Congratulations to Chad Winstead for winning the 2016 WPS POY trophy.
Chad is a wedding photographer based out of Greenville, North Carolina. His images consistently caught the eyes of the judges and members of The WPS. Below are some images that have won WPS badges over year coupled with a little Q&A.
What is your style of photography?
I don’t really know where to begin. I don’t really know how to classify my style but I guess you can say modern photojournalistic. We are not as photo-jounalistic as some, but we are not very posey either. What I do love is vibrant warm colors, punchy contrast and silhouettes.
Out of all the images that won or attained a star, which one is the most memorable?
They were all memorable moments in their own way. The most memorable is probably the one of the bride and her dad dancing. It was our first destination wedding and they trusted us to get some unique stuff. The image was a super sweet moment and she cried the whole time while dancing with her dad and her step dad. All three of them were crying. I may have even been crying. Great moment.
Did you have a mentor/s (other than your wife) who guided you to get to where you are now?
I am mostly self taught. I learned the cameras and photography on my own and anything that I’m ever unsure about or can’t figure out how to master, I use the power of Google, Facebook, and Youtube to learn from others. My fellow vendors, venues, friends, & coordinators all helped my business grow by referring us.
What inspires you?
My biggest motivation is the clients. If they are happy, I’m happy. I want each wedding to be better than the last one. I do look online at the work of some of the great photographers and follow them for inspiration.
You have been in business for three years. What advice would you give to beginning or rising photographers?
Learn your camera is the most important thing. Figure out everything about the camera inside and out. Learn as much as possible from others and on your own. Learn & Practice, practice and practice.
How does it feel to win the award?
It feels great and I’m definitely stoked. We have not been doing this too long and didn’t expect this at all. I know photography is something that I want to do for a while and this helps build the confidence to keep pushing forward
Congrats Chad! Your trophy will be waiting for you at our next WPS meeting. Looks like this gives you a good reason to make a trip up to the capital city.
You can view more of his amazing work by visiting his website at http://chadwinsteadphotography.com/.
Thank you to all The WPS members who entered the contest! Below you will find the final point count for the 2016 year. We look forward to seeing your creative award-winning work in 2017! This was Chad’s year…next year can be yours.
WEDDING & PORTRAIT SOCIETY FINAL MONTHLY CONTEST TOTALS 2016
1. Chad Winstead – 975 pts
2. Dave Shay – 675 pts
3. Andre Reichmann – 250 pts
4. Amaris Hames – 200 pts
5. Michael Reichmann -175 PTS
6. Brittany Blake | Erin Costa | Rebecca Faulk | Chris Harburg – 125 pts
10. Brian Mullins – 100 pts
15. Les Atkins | Kate Pope | Samantha Canal | Crystal Marsh | Erin Whittle | Cynthia Rose – 50 pts
16. Jimmy Beech | Corey Williams | Dan Lonchena | Christopher Nieto | Jaclyn Morgan | Kelly Trumpatori | Kate Marchetto – 25 pts
• To enter the contest you must be an active WPS member. Please go to the “Membership” link on the website to officially join us •