2024 has been an amazing wedding photography year for me. I am absolutely over the moon to celebrate my proudest achievement in my photography career this year! by winning five prestigious wedding photography awards with Fearless Photographers and being placed 18th in the world for 2024. This has given me a fantastic boost for moving into the 2025 wedding season!
Fearless Photographers is a global community that celebrates bold, innovative and artistic wedding photography, pushing boundaries to tell authentic and emotive wedding stories. I’ve tried to win Fearless awards in the past but never quite reached the standard required. I decided to give it another blast in 2024 and to my honest surprise managed to pick up five awards!
Winning these awards was a culmination of countless hours spent honing my skills, experimenting with different techniques, and finding unique perspectives to tell compelling stories through my lens. Being placed among the top 20 photographers worldwide is a complete honour, particularly in an esteemed international competition celebrated for showcasing the best in the field. The sense of accomplishment from being recognised by such a respected platform is immensely fulfilling. It reassures me that my passion and dedication to photography resonate with audiences worldwide.
award Winning wedding photography images
A wedding takes so much preparation but passes by so fast. This is why it is so important to capture the energy, interactions and emotion in all those unique moments that occur throughout the day, before they fade into memory. I’m not interested in fake grins or posing people and I use a natural documentary style throughout the day. I’m booked by couple’s for this very hands-off, unobtrusive approach to capturing all the moments, details and emotions that give each wedding day its own distinct personality. I was so pleased to win all five awards for pure documentary moments. You can see all the images below. I also picked up an award for photo of the week.
A grand staircase entrance at Swinton Park
I’m always looking for interesting angles when composing photographs and I did exactly this for this image of Elizabeth and her bridesmaid descending the very grand staircase at Swinton Park Castle. This is a stunning venue and the staircase is one of the most striking features, allowing brides to have a magnificent entrance to their wedding ceremony. I know my couples will always want to remember this part of the day so position myself in a way to capture as much of the architecture as possible. Sometimes the gods of photography are smiling and in this case Elizabeth’s father walked in and sat down, waiting for his daughter, adding an extra layer of interest to the image.
A wedding full of love and connections in Doncaster
I absolutely love a wedding that is all about family and friends. It’s just a joy to capture the love, happiness, fun and connections throughout the day. This was certainly the case for Lydia and Arman’s big day at the brides family home in Doncaster. I noticed that Lydia seemed to have a very close relationship with an older woman which I assumed to be her grandmother. They spent a lot of time talking and laughing together. These kinds of moments tend to develop over time so it’s important to be constantly watching and observing, waiting for the emotion, the laughter, tears, joy, connection to surface. My patience was rewarded when one of them said something both funny and tear inducing because suddenly they were both laughing and wiping the tears from their eyes!
It turns out that the older lady is not Lydia’s grandma, so she told me later , but her life long mentor who meant so much to her. She had not been that well and they did not think she would be able to attend the wedding but apparently she hopped in a taxi and surprised everyone by arriving on the day. Afterwards, Lydia told me how much it meant to her to have these moments captured between her and her life long friend. As a photographer it is an amazing thing to do to be able to capture these loving connections for people. These are the kinds of images that couples can treasure for a lifetime.
A ring carrying owl in a gothic castle!
I absolutely love unusual events, happenings, animals! at a wedding and you cannot get better than an owl carrying the rings down the aisle in a gothic castle ! I’ve covered many weddings at the stunning Allerton Castle in North Yorkshire but Chloe and Tom’s day was that extra bit special! Allerton Castle is a dramatic wedding venue with a stunning staircase leading into a large medieval ceremony hall. To witness this spectacular ceremony setting with an owl delivering the rings was a unique experience. This is actually a very scary proposition and not an easy capture for a photographer. When you combine the dark castle with a fast moving , unpredictable bird, it’s not an easy task.
Thankfully the own did it’s job and flew in a straight line. I did my best to get accurate focus and with a bit of luck on my side, I managed to capture some sharp images of the owl, mid aisle. The thing that elevates this image to the next level is the looks on the faces of the guests as the owl flew by! I just love their reactions!
A Trouser malfunction at a lake district wedding
This is just one of those photographic moments on a wedding day where everything comes together. This time with an action packed dance floor at a stunning barn venue on Lake Windermere. Emma and Daniel had had a beautiful wedding day at the Townhead Estate and had just finished their first dance. Family and friends crowded onto the dance floor with happy faces and some brilliant moves!
Suddenly, amidst the very energetic dancing, a groomsman took a leap, and very comically ripped his trousers in a rather unfortunate spot! Gasps turned into bursts of laughter as guests pointed, some doubling over at the sight, while the groomsman, who very much took it in his stride, found himself the center of attention. The atmosphere was hilarious, filled with the sounds of music and laughter, making it a moment to remember in the midst of the festivities.
A meeting of the mnds between page boy and kitten
I was hanging around with my camera during the canapé hour at Wendy & James’ wedding at Wentbridge House, when I noticed something move amongst the parked cars. I swung my camera around to see that a page boy had noticed a little kitten hiding under one of the cars wheels. Once I noticed this it was just a mater of waiting for something to happen. As the boy approached, the kitten moved out from behind the wheel and looked directly at him. I took many frames of this moment waiting to photograph the locking of the eyes between these two and was so pleased to finally capture this poignant and fleeting connection.
A Fearless photo of the day
This is one of my favourite images of the year from one of my favourite weddings. Polly and Rich tied the knot at the stunning Wharfedale Grange in North Yorkshire. They are such a fabulously fun couple and an absolute joy to work with. It felt like they danced their way through the entire day, and this shot perfectly captures one of those unforgettable moments.. I chose a low angle to highlight the grandeur of the barn, the shimmering disco ball, and the lively “Till Death Do We Party” lights that perfectly summed up their celebratory entrance. Polly and Rich burst into the room hand in hand, dancing and laughing as the barn doors framed them beautifully against the rolling countryside.
Thank you to all my 2024 couples for all being so fabulous to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed capturing every one of these moments and many more and look forward to a fabulous year of wedding in 2025. A huge thank you to Fearless Photographers for creating such a wonderful community of excellent wedding photographers and one of the best and most challenging international competitions. Congratulations also to the other winners. This success has truly motivated me to continue pushing the boundaries of my creativity and craft.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY in Yorkshire, the lake district and beyond
If you are you looking for a or a photographer for your wedding in Yorkshire or the Lake District or in fact anywhere throughout the UK, please don’t hesitate to get in touch . I photograph all sorts of weddings from the most lavish events to intimate home weddings and would be very happy to offer you a no-obligation chat by phone or Zoom to talk about your requirements. I also arrange appointments to meet in person at my studio in Pudsey if you would like to look at sample albums. Please get in touch below if you’d like to be sent further information or arrange to have a chat about your day. You can also email kirstyds@gmail.com or call 07564 953262.