Why I No Longer Enter Wedding Photography Competitions

I used to submit to awards.

Quite a few, in fact. But over time, it started to feel like a box I was ticking — and one that didn’t really reflect what I value about photography, especially wedding photography.

There were the obvious reasons: time and money.
In a typical year, I’d spend between £1500–£2000 on entry fees, association memberships, printing, travel, and the occasional ticket to an awards dinner.

But the real reason I stopped wasn’t financial. It was emotional.

When I create a great wedding image, it’s never just me.

It’s a collaboration between myself and the couple.
They (YOU!) ‘give’ me moments; tiny, generous glances, a squeeze of the hand, laughter that bubbles up before a kiss. Some of it directed some of it candid and natural. Private moments that are not meant to be a ‘benchmark’ on ‘look how clever I can be’

You trust me enough to be observant, to be real. And sometimes, I’m lucky enough to catch it in pixels.

What began to grate was how those moments were later handled.
Nine months down the line, a picture — your moment — is stripped of its context, dropped into a pot with hundreds of other images and judged without knowing what it meant. No connection, no story. Just “yes” or “no”. Photography ‘rules’ that didn’t take into account what else was happening on the day; weather, emotions, the grooms reticence, the venues times-keeping etc.

The whole process process began to feel hollow.

These days, I find more meaning in sharing my work through galleries, exhibitions, and curated collections. These spaces that feel more like celebration than competition.

Images are considered in terms of their depth, emotion, and quality, not just their conformity to a trend or how quickly they ‘pop’ on a judging panel slideshow.

I’m still deeply proud of the work I do, and I still strive to create images that hold up artistically but the feedback I value most (always has been/always will be) from clients, not from plaques or scores out of ten.

If you’re one of the couples I’ve worked with: thank you.

Your trust, your joy, and your tiny unrepeatable moments are what fuel the work I truly care about.

A quick note — I don’t think awards are “bad.”

For many photographers, especially those early in their careers, awards can offer real validation and motivation. They can sharpen your skills, help benchmark your work, and yes — they absolutely make for good marketing.

There are also some brilliant competitions out there that do take context into account and honour genuine storytelling, not just flashy edits or trends. I know many incredible photographers who enter selectively and find real value in the process.

But for me, I found more meaning elsewhere. Exhibitions, curated collections, personal projects. These feel like a celebration of quality, not a comparison of styles. And that suits where I’m at in my career and more importantly, how I want to spend my time and energy.

I just need a galleries to start running a wedding themed exhibitions !!😂

More of my “gallery” work https://www.instagram.com/stuart.wood.1500/