Top 25 in the US in the Artistic Guild WPJA Contests

Written By Cindy Brown

In my last blog post, I shared my excitement about finishing #1 in the Americas in the WPJA Documentary 2025 Awards.

This week, I’m celebrating another honor—award-winning images from the Artistic Guild WPJA contest. While both competitions are run by the WPJA, they’re judged through very different lenses.

The key distinction is take versus make. WPJA Documentary contests require complete non-intervention: no directing, no staging—just observing and capturing moments as they naturally unfold. The Artistic Guild contests, on the other hand, embrace intention and orchestration, rewarding thoughtfully composed portraits, fine-art imagery, and carefully crafted details.

While my primary focus on a wedding day is documentary storytelling—photographing real moments as they happen—I always carve out a little time for posed portraits and fine-art detail shots. Below are four Artistic Guild award-winning images, all created at weddings I photographed this past year.

Li and Mihir at their Haldi Celebration

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.

http://www.samesexweddingphotographers.com
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#1 Wedding Photojournalist in the Americas in 2025