Photography contests are great because they tend to attract the best of the best to submit their photos. The International Society Of Professional Wedding Photographers, for example, holds a quarterly competition among their members that collects their best wedding photos for the world to see.

There are 20 different categories that highlight all the different features that can make a wedding photo great – from lighting and composition to dynamic movement or raw emotion. The ISPWP’s website highlights what it is about wedding photography that makes it so challenging and so special: “You have to get it right the first time, every time. You have to be a master of the craft and know your gear so well that you can make adjustments on the fly, without thinking or hesitating. And you have to do it for 8, 10, or 12 hours in close quarters with clients who have put their trust in you to get it right.”

Check out some of their best photos from 2014 below!