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May 5, 2011

Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World 2011

Wedding

“Welcome to overrated”, Jonathan Canlas said to me when I told him I’d been picked for “the list”.

He really didn’t have to say it though, there’s no way I can live up to being on that list, but I’ve actually decided to put all that aside. Sure, there are plenty of deserving photographers out there, but holy moly, some of the best wedding photographers in the world (Jose Villa, Ben Chrisman, Cliff Mautner, Elizabeth Messina, Jeff Ascough among others) nominated 100+ photographers around the world and together with the editors of the largest photography magazine in the world they then went through everyone’s portfolios and picked their final ten.

And I made the final cut.

When I found out my first reaction was – of course – disbelief. The email looked just like any other email in my inbox, but the subject did stand out a little.

Subject: Congratulations from American Photo
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:17:12 -0400
From: Aimee Baldridge
To: mail@jonaspeterson.com

Dear Jonas,

I’m writing on behalf of American Photo magazine. First of all, I’d like to congratulate you for being nominated by your peers and selected by the editors to be featured as one of American Photo’s 2011 Top Ten Wedding Photographers.

…

I think I read it three times. And then I had a couple of hours of joy, told some people and had a celebratory bottle of Bollinger that night.

But then I started to freak out completely. I had a week of feeling embarrassed that I had been picked. Some of the other photographers on that list are wedding photography royalty, among them the biggest names in Australia. I shot a wedding and kept thinking to myself “what would a top ten photographer do here?” and I had brain meltdown after brain meltdown.

Over the last six weeks it’s grown on me and now I’m (pretty) cool with it. American Photo put me on their list and I’m very flattered and super happy about it, but at the end of the day I can only do what I do and hope people like it. If I look at that pedestal they’ve put me on, I will start behaving differently and we can’t have any of that.

But hey, top of the world, baby!

:)

American Photo Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World 2011

(In no particular order)

Marcus Bell
 Yervant
Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser – Image Is Found
Rocco Ancora
Parker J Pfister
 Jonas Peterson
 Camille & Chadwick Bensler – Jonetsu Studios
Dina Douglass
 Greg Gibson
 Jesse & Whitney Chamberlin – Our Labor of Love

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COMMENTS Expand -

  5. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

  6. I discovered your blog site on google and test a number of of your early posts. Proceed to keep up the excellent operate. I simply extra up your RSS feed to my MSN Information Reader. Looking for forward to reading extra from you in a while! ebacdedefdka

  13. i am interesting in photography, i like to do most of my time, i want capture all the moments of my life and i want do make me professional in this field. so, please give tip……

  16. Hey Jonas, I wonder if you get to reed all of your millions messages .. anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the link above of Rocco Ancora doesn’t seem to work. Having said that, thank you so much for this post and congratulations ..x

  19. I couldn’t agree with them more. Although I thought it worth mentioning that WE had you in our Top 5. Still going by their letter they beat us on the date so I’ll let them have this one. ;)

    Utterly deserved. x

  20. Jag bugar och bockar. Detta är inte någon surprise, detta är så så rätt! Har följt dig ett tag och du levererar alltid bilder utöver det vanliga. GRATTIS!

  23. Congratulations- truly well deserved- I think your modesty is a sign that you hold yourself to a high standard- well done!

  26. Brilliant Jonas. BLOODY BRILLIANT. So deserved and inspiring! Love one of the most chuffed actor couples you’ve shot. The Harkins x

  27. Beautiful and inspiring Jonas…it’d be nice to meet and chat one day in brisbane, or if you ever get to Townsville, be sure to get in touch, 0407293037, Keep going!

  37. Wow… Congrats! It’s not surprise though, your pics are beautiful. Bring on March ’12 ;)

  38. First thing is congratulations on your recent achievement as ranked in the top ten photographers in the world……………….well done.

  39. First thing is congratulations on your recent achievement as ranked in the top ten photographers in the world……………….well done..

  40. Congratulations on your recent achievement as ranked in the top ten photographers in the world……………….well done.

  46. Congratulations Jonas. You have inspired so many wedding photographers, and whether the accolade is something you can live up to or not, it is right that you are recognised. Well done.

  48. A few weeks ago a second shooter of mine (who loves landscape photography), was so telling over the phone about some beautiful landscapes he’d stumbled across on flickr. After visiting the photographer’s website his jaw dropped when he saw the high quality wedding images, and realised that this guy was a wedding photographer.

    When I asked who the photographer was, he said, ” He’s called Jonas Peterson.”

    Congrats to you, and completely deserved.

  50. Well deserved Jonas, can’t believe Jasmine Star isn’t there, not a big fan of Yervent though, just my opinion though, I’m sure he’s very good but don’t like his edits, yours on the other hand I like very much.

  51. Grattis Jonas. Verkligen GRATTIS! Jag började gråta för din skull. Du är så bra. Du förtjänar det!

  54. Your pics transport me to different world! They make everything around me feel beautiful and precious! What an inspiration. I would KILL to be half as good as you are someday!

  55. Jonas, guess my niece Waverly , stylish person she is , knew something when she chose you to photograph her wedding on Harbour Island! way to go! enjoy – you deserve it! katherine

  56. Jonas, guess my niece Waverly , stylish person she is , knew something when she choose you to photograph her wedding on Harbour Island! way to go! enjoy – you deserve it! katherine

  66. Grattis!!! :D
    Jag har gått och väntat på ditt namn i såna här sammanhang och nu var det dags. Jag säger bara -Det är så självklart! Njut av välförtjänt uppmärksamhet! :D

  67. A huge congratulations Jonas! I’m not surprised at all nor am I surprised they used that image of Surya and Nick. I’ve stared at that image often wondering how you caught such a tender moment of them and at the same time completely captured who they are as a couple. Just amazing. Until next time…

  72. I’m not surprised at all. Well done. You deserve it Sir Jonas Peterson! : )

  73. Kom ihåg, att så länge du tycker saker är roliga är det rätt saker!
    Jag tycker att du är mycket duktig på det du gör. Och så länge du kan förmedla känslor från dina bilder ska du fortsätta.
    Lycka till – följer dig med spänning

  77. What I love most about this post is your humility shining through. The hype is of course well deserved, but don’t buy into it too much else you’ll end up buying into any critisism too. You do what you do, and your love for it is evident. Award or no award, it’s awesome work. Keep it up, it’s an inspriation to many.

  78. That is really fantastic news, well done you!!!!! Congratulations and enjoy it!

  80. Well done Jonas! Your work is freaking awesome and you totally deserve to be there! Your awesomeness got you this accolade so don’t doubt how good you really are :)
    Marley :)

  84. congrats mate. totally agree with the selectors. love your work. love your eye for beauty and your simple and unique interpretation of all things joyous

  85. Congratulations Jonas! For Loc and I it’s the honesty in your photographs that mean so much. We look at our album probably a little too frequently, but nothing else takes us back to that day any other way. :-)

  86. Yeah, I think I could live with being over-rated. I could also live with seeing the world the way you do. Your photos consistently blow me away.

    I guess what I’m trying to say is CONGRATUFUCKINGLATIONS.

  87. Grattis!! Jag är inte ett dugg förvånad att du har hamnat på denna fantastiska lista. För att du är en helt fantastisk fotograf. Punkt. Slut. Grattis igen!!

  88. Stort grattis! Som ett fan till dig och efter att ha följt dig i några år är det helt superfantastiskt!!! Ja, grattis igen!

  90. Alltså, din resa är helt fantastisk. Att du fortfarande skriver med samma ödmjukhet som för flera år sedan. Tänker fortfarande på pappegojpojken ibland.

    Grattis för fan!

  91. You really do deserve it!
    I do not know anyone in any of your photos, but I love love love love love love looking at your work…..the way you photograph weddings makes me feel like I not only know the happy couple, but as though I was there myself. You are brilliant!

  92. Ett stort grattis till dig Jonas! Jag har sett dina bröllopsfoton och nästan gråtit över hur fantastiska de är- det enda vi önskar är att du varit vår bröllopsfotograf för 19 år sedan….Vi kanske får gifta om oss!

    Carina och Lindsay
    Luleå/Brisbane

  94. Hi Jonas,

    Huge congratulations to you on being in the top 10. We sure believe you deserve to be on that list. Exciting for us too that one of our wedding photos is in the magazine!!!!

    We hope you, Jacqui and your kiddies are well.
    Congrats again,
    Rick and Rebecca

  95. And think that You only got started so recently…Well Done! Keep grinding!

  102. Congratulations Jonas! Well deserved!We keep coming back to your blog each week and get SO excited about you shooting our wedding next year!
    Emma and Gerrick xx

  105. Congratulations, and no, not overrated at all! I’ve seen no single photographer have such a profound affect on the style and storytelling of wedding photography in this country as you

  106. Hi Jonas,

    I love to read about the weddings you photograph and look at the beautiful pictures you take.

    I’d like to say that more than anything, you work sends through a strong sense of style which is gentle, bold and yet real. I truly believe you deserve it! (I’m also an avid frankie fan so I was really excited that you got featured.)

    Congratulations!

    Sara

  107. Congratulations. And thank you for continually producing work worth our attention.

  108. Whoo hoo! Congrats, Jonas! You’ve certainly become one of my favorites. You have a wonderfully unique “voice” :)

  110. Congratulations! You absolutely deserve it, I’ve only been following your work for a short while but I’ve been completely blown away by it :)

  111. I love your honesty. This is a truly deserved award for you. You work is beyond amazing and never ceases to impress. Enjoy!! : )

  122. Totally deserving Jonas. You’ve been very inspirational to many photographers around the world and set a new standard of photojournalistic wedding photography that has lifted the standard and ignited the industry.

  127. I don’t know you as well as others in our biz do, but I do know you worked very hard for this, lost a lot of sleep, travelled extensively and spent time away from your family and friends. I say, deserved and earned.

  133. Great post. I also had to read and re-read my letter from Aimee several times before I could absorb what it said. LOL. Congrats again, Jonas. Well deserved.

  142. Stort Stort fett grattis från Sthlm, Sverige! Shit vad kul! Du är så värd detta, du är grym!!! Ser verkligen fram emot din föreläsning i Sverige i sommar!!!
    Varma hälsningar / Izabelle @ 2 Brides

  147. you must be blind not realize how amazing you truly are! honestly, if i could choose any photographer to shoot my own wedding, i’d choose you. huge congratulations to you!!!

  148. When you’ve just shot a wedding and a fellow wedding photographer has put you up for the night, and the next morning you’re going through the previous day’s image files and your host says, “I like that one, it looks like a Jonas Peterson,” and you’re in the North West of England which is a long way from Australia, then you get the sense that someone’s name is known and work is respected and discussed in a great many more places than he might realise. Allow yourself to be chuffed a little and keep on doing what you’re doing.

  149. Everyone has been blown away by the piccies you captured at my wedding… and six months later, when I shouldnt care about wedding stuff any more, I still swoon over your website. You take gorgeous, un-wankerish wedding pictures and you deserve to be on that list!

  154. Grattis! Har följt din blogg i flera år nu och älskar din fotostil.Ett av min favorit foton är just ett av dina. Tycker att du är mycket värd detta!!

  155. Well done, there is a change happening in this indusrty (as always) and you are leading the path in many ways.

  158. congratulations! You’re #2 on my list behind Sean Flanigan..why isn’t he on this list?! :-P
    should i bump him down now?
    keep up the great work and as much as this is an award for your achievements its also a reminder not to get complacent and to keep your creative juices flowing full-tilt. Cheers.

  159. Well, then. :D + :D! Congratulations, Jonas — your work delights. All time fave.

  162. CONGRATS!!! I’d like to think you get a lot of this from your personality, just as much as your stunning work. Enjoy it!

  167. Congrats one again Jonas! You’ve inspired a hell of a lot of people/photographers and you certainly deserve all of the accolades that you’ve earned.

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