Weddings

This crucial part of a Hindu wedding has been captured in wonderfully crisp detail, with the sharpest focus right on the hands and water. The judges particularly liked the way the fast shutter speed has allowed the photographer to capture individual droplets falling from the groom's hands; it gives a greater sense of motion to the water and stillness to the hands of the couple. There's a beautiful sense of partnership and supportiveness in this image, as the couple hold the rice and water together.

Most photographs we see on a wedding theme are of an actual wedding. This one bucks the trend, showing how a wedding can be a pivotal event in a person's life, but not the whole of the story. You feel that the wedding photo the elderly lady is holding is her own, which throws up numerous questions: are the other pictures of her family? And as she's on her own, is she now widowed? Careful use of depth of field has slightly blurred the background so she's the sharpest element in the scene, but she and her life in pictures remain in context.

A clever photographer checks out a wedding venue in advance for worthwhile photo locations, and this image shows the value of preparation and forward planning, as it's the sort of point of view you're unlikely to happen across by chance in the middle of a busy day, rushing between venues and events. The leading lines of the spiral staircase sweep your eye straight to the dancing bride and groom, so even though they're relatively small within the frame, they're the clear focus of attention.

This is a very different image of a traditional Hindu wedding from most. It's less elaborate, less formal, but no less filled with joy. The smiles on the faces of the people involved feel so genuine, you can't help smiling in response: the photo conveys the real emotion people felt on the day. The photographer has been very clever in framing the image. The viewer's eye is naturally drawn to faces within a scene, so by omitting the faces of the wedding guests ensures viewers focus on the most important people in a very busy scene.

This setting is unusual, but absolutely perfect, with the series of frames formed by the architecture drawing your eye down to the bride and groom. Shooting at the correct time of day was vital to this picture; it ensures that no shaped shadows are falling against the walls, so they remain a smooth blue, the ground and inside of the arches are mostly brilliant white, and there's a shadow to stand the bride and groom in, so they're not subjected to unflattering, high-contrast conditions. Simple, but brilliant.

When you're photographing a wedding, you're unlikely to have much control over the light, and you certainly won't be able to change the weather. This photographer has made the most of what could have been a problem: lens flare caused by shooting towards the setting sun, which is visible within the frame. Instead of it ruining the image, the flare seems almost like confetti of light, combining with the warm gold hues of sunset to create a romantic, dreamy image. The repeated circles of light also help stop the sun dominating the frame, which it might have done on its own.

A magical moment filled with joy – and one that anyone who's ever tried to photograph a wedding can tell you is an incredibly difficult thing to capture. The arms of the guest (a mother?), groom and bride form a zig-zag line through the scene, adding a dynamic quality, while their predominantly white and black clothes contrast with the midtones of their surroundings, ensuring that they stand out. The three subjects are all in focus, and captured crisply as they laugh together.

Scenes like this are terribly tricky to expose for, as often in order to get the interior part of the building exposed correctly, the outside blows out, or if the outside is detailed, the interior comes out underexposed. The balance this photographer has achieved is therefore really impressive. The backlighting effect also works beautifully. Carefully controlled depth of field means you get an impression of the quad through the doorway without its details detracting from the texture of the bride's dress.

This is such a charming photo, the sort of thing most couples would love to have in their wedding album. The names written (neatly!) across the rear window of the camper van make it something special. Like faces, words are something that naturally draws viewers' attention within photos, and careful management of depth of field by the photographer ensures the crisp faces of the bride and groom are what you look to, not the lightly blurred names. A faded, retro-looking filter used in post-production adds to the atmosphere.