AG Wedding Photography Contests

Documentary wedding photographers are, first and foremost, photographers — artists, in other words, whose medium is the photographic image. In the Artistic Guild competitions, WPJA members show off their other creative talents for digitally enhanced staged portraiture, arranged still-lifes, and eye-catching details.

Members should login and review the Official AG Contest Rules.

Categories: Portraits, Details, and Scene Setters + Architecture

In a portrait (for these purposes), the photographer has staged the couple, the bridal party, or other participants or groups — such as family, friends, or children — on the day of the wedding. One distinguishing feature of portraits is that the subjects are aware of the camera and are maintaining their positions for the sake of the photograph.

"Details" photographs generally are tighter shots on some of the day's appurtenances, textures, and features, whether as arranged by the photographer or as found: clothes, rings, linens, flowers, cake, shoes, champagne glasses. A collection or close-up of faces would likely also be a "details" shot if surrounding context has been subdued in favor of the image's artistic impact.

A WPJA member may enter up to 15 images in each of the year's 4 Artistic Guild contests, separate from the entries they may submit for other WPJA competitions. To further the distinction between our primary craft — photojournalistic skills in the service of wedding photography — and the more photographer-driven categories of details and portraits, digital enhancement and post-production manipulation is not allowed in regular WPJA competitions, whereas these techniques are encouraged in the Artistic Guild competitions.

Members seeking more information about Artistic Guild contests should review the Official AG Contest Rules after they log in.

Artistic Guild Contest Schedule

v01 - Wedding Day Portrait - Wedding Day Details - Scene Setters + Architecture

v02 - Wedding Day Portrait - Wedding Day Details - Scene Setters + Architecture

v03 - Wedding Day Portrait - Wedding Day Details - Scene Setters + Architecture

v04 - Wedding Day Portrait - Wedding Day Details - Scene Setters + Architecture

(The above contest schedule is tentative and subject to change without notice.)

Judges and Awards

From our deep roster of WPJA judges, four will be selected for each Artistic Guild contest. The WPJA staff will make a pre-pass of the entries to ensure that the judges are presented with strong work that will measure up to the elements that they are used to seeing, a list not limited to creativity, composition, lighting, technical qualities, cropping, and emotional appeal.

The Artistic Guild Awards will be presented as follows:

Gold Medallions = All Four Judges Selected the Image - 100 Points

Blue Medallions = Three Judges Selected the Image - 45 Points

Purple Medallions = Two Judges Selected the Image - 22 Points

Green Medallions (Honor Award) = One Judge + WPJA Staff Selected - 0 Points

Winning images are placed in the Photo Award Galleries on the WPJA site, as well as the individual Member Profile Galleries.