AG|WPJA The Artistic Guild of the WPJA

Judges Comment: This photo needs no introduction. It’s one of those immaculate moments in portraiture where it seems every detail has decided to grant its blessing. Even the composition, a centered image works to the benefit of the moment. This is one of those moments when a good photographer knows when it’s time to become the keen observer of an exquisite moment. Wow.

Judges Comment: What a beautiful quiet moment. The photographer’s control of highlight and shadow detail is remarkable as is the unpretentious setting that depicts the getaway of lovers.

Judges Comment: This is a striking portrait where the photographer intelligently incorporated the scenic opportunity of rain falling on a terrace or plaza to create a timeless image of wedded bliss.

Judges Comment: This would have been a wonderful image by nature of the location alone but the photographer has propelled the image forward with respect to the moment. An image that could have been a laborious contrivance was elevated to a higher form by avoiding the prodigiousness of control beyond what was essential.

Judges Comment: What a beautiful scene suggesting universal themes of tradition as bride and groom begin a new life together.

Judges Comment: This photo is so blissfully free of convention that its “snap-shot” appearance is a clever device that retains all the flavor of the moment by adding the visual veracity of happenstance. Color, light and composition, however, are the foundations of this image - the work of a skilled shooter.

Judges Comment: What a wild contrivance utilizing the scenic decor in a way that also hints at multiple layers of thought and form. The paintings on the wall stitch the scene together and we await the next chapter of this couple’s life.

Judges Comment: Such beauty and passion as both lovers and environment meld together in replicating shape as though the entire scene was caught in their embrace.

Judges Comment: Here is elegance of light and composition, as though the surroundings have become the ornate wrapping of a precious gift. Their stance together, her face looking downward with a hint of coyness adds a soft edge to the cool tones and elaborate scene.

Judges Comment: Yes, it’s assertive and perhaps a tad pretentious but it’s also the fitting location for a couple that complete their environs with matching expressions. Thus the joke is on us and why should it be any different as we peer across a rack of comic books?

Judges Comment: The umbrellas framing bride and groom is a colorful approach that speaks as much to the festive event as it does the smile on the groom’s face. Even better is that red and white are the traditional colors of Valentine’s Day.

Judges Comment: The saturated colors mixed with the slightly arching shapes created by the lens, blends nicely with the couple leaning into one another for a kiss, as chin and neck create another sloping archway.

Judges Comment: The lighting in this image is decadently beautiful. The subjects take their place in the scene and become objects of design accented not only by the room but also by the artful composition of the image.

Judges Comment: The immaculate lighting and the posing of the couple is matched only by the angle of view. This is a thoughtful production and a lovely image.

Judges Comment: The soft warmth bathes bride and groom as they share in a newlywed moment - her raised feet adding to the carefree feeling of the scene.

Judges Comment: It’s not often that a photographer gets an opportunity like this with a rainbow crossing a beautiful sky, a bride in a beautiful dress, a deserted road crossing a prairie and all of it occurring during the magic light prior to sunset. Fortunately the photographer met the opportunity with the blessings of a well composed photo.

Judges Comment: Her veil shrouds half the view thereby adding a wonderful smokey look that creates a feeling of magic or mystery. But the disarming smiles of this couple are the defining aspects of a moment that presents itself with an engaging aplomb.

Judges Comment: The intimate flirtation between bride and groom amidst a dizzying array of blurred highlights creates a feeling of unabashed voyeurism - the kind of delight found in “people watching,” yet the image never oversteps its bounds and thus foregoes self-consciousness.

Judges Comment: The lighting, the framing of a romantic moment gives the viewer a feeling liken unto a soft smile.

Judges Comment: There are moments when a kiss is far more than just a kiss as the entire scene seems made just for this romantic moment - the photo itself becoming delectable.