Sticking to My Guns as I Go After the Most Sought After Recognition in The Wedding Industry

The Rangefinder Magazine 30 Rising Star award is one of, if not the most sought-after recognitions in the wedding photography industry since its debut in 2009. However, what makes the award particularly difficult to acquire compared to other awards is that you can only be in business for no more than five years to qualify and can only be nominated by either previous Rising Stars or those in the wedding industry. And this past March at WPPI in Las Vegas, another round of Rf 30 Rising Stars has come and gone.

Over time however, the award has lost some of its luster with many believing it’s rigged AF and being nothing more than a nepotism prize. With some claiming the award fell from grace since Jacqueline Tobin’s departure from Rangefinder Magazine. And most recently, Rf sticking to their guns in 2022 with a wedding photographer even after being exposed by her own clients. Thankfully she fell off the face of the earth after her own clients called her out on Reddit. And I’m not even gonna mention the many Rising Stars who are no longer in being business.

On top of many pointing to previous winners clearly being in business for well over the maximum threshold of five years, with some boasting ten or even fifteen years of experience. And who can blame them? If you’re cranking out work published by the likes of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar claiming you’re only a couple years in, of course it’ll seem mad sus. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not questioning the talent, dedication, and hard work of previous winners of this award. After all, I did throw my name in the hat last year and will continue to do so until I win or go down trying.

What I Really Think About Awards

Those who know me personally know that I see being an award-winning photographer as a meme. Comparing so-called and often self-proclaimed award-winning photographers to Asian fast-food joints with a "best Pho in town" sign on the window next to the C grade sign. In short, I don’t care about awards because I don’t need them to validate my worth.

An award won’t make me a better or worse photographer. And if I’m being honest, I doubt my clients would even care if I’m an award-winning photographer because the handful of people I have been fortunate to call my clients have appreciated who I am and what I do. But look, I know, some people really do care about awards (especially wedding planners) and sometimes, they can even make or break a business. So, I’m not discounting awards all together, but I personally won’t support someone simply because they’re an award winner.

Now, is there room for improvement? Of course, there is, as with anything in life. But will an award recognized by every wedding photographer in the world push me to not only do better for my clients but also, and I hate to say it out loud, validate my work to the normie mainstream audience? Maybe. I’m not sure. Or will it simply be nothing more than another backlink to help my website reach the top of Google search results? We’ll see after I win, won't we?

What Changed?

After a five-year hiatus from wedding photography, I decided to jump back in with a new brand, The Drunk Wedding Photographer. Officially went live in January 2024 after months of soliciting opinions from friends and colleagues about the brand name. It wasn't well-received by wedding photographers I can tell you that.

So, to prove the naysayers wrong, I set myself the goal of being featured by as many print and online publications as possible to show it’s not just a goofy brand name, but a brand that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the photographers published in leading wedding magazines and online platforms.

However, and more importantly, my goal was to attain that coveted Google branded search, something my previous brand, Synthetic Color, active for almost twenty years, never achieved. And so this time around I was determined to establish a strong online presence from launch, with the assistance of backlinks from reputable publications.A project spearheaded by my friend Corey Potter of Fuel Your Photos, after I joined his SEO course for photographers in 2022.

Winning the 2024 Rf 30 Rising Star Nomination

With the plan of going after as many backlinks as possible in my first year set into motion, I decided to pursue the white whale of backlinks: The Rangefinder Magazine 30 Rising Stars. An award I never thought I could win, let alone dream of being nominated for. But with my new brand in hand, full confidence in my work, and the support of Mr. Corey Potter, I reached out to the content director of Rangefinder Magazine for advice on having industry contacts nominate me on my behalf.

I then reached out to a few people in the latter days of summer 2023 and waited what seemed like an eternity. Finally, I received the email saying I was officially nominated. That's when I knew I had a chance to actually win this. Fast forward to January 2024, I received the email I had been waiting for all Christmas. To my half-surprise, I was told to try again kid. I mean, did I honestly believe I’d win on my first try? Yeah, I did. I mean, at 36 years old, I have nothing to lose but faith at this point.

What’s Next?

I believe most people would have given up at this point, especially those who are convinced that the Rf Rising Star award is rigged, a who you know or, worse, a pay-for-play award. But I’m not like most people. I’m stubborn AF, sometimes to my personal growth and benefit, often however, to my own demise and detriment. I’m gonna try again this year and see what happens. If anything, just to show my mom and grandma I’m actually doing something with my life. You know how parents are; they’re proud of you for even winning the perfect attendance award in grade school.

Simplicity is the Answer to Everything

Unfortunately, winning this award will prove even more difficult for me because I refuse to follow mainstream industry trends. And when we look at Rf Rising Stars of the past, we see most portfolios following mainstream trends to the max. But because Anna Wintour once said, "trend is a dirty word," I have refused to follow trends of any kind, both in my personal and professional life. And I’m not about to bend ass backwards anytime soon just to get a backlink on my website by following the current wedding photography trend.

Because my photographs are simple. Some might even call them nothing more than glorified snapshots. But as The Angry Photographer said, "simplicity is divinity." So, I keep things simple because I believe simplicity is the secret to everything.

My portfolio is a collection of simple vignettes because I’m confident that’s what clients will value in the end—a simple documentation of this day in their lives, imperfections and all. Photos Grandma will print and proudly showcase on her little table of framed photos. A simple approach of documenting what the sky looked like when my clients got married, how they looked, how their friends looked, and so on. Nothing epic or overly staged.

I show up and photograph things exactly as they are. Because in the end, no one will remember the elaborate flat lay details, the color of the flowers, or what was served at dinner. But you know what will be remembered? The very people they sat down with for that dinner. And that’s what I photograph. As chef Marco Pierre White said, "serve your food hot, serve it quick, and keep it simple. Don’t overthink." And that’s the little something you can’t put in writing, an inner feeling that comes from within. A simple understanding of knowing who and what you’re working with.