Wedding Photos of Dramatic

The following “Dramatic” 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 “Dramatic” 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.

A Maceio lifestyle couple black and white photo session at Praia de Guaxuma with some dancing among coconut trees with a different record, with movement

Dramatic South Lake Tahoe wedding image of these Northern California men posing for a Portrait of the groom and groomsmen in the dark in the mirror at home

Northern California weddings Portrait of the groom Dramatic dark South Lake Tahoe wedding image groomsmen at home

Dramatic Beijing wedding image of this China bride and groom on an outdoor lawn

Dramatic lawn China Beijing beijing wedding image bw

Dramatic Dockmaster's Building wedding image of this Washington DC bride and groom as they embrace in front of city scenery at night

The Wharf Dockmaster Building city scenery lit Johnny Shryock building Washington DC wedding image Washington

Dramatic Earle Brown Event Center wedding image of this Minnesota bride with bridesmaids Bride with their crew pose on the grass lawn against a glass building

pose glass building Event Center wedding lawn Earle Brown Earle Brown Event Center

Great wedding photography of the bride and groom from Edmonton, Alberta in the Brewery District as they stand in dramatic window light

window light Edmonton Brewery District standing Brewery District wedding portrait Canada wedding photography Edmonton couple

Pine, Colorado dramatic actual wedding day couple image at Mountain View Ranch resulting in A backlit night portrait of the bride and groom below the Milky Way

Dramatic night portrait ranch Milky Way bride and groom Colorado portraits

Dramatic Cueva los Majuelos wedding image of this Pegalajar, Jaen bride and groom in Spain in a cave lit with red lighting

Cueva los Majuelos weddings lit Spain Dramatic Spain wedding couple cave

Dramatic 1C Barn wedding image of this Colorado Springs bride and groom using a Long exposure and a light bar to silhouette the couple and a Tripod and remote were also used

Colorado Springs Tripod Colorado couple silhouette Colorado 1 C Barn

Dramatic Farley Estate Milner wedding image of this Georgia bride and groom shot at mirror in bathroom with reflection of couple posed in the room outside and framed by the doorway to the bathroom

The Farley Estate Georgia Farley Estate framed GA wedding image doorway mirror

Dramatic Colorado wedding image of this Vail bride and groom during a champagne spray at night in the urban setting

dark city Vail spraying bottle Colorado wedding image Dramatic

A dramatic Sedona, Arizona documentary wedding photography example from Sky Ranch Lodge showing the Groom checks time while getting ready

getting ready Arizona checks time Sedona AZ photography Arizona documentary wedding

A spectacular San Francisco wedding couple photograph from Northern California following heavy rain, then at dusk the bride and groom ventured down to the pond and a little off camera flash really made this scene dramatic

scene off camera flash pond Northern California couple portrait heavy rain San Francisco wedding photography Dramatic

A dramatic Toulouse documentary wedding photography example from Aucamville - the bride and groom surrounded by their guests

Toulouse photography Dramatic trees sunlight outdoor wedding bride and groom streaks

Dramatic Zurich wedding image of this Switzerland bride and groom at the Ceremony Location during Sunset picture session with a dip

ZH picture session sunset Zurich lit Zurich wedding image Switzerland Mischa Baettig

Dramatic Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria Uffizi wedding image of this Florence bride and groom under the arches of the gallery of the uffizi, the couple is in a point of light, a ray that illuminates the two lovers like a beacon, while the look of her is lost

Italy Galleria Uffizi Palazzo Vecchio bride and groom beacon of light two lovers ray

Adventurous Salt Flats of Kutch pre wedding portrait resulting in A dramatic portrait of the soon-to-be married couple

Dramatic Joseph Radhik Kutch engagement Salt Flats Sindh Little Rann Kutch couple

Dramatic Villa La Favorita wedding image of this Mantua bride and groom created a few seconds before the lights for cutting the cake come on

Villa La Favorita wedding Villa La Favorita Mantua bride and groom Italy cutting the cake Dramatic Fabrizio Demasi

Dramatic Matriz de Santo André wedding image of this São Paulo bride and groom with floor mirror reflections and many flowers

Brazil São Paulo bride and groom floor mirror reflections Santo André weddings church Matriz de Santo André

A first rate Lacuna Loft wedding image from an on location Chicago couple portrait session resulting in a dramatic bride and groom portrait

IL bride and groom portrait Chicago couple portrait session disney Illinois Chicago Lacuna Loft

Pre-wedding engagement image-session at Calle del Chorro in San Miguel de Allende showing the red color of the streets and the shadow of the sun to make this dramatic photograph

Red color Ritrae Studio engagement image San Miguel de Allende sun Jorge Alcala Goded Calle del Chorro

View this dramatic and stylish Beijing wedding portrait of The bridegroom chatting with the groomsman which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in China

China photographer chatting Dramatic China wedding photography stylish groomsman Beijing wedding portrait

View this dramatic Traverse City wedding image of A colorful backlit portrait of the bride and groom in front of a fountain which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Michigan from the WPJA

Michigan Dramatic bride and groom Michigan wedding photography Traverse City wedding image backlit portrait fountain

View this dramatic Blagoevgrad wedding image of Bride prep in BW which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography at the Orbita SPA Hotel from the WPJA

framed bridesmaids bw Dramatic wedding photography Blagoevgrad photographer Blagoevgrad wedding image

View this dramatic Alblasserdam City Hall wedding image showing The bride is walking up the stairs towards the wedding venue, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Netherlands from the WPJA

NL wedding image bride Dramatic nl wedding photography walking Netherlands Alblasserdam City Hall

View this dramatic Sofia wedding image from The end of the day with bride and groom running into the sea water, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Bulgaria from the WPJA

dramatic Sofia wedding image from The end of the day with bride and groom running into the sea water, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Bulgaria

overhead Sofia wedding image sunset wedding photography bride and groom running Bulgaria Dramatic

View this dramatic Scotland wedding image of Bride and groom backlit under a large tree, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography from the WPJA

dramatic Scotland wedding image of Bride and groom backlit under a large tree, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography

Scotland photographer Scotland wedding image night shot lit large tree darkness Scotland

dramatic Gelnhausen wedding image of the Groom and the dress in BW, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography

Germany Gelnhausen Gelnhausen wedding image bw dress groom germany wedding photography

View this dramatic Baden Baden wedding image of a bride and groom with sun and shadows, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography from the WPJA

dramatic Baden Baden wedding image of a bride and groom with sun and shadows, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography

shadows dusk city urban germany wedding photography sun Baden-Baden

View this dramatic Perth wedding image of The bride and groom walking together near the outdoor ceremony location, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Western Australia from the WPJA

dramatic Perth wedding image of The bride and groom walking together near the outdoor ceremony location, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Western Australia

silhouette Perth wedding image Dramatic outdoor Ceremony location bride and groom walking Western Australia

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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.