True Love Contest WPJA Awards 2021

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When the folks at the Wedding Photojournalist Association noticed how much the wedding photography market was slowing due to COVID, they created the True Love Awards for photographs taken in years past. They write, “While we eagerly await the right conditions to reopen our regular wedding photography contests, we are committed to giving WPJA members something to tide them over, namely a new contest celebrating l’amour.”

Only photographs from the current year are eligible for the regular documentary and artistic categories. But, the number of photographs each photographer had to choose from for 2020 had dropped significantly, so it seemed natural to allow photographers to pour through photographs from previous years to submit to this newly formed contest.

The call for entries reads like this, “We want images illustrating true love and emotion that were shot from your heart. The outpouring of love that you captured can be between two people or even among a group of family and friends expressing their mutual affection, admiration, and devotion.”

It’s always good to be given a challenge that asks you to look back at your work.

Here are a couple of TLC winners from the True Love Contest in 2021.

North Georgia Wedding Photographer
Wedding Photographers North Georgi
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Cindy Brown

I'm an Atlanta wedding photographer who takes soulful, quirky and honest photos ...

I'm also an adventurous traveler and all-round nerd. I love to hike with my beagle/cattle dog Roux and best friend/spouse.

I was born in Atlanta, moved around a lot--30 cities and 5 states--and then came back.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, I took a job at asmall newspaper in south Georgia, where I photographedhospital teas, pecan farmers, and beauty queens.

I photographed a biker funeral, death penalty protests andTed Bundy while interning with the Associated Press.

While a photographer for two dailies in Florida, I photographed Ronald Reagan, a train derailment and the dedication of a screened-in porch.

An unexpected life turn took me to Vermont where I fell in love with Bernie Sanders and on to Indiana, where I edited photos for a major daily, and nerded out getting a master’s and PhD.

After teaching photojournalism at colleges and universities in Florida, Indiana and Mississippi, I returned to Atlanta to earn myfifth degree--a Master's of Divinity.

My passion for storytelling with my camera and my interest in religious diversity led my to the field of wedding photojournalism.

I have documented weddings large and small, Unitarian and Pagan, indoors and out, Christian and Muslim, in backyards and in churches. The most exotic wedding I have photographed took place in Mexico and was officiated by aMayan shaman.

When I'm not photographing weddings, portraits or corporate events, I work on personal photo projects, visit friends in amemory-care home, and volunteer at a recovery center.

COVID weddings are precious and few

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2020 has been a strange year for wedding photographers, as well as event planners, florists, cake artists, etc. Needless to say, COVID has cut deeply into our livelihood. The weddings we have photographed since March have been small. Many we had booked have been postponed or downsized.

That makes the few weddings we were able to photograph this year that much more special.

Here are a few recent award-winning images, the first two from a COVID-aware October wedding and the last from a February reception.

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Cindy Brown

I'm an Atlanta wedding photographer who takes soulful, quirky and honest photos ...

I'm also an adventurous traveler and all-round nerd. I love to hike with my beagle/cattle dog Roux and best friend/spouse.

I was born in Atlanta, moved around a lot--30 cities and 5 states--and then came back.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, I took a job at asmall newspaper in south Georgia, where I photographedhospital teas, pecan farmers, and beauty queens.

I photographed a biker funeral, death penalty protests andTed Bundy while interning with the Associated Press.

While a photographer for two dailies in Florida, I photographed Ronald Reagan, a train derailment and the dedication of a screened-in porch.

An unexpected life turn took me to Vermont where I fell in love with Bernie Sanders and on to Indiana, where I edited photos for a major daily, and nerded out getting a master’s and PhD.

After teaching photojournalism at colleges and universities in Florida, Indiana and Mississippi, I returned to Atlanta to earn myfifth degree--a Master's of Divinity.

My passion for storytelling with my camera and my interest in religious diversity led my to the field of wedding photojournalism.

I have documented weddings large and small, Unitarian and Pagan, indoors and out, Christian and Muslim, in backyards and in churches. The most exotic wedding I have photographed took place in Mexico and was officiated by aMayan shaman.

When I'm not photographing weddings, portraits or corporate events, I work on personal photo projects, visit friends in amemory-care home, and volunteer at a recovery center.

COVID 19 and a Few WPJA Documentary Award Winners for 1st Quarter 2020

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2020 has been a difficult year for wedding photographers, and for wedding vendors in general. COVID-19 and the restrictions that have been put into place to try to stop the spread of the virus have caused people to cancel or postpone their weddings, or to drastically downsize their weddings.

As a result the Wedding Photojournalist Association changed the usual way they conduct contests. Rather than begin the regular documentary contests in April, they postponed the first contest deadline until the first of September. They also added a special contest for Wed Elopement stories.

With business limping along due to the slow down in weddings and the complete collapse of the corporate event industry, I’ve had extra time to look through my photographs searching for potential winners. At times, I must admit, I’ve become far too obsessed with finding winners in the midst of the chaos.

Today, I am honored to report that my obsession paid off. I won 6 documentary awards for photos entered into the first quarter 2020 WPJA Quarter.

Here are three.

Mississippi Wedding Photographer
COVID-19-wedding-Atlanta
Tucker wedding photographer


The last photo is part of a WedElope award winning series.

I am honored.

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Cindy Brown

I'm an Atlanta wedding photographer who takes soulful, quirky and honest photos ...

I'm also an adventurous traveler and all-round nerd. I love to hike with my beagle/cattle dog Roux and best friend/spouse.

I was born in Atlanta, moved around a lot--30 cities and 5 states--and then came back.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, I took a job at asmall newspaper in south Georgia, where I photographedhospital teas, pecan farmers, and beauty queens.

I photographed a biker funeral, death penalty protests andTed Bundy while interning with the Associated Press.

While a photographer for two dailies in Florida, I photographed Ronald Reagan, a train derailment and the dedication of a screened-in porch.

An unexpected life turn took me to Vermont where I fell in love with Bernie Sanders and on to Indiana, where I edited photos for a major daily, and nerded out getting a master’s and PhD.

After teaching photojournalism at colleges and universities in Florida, Indiana and Mississippi, I returned to Atlanta to earn myfifth degree--a Master's of Divinity.

My passion for storytelling with my camera and my interest in religious diversity led my to the field of wedding photojournalism.

I have documented weddings large and small, Unitarian and Pagan, indoors and out, Christian and Muslim, in backyards and in churches. The most exotic wedding I have photographed took place in Mexico and was officiated by aMayan shaman.

When I'm not photographing weddings, portraits or corporate events, I work on personal photo projects, visit friends in amemory-care home, and volunteer at a recovery center.

Atlanta Wedding Photographer: WPJA 2010 1st Quarter Win

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I'm happy to report another Wedding Photojournalist Association win. This time it's in a somewhat nebulous category titled "Full-Frame (Black-and-White)." The image was taken at a recent wedding at Kimball Hall in Roswell.

Thanks to contest judges:

  • David Leeson, staff photographer for The Dallas Morning News

  • Ann Johansson, Los Angeles-based corporate and editorial photographer

  • Jeanie Adams-Smith, Assistant Professor of Photojournalism at Western Kentucky

  • Joe Weiss, photojournalist and producer

  • Peter Power, photojournalist from Canada for The Globe and Mail

Award-Winning Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Atlanta Wedding Photographer: WPJA 2010 1st Quarter Win

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I'm happy to report another Wedding Photojournalist Association win. This time it's in a somewhat nebulous category titled "Full-Frame (Black-and-White)." The image was taken at a recent wedding at Kimball Hall in Roswell. Award-Winning Wedding Photography

Thanks to contest judges:

  • David Leeson, staff photographer for The Dallas Morning News
  • Ann Johansson, Los Angeles-based corporate and editorial photographer
  • Jeanie Adams-Smith, Assistant Professor of Photojournalism at Western Kentucky
  • Joe Weiss, photojournalist and producer
  • Peter Power, photojournalist from Canada for The Globe and Mail

Award-Winning Atlanta Wedding Photographer