JUDGES COMMENTS: Not sure what’s she’s wrestling with, but its a lot of fun to guess. The bridesmaid to the right adds to it because she’s not quite sure if she wants to jump in and help her out or just stay back. One thing that also makes this one work is the light dress popping out as the darker dresses frame the bride. A small thing, but with such a messy background, an important element.

JUDGES COMMENTS: Great depth of field.  Being right on top of the action with a wide angle brings an intimacy coupled with humor.    

JUDGES COMMENTS: Panic and stressful moments can be humorous. The bride is obviously trying to find something in her dress, and bridesmaids look so stressed. Nicely composed with bride in the center, and bridesmaids off to two sides.

JUDGES COMMENTS: This image captured the spirit of the wedding celebration. The moment between the bridesmaids was accentuated with motion blur and the stop action.

JUDGES COMMENTS: The low angle, the wide lens, and dragging the shutter while popping the strobe gives this image energy. Party time conveyed in a fun, buoyant way.   An even lower angle would have probably been better.  There is a little distortion from the severe tilt and I would have liked to see an even wider field of vision.   Still, this one makes me smile and nod.

JUDGES COMMENTS: The composition of the steel beams and the use of stark lighting complement this bride and groom as they kiss. A very strong use of composition and angle lead the viewer around the photograph.

There were some very strange settings for portraits in this category and most did not do justice to the subject – but the photographer does a great job in this industrial setting. The light is compelling and the composition arresting.

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2007 Q4 – 18th Place (Top 20) - Getting Ready

JUDGES COMMENTS: I like the clean vibrant background in this picture. The girls all seem to be in on the same joke.

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2007 Q4 – 10th Place (Top 10) - Kids Being Kids

JUDGES COMMENTS: Elegant! This is a very natural looking photo. The perfect sleeping pose for a little bride’s maid. Perfect light. A very intimate moment captured exceptionally well. Excellent recognition of a great photo opportunity by the photographer.

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2007 Q3 – 17th Place (Top 20) - Emotion

JUDGES COMMENTS: Tears at both sides of the frame make for a noteworthy composition.

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2007 Q3 – 6th Place (Top 10) - Bouquet/Garter Action

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2007 Q2 – 4th Place (Top 10) - Wheater

JUDGES COMMENTS: Fun moment. The photographer has made use of every inch of this frame. From the bride playfully shouting, framed by the towel held by the groom and a friend, to the bridesmaids and their towels, even one with her flowers in her mouth. The viewers eye can wander around this frame and find all kinds of surprises. Using a longer lens pulls all of these elements together for a well executed frame.

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2007 Q1 – 11th Place (Top 20) - Toasting/Speeches

JUDGES COMMENTS: Of the many photos of the couple reacting to the toast, I liked this one the best. I like the way they’re both leaning back; they laughing in a natural, heartfelt way that seems to show that they enjoyed the toast.

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2006 Q4 – 16th Place (Top 20) - Kids Being Kids

JUDGES COMMENTS: This perfect moment captures the expressions and body language of the children. The image reads clearly.

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2006 Q4 – 9th Place (Top 10) - Toasting

JUDGES COMMENTS: I loved the fact that the photographer kept his/her eye in the viewfinder and his finger on the shutter and stayed with this shot after what most would consider the peak action.  It is not a perfect photo, but it is a damn good try.

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2006 Q3 – 13th Place (Top 20) - Emotion

JUDGES COMMENTS: This is super subtle, and although on the surface it doesn’t bowl you over with emotion, but the more I looked at it, the more obvious the emotion was. His intent stare is really powerful. The quality of the light is really nice as well. The photographer did a great job in capturing the subtle intensity.

THANKS TO OUR BRIDES/GROOMS!