Wedding Photos of Sunlight

The following “Sunlight” images were created by documentary wedding photographers from the WPJA, who regularly submit their best candid moments, artistic portraits, details, and scene setters for review by our WPJA competition judges.

WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS + ARTISTIC PORTRAITS & DETAILS + ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

Some of the “Sunlight” marriage photography samples below may have come from the getting ready events, the actual wedding ceremony, the reception after-party, an engagement session with the couple, or possibly be artistic portraits or detail shots.

FINE ART WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: Our Artistic Guild award winners take a more creative approach to wedding day Portraits and use their innovative skills to capture the Details of each couple’s special day. The Artistic Guild’s Scene Setters are some of the most notable and breathtaking from within the artistic WPJA contest categories. Playing with light and shadow, special effects, and post-production editing, these images embrace the artistic component of wedding photography.

PRE-WEDDING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: The story of every couple starts long before the wedding day, and the engagement marks one of the most important milestones in their story. Engaged couples often want to celebrate the occasion and announce their upcoming wedding with a photoshoot. Pre-wedding portraits of an engaged couple can be just as moving and compelling as the images taken on the wedding day. Engagement portraits can win a Diamond Award, an exclusive WPJA award whose winner is selected from the best engagement photography in the world.

The engaged couple enjoyed a beautiful, light-filled lifestyle pre-wedding portrait session at El Castillo Country Club in San Rafael - Heredia, Costa Rica

At El Castillo Country Club in San Rafael - Heredia, Costa Rica, the engaged couple portrait session was beautiful and light-filled

The couple in Montpellier, resting their elbows on an overturned small boat, looks into each other's eyes in the sunlight while having their lifestyle engagement portrait taken

In Montpellier, the couple lean on a small boat for their engagement portrait, gazing into each other's eyes

sunlight eye contact small boat Montpellier Lifestyle Engagement Portrait Montpellier

The couple posed close together, their faces almost touching, in a pre-wedding lifestyle engagement portrait in Baeza, Jaén, Spain, with the sunlight bursting between their heads

The couple posed close together in a sunburst over Baeza, Jaén, Spain for a lifestyle engagement portrait

Jaén sun Baeza silhouettes sunlight about to kiss Spain engagement photography

An engaged couple poses for a lifestyle pre-wedding portrait in Central Park, New York City, walking in the sunlight among the fall colored tree leaves

In Central Park, New York City, an engaged couple take a lifestyle portrait in the fall sunlight

trail Autumn portrait NYC Central Park nyc nyc engagement photography fall leaves couple stroll

The dancing lovers, illuminated by sunlight, were captured in a lifestyle engagement portrait that showed their joy in Paris, France, with her hair flying around them

In Paris, France, dancing lovers were captured in a joyous lifestyle engagement portrait above the urban streets

France dancing Paris engagement photographer hair flying Paris sunlight

The couple is shown in a relaxed and casual lifestyle engagement portrait in Paris, France, surrounded by lush greenery and sunlight

In Paris, France, the couple is relaxed in a lush green, sunny engagement portrait

off center framed sunlight Paris France Paris engagement photography greenery relaxed portrait

The engaged couple posed for a pre-wedding portrait at Stirling Gardens in Perth, Western Australia, standing shoulder to shoulder and gazing at each other with a rim of sunlight around them

At Stirling Gardens in Perth, Western Australia, the engaged couple posed for a romantic lifestyle portrait

plant fronds shoulder to shoulder perth Stirling Gardens Western Australia Perth PreWedding Photography sunlight

The couple's portrait, taken in New Delhi, is enhanced by the right light filtering through the canopy of large trees

New Delhi: A couple's portrait enhanced by light filtering through large trees' canopy

new delhi filtering light large trees New Delhi PreWedding Photography sunlight

A couple looks at each other tenderly in a forest as sunlight washes in from behind them during their engaged couple lifestyle session in Anet France

The engaged couple tenderly gazed at each other in a sun-drenched forest

forest engagement sunlight Eure-et-Loir eye contact France tender gaze Eure et Loir Engagement Photography

The couple stood for a portrait in the outdoor courtyard garden setting at Sulejow Monastery, with the ruins in the background and bathed in sunlight

At Sulejow Monastery's outdoor courtyard garden, the couple posed for a portrait with ruins in the background with a sun-lit scenery

Poland photographer Poland courtyard garden Sulejow sunlight Sulejow Monastery garden portrait

The Toronto bride gracefully walked through a patch of sunlight, her dress rustling amongst the fallen autumn leaves

The bride made her way elegantly through a beam of light, her gown held above the fall foliage on the ground

sunlight autumn leaves ON Toronto fall foliage Toronto photographer

Atop a mountain in Acadia National Park, Maine, two brides share a romantic kiss in the sunlight

The couple shared a romantic kiss atop a mountain, captivating their hearts in the sunlight

sunlight Maine photographer Acadia National Park romantic portrait Mount Desert Island Maine trees

The winter sunlight streaming through the window illuminates the wedding bouquet at Silchester Farm, Hampshire, creating beautiful shadows

The winter sunlight creates a captivating atmosphere as it streams through the window and illuminates the wedding bouquet

Hampshire United Kingdom sunlight and shadows hampshire photographer sunlight wedding bouquet Silchester

The bride and groom in Tuscany Sunset at Villa Le Piazzole, Florence Tuscany are captured in a portrait of glowing tones of sunlight dancing on the grass with a bouquet at their side

In Tuscany Sunset at Villa Le Piazzole, Florence, the couple are captured in a dancing portrait with a bouquet at their side

bouquet Villa Le Piazzole couple dancing glowing tones Tuscany sunlight Tuscany photographer

At sunset, the Castello di Rosciano - Perugia - Italy was illuminated with glowing tones of sunlight casting light from behind, creating a beautiful backdrop for the portrait of the couple dancing

In Italy, Perugia's Castello di Rosciano glowed with sunset hues as a couple danced in front of it

sunlight Perugia glowing tones couple danced Perugia photographer Castello di Rosciano

The bride's gaze draws the viewer in, her warm embrace illuminated by the sun against the dark backdrop of Villa Le Piazzole in Florence, Tuscany

The bride and groom are captured in a romantic and intimate portrait, with her warm embrace illuminated by the sun against a dark backdrop and her gaze drawing the viewer in

Hotel Villa Le Piazzole Florence Photographer Tuscany Italy sunlight dark background Florence

At San Sepolcro Town Hall in Villa Cungi, a backlight portrait was taken of the couple with sunlight glowing into the frame from behind, with trees adding to the beautiful scenery

At San Sepolcro Town Hall in Villa Cungi, a backlight portrait of the bride and groom with trees in the background

glowing sun San Sepolcro Town Hall San Sepolcro Arezzo Photographer trees Arezzo Villa Cungi

The couple stood together for a lit portrait in front of a snowy winter mountain background in Denver, Colorado, with the peak hit by sunlight at their ceremony location

At dusk in Denver, Colorado, the bride and groom posed for a lit portrait in front of a snowy mountain peak illuminated by sunlight

sunlight snowy mountain peak Colorado lit portrait denver photographer Denver

The bride, standing on the urban city sidewalk in London, England, was holding her bridal bouquet and admiring the sunlight illuminating her dress

In London, England, the bride held her bridal bouquet and admired the sunlight on her dress on the urban sidewalk

sunlight England London sidewalk dress bridal portrait bride

The bride and groom, donning sunglasses, stroll away from a vintage Mercedes parked in the sunlight of the golden hour at a private residence in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The bride and groom take a leisurely walk in the glowing light of the golden hour, stylishly attired in sunglasses

Cape Cod sunlight glowing light vintage Mercedes Cape Cod Photographer golden hour Massachusetts

The newly-married couple exiting Château Saint Denis in France were showered in confetti, basking in the glorious sunlight of the day

The newly-married couple were showered in confetti as they exited Château, sun glinting off the bride and groom

Chateau exiting ceremony sun confetti bride and groom sunlight France

The Wilmington, DE bride and groom pose for a portrait bathed in the light of the sun, standing on the stairs with a low camera angle

The bride and groom posed for a formal portrait on the stairs under a bright sun

Wilmington DE stairs Delaware sunlight formal portrait Delaware Photographer low angle

A young couple posed atop a sun-drenched parking garage roof with a blue sports car, creating a unique engagement photo

Engagement picture in San Jose, CA captures couple posing with a blue sports car on a concrete parking garage roof with sunlight shining

urban portrait San Jose sunlight parking garage roof San Jose engagement session concrete parking garage blue sports car

The Retreat at the Hiawassee River provided the backdrop for this bride's beer detail shot, capturing the sunlight glinting off her beautiful dress and ring alongside the green bottle

At Hiawassee River, sunlight glinted off dress and ring, creating a beautiful backdrop for this bride's beer detail shot

Hiawassee Towns County beer GA sunlight Retreat at the Hiawassee River Georgia

The couple in Fleurance, Gers, France, nostalgically posed in front of the old train station's boarded up building, holding hands and reflecting on times gone past

The couple posed hand-in-hand in front of an old train station in the sunlight, creating a romantic, vintage feel for their engagement portrait

Fleurance Gers engagement session Gers old train station vintage feel sunlight

The couple's engagement portrait taken at the majestic Juyongguan section of the Great Wall of China, symbolizes their love illuminated by the sun's light

A couple's engagement portrait was taken at the Great Wall of China, lit up by the sun's rays

Juyong Pass mountains Beijing Juyongguan Beijing PreWedding Photography sunlight Great Wall of China

The couple danced in the sunlight of an open field, creating a scenic Vendome portrait

The couple's graceful dancing created a picturesque scene in the sunlight of the open field

Vendome Vendome Photographer sunlight couple dancing open field

The bride and groom walked hand-in-hand through a picturesque field in Perth, Western Australia, the perfect backdrop for their wedding reception

The newlyweds strolled blissfully together through a scenic pastoral landscape

Hand in hand Western Australia Perth photographer sunlight field perth

couple together under the sunlight

rocks trieste photographer Rilke Path cliffs Trieste Duino

An urban Agen, France pre wedding photo with a couple posing by a painted wall mural

sunlight silhouette urban portrait Agen Photographer mural art painted wall

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.