2006 Summer Contest
Ceremony
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Judges Comments
I love the lighting and the motion of this photo. Its beautiful and has a kind of magic quality. Different from other veil shots. A picture of a veil, surrounded by an anonymous bride and two almost anonymous bridesmaids. The photographer saw the veil and made it the most alive thing in the frame. It's lit. It's flowing. The people are not lit and look static. Of the many, many veil pictures I saw in this judging, this one found the most interesting way to see the veil as a character.
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Judges Comments
This is one of those odd photographs that is appealing partly because of being odd. It has every appearance of being a grab shot: the two men (husband and father?) are caught shaking hands in a somewhat awkward manner and thier faces are only partially visible; the bride is about to get into the car and is partially turned toward the viewer; the groom's left hand is holding the car door open for the bride; and the strong shadows indicate that the photographer had his flash on camera. It almost looks like it was taken by a 1950s wedding photographer using a 4 by 5 Speed Graphic camera. And yet the moment has meaning. If this is artifice, and I don't believe it is, it is so well done that it seems genuine. It feels like an approach a Vogue photographer might take for a special wedding issue. But I don't think a wedding photographer would try to create an image like this. Most couples wouldn't buy it for their album. But I really like it.
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3rd Place: Tyler Wirken from Missouri, United States -
4th Place: Dennis Lee from Illinois, United StatesJudges Comments
Another strong picture in a strong category. This photo uses the entire frame to celebrate the joy and mayhem of rice throwing. We get to feel the happy embarrassment of the groom, the smiling uncertainty of the bride, and the boisterous glee of the rice-throwers. The photographer organizes all this for us, leaves out distractions, and puts us in the thick of the action.
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Judges Comments
This photo stuck me because of its originality. It is well composed, and would not have worked as well if the photographer were closer. The only thing is I would have liked to been able to see the bride, as I may not have known this was a wedding if it were not part of this contest.
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Judges Comments
This photograph celebrates a sense of place. It is about where the wedding takes place, not about who is getting married. The photographer took many steps back, and helped us feel the place, the weather, the calm of the evening by composing the scene well. The strong diagonal gives the photo depth, adding to the broad sense of land.
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7th Place: Patrick Low from Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaJudges Comments
Another beautiful moment, nice details with the rose petals, nice light. Couple is framed by rose petals, the great light and the silhouetted watchers really elevates this picture.
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8th Place: Tony Marin from Victoria, Australia -
9th Place: Edoardo Agresti from Florence, ItalyJudges Comments
The exposure here is either a happy accident or intentionally done in order to achieve an effect. Whichever it is, I like the result. Given the right setup the photographer could have lighted this to get both the people inside the church and the bride and (I presume) her father “properly†exposed. But that would have ruined the effect. I like that the emphasis is on the flower-strewn white carpet and the faint image of a bride-to-be entering the church. The people on the aisles only need to be hinted at and that is what this exposure does. An unusual and lovely image.
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10th Place: Sol Tamargo from Riviera Maya, MexicoJudges Comments
This image captures a tender moment filled with emotion.
