Jhankarlo Photography

This one goes out to my fellow camera-phobes:

TL;DR: Allow me to save you some time; you can stop looking, you've arrived at your wedding photographer.

About Me: My whole life has been a series of unfortunate photos. I'm pretty sure in a past life I must have angered the God of Photography and he cursed me. I always seem to be mid-sentence with my lips stuck to my teeth and one eye doing something crazy. The inside joke is that I'm Chandler Bing, the instant a camera is around, my face gets a mind of its own and starts acting like a buffoon.

About My Husband: My husband's mother absolutely loves taking pictures. You can always count on her to document any event. But as a result, my husband developed a patented "cheese" face in order to get photos over with quickly. God bless my husband, I love him. But his fake smile looks like something out of Wallace and Gromit. Dead eyes and lips pulled back exposing all his teeth.

As you can probably surmise, our home is not one that's filled with personal photos.

The Dilemma: Due to our tragic, albeit hilarious, relationship with bad photos, we were filled with anxiety and dread when it came to picking the right photographer. You don't typically get a trial run when you do a destination wedding. For most people, you won't be meeting with your photographer until the day of your wedding, hours before you walk down the aisle. All you can do is pray to the Photography Gods that you did your research (I got quotes and looked at over 10 different photographers), and that this person is truly as amazing as the reviews and photos indicate. Remember: The only thing you get to keep from the wedding is the husband and the photos. The food will get eaten, the flowers will die, the music will stop, your dress is likely not going to get worn again, but the photos are forever.

The Solution - Enter Jhankarlo Photography: In our quest for the perfect photographer, we included Jhankarlo Photography as he was a Hotel Xcaret approved vendor. But let me tell you, that isn't the reason we chose him (neither my florist or DJ were approved vendors. I ain't scared of no outside vendor fees!). We chose Jhankarlo because every time we would look at his portfolio and examples, it became clear what we were looking at. Jhankarlo isn't just a wedding photographer, he is an artist, whose medium is a camera. His photos don't just capture people, it captures the entire essence of the moment. The real, unfeigned smiles, the tears of joy, you can practically see the love, smells, sounds, laughter in each and every photo. I watched slideshows from his previous couples on his website and was brought to tears by the romance and beauty of people I've never even met! And please believe me, I never even teared up at the wedding photos of people I DO know. You get so much more than a photographer when you get Jhankarlo and his team, you get a group of warm, hilarious, artistic souls who document your day and emotions so well, that two people who absolutely despise looking at themselves in pictures, cannot stop looking at their wedding photos and slideshow.
We entrusted the nearly impossible task of making these two impossibly unphotogenic goofballs look good in wedding photos, and Jhankarlo and his team not only made the process enjoyable and easy, they made us look like we belong on the cover of a bridal magazine.
Finally, you also gain someone who leaves an impact on your soul. Jhankarlo may have been invited to your wedding as your photographer, but he leaves as your friend; someone you have laughed with, danced with and sang with, and someone who you will always cherish.

The entire Jhankarlo Photography team were extremely professional, courteous, and accepting of our requests while providing their professional guidance and suggestions. The shots they captured during our wedding were beyond our expectations - which were already quite high after we viewed samples of their prior work! They shot the candid, joyous moments, from beginning to end, and couldn't be happier with the finished product! Simply put, the entire team is great to work with!

We truly enjoyed our experience with Jhankarlo and his team!
They put both me and my husband at ease (I was so nervous!) from the moment they arrived on the morning of the wedding (nice and early might I add). Throughout the day we had lots of laughs with Jhankarlo and his assistant.
Jhankarlo is very passionate about photography, which was evident during the shoot and when you see the beautiful and creative finished product.
Our only regret is limiting the package to a shorter period of time than recommended, and I do now wish we had him stay for the dinner and dance. We had thought that with a small wedding it wasn't necessary but it would have been nice to have some clear shots of the evening instead of the grainy dark guest photos.
We had a magical day and truly enjoy reliving it through Jhankarlo's photos.