Industry News


Revealed: Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of 2018

November 1, 2018

By Jacqueline Tobin

© ZONZO

The 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography is Rangefinder‘s coveted list of promising all-star wedding photographers—nominated by industry tastemakers in the early days of summer, judged and chosen by members of the magazine’s staff and creative departments in early autumn, and then announced concurrently with the November 30 Rising Stars issue. Each honoree (who must have been shooting weddings full-time for 5 years or less) was selected based on a variety of aesthetic and technical criteria, including a signature style, consistent look, artistically purposeful technique and emotive narrative throughout the diverse parts of a wedding day.

Somehow, it gets harder every year to choose these 30 photographers. There are so many talented nominees—there were almost 300 this year. We were especially intrigued to see the photojournalistic roots of wedding photography take center stage this year. The dark and moody look of years past has been roused by artistic distinction—ahem, cinematic influences—or replaced altogether with some pop and some circumstance. A big thank you to our nominators and to all of the nominees who took the time to submit this year.

Head over to the 30 Rising Stars gallery for a peek at each honoree and their full, 30-image submissions. Check out Photo of the Day, which is diving into a photo from one Rising Star every day this month. And follow us on Instagram—each honoree is taking over @rfwppi for even more behind-the-scenes insights on their submissions. Many thanks to our sponsor, Tamron!

The cover of our issue was captured by 30 Rising Star Petronella Lugemwa, encapsulating a pivotal moment in a Nigerian wedding.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Aase Pouline | Adventure Instead (Maddie Mae & Amber Sovorsky)
Agatha Rowland | Baptiste Hauville | Brandi Potter | Bring Me Somewhere Nice
Catalina Jean Photography | Chris Parkinson | Edu Hernández | Elicia Bryan
Grace and Blush | Hazel Eyes Photography | Jenn Emerling | . Just . Schmidt .
Kai Tan | Kama Catch Me | KEVIN / Documenting Weddings & Raw Emotions
Kompactfaen | LAYERS | LOOK IMAGINARY | Marcijuš Weddings
Monica Leggio | Motiejus | Olguin Photography | Petronella Lugemwa
The Ferros | The Portos | Tim Dunk | Vik Manchanda | ZONZO

Want to get on Rangefinder‘s radar? Submit to Photo of the Day and Wedding of the Week, or pitch a story.