Winners of the 2010 Best Wedding Photo Contest

<p>The results are finally tallied–here they are! I’ll start with quick congratulations and a note about the judging from William W. (one of the judges–actually I should say he is a "Master" Judge).</p>

<p><strong>Judges’ Commentary</strong> by William W.</p>

<p>Congratulations to every entrant for participating.</p>

<p>The Judges were very aware of scoring this event within an appropriate time-frame, but more importantly as objectively and fairly as humanly possible.</p>

<p>Finalists were assessed and agreed by each Judge (for both categories) and then the Judging Proper was done by each Judge scoring each of the Finalists with possible maximum score of 300 points – 100 points allocated for each of the three major Judging Criteria.</p>

<p>To be fair to every entry, each of these four processes needs to be done in one sitting, which might not on the surface appear time consuming, but each process can occupy the best part of a working day. The Judges did not have the usual facility of all sitting around a table in face to face discussion, but used more cumbersome means to communicate.</p>

<p>With a total score of 900 points possible, we would expect that there would be a widish diversity of scoring, BUT, upon totalling the scores - within the three Winners and three Honourable Mentions for Both Categories: there were instances (plural) of separation by only ONE POINT.</p>

<p>This fact is worthy of particular note and specific congratulations to the six Placegetters and the six Honourable Mentions.</p>

<p>Judging to Criteria is not about what "looks good" to the Judge. When entering competitions, it is important to read the Judging Criteria and to select an Image which best fits all the criteria and which you think will score highly against each and every criterion.</p>

<p>My personal congratulations to EVERY Photographer who entered.</p>

<p><strong>Personal Note:</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

Again this year it was a pleasure for me to be asked and to Judge some very fine works, thank you Nadine, for inviting me.</p>

<p>Last years’ Judging was a most wonderful experience; communicating with other Judges by email and telephone; allowing for time differences and fitting in my daily work. I have been used to sitting in a room on a Sunday morning ‘til late Sunday afternoon arguing across a table with lots of black coffee and sliding 11x14 prints, one way and another . . .</p>

<p>The Photo.net Competition experience is, in some ways, more demanding yet also a more rewarding Judging Task: mainly in the Breadth of Techniques displayed and Range of Interpretations of the Wedding Genre.</p>

<p>I was disappointed that there were fewer entries this year, than last.</p>

<p>I believe that every working Wedding Photographer would gain much by being alert to that one Cracker Image they pull between now and next year: the one Image which will blow the Judges away – I doubt the Judging Criteria will change much.</p>

<p>Whilst each week we are mindful of our Clients – I think we could push the bar higher and work towards demanding that one Cracker Image each of us wishes to display in this Annual Competition.</p>

<p>The greatest Honour is not in the winning – it is the Displaying to the World one of our Personal Bests, for the Year.</p>

<p><em>WW</em><br>

<em> </em><br>

<strong>Winners of the Under 3 Years Experience Category</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

First Place winner receives a free one year membership to photo.net.</p>

<p><em>First Place:</em> <strong>Seth B.</strong>–Under the Spotlight<br>

<em>Second Place:</em> <strong>Alan Abrams</strong>–A Dance With My Father<br>

<em>Third Place:</em> <strong>Michal Domarus</strong>–The Love Boat</p>

<p><strong>Winners of the 3 Plus Years of Experience Category</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

First Place winner receives a Featured Photographer write up in photo.net’s newsletter sometime during the coming year.</p>

<p><em>First Place:</em> <strong>Marilyn Berrys</strong>–Kate<br>

<em>Second Place:</em> <strong>Chris Linscott</strong>–Last Light<br>

<em>Third Place:</em> <strong>David Bell</strong>–2010 Wedding</p>

<p>Each winning image will now be shown, with judges’ comments below.</p>

<p>Let me take the liberty of thanking William W. And Jeff Spirer (one of our own hardworking moderators) on behalf of us all. It takes a lot of time and thought to judge a contest like this. Thank you both for your efforts.</p>

<p>Don’t miss the announcement of the Honorable Mentions, along with judges’ comments, in a separate thread.</p>

<p>Finally, thanks to everyone who entered. As a photographer and judge, I am humbled by your talent.</p>

<p><strong>Winners of the Under 3 Years of Experience Category</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<strong>First Place: Seth B.–Under the Spotlight.</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Street Portraiture Style brought inside to the Wedding Reception.<br>

The Moment.<br>

Available Light used well.<br>

Camera Viewpoint to maintain Singularity within the Crowd – and the pathway to Subjects.<br>

The Mystery of the Facelessness – but the Beauty of the Form.<br>

Compelling, Strong and in Balance.<br>

An Excellent Piece of Work.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

A really elegant capture that has that feeling of silent devotion even though the music must be playing.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

I find this image to be almost perfect. The mirrored round elements throughout are intriguing and pleasing. I also like the snappy black and white treatment. Well seen and captured.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Second Place: Alan Abrams–A Dance With My Father</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Poignant, and Emotive.<br>

Well Balanced Flash.<br>

Good Close Work – excellent technical choices for that.<br>

Intimate Capture.<br>

Strong Street Portraiture Skills<br>

Compelling, Strong and in Balance.<br>

An Excellent Piece of Work.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

Tender moments can make spectacular photographs. Here, the separation between the bride and her dad and the background make the moment all that much more tender.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

Excellence in composition, lighting, treatment of black and white, most of all, timing.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Third Place: Michal Domarus–Love Boat</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Fresh, quirky and alive.<br>

Good Technical Choices and Skills which throw the Happy Couple at us and allow us to move into Their World.<br>

Providing a Strong Impact.<br>

Excellent use of Colour Tones whilst using minimal Colours – nice emphasis.<br>

An Exciting and Very Good Piece of Work.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

The light hearted expression on the bride's face gives a terrific humourous element that belies the setting.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

Another image that I found almost perfect. The rule breaking centered composition is only made more interesting by the use of deep, bright colors and found elements. Bright reds, blues, and squiggly and straight lines just increase the big smile.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Winners of the 3 Plus Years of Experience Category</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<strong>First Place: Marilyn Berrys–Kate</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Highly refined and exquisitely executed Bridal Portrait Capture.<br>

Pristine use of natural Light to create a subtle range of Tones.<br>

Intimate and very Politely Seductive.<br>

A must as an enlargement to be hung.<br>

An Excellent Example of Bridal Portraiture.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

A touching portrait of a bride, capturing a quiet moment exquisitely. Nice toning works well with the image.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

One of the most elegant bridal portraits I’ve seen. The shimmering pastel and monochromatic tones, shallow DOF in contrast to the sharp eyelashes, and mysterious expression all combine for a luxurious feel.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Second Place: Chris Linscott–Last Light</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Highly Impactful Image and Story.<br>

Delightful Intimate Interaction between the Subjects.<br>

Good use of the Light to Enhance, especially the Bride’s Emotion.<br>

An Excellent use of the Longer Lens.<br>

Excellent Work.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

The light really makes this one, giving a cinematic feel to the couple's time together.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

Beautiful use of beautiful light–and shadow–and reflection. Very expressive yet natural emotional interaction that directly touches the viewer.</p><div></div>

<p><strong>Third Place: David Bell–2010 Wedding</strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<em>William W.</em><br>

Very good use of negative space.<br>

Strong emotion and good sense of Intimacy.<br>

Powerful use of Lighting and display of Technical Skills, to Enhance.<br>

A Fresh and Energetic Image - within a moment of Privacy.<br>

Very Good work.</p>

<p><em>Jeff Spirer</em><br>

Another shot where the light makes the photo, complementing the pose and highlighting the couple perfectly.</p>

<p><em>Nadine Ohara</em><br>

Expert fairy tale/happy-ending-movie treatment. The expressions tell all.</p><div></div>

<p>A big congratulations to the winners! Excellent images. I am very happy with my 3rd place - in fact the same image also came 3rd for a forum competition of the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) UK competition for the favourite wedding image of 2010. I must try harder and improve this year!</p>

<p>And a huge thank you to the judges: Nadine, Jeff and William for taking the time to judge these images - no small feat! What I really appreciate are the comments, especially from such esteemed forum members, rather than just a 1st, 2nd or 3rd.</p>

<p>Indeed, a hearty congratulations to all the winners. Very well deserved!</p>

<p>The judges can't have had an easy time of it, so hats off to you all as well :)</p>

<p><strong>Moderator Note:</strong> I was going to put winners' comments in a separate thread, but since some have commented here, I am posting what I've already collected.</p>

<p><strong>From Seth B.:</strong></p>

<p>Technical Data: Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 35 1.4L, 1/500@f/1.8, ISO 4000</p>

<p>First, my thanks to all...I very much enjoyed the other submissions, and am honored to have won.</p>

<p>My general philosophy for weddings is to remain as unobtrusive as possible. My main inspirations for this type of work are Henri Cartier-Bresson (of course) and "surrealist" photographers like Andres Kertesz.</p>

<p>When working in this mode I tend to think of myself as juggling a few different and often competing interests. First, it's obviously important that the content of each image is recognizable. Second, I want my images to be aesthetically pleasing. Third, I try very hard to maintain a sense of play and whimsy in my work. Finally, whenever possible I aim to consciously employ and demonstrate the properties of the photographic medium; it is my hope that viewers will find interest beyond representationalism in my images.</p>

<p>Although I believe the way one thinks about photography is tremendously important, I consider it equally vital to put most intellectual concerns aside when shooting. To me photography is fundamentally a performative art; at weddings my job is to immerse myself in the flow of events and capture things as they occur. The results are certainly informed by all the conceptual stuff, but the process is intuitive rather than conscious.</p>

<p>Such was certainly the case with this image, taken at my first wedding. Lighting was limited to a string of white Christmas-style lights around the perimeter of the inside of the tent and the three globe lights above the dance floor.</p>

<p>The large central globe had a hole in the bottom of it so I expected to get interesting results as people passed below it. I also thought the globes themselves would be strong graphic elements. My desire to show some context and use people on the dance floor as a rough frame for the subjects determined the wide aperture and focal length. I could claim that I intended the subjects to be faceless and wanted the image to have a cinematic quality, but in truth I simply waited until the bride and groom were positioned in a way I liked and took a few frames...fortunately one stuck.</p>

<p>I should perhaps note that there is a workable color version of this image; the globes actually held full-color LEDs that changed color and brightness regularly (which made for some truly strange skin tones). I entered the B&W version because I thought it was just a bit stronger.</p>

<p><strong>From Alan Abrams:</strong></p>

<p>As a wedding photojournalist, I pride myself in capturing moments as they unfold. Father-daughter dances tend the yield the kind of raw emotion that wedding photojournalists look for. I know it's something I look for every time out. The first dance is important, but there's just something about a father dancing with his daughter for what may be the last time. Being a father of two daughters, it's something I always imagine myself doing one day. Until that happens, I'm more than happy capturing those moments for someone else. </p>

<p>The Tear: That part was pure luck! I'm not even sure I noticed the tear at first. I was really more concerned with capturing the emotion on their faces as they danced. The father was almost sobbing, to the point where I barely saw her show any emotion. She was a really laid-back bride (the groom was a nervous wreck) so I was a bit surprised when she teared up too. Luckily for me, the tear was in perfect position and the remote flash hit her at the right angle to illuminate it. The guests raved about the image on my blog and on Facebook. It was a huge hit. I can honestly say that tear led to me booking two weddings as a result. It's one of those images that I feel clearly defines my style.</p>

<p>Technical details:<br>

-Canon 5Dc<br>

-Sigma 50/1.4<br>

-Nikon SB-24's in opposite corners cross-lighting the dance floor, both triggered by Cybersync radio triggers.<br>

-Sigma EF530 Super on camera E-TTL for fill</p>

<p><strong>From Chris Linscott:</strong></p>

<p>"last light" came about as the sun was setting during a small, classy, lake side wedding in central Maine. My original thought when I scoped out this location earlier in the day was to try and shoot toward the lake, and use the evening sky and lake as the backdrop while using an off camera flash to balance the couple with the background. I changed plans when I saw how the water was acting as a giant reflector and I could position the couple in front of a very dark background to create a nice high-contrast image with some good directional light. I really owe the thought behind this image to Cliff Mautner, he is just a master at using high contrast scenes to make dramatic images and I constantly use his work for inspiration! For the technical side of the image, I used a D700 with an 80-200 f2.8 @ about 200mm. Iso was around 800 shooting wide open at probably 125th of a second. To finish the image I used NIK Silver Effects to convert to B+W, added a little "grain" and then used a soft focus filter from NIK at a very low opacity to take the edge off.</p>

<p>I think that I'm most drawn to this image from 2010 as it represents where I'd like to grow as a wedding photographer. I'd like to keep challenging myself to step beyond the "safe" shots and work harder to create images with a little more drama and impact for my clients in the coming season.</p>

<p>Congratulations to all who participated, and a special thanks to Nadine and the gang for organizing the contest for us!</p>

<p><strong>From David Bell:</strong></p>

<p>I would like to share some background to my image. This particular couple are both wedding photographers themselves - so the pressure was on! So this image was entirely preconceived and I planned to capture it before I even left home that morning. I would find a suitable location for the shot, wait for the moment, then approach the couple and ask if they would like one last shot with the promise that it will be a wow shot and something totally different. Usually I look for some background lights in front of which I can place the couple, but with enough distance from the lights so as to throw them out of focus. This approach wasn't really possible at this particular wedding as the type of lights I was looking for weren't available.</p>

<p>Anyway, so I led the couple outside into the garden. The background behind the couple is a variety of hedges, trees and plants with very little to zero light falling on them. I selected this as I knew it would provide a pitch black background.</p>

<p>I then asked for two helpers which turned out to be the bride's mother and a bridesmaid. I asked the bridesmaid the crouch on the opposite side of the couple and aim a remotely triggered flashgun (via Pocket Wizards) at the couple’s heads. I then directed the bride and groom into position, getting their faces very close together to make it more intimate, but not kissing as this would break the profile of the rim light I was trying to create. Although it doesn't look like it, the grooms head is an inch or so offset from the bride's head, being closer to the camera. In other words his head is slightly closer to the camera than that of the bride. This is intentional in that it allows a touch of the light from the flashgun, hitting the right side of his face, to bounce onto the right side of the bride's face and then a smidgen to bounce back onto his left cheek. If they were totally aligned to each other, then the side of their faces closest to the camera would be a lot darker.</p>

<p>The composition was preconceived to include negative space on the left as I felt this made the image stronger. I then asked the bride's mother to shine the torchlight onto their faces so that I could attain focus. Once I knew I had achieved focus I asked her to turn of the torchlight. Then I took the shot and a few more with different compositions. I always show the couple a few images on the back of the camera and I always get a fantastic reaction, which is a really nice way to end the day!</p>

<p>This was shot on a 5D Mkii with a 70-200mm F2.8L IS. The exposure is ISO3200, F2.8 and 1/80th. I had to go to ISO3200 in order to get some detail of the lower half of the couple, otherwise they would have blended into the darkness.</p>

<p>My inspiration for this shot came after attending a 5 day workshop with Jerry Ghionis in London where Jerry discussed this type of shot. I was so impressed that I made it my mission to try it as much as possible and I will continue to do so this year. This image also gained third place on the SWPP forum (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers, UK) contest for the member’s favourite wedding image of 2010.</p>

<p>Nadine asked me to post the color version of my image, so here it is:</p>

<p><img src="http://www.blockphotography.com/manda-01.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Thanks, Seth. That is also intriguing, but you are right, the black and white version plays up the shapes more.</p>

<p>Yes, indeed: “the shapes” agreed.<br>

<em>“The Mystery of the Facelessness – <strong>but the Beauty of the Form</strong>.”</em><br>

The B&W version is superior in the micro Forms; the juxtapositions of the micro Forms within the scene and also the Image as a Whole.</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>About Alan Abrams' pic. At first glance it seems just an ordinary albeit well-made pic, but the teardrop makes all the difference in the world. Gives it a sort of "Time-Life" quality and puts it squarely in the "Photos That Will Live Forever" category. <br>

About all the pics: It's refreshing to see wedding pics that are different and unique, not to mention extremely well made. In studio after studio, you see the same tired old perfectly crafted wedding pics on the wall. Might as well be the same couple in all of them! These are such a nice change from that. Hats off to all the shooters!</p>

<p>Firstly, I'd like to thank Nadine, Jeff, and William W for taking the time to judge the competition as well as the comments and feedback they provided. I have to say, first place in this contest came as a real surprise. Although I've been doing this for awhile, I still feel like I have so much to learn, and I draw so much information and inspiration from other pnet users. </p>

<p>This photo was taken just before the bride left her house for the church. Earlier on, Kate was having her makeup done in front of a mirror with a bare bulb lamp providing light. I took some candids and the quality of the bare bulb lighting on her face was beautiful. Once she was dressed and ready, I had her sit back down in front of the mirror, and check herself out one last time before heading out. The series of shots I took in those moments were my favourite of the wedding. I've used bare bulb lighting several times since - sometimes removing lamp shades in hotel rooms, etc. </p>

<p>This shot was taken with a D300, and an 85mm lens. ISO 1000, 1/160 at f2. All processing was done in Lightroom. I felt the sepia toning worked well, as Kate is a true classic beauty - inside and out.</p>

<p>A quote from Kate: "I feel very honoured to be the subject of your winning entry. We absolutely love every picture you took, as do our family and friends. Thank you for capturing our special day so beautifully." Winning the contest felt great, but a comment like that might top it.</p>

<p> </p>

<p><strong>From Michal Domarus:</strong></p>

<p>This picture was taken in the middle of July 2010 in Gorki Zachodnie, Poland. We had only about 30 minutes during the reception, just before the sunset. No plans, no preparations, just 'let's go and try out those yachts around'. The couple was great, having fun all the time, so it was a pure pleasure to work with them. It was shot only with natural light, without flash or reflectors. Equipment used: Nikon D700, 14-24/2.8 @ 24/4.</p>

<p>Thanks for the kind words and a huge THAK YOU to Nadine, Jeff, and William for judging this contest. As much as I love to look at wedding images, I couldn't possibly judge them as well and you guys did. The contest actually led to my most recent blog post, a small compilation of Father-Daughter dances from last year.</p>

<p>Just about every potential client I've met with mentions one or more of those images. I feel like there's added pressure to do them that well every time out, but I'm going to have a hard time topping the image I chose for the contest.</p>

<p>I love the use of lighting in "David Bell-2010 Wedding" as well as the angle. It gives the picture suspense and value. <br>

I also enjoyed the emotion captured in all of these winning photos. Composition and the background play an important role in these wedding photos. <br>

Excellent work photographers.</p>