AG|WPJA The Artistic Guild of the WPJA

Judges Comment: Great gesture and very humorous. Indeed a very strong image. I would have retouched the specular highlights causing the spots on the top right and cropped in on the left side just a hair. All in all this is still a very strong image. Great photojournalism consists of layers of information, which this picture has in spades. The more you look, the more you see. Are we looking in the mirror, or seeing reality? This picture has so much information, it’s like reading a book. Nothing like a little humor. Perfect juxtaposition of the book and the bride make this picture a keeper.

Judges Comment: The composition and graphic nature of this image all force the eye back to the moment. However, it’s successful because of the quality of light and the subtle moment occurring within it. The light in this image is beautiful and there is a nice moment. I think that this image could be a little stronger with a little cropping and retouching. The white on the top right bothers me as does the white on the bottom and the little white corner on the top left. The simplest improvement would just be a tighter crop coming down from the top eliminating the top row of three windows, coming in on the right eliminating the white and cropping up from the bottom leaving just a touch of white or eliminating it altogether. That said, the image is still very strong. This is a lovely image in many ways. In terms of Photoshop, the area still needed is working on all the verticals and horizontals being perfect (as if shot on a view camera). Why? Not because verticals and horizontals have to be perfectly aligned. It’s when they are not, the image is subconsciously uncomfortable to the viewer. That could work, but not in this case. It’s not a funeral. There’s light, gesture and color. So getting everything aligned would be great. Perhaps the Content Aware Scale option would be interesting to play with. I find the middle to lower left of the frame too hot. I’m not sure that entire left door needs to be in the frame; the story is to the right.

Judges Comment: I really like this image a lot. It’s clever and fun in many ways. It’s got great depth. As my friend Jay Maisel would say, it’s got light and gesture. I might clean up a few areas that are visually distracting in the upper right or maybe just burn it down a bit. Your eye does move around but it’s a bit too hot for me. Along the top left edge, left of the woman’s arm, there’s something on the wall that looks like a hand. I’d lose that.

Judges Comment: Another image with really great gesture. I love the dress hanging from the fan and love the light. The only thing I would have changed is to put the woman slightly more off center and I would have cropped on the left side, eliminating the lower right hand corner which bothers me. This could also be cloned out instead of cropping. The tone of the image is also quite nice. I kept wondering what this image would look like without the woman. I like the mode, the tone and color. It’s a very soothing image. The blur work is nicely done.

Judges Comment: Here, all the “clutter” and light and dark areas and confusion all work. It’s a fun image. The cat makes it so playful and that says a lot being a dog guy. The woman’s expression is great. A few things like the cut-off fingers could actually use some Photoshop work. The top of the right frame is a bit hot for me and, in fact, I see nothing lost by cropping to just above the mirror. But the image has a great look. Complete clutter and chaos of image invokes an honest representation of wedding preparation. The satisfied expression of the woman admiring her reflection is effective and seductive. The cat stretching provides perfect balance to the frame. Stunning. The layering, the beauty amidst the chaos, and the body language of both bride and cat clearly set apart this image.

Judges Comment: This image is redolent of Edward Hopper, a priceless snapshot in time during which the subjects are at once in their own world and integral parts of a whole.

Judges Comment: There is a mystery to this image that compels the viewer to look twice. In fact, the more I looked at it, the more I liked it and it slowly rose through the rankings. What I really like about the image is that it is more about how a moment feels.

Judges Comment: In classic “moment” photography fashion, this photographer captures the isolation of the moments before the wedding and the caring family looking on, body language showing their love and concern. Good job getting outside the room to see what is going on in the margins.

Judges Comment: Expression and body language of the little girl are priceless. Looks like an adult in a tiny body. Curlers add a bizarre element to the scene. Feels intimate and real. A cool, subtle moment made memorable by the hair curlers on the young subject.

Judges Comment: The bride’s nervousness made this image stand out. We don’t know if she’s simply nervous, or starting to have second doubts about her big day. I love how the photographer saw the moment between the layers. The disconnect between subjects adds to the mystery. The color doesn’t distract me, but I would not mind seeing this moment in black and white with some burning down on the edges.

Judges Comment: The quality of light combined with the simplicity of the moment illustrates a universal moment. There are three goals in descending order for a photojournalist. 1) Be a truthful storyteller with images by finding true moments. 2) Seek the unique within the universal. 3) Seek your own moment within those that you discover.

Judges Comment: Like many images in this category, the moment makes the image. Beautifully composed.

Judges Comment: A straightforward and very successful image. The photographer helps me feel as if I am already friends with the subject. Simply put, this joyful moment is real. Glad to see more men being documented in the Getting Ready category.

Judges Comment: A wonderful, humorous, Arbus-esque image bridging childhood and adulthood.

Judges Comment: Wow! Since the subjects are very comfortable with the photographer, we get to witness a beautiful scene. The natural light strengthens the mood. Although everyone is doing something different in this frame, I love it’s documentary style.

Judges Comment: How could anyone not love this image? I’ve shot enough weddings and judged enough wedding competitions to know that the “mirror” photo is as ubiquitous as physics. Every shooter from grade school to grave has shot it so many times, I wonder if we even know what we’re shooting. This image is a delightful chaos of shapes, patterns and graphic composition that somehow manages to tell the story of the moment without ambiguity.

Judges Comment: Terrific, classic moment. The composition is interesting but I would like to see more of the mirror.