Judges Comments

One of the great aspects of telling the full story of the wedding day with a journalistic approach is being there to show things that the wedding couple would not be able to see. Let’s face it, setting up tables is dull. The photographer edits all of those dull hours with his or her eyes and offers the peak moments—this is one of those moments worth seeing.

Nice job of capturing the moment just before the cake is placed on the table. The framing is well-done and the backlight highlights the forms beautifully.

A very nice silhouette balanced perfectly. It is a very hard subject to get a nice picture of and you could tell the photographer worked very hard on this.

Wonderful composition. B&W works well with the graphic elements. Nice job.

Judges Comments

What a good eye!! The photographer couldn’t take much time away from photographing what these ladies are stealing a peak at, but the time was well worth it. This is a small, but important part of the wedding day story that the bride and groom would never have seen but for a photojournalist with a good eye.

This picture is really fun. The woman on the right has a great expression. I love the idea that they're drawn into the emotions and what's happening rather than just working an event - like they can't help but watch. That's a nice notion.

There's good use of negative/positive space, but the photo is most effective because it captures a sense of wonder and excitement that even those working a wedding get to experience.

Nice moment. Timeless.

Judges Comments

This is a masterpiece. The use of foreground and background elements on the narrow cobblestone street make this a success.

Nice composition. You can hear the music. Nicely done.

Judges Comments

Nice composition between the foreground and the background elements. It shows those little details that are often forgotten, but make up the uniqueness of the day.

The nice light and tight view of the hands holding the champagne and glasses make this a stunning photograph.

Nice composition. You build the feeling of anticipation by standing behind the gentlemen with the glasses.

Judges Comments

The photographer searched for something different and found it and then added a good eye for composition to make a prize winner.

I just love the color here from the golden, late-day sun. This is a great example of pre-visualization - of positioning the frame and waiting for the action. Most winning photos could have also done well in other categories; this one would have also been a winner in Scene Setter.

The photographer has keen eye to see this happening and get into position to include the flowers in the shot. Very nice.

Judges Comments

A great moment caught in a very subtle way.

Wonderful behind the scene moment. Nice work.

Judges Comments

That the musician is carrying the bride's shoes is a nice, unexpected detail that adds to the effectiveness of the image.

Judges Comments

Color and composition with the help of the flair that you generally want to avoid make this photograph a winner.

Judges Comments

Great expression on the band member.

Judges Comments

A nice job of bringing some drama to recording the entertainment for the wedding day.

Beautiful sense of light. Very nice work.

Judges Comments

This has a nice timeless feel to it. The scene is natural as the bride and groom relax on the beach to sip champagne.

Photographer's Comment

It was a foggy morning on the beach in front of the hotel where the wedding took place. Detached from the rush of the previous night, I went out with the bride and groom for a photo session. I invited the groom to sit comfortably on the lounge chair. I asked them to throw their shoes on the sand. The bride came up with the idea to lie down directly on the sand. Feeling the potential of the fog that I wanted to take advantage of, I stepped back a little and lay on the sand to have a better perspective and a lower depth of field. I grabbed my 70-200mm objective and chose an open aperture. From the corner of my eye I saw the waitress bringing them a bottle of Champagne, ordered by one of the groom’s friends, who was following the whole scene from the hotel’s window. I felt there was no time for words and just started shooting frame after frame, crawling on the sand so that I could catch the right composition and framing.

Judges Comments

An elegant, quiet but striking portrait of a waiter. The highlighted gloves are a nice touch.

Judges Comments

Who would have thought a beautiful photo would come from a lone busboy pouring water?

Judges Comments

An entertaining juxtaposition of working musicians and a couple that looks out of place; the fact that they're all part of a wedding makes the mix intriguing rather than amusing.

Nice moment.

Judges Comments

Nice candid moment.

Judges Comments

The composition along with the dramatic light and use of color makes this a very striking photograph.