AG|WPJA The Artistic Guild of the WPJA

Judges Comment: What a sweet frame and a good way to shoot the guys without doing anything cheezy. I really like the toning, selective focus (ts lens) and composition that creates such a distinct horizon. The sky keeps forcing you down to look through the guys faces and finally end on the grooms strong honest face. I'll say it again, sweet frame!

Judges Comment: Way to go using an off-camera light source to softly illuminate the couple. Great image!

Judges Comment: This is one of many unique images in the portrait category. The off-center composition works really well to offset the two framed mirrors. Nice thought process.

Judges Comment: This graphic image gives life to the cake toppers that most of us are used to shooting. The next time you encounter a situation like this, try to get the couple more engaged, perhaps the moment just before the kiss or him twirling her around.

Judges Comment: The groom's bald head worked to your advantage and instantly directs a point of entry. While textures are nice and often add another complimentary layer, precise masking will prevent the unwanted "splattered" paint look on clothing. I'm a huge proponent of taking images to the next level through the use of overlays and texture but I always try to maintain the integrity of skin.

Judges Comment: This dreamy sunset is classically composed and constructed. Getting married in a location such as this one can hope for a beautiful cotton candy sky to be photographed against. Toning the image darker on the right helps to push your eye slowly to the left and stay there. My only suggestion is giving the whole image a bump in contrast and saturation.

Judges Comment: The dusk light really makes this beach scene come alive. The casual pose along with the flying gulls helps to move your eye around the image. One step to the right and the bride no longer merges with the mountain range

Judges Comment: The hard light and hot processing combined with the almost 'caught in the middle of something' expression and body language bring this image to the forefront. I really like the warm palette, sharp angles and lines the veil makes which pull you into the bride's face.

Judges Comment: This is a pretty cool concept but I think it could be executed better. The groom's eyes are closed (or perhaps looking down) and he seems as if he's in the middle of a step. This being a portrait, you are in complete control of the subject's actions...perfect them. I like the bride being hidden behind the deckled window and having her being slightly blown out by the light offsets the dark shadow area surrounding the groom.

Judges Comment: The image has a vintage, bleached Polaroid land camera feel that only accentuates the background and attitudes of this couple.

Judges Comment: This is a beautifully toned image, one that I bet the bride and groom would love to have on their wall. A thought to make the composition better, have the couple take 2 steps down and the photographer move about three feet to the left. This would alleviate the merger of the church and the kissing couple. Also, I wonder what this image would look like with more sky and less of the dark lower foreground?

Judges Comment: Way cool location! Aside from the location though, this image lacks a strong pose by the couple. I'd like to see more of the ice, almost to the point of losing the couple in the scene, think "where's Waldo."

Judges Comment: Ok, this is the last of the quirky / unique images in this category. I couldn't resist with this unusual scene. The out of focus top and bottom portions of the frame (ts lens) help focus your eye to the groom's face. Shot four to five feet lower, the groom would have popped off of the sky, showcased the mountains and alleviated the background mergers. Sometimes the tools we use interfere with our thought process and cause us to capture images that are more about the technique than the subject.