JUDGES COMMENTS: Moments of love and desire in our life are those exquisite happenings that change all, if we take time to notice. That is the privileged role of a photojournalist, to be sensitive and aware – to sit on the front row seats as incredible dramas unfold in shouts and whispers and find truth as it can only occur in the unfettered human experience of a moment. Sometimes this occurs with technical precision – every art of the craft joins to find a moment in unison. Such images are rare. More often, moments occur in simple, sometimes flawed images. But this is where the power of the moment reins supreme, overcoming the obstacles of the printed image to create iconic images of the human experience. This image resonates with what I call, “the power beneath the emulsion. rdquo; It was not chosen for technical precision but rather for the grand feeling it evokes in the moment of love, passion and desire.

The kiss may be tender, but the sly smile on the groom's face and placement of his hand low on her back suggests the real fun is about to begin.