Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography is an exclusive list of up-and-coming wedding photographers from around the globe.

Our final 30 Rising Stars are selected in a process that involves three rounds. Initial nominations are made by established industry professionals and wedding photographers. Nominees must have been shooting weddings on a full-time basis for five years or less to be eligible.

If picked from among the nominees, they are requested to fill out a questionnaire and submit 30 photos from their portfolio. Those who show exceptional promise for advancing and evolving the aesthetics of wedding photography are selected as top 50 finalists with the final 30 announced at WPPI.

Our 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography 2024 excelled in all areas judges evaluate, including consistent style, narrative strength, and post-processing prowess.

Lead Judge and Content Director for Rangefinder, Arlene Evans says, “These photographers represent the next exciting generation of storytellers bringing fresh and unique style to wedding photography. Their stories evoke emotion that resonates with the viewer. They also show technical proficiency and push the boundaries with their perspectives and post-processing skills.”
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We are very pleased to introduce them in our Winners Gallery. Learn More »

Photographing Couples In Love by Kristina Wikle

Family Lifestyle Photography by Elena Blair

The Location Lighting Series

Shannon Beauclair, the artist behind Beauclair Photography in Kirkland, received top honors at the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Conference, which was recently held in Las Vegas.

The competition had 1,700 digital submissions from 365 photographers worldwide. Only the top 10 scoring entries in each category received an invitation to the in-person print competition at the WPPI convention, a release noted. 

Beauclair, who grew up in Bellevue and has lived in Kirkland for more than 30 years, won multiple awards in the Icon International Print of the Year Competition. 

Four images in the final print competition showcased Beauclair’s versatility and creative vision. Among them was a boudoir image, which clinched third-place honors; another was an individual portrait image, which received the highest scoring entry in the entire competition, earning her the grand champion title and first place honors in the portrait category.

“I am truly an honored and humbled to be recognized among such incredible photographers from around the world,” said Beauclair in a press statement. “This journey has been filled with both learning and creating imagery that makes me happy and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to showcase my work and to others.”

Click Thompson hails from Virgina where he got his first taste of the western industry. Bull riding and barrel racing was his first look into rodeo and his love for the sport only grew from there.

“I found rodeo one day and fell in love with it. The people were awesome, everyone was just accepting of who I was and me not knowing what I was looking at. My skills were there as a photographer…. and one of my friends [said] ‘hey, come out and we’ll take pictures’ and then [I] got hooked,” Thompson said.

Thompson shot for the PBR before getting his PRCA Photographer Card in 2019. That same year he moved to Texas and his career took off.

“Everyone is special and unique. The thing I’ve always loved about our industry and rodeo in general is just the legacy. Each rodeo has it’s own special story, the Thomas and Mack is just unique to everyone involved. It’s kind of like this timeless gladiator kind of moment,” he said.

Although Thompson was not born and raised on the back of a horse, his fresh eye behind the camera brought a new perspective to his shots. He was able to be creative in a way that allow him to freeze moments in time that others might have over looked. Pushing the limits has resulted in becoming a two-time PRCA Photographer of the Year.

From a desk job at the Department of Defense to a lifestyle where he is on the road for weeks on end, Thompson only had one thing to say.

“There’s just something about it…. Once you get it in your blood, you can’t fight it,” Thompson said.

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Tribune-Star columnist Mike Lunsford was honored in February for his writing and photography skills at the 55th annual Hoosier Outdoor Writers conference at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Lunsford received a total of six “Excellence-in-Craft Awards” for his writing, including four first place awards for his stories, “Jim Nardi and the ‘little things that make the world,’” “Every snake is different,” “A walk with our friend, Scag,” and “A pilgrim at Raccoon Creek.”

“This was no small feat since the judges for the writing portion of the contests represented some of the most accomplished judges we have ever had for the HOW writing contest,” said HOW Executive Director Tom Berg in a news release. “The judges this year included past presidents of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, current and former outdoors editors from newspapers in major cities around the USA, a former editor of Outdoor Life magazine, college professors and communications staffers for government and non-governmental agencies.”

Lunsford also received two awards in the photography division of the contest. His photos in the outdoor scenic (“Pretty as a Picture”) and outdoor recreation (“On the Trail”) categories scored third places.

Lunsford was also awarded the second place prize in the annual “Turn in a Poacher” writing contest, sponsored by the Citizen’s Advisory Board and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for his column, “Why would we not want to protect them?”

The HOW excellence-in-craft awards are sponsored by Toyota Motor Company. The Hoosier Outdoor Writers group was formed in 1969, and members are dedicated media professionals who are interested in the wise use of natural resources in the Hoosier State.

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