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Wedding Photos of Backlit

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The following “Backlit” 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 “Backlit” 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.

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A WPJA professional captures a romantic shot of an engaged couple in Corsica, France. The backlit sunset frames the silhouettes of the duo, with the girl's hair flowing in the wind.
Corsican Sunset: Capturing the Romance of an Engagement Shoot
hair flowingwindromantic shotsunsetSilhouetted coupleCorsica PreWedding Portraitbacklit
Amidst a serene, backlit forest of twisted redwood trunks, the soon-to-be-wed couple entwines in a timeless bond, captured by a top pre-wedding photographer in enchanting Redwood City, CA.
Timeless Bond: Enchanted Love in Redwood City
backlitRedwood CityRedwood City PreWedding Portraittwisted trunksframed in treessunlight and shadowsforest
A picture capturing a beautiful wedding couple portrait session held at night in the enchanting forest of Le Barp, France with a stunning backlit and colorful tree as the backdrop.
Beautiful Wedding Couple Portrait Session in Enchanting Night-Time Forest of Le Barp, France: Stunning Backlit and Colorful Tree as Backdrop
night portraitLe Barp Wedding PortraitFranceLe Barpenchanting forestbacklitcolorful tree
Captured at Saumarez Park, Guernsey, this beautiful portrait showcases the newlyweds in the gardens, backlit by radiant trees and surrounded by lush green foliage.
Newlyweds Celebrate with Joyful Kiss in Garden Portrait Session
vertical compositionlush foliageSaumarez ParkbacklitGuernseyGuernsey Wedding Portraitgarden portrait
In Nordrhein-Westfalen, during the evening celebration, the groom and his groomsmen enjoy cigars, backlit at night with smoke creating a dramatic aura.
Groom and Groomsmen Enjoy Cigars, Backlit at Night with Smoke Creating Dramatic Aura During Evening Celebration in Nordrhein-Westfalen
smokeDramaticGermany Groom PortraitGermanyeveningcigarsNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Captured in the romantic setting of Koh Samui's library, this stunning engagement portrait showcases a playfully elusive couple, silhouetted in the enchanting glow of a backlit tunnel.
Enchanted Silhouettes: Love Illuminated in Koh Samui
backlitSilhouetted coupleromantic settingKoh Samui PreWedding PortraittunnelKoh SamuiThailand
A couple embraces at the picturesque Wild Basin in Rocky Mountain National Park, as a stunning backlit waterfall glows in the background. Their smiles and playful energy captured in this engagement portrait in Allenspark, Colorado.
A Backlit Waterfall Engagement Portrait in Allenspark, Colorado
playful energybacklitsmileswaterfall backdropAllenspark Engagement PortraitWild BasinAllenspark
In Var, France, the newlyweds embrace in a stunning black-and-white portrait, their figures elegantly highlighted against the soft, backlit glow of the outdoor setting.
Newlyweds Embrace in Stunning Black-and-White Portrait, Elegantly Highlighted Against Soft, Backlit Glow of Outdoor Setting in Var, France
soft lightblack and whiteFranceglowelegantVar Wedding PortraitVar
A couple embraces in a romantic embrace at Batchwood Golf Club in St Albans, Hertfordshire, surrounded by backlit leaves against a bright white sky during their engagement photo session.
An Engaging Skyline Portrait at Batchwood Golf Club
white skyBatchwood Golf ClubFace to facebacklitleavesSt Albans Engagement PortraitSt Albans
A couple poses for their engagement portrait at Valhalla Estate in South Lake Tahoe, CA, as the groom-to-be lovingly embraces his partner from behind in a sunny, backlit forest setting.
Love Blooms in the Forest: Engagement Portrait at Valhalla Estate in South Lake Tahoe
backlitSouth Lake TahoeCalifornia - Northernforest settingValhalla EstateSouth Lake Tahoe Engagementsunny
A romantic couple poses in the warm, backlit embrace of Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado during their engagement portrait session, with long shadows casting a dramatic foreground.
A Stunning Portrait Session at Great Sand Dunes National Park
warm embracedramatic foregroundColoradoGreat Sand Dunes National Parkvertical formatlong shadowsbacklit
Morrison, CO - A playful engagement portrait captures a couple giggling together at Red Rocks Trail during golden hour, surrounded by a backlit field of tall grass.
Celebrating a Couple's Bond in an Engaging Portrait at Red Rocks Trail
golden hourMorrison CO Engagement Photographytall grassMorrisonfieldbacklitoff center pose
Romantic backdrop of St. Saviours serves as the perfect setting for a couple's intimate portrait, captured at golden hour amidst a field of backlit grasses
Love Illuminated: Golden Hour Portraits at St. Saviours
St SavioursbacklitGuernsey Wedding Portraitgrassesgolden lightgolden hoursunset portrait
A beautiful portrait is captured as the bride and groom pose together under a topiary arch, with the backlit fog adding a dreamy touch to their wedding day at Tewinbury Farm in Hertfordshire.
A Dreamy Moment: Love Blossoms Under a Topiary Arch at Tewinbury Farm Wedding
dreamy touchtopiary archbacklitHertfordshireTewinbury FarmfogHertfordshire Wedding Portrait
In this stunning shot taken at sunset in Braga, the bride is backlit by the sun and framed against a majestic tall building, creating a beautiful contrast of traditional and contemporary elements.
Bridal Beauty Against the City Skyline: A Striking Photo from Braga's Sunset Shoot
Brazil Bridal PortraitBraga RSsunset portraittall buildingRio Grande do Sulbacklitsun
A beautiful wedding day portrait captured at a reception venue Sherbrooke Castle Hotel in Glasgow. The bride and groom are backlit during a dance in this indoor session.
GLASGOW WEDDING | Backlit Bride and Groom Dancing at Reception Venue Sherbrooke Castle Hotel
GlasgowSherbrooke Castle Hotelcastlebridebeautifulgroombacklit
At the Kasteel van Rhoon, the bride beams with a smile as she is getting ready for the ceremony, her hair being lightly sprayed and lit from the back.
Bridal Beauty at Kasteel van Rhoon: Pre-Ceremony Preparation in Glowing Light
smilesNetherlandsKasteel van RhoonRhoonRhoon wedding photographybacklitBeaming bride
A French couple stands in silhouette, framed by the warm, backlit light at an arch door at a castle in Loudenvielle.
LOUDENVIELLE | French Couple in Silhouette at Backlit Arch Door in Castle
lightingLoudenvielleLoudenvielle coupleHautes-PyreneeswarmcastleLoudenvielle photographer
Pictured in the scenic garden of a Thailand hotel, this bride and groom share a romantic dance under the warm, backlit sunset. The couple is framed in a beautiful silhouette, surrounded by the stunning landscape of large trees.
Scenic Garden Wedding with Romantic Dance: Couple Silhouette in Backlit Sunset
warmThailandThailand couple portraitbacklitStunning Landscapelarge treeshotel
A romantic pre-wedding photo of a couple at Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space in Castle Rock, CO. The snow-covered forest creates a dreamy backdrop for the backlit silhouette of the couple.
A Dreamy Engagement Portrait at Dawson Butte Ranch Open Space in Castle Rock, CO
romanticEngagement Photographer ColoradoDawson Butte Ranch Open SpaceCastle Rock COPre Wedding Photos Coloradosilhouettesforest
Cafe Fiore, Ventura Ca: Classic romance captured as bride and groom sway in an intimate dance and share a tender kiss. Timeless moment in a black and white vertical photo.
Cafe Fiore, Ventura Ca: A Timeless and Intimate Moment of Classic Romance Captured in Stunning Black and White
VertCaliforniaromancekissbwbride and groomVentura
A backlit black and white photo captures a man smoking at a wedding in Zug, Switzerland. The contrast of the all-black background and the smoke adds a dramatic touch.
Swiss Wedding Photo Captures Groom's Cigarette Break in Dramatic Black and White
backlitman smokingSwitzerlandZugdramatic touchblack and whiteZug wedding photography
A romantic scene captured at a wedding in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo. In a backlit frame against a black background, the couple shares a kiss as they raise their glasses in celebration.
Newlyweds share a kiss in a stunning backlit setting at São Paulo wedding
São Caetano do Sulbacklitblack backgroundraise glassesromantic sceneSao Paulo wedding photographysharing a kiss
At Dumbo, NY, a couple dressed in formal clothing face each other with the NYC skyline as their backdrop, illuminated by a subtle strobe light from behind, capturing their love before they say 'I do.'
Cityscape Elegance: Dumbo Lovebirds Pose in Formal Attire Silhouetted by NYC Brightness
nyc engagement photographycityscapeNew York City - Metrosubtle strobe lightwaterNYC skylineDUMBO NYC
At Downtown Los Angeles, CA, the couple stand on the roof of their condo complex, illuminated by soft backlit, sunset lighting, capturing their love as they prepare to say "I do."
Sunset Rooftop Romance: Engaged Couple Glows in Downtown Los Angeles Condo
condo complexLos Angeles e sessionLos AngelesDowntown Los AngelesCalifornia - Southernilluminatedsunset lighting
A stunning silhouette of a couple on their wedding day at Villa Parker reception venue, backlit with a warm orange gel light against a backdrop of three elegant arches. A romantic and dreamy scene capturing the love and beauty of the special day.
Ethereal Elegance: Silhouetted Love at Villa Parker
Villa ParkerParker CO Wedding PortraitColoradocoupleParker COelegantlove
In Phalsbourg, France, a couple stands in front of a small castle, their silhouettes capturing the romance of their upcoming wedding engagement.
Romantic Silhouettes: Couple's Love Blooms in Castle's Shadow
small castleMosellesilhouettesPhalsbourgduskbacklitPhalsbourg Engagement Photography
A creative black and white silhouette portrait of a couple backlit by light from the sky, captured by a TN wedding photographer in the Great Smoky Mountains.
LOVE IN SHADOWS: ENGAGEMENT PORTRAIT IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
black and whitetennessee engagement photographertreesforestsilhouettebacklitgreat smoky mountains
Fine art couple engagement portrait by a Lyon wedding photographer in Jardin des Curiosités, France capturing an intimate backlit embrace and a romantic sunset kiss.
Intimate Backlit Embrace: Fine Art Lyon Engagement Portrait at Jardin des Curiosités
sunsetLyon engagement photographyLyongarden engagementJardin des CuriositésFrancebacklit
A candid documentary-style photo of a bride and groom sharing a tender minute together in Hyderabad, India, captured in a beautifully backlit scene with warm lamp lighting.
Tender Moment in Hyderabad: Bride and Groom Embrace in Warmly Lit Documentary Shot
warmlampbacklitlightingtenderromanticstyle

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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.