Jonathan Desmond Photography

Jonathan Desmond Photography I'm a Documentary Wedding and Family Photographer and I create genuine photo stories through an hone That is, a photograph.

My Goal and My Passion: "Creating genuine photographic stories through an honest documentary approach." I started photography in 2007 with a trip to Sydney and Singapore. I remember using the camera to photograph all the sights and amazing culture and architecture as well as the people (and even animals!) of those places. I came back hooked on the idea that I was creating something amazing: a docu

mentation of where I had been and what I experienced in that moment in time. I started Jonathan Desmond Photography in 2012 and have been photographing in a documentary style since. The photography style came to light as I photographed my own relatives and I realized how important it was to have these kind of photographs. I feel that the capturing of various moments in our lives in a documentary fashion is a creation of something amazing: an honest re-telling of our stories to those who will look back on the photographs. I have photographed as both a primary photographer and as a secondary photographer in several weddings. I have been continually documenting Vancouver’s Chinatown and (at time of writing) am putting together books on a recent trip to Japan and also a more recent trip to Banff, Alberta and Jasper, Alberta. You can also find me in the streets of Vancouver Downtown taking images of the life around me. I’m a Vancouver-based, Canadian-born, Chinese-Canadian, jazz-loving photographer who really derives a passion from photographing those special documentary moments that happen during our lives. I have a major in Economics (much like my photographer hero: Sebastio Salgado) and have a subconscious life as a musician (RCM Piano level 10, if you’re curious… and right now, I’m trying to learn the ocarina).

Take a little break from all the doomscrolling and just breathe and enjoy the cherry blossoms. While I’m still posting s...
03/18/2026

Take a little break from all the doomscrolling and just breathe and enjoy the cherry blossoms.
While I’m still posting somewhat on Instagram, I’ve given up the doomscroll for Lent. Do I miss the memes? Yes. Do I miss the algorithm suddenly showing me shocking and violent car crashes after watching a funny cat video? HECK NO. I enjoy having my brain back though. It lets me create cool stuff like this.

Lent. It’s that time of year for me again. I will be pausing my access to social media (mainly all the Meta stuff) to gi...
02/19/2026

Lent. It’s that time of year for me again. I will be pausing my access to social media (mainly all the Meta stuff) to give my mental health a break from the constant onslaught of reels and emotional damage that is the algorithm. Will also be looking to cut processed sugars as well. Let’s take some time to get off our phones and meet up or talk in real life :)

These are real wedding moments of who these people were; not manufacturered posed moments. Candid documentary wedding ph...
02/11/2026

These are real wedding moments of who these people were; not manufacturered posed moments. Candid documentary wedding photographs are not always in black and white. I use color to great effect too as often I find that colour wedding photography can be used to tell a story and reflect what the day was like and capture raw emotions through documented moments unposed and personal to my couples. Over the years I’ve been really blessed to capture so many couples and be a huge part of their day, providing them with a legacy that they can cherish for years to come and no that THESE WERE REAL MOMENTS OF WHO THEY WERE, not manufactured ones. This is authentic storytelling.
And a huge thank you to all the couples that believed in me :)


On a wedding day, I often shoot in Black and White to highlight the textures, emotions, and unscripted moments that defi...
02/10/2026

On a wedding day, I often shoot in Black and White to highlight the textures, emotions, and unscripted moments that define my documentary wedding photography style. Black and white images aren’t simply the absence of color—they’re a powerful storytelling medium that reveals authenticity, connection, and atmosphere in a way nothing else can. I don’t just convert color photos to black and white; I make that choice with intention, using light, contrast, and composition to say something meaningful about the moment and the people I’m documenting. This approach allows me to create timeless, candid imagery that reflects the real story of your day.

I recently found myself doing one of my documentary photo sessions in a cool studio this time around. This allowed this ...
01/02/2026

I recently found myself doing one of my documentary photo sessions in a cool studio this time around. This allowed this family to explore and curiously investigate their surroundings while spending time with each other. As per my usual approach, there was little to no direction but the family did pre-plan some activities to do. Thanks Al, Mish and Maia for having me :)
Technical notes: some of the images were horizontal and some were much more vertical but instagram restricts some of images in Posts…. Oh well.

I’ve had enough. There’s no SOCIAL in social media anymore. I’m tired of it.Every time I pickup my phone I feel the need...
12/05/2025

I’ve had enough. There’s no SOCIAL in social media anymore. I’m tired of it.
Every time I pickup my phone I feel the need to scroll reels and see short form video. It’s maddening and I honestly think it’s destroying my life.
Therefore I am taking another social media break and deleting my main apps: instagram, facebook and YouTube (yes even that one). Looking forward to reconnecting with the world.
Besides, the algorithms had it so that basically it seemed no one saw my stuff.
You can reach me via my contact page on jonathandesmond.com

Rainy days a great days to play with photography again. ☔️
10/24/2025

Rainy days a great days to play with photography again.
☔️

Bringing in some colour for some play-photography. Trying out two used lenses I got from . Sometimes the best camera is...
10/24/2025

Bringing in some colour for some play-photography. Trying out two used lenses I got from . Sometimes the best camera is the one you have on you… especially if it has a fancy lens haha

Another Family Documentary Photosession. No, I did not just sneak into their home and start taking photos but… people te...
07/07/2025

Another Family Documentary Photosession. No, I did not just sneak into their home and start taking photos but… people tend to hire me to do just that. BUT what you get are true, authentic images (NOT AI generated candid moments). This is the real you. Thanks to for having me :)

It’s been a while but finally got back into just taking moments in the Downtown Vancouver Waterfront and enjoying seeing...
06/16/2025

It’s been a while but finally got back into just taking moments in the Downtown Vancouver Waterfront and enjoying seeing and documenting people as tourists and locals alike explore our beautiful waterfront.

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