Based in LA & SF, James is a Mexican-American wedding photographer for nontraditional couples wanting a natural reflection of themselves with a dreamy, documentary approach.


Currently booking 2025 - 2026
in California and beyond

Selected Stories

Letters of Appreciation

  • “We've been distracted this weekend moving all of John's stuff into our new apartment but rest assured - we have been evenly splitting our time between moving and lovingly gazing at your photos. We love them! They're so beautiful and captured the vibe and energy so well. So exciting!”

    — John & Claire

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PURITY OF THE MOMENT

Documentary imagery can be fluid and nuanced. It can convey wonder, beauty, and memory.

I started out documenting punk bands in basements 7 years ago that led to a role in the fashion landscape, and now, I travel to document couples in love with the same hybrid editorial-photojournalistic eye. Couples who book me tend to believe in the purity of the moment, don’t want anything over-staged, and really value the time spent with their loved ones and friends over trying to get the perfect picture. Most of the couples I’ve worked with have either bucked tradition in some way or another, or made up their own rules when it came to their day.

I’m also a verified member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association — an international directory of documentary, reportage-style photographers as well as adventure elopement photographers.