That is the verdict of an international panel of judges in the One Eyeland World’s Top 10 Wedding Photographers 2025 photo contest.
The Heli Weddings NZ owner, who entered a portfolio of 10 photographs earlier this year, was also ranked first in the country.
Wilken, who has been with the company for nearly a decade and bought it two years ago, says it has been a "happy, overwhelming week" as she processed the news.
To achieve the second-placed ranking is "emotional" for her because her mentor, and the company’s founder, Fredrik Larsson, achieved the same ranking in 2017.
Her portfolio went up against thousands of images from wedding photographers across the globe.
She feels "pretty privileged" to work with people on the happiest day of their lives, flying with them to remote locations anywhere between Fiordland and Aoraki-Mt Cook.
"Sometimes I feel like it’s cheating when you’ve got the backyard of New Zealand to work with — the beautiful light and landscapes definitely help our cause."
One Eyeland is an online photography platform that publishes annual photography awards and photographer rankings in a wide range of categories.
