Editor-in-Chief of  Destination I Do Magazine. Each one has years of valuable insight and expertise, and we are so thankful they were able to be part of our judging process.

“As the editor of a destination wedding media outlet, I place a great deal of importance on capturing the destination and focusing on a ‘sense of place’ perspective,” says Stein. “Judging the Rising Stars submissions not only showed how some photographers truly immerse themselves in the location, but allowed it to carry over into every photograph. One of the trends I saw taking root (especially in certain regions) was capturing the light or really the ‘mood’ of a specific place.”

Adds DeLaubenfels: “It was an honor to be asked by Rangefinder to be on their judging panel this year and fascinating to see the styles emerging in the wedding photography industry. In addition to some totally distinctive voices, we saw lots of work with a gritty feel, on-camera flash, and newspaper-style photojournalism. Yellow filters figured prominently in many portfolios and ‘camera aware’ shots were almost non-existent. With magazines like Vogue setting the trends, I expect to see wedding photography change with the fashions over the next few years.”

This year, we’ve chosen the judges’ 10 favorites from each photographer’s submission to highlight. So dig in and immerse yourself in the imagery created by Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography:

Aimée Flynn

Albany Katz

Amy Sampson

Andrea Laurenza

Andrew Brannan

Andrés Mondragón

Ann Elizabeth

Ash Davenport

Bettina Vass

Chelsea Cannar

Danielle Dolan

David Conaty

Deji Johnson

Del and Jayjay

Elyssa Kivus

Gaby Bolivar

Hollie Mateer (M and G Photography)

Janina & Jawad (Reportage Studios)

Jeremiah Moa and Tang Wen Wen (The Shots Gallery)

Jimena Llamas

Jose Pablo

Kim den Hartog

Madison “Max” Pittman (Max McQueen Photo)

Myriam Menard (Crémeux Photo)

Nebojsa and Milica (Mrdja Lovers Studio)

Rachelle Welling

Ricardo Catarro

Simone Miglietta

Stefano Cassaro

The Caryls