Personal | I'm a 2024 Rangefinder Rising Star!! (and it's finally time I talk about it)
I am beyond honored to announce that I am a 2024, Rangefinder Rising Star of Wedding Photography; one of only thirty, in the world!!! Becoming a Rangefinder Rising Star is a massive accomplishment for wedding photographers, as it’s one of the most prestigious awards you can receive. I’ve written in detail about my experience below, but if you’re not a fellow photographer wanting to learn about the competition or simply prefer to skip all the fluff, here’s the condensed version of what you should know: Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars represent the next generation of storytellers that bring a fresh and unique style to wedding photography. Chosen from many hundreds of exceptional applicants, Rangefinder Rising Stars stand out for their technical proficiency and ability to push boundaries with their perspectives and post-processing skills.
Nearly a year ago now, Riley asked me if I’d ever heard of Rangefinder Magazine. In retrospect, I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I hadn’t. Enthusiastically, she explained what it was and that each year they held a photography competition that named 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography. Furthermore, she elaborated that the competition used to be so that only someone could nominate you that had received the honor previously, but they now were allowing self nominations. Riley wanted me to nominate myself. I instantly said no. I’ve never been big on seeking accolades outside of my revenue numbers. If I’m serving my clients well and I’m making a comfortable income then why does it even matter? It doesn’t make me a better photographer. It’s just validation, and I didn’t feel I needed that from anyone outside of my clientele. However, after returning home that night, something compelled me to look up Rangefinder. The application to self nominate took about thirty seconds to fill out, and with hitting submit I began a long strange journey.
At the start, I kind of forgot about the submission. It hung out in the back of mind, but for the most part I went on about my business as usual. A few weeks later, while waiting on a hotel room in New Jersey of all places, I received an email accepting my nomination and asking me to submit a portfolio. It wasn’t until this point that I allowed myself to really look into this competition beyond just reading the web page. A little seed of excitement and determination begin to take form within me. I am highly competitive as a person, and beyond the previously stated, it’s for this reason that I try to not focus on awards or publications. It can become massively distracting. However, there have been a few times in the past that I’ve decided I wanted something, became hell bent on getting it, and got it. And so, once that root of ambition took hold, I spent every free waking moment of the next few weeks learning about the competition, sorting through thousands of photos, learning about previous winners, and trying to figure out how to best present my work. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about merit based competitions, being good is an aside; you need to completely distinguish yourself from the crowd, while simultaneously being incredibly clear about the meaning behind your work. Most importantly, you need to understand the rules of the competition in order to excel within it.
Rangefinder’s 30 Risings Stars is one of the most prestigious awards you can receive as a wedding photographer. You have to have only been shooting weddings full time for five years or less, so there is a very short window of time a photographer can apply for consideration. Part of my “all in” approach wasn’t just because of my natural competitive nature, but also because I was on year five of being a full time photographer. If I lost this time around there was no trying again. Nominees, like myself, that are accepted for portfolio submission are asked to fill out an extensive application and submit thirty photos to be judged. Portfolios are reviewed with variety, technique, cohesion, and narrative in mind, with specific instruction added to avoid visual cliche’s, uncomfortable posing, or disingenuous expressions. You also have to choose the order by which your images are viewed by judges. I knew from experience the order of images needed to make an impact, as choosing the order indicated your photos would not only be viewed as singular entities, but would be utilized as forming a larger overarching narrative to who you are as a photographer.
After freaking out for a good couple weeks—including a very long flight to Scotland where I didn’t sleep a wink, and instead just stared at my photos for seven hours— I finally got my game plan in order. My approach to curating my portfolio was relatively straight forward: the first five to six images would serve as an introduction to my style and photographic strengths, while the remaining twenty-four images would show how I apply those throughout the formalities of a wedding day. I arranged the last twenty-four images in such a way that an average wedding timeline was subtly adhered to but not overt. I’ve uploaded my winning portfolio below, and added my reasoning for each image and their positioning. I’ve also included honorable mentions. And so, without further ado, here is my portfolio:
1. I wanted to start off with a very strong, eye catching image but one that was also relatively simple compositionally. When beginning my portfolio this image of Rajvi & Nish at their reception was the first photo I knew I wanted to include. I remember the exact moment I took it, knowing it would be an image I would personally cherish for a long time. I think it represents my work so well. It’s clean, elegant, and effortless, yet still unusual in it’s own regard. It’s an image that is unmistakably mine.
2. I went back and forth about what the second image should be for a long time. I wanted something that represented strengths within my work that varied from the first. I settled on this photo of Riley & Cody’s wedding in the Scottish Highlands because it felt more momentary than the leading image. Although it’s a less crisp and clean image, it contained more depth and lots of texture drawing the eye around the composition.
3. Becca & Jake’s wedding was one I instantly looked at when selecting images for this portfolio. There is such a stark minimalist feel to their gallery. Minimal compositions are ones I feel I shoot really well. I love the sparseness in negative space. After reviewing their gallery, I settled on this image of Becca walking to meet Jake for their first look. I placed it third in the portfolio because it had a similar simplicity and crispness to the first image, but contained beautiful texture similar to the second. It was also shot entirely candidly.
4. I chose this shot from Rajvi & Nish’s ceremony to make the complete jump from editorial to documentary photography. I went back and forth between this and another image, as seen in my honorable mentions below. Even though the alternative image was shot candidly, it ‘could have’ been posed. I felt it was more important to demonstrate my ability to compose an image with multiple subjects interacting in a moment that was unmistakably candid.
5. I’ve been known over the years for my desaturated tones, and potential clients have at times questioned if certain important colors will be properly saturated. I wanted to establish my color editing know how early into the portfolio. This moment from Kelsie & Dallas’s elopement in Acadia National Park served as the perfect example. I had never shot at sunrise and it’s bright pink hues are not ones you typically see in my work. I was careful to make sure that their images felt ethereal and moody, but still preserved the richness of the early morning sky. I looked at a lot of images from this moment (you can see an alternative in my honorable mentions,) but the hot pink backlighting in Kelsie’s hair is what earned this photo a spot in my final submission.
6. This image from Wendy & Mike’s tea ceremony is not only the oldest image in this collection, but personally, it is also one of the most important images I’ve ever taken. Photographed way back in summer 2019, I captured this when my photography career was only beginning to take off. This was my first wedding in a culture other than my own, and one of my first couples that I knew looked at many photographers before booking me. When I reviewed their wedding images to discover this gem, I knew instantly I wanted to shoot many more photos that felt just like it. It’s been a hallmark of my portfolio ever since. It dropped to sixth in the portfolio mostly because my style has evolved and become much more refined since it’s capture. However, I felt it was still strong enough to hold it’s own within the introductory section of the submission.
7. The first six images in this portfolio represent my style and the strengths within my work, but the remaining twenty four display those strengths as applied throughout the wedding day. I chose this image from Layla & Clay’s wedding because of it’s unique perspective and dramatic light. I wanted the latter part of the portfolio to subtly follow the average wedding day timeline, and this seemed the perfect shot to represent those rich getting ready moments I seek out.
8. A huge inspiration for my photography is classical painting. You can see this subtly throughout my use of light, composition, and color. I knew this shot from Caroline & Jordan’s wedding day was a strong contender due to it’s candidness and figurative composition. I was hesitant to include it though due to it’s editing being an older style from which I had since evolved. I played around with a similar image of bridesmaids getting ready (seen in my honorable mentions) but couldn’t get past the “three-graces-esque” look of this particular image. There is a painterly timelessness about it that I strive for in my work.
9. When I first started the process of putting together my portfolio I reviewed Shannon and Devin’s gallery immediately. I had a ton of images pulled from their wedding to review, and honestly, this wasn’t one of them. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in this portfolio is this photo of Shannon’s first look with her father. It was one of the last images I selected, as I felt it was important to include a first look moment. I chose this image in particular because it strongly represented my style and worked as a follow up to the proceeding image due to it’s painterly composition.
10. I tend to focus wide when it comes to images. I love showing entire rooms, multiple figures, and broad compositions. So much so that I have to remind myself to hone it in every once in awhile. Although detail shots don’t tend to be my favorite images personally, they are important all the same. I choose this image of Abby & Austin’s great shoe selections to mix up the progression of perspective thus far throughout the portfolio.
11. When collecting images early on, I knew this photo from Paige & Jon’s wedding day was one I wanted to include. It showcases a lot of things I seek out in a photograph; high contrast, symmetrical composition, and an entirely candid moment that’s intimate and touching in a quiet way. There’s something almost storybook about it.
12. Jamie & Melanie’s elopement immediately came to mind when building out my portfolio, but it was actually a different image I planned to include. (As seen in my honorable mentions below.) I ended up opting for this photo after a lot of back and forth, because I felt it had better contrast, exposure, and overall felt more unique. I thought it worked well between the preceding and following images because it felt more organic compared to the previous image and had similar tones yet was starkly different to the following. I originally had it placed much higher up in the portfolio, but felt I needed to space out images that had that sharp, clean “wow factor.”
13. When moving into the ‘ceremony’ portion of images I wanted to start with moments that alluded to the ceremony through details and then slowly progressed to wider shots. I knew early on I wanted to include this image of Layla & Clay’s sofreh somewhere in the mix. The colors and textures of this image, as well as it’s cultural significance, seemed to be the perfect showcase of my ability as a photographer and my experience in working within cultures outside of my own.
14. Bringing it back to an entirely candid moment, this was shot at sunrise during Kelsie & Dallas’s elopement on Cadillac Mountain. It also just might be my favorite image in the entire portfolio. I love everything about it. It’s crispness, the dramatic lighting, the downward slope of the mountain, and the mundanity of the action. An officiant rifling through their papers isn’t an image that comes to mind when we think of wedding photography. It was a beautiful moment that was entirely unique to that particular wedding.
15. I knew including a ceremony shot was probably something I should consider and I was thinking over about 25 of them simultaneously. (You can see an alternative selection of a beach wedding in my honorable mentions.) However, it was this shot of Grace & Trevor’s, A Trip to the Moon themed wedding that made the final cut. I choose it for obvious reasons. Although it’s a very standard image of a wedding, their incredible DIY clouds and mushrooms made it unbelievably unique. I also thought the candidness of the moment felt very authentic. You can feel the emotion in their stance.
16. Mel & Wes’s vow exchange in Pacifica, CA was a very unique event to capture, and an utterly beautiful location. I looked at a lot of images from this wedding, (you can see an alternative in my honorable mentions) but it was this image of them on a cliffside at sunset that felt the best fit. It was a transitory moment from their exchange of vows ending, moving into their next day of wedding festivities. I also felt the exposure was spot on with the inclusion of the mist covered mountains, water line, and city totally visible in the distance.
17. I felt including traditional images in my portfolio was important to showcase how my style applied to the most thought of moments when selecting a photographer. I looked at a lot of “first kiss” photos, but Maren & Matt’s was easily my favorite. Their entire ceremony was incredibly emotional, and I loved how it all boiled down to this final moment. The image itself was also a great jumping back point to those crisp texture filled images I enjoy producing so much.
18. This sweet portrait of Karac & Kyle seemed an appropriate inclusion to make the transition to post ceremony. The emotion, soft lighting, and intimate pose seem to encapsulate that “we’re married” realization right after the formalities. It also felt like a nice moment to return to a more editorial shot, after many documentary style images.
19. Megan & Luke’s image was the most recently shot photo I included at the time of the submission deadline. I believe it was taken the weekend prior. I’m known for a moody editorial look so I thought including some livelier imagery was important; however, I wanted said imagery to have a similar effortlessness to my more serious photos. I loved how joyful and natural this image felt. I didn’t know it when I included it, but this image also went on to place in Junebug’s Weddings 2023 Best of the Best competition, which was an incredible surprise!
20. I knew early in developing this collection of images that Whitney & Shanita’s Mexico wedding needed to be included, but I wasn’t entirely sure how. I had getting ready moments pulled, as well as some from the ceremony. However, I settled on my favorite photo from their day; an image of them laughing shortly before their reception began. Again, I choose it for it’s crispness, soft light, and natural feel.
21. Within the first day or so of developing this portfolio I knew I wanted to include this image from Ali & Ian’s wedding day. It’s the only image in the entire submission that focuses on a wedding party, and it’s easily my favorite wedding party photo of all time. I’ve never particularly been keen on shooting wedding party photos, but this one felt so fun and natural with a symmetrical composition making it a perfect fit for my more structured style.
22. Nikki & Mike’s wedding day included a bar crawl, and I loved these shots we took of them in one of their favorite local hangouts. I included it in this portfolio because I thought it was a rather interesting image, and not one you’d typically see at a wedding. Beyond that, it demonstrated my use of direct flash, which hadn’t been represented up to this point.
23. Rich in texture, crisp in exposure, and emotional in a quiet yet profound regard; this image from Rachel & Adam’s wedding day has been a long time favorite in my vast portfolio. I’ll always love a good grandparent photo, and this one seems to speak to the quiet mundanity in which we exist with the one’s we love.
24. Searching for more celebratory reception photos, I stumbled upon one of my old favorites. Melanie & Geoffrey’s backyard wedding circa fall 2019 was such a “me” wedding, and upon flipping through their images, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner. I pulled several images from this wedding for consideration, but this image of them in front of their makeshift photo-booth seemed to perfectly encapsulate my laid back yet well composed way of shooting.
25. This was the last image I decided to include in this portfolio, replacing an editorial portrait with a bright purple background. (You can see the alternative image in the honorable mentions below.) I felt overall the collection I’d chosen was strong, but wanted to include something that felt more fun or humorous. I consulted with my associate photographer, Erynn who suggested I look back through Abby & Austin’s wedding once more since they were such a fun couple. I had totally forgotten about this image from their speeches and knew it would be a great addition.
26. This image from Becca & Jake’s reception was one I was quick to include in this portfolio. I loved the angle and the golden light. However, after submitting, hell, after being notified I’d won, I noticed a major editing faux pas. How neither myself nor the numerous individuals who reviewed my portfolio prior to submission didn’t see it is beyond me. Regardless, it clearly didn’t effect judging too much, as I’m here writing this today.
27. I’ll never get over the luck of this shot during Jessi & David’s first dance. It ended up being the perfect concluding high energy photo of this collection. I knew I wanted the final three photos to be a wind down of sorts, but I needed a great shot to segue views back into my moodier more editorial style. This crisp documentary image was a great fit.
28. Moving into my final images I wanted to return to the dark and moody look that dominates my portfolio. I choose this image from Desiree & Jorge’s reception because of it’s spooky yet dynamic lighting. It was also shot using a prism, which is something I use quite frequently when photographing the dance party portion of receptions.
29. This photo of Shannon & Devin exiting their wedding felt like a great follow up to the late night spooky vibes of the proceeding image. It feels effortless and editorial in a similar moody way, but with use of direct flash to further demonstrate my ability working in different lighting circumstances.
30. The final image of my portfolio is a lucky one, which feels fitting. This shot was the result of a flash failing to fire during Jason & Clarissa’s sparkler exit. The image in color looks a complete mess, but is transformed into a dramatic low light masterpiece when turned black and white. I knew early into curating this image would serve as a great final shot, as it represents all the things I love in photography: dramatic lighting, an effortless documentary style, and a moment of connection that feels both declarative and utterly personal all in one.
Honorable Mentions
After all of the sorting, the stressing, and the hard work to even enter the competition I hit submit and waited… and waited, and waited a little more. I entered my portfolio in early October and by mid December I was notified I was a finalist in the top 50. I couldn’t believe it. It had been so many weeks that I’d totally psyched myself out over it. The problem was now I could see who my competition was and it was incredibly intimidating; photographers of all styles from all over the world. Forget worrying over being on trend, each photographer was an individual artist in their own right and completely unlike the rest. It was mildly terrifying. We were all informed the final 30 winners would be announced in March, and so I began waiting again.
Between December 2023 and March 2024 my life changed drastically. My mother moved to Kansas City officially in early January, Michael and I bought and moved into a new home, as well. Inspired and feeling validated, I entered into a couple other photography competitions and actually placed. A few days after moving into our new home the announcement was made. I saw my name and it didn’t register. I didn’t understand what I was looking at. Confused by the flurry of congratulations I messaged a fellow rising star and asked if these were the winners. He informed me that I’d won. I was speechless. I sat with the information and did almost nothing. I announced it on Instagram and my private Facebook very informally after several hours, but beyond that, I never really elaborated. It’s taken me months to even feel comfortable talking about it; I’m not a cool editorial photographer from Paris, a moody documentary style photographer from northern Europe, or a vibrant and effortless film photographer from New York. I’m just a girl from the Midwest with a peculiar eye who got thrown into the mix.
All these months later the idea of being a “rising star” is finally starting to resonate. There’s a heaviness to feeling as though you must live up to being a recipient because you took a spot someone else wanted. The weight of perfection made me freeze. So many people submit multiple times and never get it. I submitted once and somehow made it through; even now, that realization makes me want to cry. (And I am not a crier.) Weeks later an industry wide lull hit Kansas City that I’m still dealing with today. It’s made me question my self worth and reexamine my choice to pursue this type of career. However, when I really think on it, I realize learning to adapt is all part of rising. I don’t need to be anything other than in a state of becoming to accept myself or accept being recognized amongst an incredible group of photographers. A slow year will eventually pick up; my persistence and love of documenting memories is steadfast.
A special thank you to Michael and Riley for your constant encouragement and love. A special thank you to my clients for trusting me to create these images of your most important moments. A special thank you to Rangefinder for choosing me. You all really know how to make a girl from the Midwest with a peculiar eye feel beyond validated and liberated.