Fabio Murella used composition, timing, and humour to be a masterful piece of visual communication for his competition-winning image
Fabio Murella used composition, timing, and humour to be a masterful piece of visual communication for his competition-winning image
"I love weddings," says Italian wedding photographer Fabio Mirulla, "years and years of moments and emotions condensed in one day, maybe just a few hours, that could fade away if not impressed in photos."
That love of a couple's special day has won Mirulla the coveted title of International Wedding Photographer of the Year, announced this week.
Beating 415 shooters from 58 countries who submitted more than 1500 images, Mirulla's winning image is a cleverly composed, light-hearted capture of the bride getting ready for the big day, her modesty upheld with the careful placement of a lampshade suggesting the dress she may put on in due course.
Andrew and Bec of Willow and Wolf were runners-up and winners of the Epic Location award with this shot in the Canadian mountains
"Great couples give me the chance to do one of the things that I love about my work - experimenting - that's what happened during this shoot thanks also to a great friend of mine," Mirulla says. "I'm a storyteller of the wedding day, a privileged witness of a couple's joy."
James Simmons, last year's Grand Winner and one of six judges of 2021 Awards, said of the winning picture: "[It's] such a unique image that works on so many levels. The photographer has taken the 'earring moment' in your average setting and elevated it with the use of composition, timing and humour to be a masterful piece of visual communication. The design, content and story are on point, which allows the viewer to extract an interesting narrative from the scene."
Bridal Party won the Group Shot section for Cafa Liu from Canada
Mirulla's prize includes a EOS R5 camera and an imagePROGRAF PRO-300 from Canon Australia valued at US$5800 ($8500) and share in US$3000 cash and products from other leading brand sponsors Atkins Lab, Pic-Time, Pixellu, Narrative Select, Raw Digital Lab and Holdfast Gear.
This is the fifth year of the competition, which showcases the work of wedding photographers worldwide and has become the new benchmark for wedding photography competitions. The International Wedding Photographer of the Year is open to all professional wedding photographers, full-time or part-time with nine categories open for entry.
The Single Shot award was taken out by Australian photographer Darren Wigley
This year's runner-up is photography couple Andrew Pavlidis and Bec Kilpatrick of Willow & Wolf based in Banff, Canada.
Their winning picture is a truly spectacular shot of traversing a ridge at 3000 metres against a jaw-dropping mountainous backdrop.
"[The couple] got engaged on this very mountain peak and wanted to revisit this special place on their wedding day one year later to recite their private vows," the photographers wrote. "We had also done this hike before and knew its potential for some pretty incredible views at sunrise."
Ken Pak used flash to project a couple dancing onto the roof of the wedding tent near his base in Washington D.C.
Luke Simon, International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards curator, said: "The awards are continuing to provide a unique platform for wedding photographers to have their best images reviewed and judged by our team of highly awarded and experienced educators and photographers.
"The International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards has its sights set on becoming the benchmark in wedding photography awards globally and continues to evolve and grow with the ever-changing landscape of the wedding industry."
