I still remember it clearly.
Sitting at that old wooden desk I’d scored off Craigslist, tucked into the corner of our inner-city bedroom behind an IKEA fabric divider I hung to create an “office”, the streetcar would chime below our window every 11 minutes as I finally filled out the application.
I’d been quietly following the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) for years. Long before I applied, I’d pore over their quarterly award galleries, inspired by the raw, unposed moments captured by the best documentary wedding photographers in the world. I'd shoot every wedding aiming to be good enough to be one of them. But that day in Portland, I hit finally “submit” and sent in my wedding photography portfolio for review.
When I was accepted, it felt surreal. I was officially a WPJA photographer and not long after, I saw my own work honored in their international awards gallery. That very first award, an engagement portrait I’d taken, remains one of my favorite memories from the early years of this work.
Fast forward 15 years. I’ve further built my career, renovated two homes, moved cross country twice, and had our 4 sweet children along the way. I’ve photographed more than a hundred weddings and picked up more awards sporadically as I've participated in waves, but this year brought something I didn't see coming.
When I captured Stacey and Mike’s wedding (yes, the one with that viral dance video to Lil Jon’s Snap Yo Fingers) I had no idea the dance floor video or my images would become such a defining part of my year. Not only did their celebration explode with over 100 million views on TikTok and Instagram, but three of my images from their wedding placed in the first quarterly WPJA competition, launching me into the international ranks.
With those wins, I’m humbled and thrilled to be currently sitting as a Top 10 Wedding Photographer in the United States by the Wedding Photojournalist Association at the moment. If I can sustain this with more awards through out the rest of the year, I have a shot at an official title for 2025. This is nearly hilarious as it's the highest accolades I've earned in wedding photography and yet I'm currently shooting very little. Well, I'm ready to change that. I can only submit work from this calendar year in the remaining 2025 photography competitions, so I need to shoot more 2025 weddings. And I'd be excited to do that anywhere.
I'll always be a destination wedding photographer. My love for exploring new places and documenting love stories will continue to keep me traveling with my gear without adding any additional cost to my rates. I eat the travel cost because it's so fun and exciting to have an excuse to change scenery. We currently live in Sandpoint ID so I'm excited to also focus on being a top North Idaho wedding photographer, naturally serving Coeur d’Alene, and Spokane areas too.
This recognition is personal because I’ve built this business myself from the ground up, and I’ve built it to reflect what I care about most in photography: meaningful imagery highlighting sincere connections and stories.
Thank you to my clients who trust me with their stories, and to the WPJA for continuing to bring the international community of wedding professionals together. It's a beautiful thing to have a place to see one another's best work and continue to inspire one another. Currently, there are 232 working wedding photojournalists in the U.S. affiliated with the WPJA, with hundreds more based throughout Europe, South America, and Asia. It’s an international community of artists who believe that wedding photography is about more than poses: it's about capturing real moments, emotion, and connection through honest, artistic storytelling. I'm so excited to be coming back into this work with such fresh invigoration.
Here’s to another 15 years of being inspired, to more real moments, more movement, and more love captured just as it felt. And to continuing to pick up more awards throughout the rest of the year to gain an official title for the year 2025. If you know someone getting married later this year that doesn't have a photographer yet, holler at your girl!
No matter where in the world, I'm officially interested & am offering a $250 discount for 2025 weddings to help me achieve this goal. Tell all the brides.
