At the end of every year, we go over all those moments, snapshots, emotions and celebrations that we created together with our couples. It always gives us a refreshing perspective on what we did over the past year. For us, it is a real learning experience to stop for a moment and look back on our work, and of course – it’s fun! We feel grateful that we were given the opportunity to become a part of so many stories of wonderful people, who chose us to capture this significant day in their lives.

This year, our ‘photos of the year’-contest includes 13 categories. For each category, we’ve nominated six photos, and you, our trusted jury of over 1,200 participants, chose which ones will be LUZ’s Photos of 2018!

The results are right here!

As photographers who mainly specialize in urban photography, our perception of space, the ability to set our object apart, and to create interesting frames are very important. This frame of Netta and Omer is a good proof – this is a location in which we had been several times already, but each and every time we try to bring new and interesting frames out of it. The abstraction of the environment and the diagonal perspective, which guides our attention straight to the couple, is what made this shot as the Best Urban Picture of 2018.

Michelle and Andrew’s wedding took place at the venue “Ha’Meara” (“The Cave”). For the couple’s photo-shooting session, we decided to combine diverse elements together with the landscape, which was in sync with the character of the venue. The powerfulness of the massive old cave on the one hand, and the couple walking through it, immersed in their own moment, on the other hand, is what made this picture a winner at the category ‘Best Couple Photo – Nature’ for 2018.

Close-Up is a new category in our annual contest. We want the close-ups to tell the couple’s story. Tamar and Ohad form a fun and special couple together. One of their hobbies is skateboarding, which is why they decided to include their favorite pass-time in their couple’s photo-shooting session.

For a groom, the wedding preparations are much simpler than that of the bride. Grooms don’t have to deal with the make-up, the hair-do, or impressive elements such as the wedding dress. We chose this picture of Avi and Alon, as it brings together an emotional and romantic moment between the two, as well as a new and different angle: the use of the mirror as a means to bewilder the viewer’s perception of the photographed space, and thus offer a different viewpoint on the situation.

This look in Adar’s eyes, together with the minimalistic framing of her portrait during the preparations, the moment after she got into her wedding dress, captures our attention, and that of everyone who’s looking at it.

Chen and Avi’s wedding was very emotional and touching. In this frame, Avi, walking down the aisle together with his parents, cannot hold himself back and is crying out of happiness and joy. His sister does not remain indifferent to the situation and caresses his face.

Taking pictures of the wedding dress can be very challenging. In this picture, we wanted to emphasize the composition of Kim’s dress, rather than its specific details. Indeed, the relation between the dress and the environment is very impressive and interesting.

In our details shots, we mostly try to focus on the composition of the picture itself, and how the details converge into it. The detail in and of itself is not always the central element of the picture, rather the entire frame, its color, its form, and the different relations inside it. This picture of Dana and Tal’s engagement ring showcases this well.

Having fun during the shooting session is the best. Especially if the couple’s dog plays along (well, he hasn’t really volunteered for this 😊). We totally fell in laugh with this foolish moment between Roni and Tom.

Mark and Robert’s wedding ceremony took place in the middle of the desert, nearby Ein Bokek, at the Dead Sea, that is where they met a few years prior, on a trip. They decided to return to that same place to get married and held a super intimate wedding. This picture of their ceremony conveys just how special and beautiful a moment it was.

Suddenly, in the midst of a crazy party at Roni and Aviad’s wedding, the Groom and all his friends decided to enact a scene of the movie 300. Given the level of joy and the quantities of alcohol, we are not surprised that this picture was selected as the best picture for 2018, in the category: Party.

This is a frame from a masterpiece house in Mexico city of an architect who inspires us deeply – Luis Barragan. The colours and the composition, paired with the blurring of what we know and expect, is what makes this frame a frontrunner in our Abstract Picture category.

Ana and Artur’s cat was the star during the couple’s preparations. He also knew how to always be in the right place, at the right moment. The combination of the cat’s bow-tie and Artur’s shoes, against the backdrop of a clean and minimalistic background, is what made us choose this picture as the picture of the year in the category: Pets at Weddings.