Hi 🙂
My name is Miguel Ponte and I was born in 1979, in Madeira Island, Portugal, a little portuguese island that lies 500 km (310 miles) off the coast of Africa, knowned by the alias pearl of the Atlantic, but also the island of eternal spring or even the garden island of the Atlantic.
I am the proud father of a little girl that showed me what unconditional love is all about and rocks my world every day and I have always considered myself as a family oriented guy with a taste for travel, a good talk, good food and coffee.
I majored in psychology and human resources management, but my true passion is in fact photography and capturing those little moments that reveal real emotions, with no scripts or any forced poses, accompanying the unfolding of events in the most genuine way possible.
My presence at weddings is usually discrete, interacting with the bride and groom and their guests in the softest and warm way so that they don’t feel pressured, feeling free to share their special day with me and give me the enormous honor of capturing their memories.
Experience:
- First wedding photographed: 14-09-2014;
- Number of weddings so far: >100;
- Number of photoshoots: >120.
Afiliations & Presence in Wedding Photography Platforms:
- ISWP – International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers
- WPJA – Wedding Photojournalist Association
- MYWED – Wedding Photographers Community
- Inspiration Photographers
- This is Reportage
Awards:
- Photo of year award at the MYWED Awards 2018;
- 5 FEARLESS Awards;
- 5 REPORTAGE Awards;
- 4 ISPWP Awards;
- 4 Diamond WPJA Awards;
- 4 Artistic Guild WPJA Awards;
- 7 INSPIRATION Awards;
- 9 photos and 1 story amongst the “Best of the Year” at MYWED;
- 65 photos and 2 stories amongst the “Best of the Week” at MYWED;
- 39 photos and 3 stories awarded with “Editors’ Choice” at MYWED;
National rankings:
- Currently in the 1st place in the MYWED ranking for Portugal;
- Currently in the 1st place in the INSPIRATION Photographers ranking for Portugal;
- Currently in the 3th place in the FEARLESS Photographers ranking for Portugal;
- Currently in the 2nd place in the ISPWP ranking for Portugal;
- Currently in the 5th place in the THIS IS REPORTAGE ranking for Portugal;
International rankings:
- #99 in the 2019 MYWED World Ranking;
- #40 in the THIS IS REPORTAGE Top 100 Photographers of the Year 2019;
- #46 in the ISPWP TOP 100 WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD – 2019;
- #71 in the AG WPJA TOP 100 INTERNATIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS OF 2019;
Relevant publications:
- Photo published by INSIDER in the article “61 of the best wedding photos taken in 2018”;
- Photo published by INSIDER in the article “61 of the best wedding photos taken in 2018”;
- Photo published by the HUFFINGTON POST in the article “32 Award-Winning Wedding Photos That Will Pull You In – Wedding photography on another level”;
- Photo used on a article about Madeira Island in WEDDING, the leading wedding magazine in Russia, September/October Edition, 2017;
- Photo used on article about destination wedings in Madeira Island in MłODA PARA, a polish wedding for young couples, February Edition, 2018;
- Photo cover of Madeira Digital Magazine, march, 2016;
- Landscape photos on the centerfold of Madeira Digital Magazine, october, 2014.
Recent training:
- Photography course, by Inforstudio & IMart8, 2012
- Advanced course in landscape photography, by Inforstudio & IMart8, 2013
- “Can you see the light” black & white photography workshop, by Humberto Almendra, 2013
- Stop motion and time lapse photography workshop, by Daniel Camacho, 2014
- Night photography workshop, by Daniel Camacho, 2014
- Emotional fine art wedding photography workshop, by Nelson Marques, 2015