Judges Comments

Simplicity and elegance set this photograph apart, as it employs a dramatic stream of light that washes the alter with a radiant glow. Nicely printed to preserve just enough detail to create the perfect mood.

Judges Comments

Perfect. The lighting alone makes this great, but then add composition and the wonderful moment and you have perfection.

Judges Comments

Great seeing by the photographer to elevate over the sea of umbrellas. This picture tells a great story about the determination to have a ceremony, rain or shine.

Judges Comments

The eyes are windows to the soul, which is why it’s important to get in close on faces. Sometimes the look on a single face can say more about a marriage than all the other photos in the wedding album. This face certainly speaks volumes.

Photographer's Comment

I always try to capture big emotions, in general, once the religious ceremony finished, I run to the place where the bride and groom are congratulated and stand up near the bride. In this case, I turned off the flash becasue it was a daily wedding and the greetings were outside. I set up my camera in Aperture priority program and used 4.0 aperture with the maximum zoom that lens allow me (105 mm). Two hours later I told the man in the picture that I was going to win a contest with his image.

Judges Comments

Expressions, nice use of wide angle with confetti/rice locked into place all worked here. Sometimes slow shutter speeds are fun here, but in this case, high shutter speed helped to let viewer see emotion on everyone’s face and thus share the excitement with the wedding couple.

Judges Comments

Even at perfect weddings things can go wrong. And documenting unexpected moments can make the difference between trite wedding albums and surprising wedding albums. Luck is certainly part of it, as is being in the right place at the right time with the right lens. Fortune smiled on this photographer as the groom struggled to put the ring on his bride’s finger and brought a smile to the wedding participant’s faces.

Judges Comments

It’s a very simple photo, but evokes a great deal of emotion to me. There in a tentativeness in their actions. The angle is unusual; a shallow depth of field attracts me to the photo. It’s as if they are the cake topper.

Judges Comments

Great lens choice by the photographer to isolate the bride and groom through the rainstorm of rice. Love the natural expression of joy on the bride's face.

Judges Comments

I applaud the photographer for being ready with the camera. Really captures the sense of urgency to take cover during what appears to be a hail storm.

Many wedding photographers would head for the tent with the rest of the crowd when rain clouds burst into a downpour, but this photographer wisely (or not?) turned his camera on the fleeing wedding ceremony audience. The resulting photograph captures what was undoubtedly a decisive moment for many in the crowd. En masse, people brace against the driving wind and rain, cover their heads with scarves, coats and even chairs, and stampede toward cover. It’s a wonderfully odd image full of immediacy and a touch of humor.

Judges Comments

This image has high energy making the photograph jump. The thrill of the day is nicely caught with groom in mid air and bride running through the crowd.

Judges Comments

This is so intimate. I feel like I’m the one getting married. The look on the brides face says it all, she’s in love. Well composed, different angle, nicely done.

Judges Comments

This image stood out. You really get the feeling that the bride just said, "I do".

Judges Comments

There are wedding kisses and then there are wedding kisses. If points were given for execution, this one would be a perfect 10: the bride’s outstretched arm, her hand on her just married husband’s back as he dips her in an embrace, the minister behind them enjoying the moment, and the member of the wedding party with an “It doesn’t get any better than this” look as he applauds the performance and smiles approvingly at the assembly.

Judges Comments

The simplicity of this photograph is what makes it so appealing. Instead of dozens of friends and family members throwing rice as the wedding couple exits the church, we encounter a musician playing a violin and an older woman sitting on a ledge looking up at the happy couple. The bride and groom, their faces illuminated by sunlight, are framed in the flower-draped church doorway. It’s a postcard moment.

Judges Comments

Joy and silliness, even though they might have overdone the rice, everybody is enjoying the moment. The framing was great, from edge to edge.

Judges Comments

Fun to see the pure joy on faces of everyone involved. Peak celebration moment and tight crop makes the viewer feel their happiness.

Judges Comments

Great idea to go in tight and really bring out the emotion.

Judges Comments

When I look at a wedding picture, aside from the spectacle with some weddings, I think the deeper meaning is the actual act of marrying. This picture exudes love. The expression on his face tells me there is no other place he wants to be. Now adding nice composition and excellent lens choice, both of which add to the photo. Well done.

Judges Comments

Great mood and intriguing way to show the entire church as well as wedding couple facing camera as they share a quick word together. Photograph would have been less engaging had photographer not waited for a really special moment between bride and groom.