Wedding Photos of Shadow

The following “Shadow” 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 “Shadow” 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.

In the urban streets of the Bund, Shanghai, China, a couple is captured in a tilted frame, she leans back her head while he kisses her neck. The interplay of light and shadow adds depth.

Couple in Bund, Shanghai, China | Tilted Frame Capture | She Leans Back as He Kisses Her Neck | Light and Shadow Interplay Adds Depth

At Raffles Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, the bride is elegantly poised while holding flowers, with sunlight casting a striking pattern that shades one half of her face and illuminates the other, creating a captivating interplay of light and shadow.

Bride Poised with Flowers in Captivating Light and Shadow Portrait at Raffles Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey

shadow Turkey sunlight Raffles Hotel Istanbul elegant bride portrait Istanbul captivating bride captivating light pattern

At Le Mas de Peyre, a detail shot captures the groom's shoe alongside his grandfather's watch, artfully highlighting the items with a play of light and shadow, which adds depth and a sense of timeless elegance to the scene.

Groom's Shoe and Grandfather's Watch in Artful Light and Shadow at Le Mas de Peyre

Le Mas de Peyre flat lay wedding watch watch and shoe display elegant memory token Peyre scene sentimental French detail

A man and a shadow prepare for a French village wedding in Gordes. A beautiful moment captured in time.

Shadow Play: Man's Poised Moment in Gordes Village Wedding

time PACA moment Gordes Gordes France man village

At IMS in São Paulo, Brasil, a striking image captures a woman bathed in light while the man beside her remains in shadow, creating a dramatic contrast.

Striking Portrait at IMS São Paulo, Illuminating Woman in Light while Man Beside Rests in Shadow

sunlight and shadows São Paulo engagement photography shadow São Paulo bathed in light IMS dramatic contrast

As the mother walks gracefully across the grass, her shadow mimics the tall, slender shapes of the nearby bar tables, creating a whimsical image in the sunlight.

Mother's Shadow Mimics Bar Tables in Whimsical Sunlit Scene on Grass

scene mother Bar Tables landscape Outdoor Moment graceful walk sunlight

A black and white detail shot captures a wedding veil hanging by a window at a private house in Devon, UK. The bride is silhouetted in the foreground shadows.

Devon Veil: A Bride's Shadow, a Window's Light, a Moment Before "I Do."

Devon bride veil window foreground Black White Wedding detail shadow

In this beautiful wedding shot at the District Winery in Washington DC, the bride and groom share a touching moment as they listen to a heartfelt bridesmaid speech. The bridesmaid's shadow, with her microphone, is visible on the wall in the background.

Intimate Wedding Moment Captured at District Winery in Washington DC Highlights Emotional Bridesmaid Speech and Shadow Detail

District Winery microphone shadow touching moment head table DC wedding photography Washington DC

At Puente de las Herrerías in Spain, before their wedding, a photographer used a blue light behind the couple to create a shadowy silhouette against the stone arch bridge.

Shadowy Silhouette: Engaged Couple at Puente de las Herrerías in Spain Before Wedding

stone arch bridge blue light Andalusia Andalusia Engagement Portrait shadow Herrerías Bridge Guadalquivir River

Ethereal Romance: Bride Glows in Sunlight at Domaine Etxe Zahar, Pyrénées Atlantiques, France

Pyrénées Atlantiques wedding photography Domaine Etxe Zahar shadow Pyrénées-Atlantiques groom profile sunlight and shadows sunlight

In Tunis, Tunisia, the shadow of the singer adds an artistic touch to the reception, infusing the atmosphere with rhythm and melody as guests revel in the celebration.

Melodic Shadows: A Tunisian Wedding Celebration

melody artistic Africa Tunisia Wedding Moment singer Tunis celebration

A groom tenderly dips his bride inside a dark chapel, creating a striking play of light and shadow on their wedding day at Ruines du Château à Salt-en-Donzy, Romain et Laurie.

Light and Shadow Dance: Groom Dips Bride in Dark Chapel at Ruines du Château à Salt-en-Donzy

Romain light play groom bride striking chapel silhouettes

A couple on their wedding day in Baeza, Jaén, Spain, standing against a stone wall. The groom is bathed in sunlight while the bride is in shadow. A contrasting and captivating image of love and light in a historic Spanish setting.

Love Illuminated: A Sunlit Groom and Shaded Bride in Baeza, Jaén, Spain. Pose by Wall

shadow Spain couple captivating image Baeza Wedding Portrait love stone wall

A couple about to wed had their engagement portrait session in Albi, France, posing in front of vibrant red windows. The photographer skillfully played with shadows, light, and captured the man's silhouette.

Engaging Elegance | Vibrant Red Windows in Albi Frame Their Love

light play couple portrait photography engagement photographer French photographer lifestyle portraits shadow France Engagements

A wedding photographer artistically capture a beautiful portrait of a couple in Bar le Duc, Meuse. The captivating black and white silhouette showcases their love, surrounded by enchanting Chinese shadows.

Enchanting Shadows: Bar le Duc's Captivating Black and White Silhouette

contrast Bar le Duc Back lit shadow bride and groom contour Artsy

The portrait was taken of the couple in their Taiwan home, with the bride-to-be holding the groom's hand

Taiwan Home Couple Portrait: Bride-to-Be Holds Groom's Hand

Taiwan groom kissing hand shadow silhouette Taiwan engagement photography

Creative wedding couple portrait in Cour Dorée showcasing a playful interplay of light and shadow on their faces

Cour Dorée Creative Wedding Couple Portrait: Playful Interplay of Light and Shadow on Faces

Rhône light Rhone Creative Portrait faces Cour Dorée playful interplay Rhone wedding couple

couple poses against a brick wall with a spot light on them

shadow Texas - West Babak Sadri spot light downtown engagement El Paso red brick wall

At IMS, São Paulo, Brazil, a shadow of a kiss during a couple portrait session

shadow couple kiss IMS sao paulo photographer São Paulo Thiago Gimenes

Aniane, France contest award winning documentary wedding photography in black and white capturing a Difficult speech

wedding speech shadow silhouette Aniane Aniane Photographer France

The photographer at Playa Largo Resort, Key Largo, Florida scouted the lobby for a wedding photo, and decided to use the chandelier and the groom's shadow for an element

Key Largo, Florida photographer captures wedding photo with chandelier and groom's shadow

stairway shadow Key Largo Key Largo Photographer Florida hotel lobby Playa Largo Resort

Engagement Photos Guanajuato. A Mexico couple pose while positioned at a different level of distance, And with an external flash to make that type of shadow that is striking

Guanajuato shadow Jorge Alcala Goded Mexico posed couple Guanajuato Photographer

A Fujian stylish wedding day detail picture showing The shadow of the bride on the grooms suit

Fujian stylish wedding bride China Fujian grooms suit shadow

Haltern am See couple engagement portraits with a couple at the beach in the sunlight on the sand

sandy beach haltern am see engagement shadow engagement by the sea Haltern am See

World's most innovative and best Chengdu wedding photography of The groom writing down his wedding vows, from under the glass table The words on the white paper are clearly visible, We can see the shadow left by the nib on the paper

glass table nib Chengdu groom Sichuan writing words bw

World's best creative wedding portrait photography from Nanning showing the bride posing near a wall with a shadow from a window sign

Nanning bride window Nanning posing shadow China wall

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

Dramatic San Miguel de Allende sun Calle del Chorro engagement image Jorge Alcala Goded Calle del Chorro Pre wedding

Sancerre pre-wedding photo-session with an urban shadow on the street walls in the afternoon

Piranga Studio afternoon walls shadow cher photographer Sancerre prewedding photo

View this decorative Landgut Stüttem Wipperfürth wedding image of a handkerchief for tears of joy, which was distributed to the guests, in the shadow of the grape arch, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography from the WPJA

Landgut Stüttem Wipperfürth wedding image of a handkerchief for tears of joy, which was distributed to the guests, in the shadow of the grape arch, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography

hagen wedding image guests handkerchief tears of joy hagen wedding photography shadow Landgut Stüttem Wipperfürth

View this dramatic La Spezia wedding image of the bride, using a shadow portrait of the groom, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Teller, Lerici from the WPJA

dramatic La Spezia wedding image of the bride, using a shadow portrait of the groom, which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Teller, Lerici

Teller wedding photography Teller photographer sunlight shadow Teller lerici Portrait of the groom

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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.