Way Up North's 10-year anniversary celebration in Stockholm takes place on October 27-29, 2025. Here's the schedule of events outlining how the entire show will unfold at Bio Skandia.
By Way Up NorthUpdated 13 October 2026
Vienna 2026, The Unsexy Stuff
We were last here in October 2022. That was show number twelve. Now it's show number nineteen, and Vienna felt like the right place to do something we've never done before.
For ten years, Way Up North has celebrated the work that makes you feel something. The creative risks, the portfolio pieces, the stories that remind you why you picked up a camera. We've built eighteen events around that energy.
But there's a conversation we've been dodging.
The work that actually keeps a photography business alive isn't the work that gets shared. It's the stuff nobody talks about on stage because it doesn't photograph well and it won't go viral. This year's theme is THE UNSEXY STUFF. The Monday morning after the inspiration high. The real work that bridges the gap between creative fulfilment and a business that lasts.
Ten presenters will take the stage, each interpreting the theme in their own way. Every talk is followed by an interview, so you get more than the surface version. The Way Up North Awards winners will also be announced live on stage, celebrating the best work across the wedding photography community.
If this is your first Way Up North, welcome. If you've been with us before, you know the feeling. Welcome to Way Up North Vienna.
Kick off your WUN experience over a drink at Red Bar. Teddyfromthebox + Ryon will be on the decks while you settle in. Here's what you need to know:
No need to bring anything. No printed invoices required.
We'll match your name to the guest list and hand over your event badge.
Our home for the evening is Red Bar. All drinks are purchased at Red Bar. Social Hub has other spaces including a restaurant, but our event is exclusively in Red Bar.
Can't make it to evening registration? Pick up your badge at the venue during the event days, or have a friend collect it for you.
One thing to know about Way Up North: we start on time. Not five minutes late, not 'whenever everyone's settled.' On time. It catches some people off guard. You'll adjust.
The foyer opens at 07:30. Grab a coffee, meet our sponsors, and connect with fellow attendees. If you missed registration the night before, pick up your badge here.
Canon's free Clean & Check is in the foyer. Two slots during the day, cameras and lenses tuned by their own technicians. Pick a slot.
Cinema doors open at 08:20, with the show starting at 08:30.
You must wear your badge to enter the cinema. No exceptions.
Seating is first come, first served with no reserved spots.
Block One, 08:30 – 10:30
Gil Gropengießer
Career-building decisions no one discusses
The unglamorous decisions that turn talent into a sustainable career. Strategy, client thinking, high-end markets, sales calls. No sugarcoating. Built to last, not just to impress.
An industry without arrival. A talk about constant pressure, endless growth, and why wedding photographers struggle to ever feel successful or satisfied.
How clarity, communication, and intentional systems protect creativity, build trust, and create sustainable photography businesses without burnout, hype, or chasing constant validation.
An honest conversation about rejection in the industry: why it hurts, why we hide it, and how handling it well can shape your direction, strengthen your resilience, and guide smarter creative and business choices.
The Way Up North Awards kick off with the submission categories, sponsored by Imagen. Ten winners per category, covering everything from Best Flash to Best Moment and beyond. These are the first results announced on day one, with the individual awards revealed on day two.
Block Four, 15:45 – 16:45
Joshua Huggett
Unhinged
Buckle up for 45 minutes of pure Australian fuckery - a career's worth of taboo topics crammed into one hour. I may never be invited back.
The Pic-Time Storytelling Evening is back, and this time it means something extra. We created this format with Pic-Time in this very room at our first Vienna event in 2022. Coming back to where it started feels right.
The format is simple: submit an image below. If yours gets picked, you'll be invited to share the story behind it on screen. It's one of the best nights at any Way Up North event. But it only works if you submit.
Day two. Doors open at 07:30 for early birds. Coffee's ready, sponsors are set up in the foyer, and yesterday's strangers are today's friends. Come early, settle in, pick up the conversations where you left them.
Cinema doors open at 08:20, with the show kicking off at 08:30.
Canon's Clean & Check ran on day one and runs again on day two. They've shown up at every WUN since Rome 2022 to do this. Pick a slot.
Remember: you need your badge to enter the cinema. No exceptions.
Block Five, 08:30 – 10:30
Kim Raaf
You Can Just Do Things
Movement first, clarity later: Choose discomfort and do it before you’re ready.
What happens when you reach your threshold and still have to keep going? This talk explores my personal story of reaching my limits and what it taught me.
Sponsored by Imagen, the second part of the WUN Awards recognises the individual contest winners. By this point, three finalists have already been announced, and in Vienna we reveal the overall winner for each.
Europe's Best Photographer
Film of the Year
Story of the Year
Europe's Best Wedding Filmmaker
Europe's Best Young Photographer
Block Eight, 16:00 – 17:00
Melina Weger
Followers Don’t Pay Rent
What 115,000 followers taught me about empty weeks, full calendars, and why bookings come from clarity, portfolio, and identity - not attention.
The legendary Wooden Banana Party returns to close out Way Up North Vienna, and this year's theme is RAINBOW BANANA. Interpret that however you like. We want colour.
Two days of spreadsheets and systems deserve a proper send-off. DJ Odizz takes the decks, bringing his signature mix of hip-hop, RnB, afrobeats, and dancehall. He's held down residencies across Vienna's best clubs for over ten years. The man knows how to close a party.
WUN ticket holders? You're already on the list. Flash your badge at the door and walk right in. No badge means door staff have to check your ID against the guest list, which slows everything down.
Friends & Family without a WUN ticket? They'll need a party ticket. Grab one below and make sure they don't miss out.
