Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the USA | WPJA 2025 Rankings
Last year, I set a clear goal for myself: to break into the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the United States for 2025. The WPJA results just posted and somehow… I did it!
The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) is an international organization recognizing excellence in documentary wedding photography. Founded in 2002, WPJA awards photographers for real, unscripted wedding moments, not styled or staged shoots.
WPJA rankings are based on cumulative contest performance within a single calendar year, using images submitted from real client weddings and judged by independent photo editors. Because work cannot be reused from previous years, the rankings are widely regarded as one of the most credible measures of excellence in wedding photojournalism worldwide.
The WPJA Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the USA
Based on official WPJA 2025 contest results, the following photographers placed in the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the United States:
Cindy Brown – WPJA USA #1
Jacob Hannah – WPJA USA #2
Oliver Parini – WPJA USA #3
David Clumpner – WPJA USA #4
Annie Bang – WPJA USA #5
Erica Hilliard – WPJA USA #6
Shaun Baker – WPJA USA #7
Samantha Moore, So Many Moments – WPJA USA #8
Xiaoqi Li – WPJA USA #9
Gretchen Troop – WPJA USA #10
While I’m beyond honored to place #8 Overall in the USA in the Wedding Photojournalist Association 2025 annual rankings, one of the most respected international organizations in documentary wedding photography, what makes this achievement especially meaningful is how it happened.
These seven award-winning images placed across three of the four WPJA contests in 2025, and they came from just three weddings: the only weddings I photographed last year. WPJA contest images have to be from the calendar year, so I could not pull on older work to earn these awards. Each one of these 2025 couples trusted me completely to document their day honestly, creatively, and without needing it to be something it wasn't.
The WPJA contests celebrate real moments: unscripted emotion, fleeting interactions, and the quiet in-between scenes that tell the deeper story of a wedding day. Competing alongside photographers who shoot 40+ weddings a year and earning this recognition has given me a new level of confidence in the consistency and intention behind my work. To see this approach recognized on an international stage is incredibly affirming and I am so grateful.
I shared a post earlier in the year about first starting with the WPJA and setting this goal to make this list here in this blog, after winning the first few image awards from Stacey and Mike's viral dance floor wedding.
What This Means for Couples Planning Their Wedding
Being recognized in the WPJA Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the USA highlights photographers who consistently capture authentic, award-winning moments. For couples, this means choosing a WPJA-ranked photographer ensures your wedding day will be documented with creativity, professionalism, and a true storytelling approach, resulting in images that are timeless and deeply personal.
Personally, I’m SO LIT UP and ready to shoot more now!
And I'm also ready to insist Matthew start submitting his work again, as these were only my photos and he did some truly beautiful, soul-splitting work this year at our weddings too!
I feel more inspired than ever to keep refining my craft, to see more deeply, and to tell wedding stories with heart, honesty, and purpose. I want to keep showing up fully, pushing creatively, and making images that feel timeless and true.
Most of all, I’m just incredibly excited that I get to do this.
To the couples who trust me with something so personal, thank you. I am honored to document your big day.
If you’re planning a wedding in North Idaho or far beyond
and you value real moments over posed perfection, and believe the most meaningful images are often the unplanned ones, let’s chat. I’m booking 2026 and 2027 weddings now, always post my prices clearly on my website, and would love to tell your story next. Curious about how we capture award-winning weddings? Check out our full FAQ on our wedding photography process
Here’s to momentum, creativity, and the stories ahead in 2026! CHEERS!
