With a historical appreciation for the arts, a diverse, multicultural society, and an abundance of historical and urban landmarks to photograph, creatives in the United Kingdom produce some of the best wedding photography in the world.
In 2016, we shared our 150 Best International Wedding Photographers and 100 Best Wedding Photographers in the U.S. and Canada. After a 4 year hiatus, we’re back at it, combing through thousands of portfolios to find the best wedding photographers in each region. Since we created an all-encompassing list of the best international wedding photographers in our previous round, we decided to narrow down our focus to specific regions of the world to further highlight artists doing incredible creative work in the wedding photography field.
The Selection Method for the 100 Best Wedding Photographers in the UK for 2020
When it came to finding the “100 Best Wedding Photographers in the UK for 2020,” we were extremely particular in our consideration. With so many wonderful photographers with varying styles all around the world, the process required weeks of research, analysis of thousands of portfolios, and research into the opinions of dozens of trusted industry sources.
Our goal was to invent a systematic method of selection that included as much objectivity as possible in an inherently subjective process. Here’s how we created the list:
Step 1: We first compiled multiple lists of award-winners, instructors, and industry leaders from a variety of respected sources. These sources included the following:
Conference Speakers – Educators from conferences like The Photography Show, The Societies of Photographers, Photokina, WPPI, PhotoPlus, Imaging USA, Canada Photo Convention, CreativeLive, and Mystic Seminars, and other conferences
Award Winners – Photographers recognized by respected sources like Fearless Photographers, Pop Photo, Junebug Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, SLR Lounge, American Photo Mag, and other publications.
Brand Ambassadors – Sponsored photographers from respected brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Profoto, Kodak, Magmod, and the MAC Group lineup of products.
Step 2: We ran these lists through a formula to find the reoccurring names. If a name or studio appeared more than once, they were up for consideration. We then looked for the following:
Working Photographers – Since this is a list of the best wedding photographers for 2020 (and not an “all-time” list), we wanted to ensure that each artist was active. For this, we looked for clues like their blog entry dates and the contents of their social media activity.
Artists and Not Just Educators – The formula revealed some photographers who are well-known educators but lacked in artistry in comparison to the rest of the results. These were eliminated.
Artists and Not Just Networkers – The formula also revealed some photographers who are well connected in the industry but lacked in artistry in comparison to the rest of the results. These were also eliminated.
Step 3: We went through the long process of reviewing each portfolio for the following characteristics:
Uniqueness and Creativity – This list favors photographers who are doing something different. Some are pioneering new techniques, others see art in places where most photographers would overlook.
Artistry and Vision – This list also favors photographers who have a complete vision for the final product. In their images, you can see how all elements of the scene work together (the subjects, location, post-processing, and more) for a beautiful, cohesive, final product.
Timing and Emotion Capture – This list also favors photographers who have a knack for being in the right place at the right time to create emotional photojournalism.
Consistency – This list favors photographers who produce consistent quality from shoot to shoot. One single great shot (or even a large set of great shots) is not enough to make the list.
Step 4: We then compared portfolios again and continued to eliminate until we cut the list down to 95 photographers. We kept our list at 95 because we want you to nominate the rest of the 5 in the comments below. The primary limitation is that the initial selection favors artists with high visibility, whether that be through teaching, networking, or winning awards. There very well could be some deserving photographers with lower visibility (perhaps with all of their efforts going towards serving their clients). There may also be some rising stars that are simply too new to pop up on our radar. So let us know your thoughts and help us make this the best possible list of its kind.
100 Best Wedding Photographers in the UK for 2020
With that, congratulations to the following photographers (presented in alphabetical order):
Alice Houstons is a photographer and staff writer at SLR Lounge with over a decade of experience behind the lens. Based in Orange County, California, she shoots weddings with Lin & Jirsa Photography and specializes in family and newborn photography with Line and Roots, where she has photographed over 100 family sessions and 100 newborn sessions. Her writing spans photography education, gear guides, business resources, and industry news.
