A year round resident of The Isle of Skye, Andrew Rae lives and breathes those huge Scottish landscapes that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in wedding and elopement images. His insider knowledge means he can go beyond the more well known spots and give his couples a unique adventure. Although many of his images feature the views in much of the frame, his subjects and their romance are always the true stars.

Ben is a Derbyshire photographer with an alternative style that hones in on the drama and emotion of weddings. He’s at weddings for the endless creative possibilities and because they are never the same. Behind the scenes, his wife Hannah is taking care of the service part of what they offer so that their couples feel looked after and that they are getting more than a tick-the-box photographer.

With a background in branding and design, Ben Higgins from Boy Called Ben describes his photography as ‘wholesome’. He takes inspiration from nature, travel and cinema and produces wedding images that feel like they’ve been very much created by an insider. His aim is to deliver a gallery that is of great personal value to the people involved, be that a wedding in the UK or beyond.

Welsh-born Dan Morris switched from being an electrical engineer to wedding photography. His approach is photojournalistic with an eye for the unique situations and occurrences at weddings. He can extract the strongest emotion from a scene and create his composition around it. Considering how fast-paced most weddings are, this is something that requires a lot of skill and experience. It’s not surprising that Dan has collected a fair share of accolades and the respect of his peers.

Based in the Midlands, Ed’s love for photography started as a teenager developing black and white film. These days he’s a highly respected wedding photographer who prefers to let the events unfold around him as opposed to orchestrating frames. He’s not aiming for ‘posed perfection’ but prefers to deliver a series of images that focus on the joy of his couples and the fun parts of their wedding days. Ed returns to our list for the third year running.

We think that Emily Rose Hamilton is developing into one of the most intriguing photographers in the UK. Based in Berkshire she began shooting weddings aged just 19. She’s emotion-focused with an intuition for how relationships shape and form us. This is apparent in her work and we think she will be an interesting person to follow over the next year.

Northern Irish photographer, Emma Kenny has a graphic design background, the influences of which are obvious in her wedding photography. Her passion is in creating cinematic images alongside documenting what weddings feel like from the inside. She prefers to think of her couples as friends rather than clients. This adds to the sense that Emma has a genuine fascination for her subjects and a desire to show how they were feeling on these extraordinary days.

Surrey photographer Emmy is one of a growing number of photographers that are falling back in love with film photography. She’s using it in her wedding work alongside digital to give her images a fine art finish and a sense of both drama and romance. Her focus is on the style and detail of a wedding day, reflecting back to couples the choices they made and why.

Emma from Epic Love Story returns to our list in 2022 confirming her place as one of the UK’s most creative wedding photographers. Her meticulous eye for composition combined with her directing skills makes for outstanding images. Her aesthetic is edgy but with feminine softness.

A consistent force on both our list and in the wedding industry in general, Esme Whiteside shoots with a wild, romantic vision that is definitely on the dark side of the spectrum. While most look for available light, Esme is looking for available shadow and carefully crafting the light to give soul to her images.

Buckinghamshire photographer, Harry Michael came onto our radar earlier this year and we’ve been taken in by the charm and warmth in his images. He clearly has an affection for both his subjects and the lifestyle around weddings. We think he’s one to watch and we look forward to following along as his career progresses.

Igor Demba lives in Peterborough but travels worldwide to shoot weddings. His highly artistic style is refined from over a decade in the industry, focusing on building trust with his couples. This permits Igor to create images that hold the essence of what these weddings and their locations felt like at that time. It is no wonder that Igor makes his third appearance on our list of top photographers.

London photographer, Jess Rose specialises in both LGBTQ+ and Feminist weddings producing work that has a sense of empathetic collaboration with the people who book her. The energy in her photos is quiet and soft when it needs to be or upbeat and in the action when that is required. We feel the layers beyond what we can see in the frames.

Living in Sussex, Jessica Bevan has been one to watch this year as she’s rapidly developed her UK and destination wedding photography business. She’s a self-confessed people person with a curiosity for life and a love of travel. She’s combined both of these into her work along with an editorial eye. She’s been delivering galleries that are stylish and emotive and we are sure she will be highly recommended by both her couples and her peers.

London photographer Jessica Williams combines digital and analogue photography for a considered approach to shooting weddings. She studied fine art at Central St Martins and this influences how she composes her frames. There’s nothing superfluous in them, you can see the care that went into creating them and the craft that’s behind the lens.

Paris-born Joséphine Elvis (what a name!) now calls London her home. She shoots weddings and elopements with a street photography approach. She aims to be a cool friend shooting the day in an unobtrusive and observant way. She brings her many passions to the job and for Jo, strangers are just friends she hasn’t met yet.

Jo Greenfield is included in our list for the third year running as once again we are charmed by how much of her personality is poured into her work. She’s not on the outside of weddings with an unobtrusive approach, she’s right in the heart of her weddings, investing her own emotions in order to get the best for her couples. She has an energetic curiosity for people and what brings them together.

Joab Smith is one of our new additions to the list. Living in The Cotswolds, he is in a prime position to work at some of our most chic venues and he shoots a stylish clientele. He prefers to work quietly in the background for much of a wedding, letting the images reveal themselves to him. His work is sublimely pretty and in parts delicate. But he’s also not afraid to enhance a scene with some skilled lighting to give his couple something truly special.

Joanna Bongard who currently splits her time between London and Margate was at one point a photographer who was ‘trying to get your granny to do star jumps’ at a well-known high street portrait studio. When people started asking her to shoot weddings she found that she could be more creatively attuned to her own vision and soon left the studio behind. Her style is effortlessly cool, like many of her clients. There’s obvious participation from Joanna in the photos and a sense that she is more than an observer, she’s there to take part.

Joanna Brown is the real deal, more than a photographer who shoots weddings, she’s on a quest to create art at weddings. She’s returned to our list as we are fascinated by how she has been presenting her work in chapters over the last year. Her photography is an examination of the nuances of wedding days, combined with a love for the available tools, be that digital, film, instant, or toy cameras. Whilst a new generation of photographers is discovering film, for Joanna it never went away.

New to the list, Edinburgh-based Joanna also includes her husband Nathan in their business which focuses on the Elopement part of the market. Together they offer packages which can include filming for couples who want a more adventurous experience in the wonderful landscapes that we have in the British Isles, especially Scotland. They fully embrace the elements and the surroundings without compromising the connection within their subjects.

This is her first time appearing on our list but Katie Julia’s star has been in ascendance for quite some time. Her background is in both Fine Art and Drama but it was when she picked up a film camera that Katie came to wedding photography. Her images contain a painterly quality alongside an obvious influence from fashion publications and campaigns. There’s a sumptuous touch in much of her work. It’s not surprising that she’s established a demand for her service in the luxury end of the market with an A-List clientele.

Featured for a second year on our list, Sussex photographer Katie Rogers brings an editorial influence to her wedding galleries. Her delight in being the person who shows what these celebrations feel like is obvious. She has an eye for finer details, subtle movements, and intimate impressions from a wedding. Her images feel romantic but in a fully modern manner.

Brighton wedding photographer and videographer Kim Williams specialises in shooting Feminist and LGBTQ+ weddings. She’s out to challenge the outdated traditions that many couples still include in their weddings and to move the industry forward. Her post on What Men Did To Me At Weddings did a lot to highlight what female photographers frequently endure whilst at work and we have great admiration for the fact that Kim is working on making positive changes for the greater good. However, her place on the list is because her images are warm-hearted, joyous, and highly skilled.

Making her second appearance on the list, Hampshire-based Kirsty has been packing in the shoots and weddings since we last looked at her wonderful portfolio. There’s a lot of energy in her work and an emphasis on style. Through creating her own shoots alongside weddings, Kirsty has been at the cutting edge of what’s hot in weddings and we see her images on many Pinterest boards. She’s someone that many others look to for inspiration.

Polish-born Lena and Lebanese Patrick now live together in Glasgow. Lena is the creative driving force, who wants to get a deep sense across of what emotions her subjects were experiencing at the time of a photograph. She is not one to stage manage couples but wants them to reach a place where they will naturally reveal what’s inside. When not shooting weddings, she styles her own shoots to show her darker, moodier side.

One of the most established UK wedding photographers with over 20 years in the industry, Brighton-based Lisa Devlin has had quite the year. Since we last included her on the list, she has become one of a very select handful of photographers around the world who can call themselves a Hasselblad Heroine. Including medium format at weddings gives her work a refined, rich character that we also see in her editorial images.

We don’t know how it has taken us until now to discover the work of Lucy Birkhead but she’s fast become one of our favourite UK Wedding Photographers. While many photographers say that they are editorial meaning a certain style that is fashion-influenced, Lucy walked the walk by working for legendary fashion photographer Mario Testino. She credits this with instilling in her a sense that “perfection isn’t always best, and it has made me more aware of the real, raw beauty that surrounds us in unusual and quiet disguise”.

Yorkshire Duo, Patrick and Hollie Mateer combine a documentary approach with an artistic flair for portraits that reflect the personalities of their subjects. Theirs is a bright and bold take on the genre of weddings that sees them put good use to a spectrum of techniques. Their aim is to create wedding images that hang on walls, not just hang around on hard drives.

Living in Chester, Polish husband and wife team Marta and Micheal have a passion for travel that they combine with their love for photography and filmmaking. They have one rule when it comes to shooting and that is nothing is staged. They describe love as ‘friendship on fire’ and their aim is to echo this in their beautiful imagery.

London wedding photographer Matilda Delves prefers a natural, documentary way of shooting when it comes to weddings. Her couples are often unaware of the images that she is taking but this doesn’t mean that she isn’t at the heart of the action. By carefully observing, she is waiting for the images to reveal themselves to her and giving herself time to consider all parts of the frame.

This year, we welcome Meggy Mac to the list after a year of watching her progress. She’s been a force to be reckoned with, not just in Scotland where she is based but globally as well. Her love for travel has fuelled a portfolio that’s now jam-packed with impressive images shot in exotic places. She’s on a remarkable journey and we think you should start following along via her social media.

Memoirz is a Birmingham studio of photographers and cinematographers who are friends and brothers. Their collective is working both in the UK and internationally in the luxury Asian wedding market producing artistic work that is truly exceptional. Their images are like high-end fashion magazine pages that are rich in both colour and texture.

We are bringing London-based Naomi back to this year’s list as we cannot get enough of her remarkable imagery from weddings. She is another film enthusiast who understands the subtleties that can only be achieved in the analogue process. Her work has an ethereal quality, as if the subject just briefly wafted through the frame or that it was a tiny instant that’s never to be repeated.

Now settled in London, partners Olivia and Dan fuse together documentary techniques with cinematic style. Their discerning use of light enhances the narration in their work and challenges the viewer to imagine beyond what is visible in a composition. All of this combined could be described as emotional elegance and they are a very exciting addition to this year’s list.

Another addition to our list from North Of The Border is the duo, Rachel and Tonie. We’ve fallen head over heels for their unconventional style of wedding photography that shares more than just the events of a wedding day, it shares the personalities of those involved. This pair know their craft, the composition is carefully thought out so that nothing distracts from the feelings.

One of the few photographers that has graced this list three times in a row, Rebecca has established herself as a benchmark in the industry. She’s the level to which many aspire to reach and we think this is through her strategic planning to set and achieve goals. She’s shifted her focus away from the UK market so much and onto shooting international elopements and stylish weddings that take place in travel hotspots. Her Instagram is a bucket list come to life that’s full of aspirational weddings that Rebecca goes above and beyond for.

We simply could not leave Rebecca Searle off the list as she’s one of our favourite photographers to follow after discovering her last year. Her work is highly sophisticated and editorial in direction. We are also a fan of her filming which has a rawness to it that makes it feel truly present. We are expecting to see her become quite a big influence for many in the industry in the coming twelve months.

Being a photographer is in Rosie’s bones as she grew up with a professional photographer Mum. She evidently takes delight in reflecting people back to themselves in the best possible way. She’s giving permission for them to be themselves but on a really good day. Her portfolio is impressive but also joyous as if the images are from an insider’s perspective.

With a studio in Derby, Sam returns to the list as he’s been impressing us with not only his wedding images over the last year but also his podcast for creatives with fellow listed photographer Igor Demba. Before weddings, Sam had careers in design and fashion and this taste for refinement is what lifts his wedding photos to exceptional levels and gives them an editorial edge. He is someone that many others look to for inspiration and his love for the job is infectious.

We want to live in Sarah’s world, it looks effortlessly chic and like a time when colour photography was on film and more saturated than the real world. Taking a look through her blog is like stepping into different worlds. Like others on this year’s list, she is passionate about analogue and uses it alongside digital to deliver richly textured imagery to some seriously fashionable couples.

Of course, it is no surprise that Sean Bell makes a return to the list for the third time as he consistently seems to grow and develop his quietly artistic style of wedding and elopement photography. Mostly shooting in Scotland he has a passion for adventure and books clients that want his expert guidance and insider knowledge on the landscape. But Sean is also a master at directing people and helping his subjects feel a deeper connection. We think he is exceptional when it comes to expression with the subject’s hands in his work.

London based Taylor & Porter is run by a photographer called Louise who chose the company name in honour of both of her Grandmothers. After completing her degree in Photojournalism at the University of The Arts, London, she realised that her biggest passion was for film photography and Super 8mm movies for destination weddings. She offers wedding photography that is both heartfelt and incredibly chic. We could just look through her work for hours and feel like we are transported into these glamorous events..

The Chamberlins are married photographers Will and Celle, he’s a Brit and she’s Brazilian. Together they are quite a force to be reckoned with. They have an energetic passion for shooting weddings with a style that is on the alternative and non-traditional side. There’s an apparent joy and vibrancy in their work but also a subtlety and tenderness. They are new to our list and a pair that we’ve loved following for some time now.

The Mays are Marta and Artur, a Duo living in the Midlands who are no strangers to accolades. They’ve already racked up a fair few for their innovative approach to wedding photography. They offer more of an experience than many photographers and are not afraid to orchestrate frames in order to deliver something very special to their couples.

We would be tempted to include these Northern Irish photographers on our list just because we are so charmed by the name. The Three Bears are a family team of documentary wedding photographers that came onto our radar this year and it’s safe to say we are now fans. They have an easy, relaxed style that seems to create a warm connection with their couples.

Carla is the photographer behind the brand The Unbridled and she’s definitely got an interesting attitude to shooting weddings. She’s after an access all areas pass and is not about some kind of planned perfection. There’s a raw wildness in her work that is exciting to see. If she’s raising the bar, we are invested in seeing what happens next. If these were stills from a movie, we’d be buying a ticket.

What is it with The Cotswolds and this year’s list? There seem to be some very strong photographers working in that area right now and that includes the extraordinary Timi Oshin. He doesn’t shy away from posing people to achieve something that’s more than a portrait on a wedding day. He has some very interesting ideas and we look forward to seeing the direction that he takes over the next year too.

We found Wayne La when we went on a deep dive into Instagram Hashtags on a mission to discover new people. Don’t ask us what the tags were but we are so glad to have discovered this London-based photographer. He is a photojournalist with an observational, reportage approach. The images on his Instagram are fascinating and could be from another time – not ‘timeless’ like some photographers strive to portray but actually like photos in the 1980s.

Zach and Grace are another UK Duo that offers both photography and videography. Before weddings, they shot during Fashion Weeks all over the world and this appreciation for style shapes their wedding work. They see weddings not as a ‘them and us’ situation but as a shared experience. Their editorial eye is much in demand, not just for weddings but also for brands.