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Talented British Photographers Featured in the 2020 International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards

British Photographers Shine in 2020 Wedding Photography Awards


Nikita Thorne Guides for Brides
Nikita Thorne Updated:
25th of March 2023

Across Britain, we have some incredible talent when it comes to wedding photography. Recently, the Grand Winner of the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards (IWPOTYA) was announced to be Australian, James Simmons, with a gorgeous black and white portrait of a bride and groom representing Yin and Yang. We saw some fantastic photographers from across the UK coming very close to winning these prestigious awards too. Here are those photographers and their notable, high scoring images.

Paul Gapper Photography

Paul Gapper IWPOTYA Entry

Paul Gapper is one of the most highly regarded photographers on Guides for Brides. He’s a South London based photographer and has over 100 5-star reviews on his listing! This image skillfully captures the unexpected moment a pigeon flies into the venue during the wedding breakfast. We loved seeing the bridal party looking both shocked and in hysterics at the situation and how everyone's reactions are different. In particular, we love how the groom protects his bride from the rogue bird with his napkin. This image came 5th in the 'Bridal Party' category.

Nick Walker Photography

Nick Walker IWPOTYA Entry

Nick Walker is a Cornwall based wedding photographer, specialising in capturing authentic moments for your big day. This image came 9th in the 'Couple Portrait' category. We love how beautifully Nick has captured these newly-weds as they embrace under the umbrella. The darkness of their surrounding and the small flicks of light within the rain looking like confetti really highlights the romance in this image.

Miss Gen Photography

Genevieve Chapman IWPOTYA Entry

Genevieve Chapman is a London based wedding photographer who specialises in documentary-style photography. This stunning shot came 12th in the 'Couple Portrait' category, capturing a happy couple kissing after their micro-wedding. We love how beautifully Genevieve has framed the couple within the incredible architecture of Old Marylebone Town Hall and, of course, the bride’s gorgeous wedding look. Just STUNNING!

Kim Burrows Photography

Kim Burrows IWPOTYA Entry

This amazing capture by Kim Burrows Photography scored highly in two categories. Kim specialises in capturing laid-back, authentic moments just like this one. This shot came 4th in the 'From Above' category and 8th in the 'Single Capture' category. We love the muted-tones in this image contrasting with the bright flowers. The shot beautifully encapsulates the role of the flower girl as she eagerly descends the steps to the ceremony; her basket full of petals. Such an innocent and sweet image!

Paulo Santos Photography

Paulo Santos IWPOTYA Entry

Paulo Santos is an incredibly talented photographer from Newcastle Upon Tyne. He beautifully captures weddings all over the UK and Europe. This jaw-droppingly gorgeous image came 12th in the 'Black & White' category. The bride looks as though she is gliding through the darkness like an angel, effortlessly capturing the grace and beauty every bride wants to feel on their big day.

Eye-catching International Shots from the IWPOTYA

Now you’ve seen the British talent, take a look at some of our favourite shots from this year's winners and high-scoring entries (trust us, we found it incredibly difficult to choose just a handful!)

The Winning Shot - James Simmons, Australia

James Simmons, IWPOTYA Winner

This incredible shot by Australian, James Simmons, is a worthy winner. We absolutely adore the composition and the stunning use of light. James said about this image - “The Ying Yang symbol instantly came to mind and later as I refined the image in PS (Photoshop) the King & Queen chessboard design was also an influence that worked well visually.”

The Runner-Up - Antonio Crutchley, USA

Antonio Crutchley IWPOTYA Entry

American photographer Antonio Crutchley came 1st in the 'Non-Wedding/Engagement' category and his image came in 2nd overall. We adore how he’s captured the couple’s reactions so stunningly as they find something exciting in their prop newspaper.

Frederica Ariemma, Italy

Federica Ariemma IWPOTYA Entry

In the year of micro-weddings, this gorgeous image caught our eye. Frederica is an Italian wedding photographer and has beautifully photographed this couple having their first dance in front of their nearest and dearest.

Ekaterina Mukhina, Russia

Ekaterina Mukhina IWPOTYA Entry

Russian photographer, Ekaterina Mukhina, captures this brave couple as they lie across what looks to be a frozen lake. The layers in the ice look incredibly dramatic and the couple are perfectly composed within the lines. What an amazing shot!

Ana Galloway, New Zealand

Ana Galloway IWPOTYA Entry

This New Zealand based photographer has dreamily captured this bride on a windy day. We love how the movement of the veil has been so beautifully caught in this image.

Divyam Mehrotra, India

Divyam Mehrotra IWPOTYA Entry

Divyam brilliantly captures the colour and excitement of a wedding party in this image. We particularly love the dramatic contrast of the powder paint colours against the white outfits.

Catherine Ekkelboom-White, Austria

Catherine Ekkelboom-White IWPOTYA Entry

A backdrop and activity of epic proportions for this bride and groom! We love the energy and adventure within this shot from Catherine. The horizon of mountains through the clouds really makes this shot so much more dramatic.

Simone Addison, Australia

Simone Anderson IWPOTYA Entry

We love the simple nature of this image of two grooms enjoying an ice cream captured by Simone Addison. It really caught our eye with how casual this wedding celebration feels and we love it!

Ben Lane, New Zealand

Ben Lane IWPOTYA Entry

The colours in this shot are just incredible. We really love how Ben Lane has composed this 'From Above' moment and how dramatic the landscape looks.

Wow, if that doesn’t prove wedding photography truly is an art form, we don’t know what will! It was so hard to choose our favourites for the 2020 International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards. You can view more winners and high-scoring images in their 2020 Gallery.

Other Award-winning British Photographers

There are so many fantastic photographers across the UK who have won other prestigious awards. So, to wrap things up, here are a few special mentions...

Sam and Steve Photography

Sam and Steve Photography award winning photographers

Sam and Steve are amazing photographers based in Oxfordshire. They won the Guides for Brides Customer Service Award for the photography category in 2019. Their customer service is second to none. And their photos? Incredible!

David Bostock Photography

David Bostock award winning photographer

David Bostock is another highly regarded photographer on Guides for Brides. He has won several awards for his work for both weddings and boudoir photography. We particularly love this shot which won the Guild of Photographers, Image of the Year Award in 2019.

Laura Shaw Photography

Laura Shaw Photography award winning photographer

Laura Shaw is a weddings and family photographer based in Sussex. She won the Cotient Photography Award in 2018 for her gorgeous photo of a young girl blowing a bubble. This is one of our favourite shots from her wedding gallery, simply beautiful!

Lightdraw Photography

Master Photographers Association’s Portrait Wedding Photographer of the Year for the East Midlands Lightdraw

James and Katie from Lightdraw Photography are incredible wedding photographers based in Northamptonshire. James recently won the Master Photographers Association’s Portrait Wedding Photographer of the Year 2020 for the East Midlands. 

Alice Morgan Photography

Alice Morgan Photography award winning photographer

Alice Morgan Photography won our customer service award in 2018 due to her many wonderful reviews from previous clients. She is not only fabulous to work with, but takes beautiful photos just like this one.

Has this got you excited for your close-up? Find an amazing photographer near you today.

Nikita Thorne Guides for Brides

About the author


Nikita Thorne

Nikita is a wedding planning expert and newlywed having tied the knot in 2023. She is the host of Guides for Brides - The Wedding Podcast and regularly speaks at wedding industry conferences and national wedding shows to inform and inspire couples who are planning their big days. She keeps on top of the latest wedding trends in design and fashion and loves to see the new innovative ideas from wedding professionals across the country. If you need practical planning advice, Nikita has been through the entire wedding planning process, so is your best contact!

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