vancouver documentary wedding photographer

authentic
vibrant
joy

MOMENTS LIKE THESE ARE WORTH RELIVING.

genuine human connection makes life beautiful

“Wow, we looked through the photos over the weekend and all we can say is “thank you” and “wow” over and over again.

 Your ability to be seemingly omnipresent and capture the moments that really made our wedding so special was clearly seen in all the photos. 

We can’t count how many times we said to ourselves, “I’m so glad John was the guy to do this” and “we need to see John again!” during our photo-viewing session! There is really something very unique and special in the way you can capture the moments that will resonate in the hearts of others, and we’re just happy that there is someone like you out there acting as that source of joy for so many fortunate people. Thank you again, John, for simply being you. You provided us with the gifts and talents that make your work so special on our wedding day, and for that, we’re truly grateful.”

– Joannza & Lawrence

Receiving all the photos from our October wedding in early December was the best early Christmas present that we could hope for. Just as we thought we were coming off the wedding high, we got to reminisce about the perfect day through these photos.

Besides the highlights that we remembered, we were especially moved by the many precious moments that John captured throughout the day, which we initially overlooked being the center of all attention – the emotions of our parents on that morning as they looked towards us, friends’ reactions during the celebratory moments, the bursts of joy, etc. Nevertheless, the dance shots were absolutely 🔥!

We knew John Bello was the right photographer for us from the moment we met him on a Zoom call while planning our wedding during the pandemic.

 We found John to be genuine, easy-going and professional. When we met him in person for the first time to do our engagement photos, John made us feel very comfortable to be ourselves in front of the camera. 

We did not have the budget to fit a videographer into our wedding, and one of the reasons why we went with John Bello was his skill to capture all the emotions and candid moments despite the still form of photography. We are so happy with our decision. Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, and we can attest that it is true with John Bello’s photos.

– Shuqing & Ben

John Bello is an amazing artistic photographer with an eye for capturing the most special moments of the day!

We started early with the Getting Ready session in the room, followed by the Tea Ceremony, and the Wedding Ceremony at Hycroft, and finally the Dinner Reception at Rosewood Hotel Georgia.

It was a lot to pack in one day, and John executed not only flawlessly and efficiently, but with charm, artistry and sensitivity.

We were so lucky to have worked with you during our wedding day, which was 15 years in the making!

– Peter & Loke

 It was an incredible honour to have John Bello as our wedding photographer. We automatically fell in love with his energy and felt like we knew him for forever. His empathy, vulnerability and inclusivity is incomparable to any other and it’s very clearly reflected through his art! 

We are so grateful for his patience during the whirlwind of wedding planning and all the changes that came with it. Working with John was honestly, one of the best decisions we made for our wedding.

The photos came out above and beyond our expectations! John was able to capture every intimate moment for its true emotional experience, and how we want to remember it.

Thank you so much John for your kindness, your professionalism and for capturing the beauty of the beginning of our adventure!

– Berlin & Endor

We had the pleasure of working with John Bello for our wedding and we were thrilled with the results. John has a talent for putting everyone at ease, working swiftly, and getting great results.

 He invested time up front to understand us, our community and our story. All through the process, John put us at ease and engaged in an authentic way. 

Plus his photos are incredible!

– Johnathan & Kevin

John was THE BEST photographer we could have asked for!!

 He was kind, attentive, creative and invisible… a very difficult combo… 

Do not hesitate to use him, he will not disappoint. He made our wedding unforgettable and beautiful.

– Gary & Kyle

  John is an exceptional photographer and was able to capture both the essence of our wedding and the best candid moments that we weren’t able to see on the day. 

Reliving our wedding day through the laughs, tears, and moments that he captured was so special. We would definitely recommend him for those looking for a talented photographer with a big heart.

– Matt & Chad

I have so many glowing gracious things to say about John. As soon as I saw that John specialized in 2SLGBTQ+ weddings I knew we had found the right fit.

 Meeting John put me completely at ease – he is calm, kind, thoughtful and generous. His online survey to get to know us better also helped us begin to get excited about our wedding day!!

He captured absolutely magical images which is exactly what we had requested – that our wedding reflect QUEER MAGIC! 

He knows how to capture the perfect lighting and the best moments! We have had so many glowing compliments from friends and family about our photos since we’ve shared them. Would I hire John again? Yes! I would even travel back to hire John all over again for special moments (pregnancy, family portraits, fur baby moments!) in the future!

– Jamie & Laura

We found John on Instagram and really liked his style of photography: warm, candid, natural. He was the only photographer we consulted; we hired him right away as he immediately felt like a good fit. He kindly made himself available as a resource and happily answered any questions we had. The photography package included an engagement shoot, and John took the time to tailor the location to our personalities and interests, which meant a stop at an ice cream shop in Gastown. It was so much fun, and the photos were perfect!

During the wedding rehearsal, he suggested my husband and I walk in together.

The combination of John’s experience, attention to detail, and his high emotional intelligence resulted in the perfect entrance. It felt symbolic of our journey and who we are as a couple: companions, partners, teammates.

We received our previews the day after the wedding and were overwhelmed by a rush of feelings all over again.

 Thank you, John, for making us feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable in front of the camera. 

You are a kind soul with an amazing gift, and we are so fortunate we got to work with you.

– Richard & Roanne

John Bello Photographer stands out amongst all the talented wedding photo teams out there.

When it came time to selecting 2 photographers for our Elope with Us company, John Bello was the photographer that came to mind and we’re so happy he agreed to be part of our team. It has been a true pleasure working along side him.

 Kind, passionate, detailed, respectful are just a few of the positive words we use to describe John Bello. Thank you for always going ABOVE & BEYOND  for our couples! 

– Lisa & Michelle of Elope With Us

We have worked with John Bello for years and can not say enough good things about him and his work. As a professional, John is detailed, passionate, caring and meticulous with his work. 

As a person, he is kind and thoughtful and the most wonderful person to work beside. 

I can not say enough good things about John and feel lucky to be able to work with him.

– Alicia Keats Wedding & Events

John Bello photographed our wedding this past summer on Gambier Island. It was an absolute pleasure working with him. Prior to our wedding day, we did a session with him which really helped us get comfortable in front of the camera. John is a true professional.

 You can see that he really cares about his craft and really know his stuff. His easy going, calm and accommodating nature was exactly the type of energy and support we appreciated on our wedding day. He captured all the heartfelt moments without us even noticing him doing it.  

The photographs are all incredible, we’ve had a really hard time choosing our favourite. We would highly recommend John to anyone!

– Alex & Ian

John is a phenomenal photographer and he was the perfect choice for our wedding.

 What drew us to him was his style, and the way he captures the energy and emotion of a moment in each photo. His photos felt as true to life as we were and we truly overwhelmed by the quality of the photos he took for our engagement shoot and our wedding day.  

We have received nothing but compliments from friends and family on the photos and I am truly astounded that he managed to capture so much of the day.

– Dhylan & Morgan

Wow – we can’t even put into words how happy we were with John who did our engagement and wedding photos! Before we met him, we were pretty sure we were going to go with him based on what we saw of his previous work. Then we met him and were immediately sold within the first minute.

 He’s so warm, personable and such a joy to be around. His passion, attention to detail and creativity are out of this world. 

John was super responsive, accommodating and flexible as our plans changed with covid. He went above and beyond on our wedding day to capture it perfectly and help the day go so smoothly! Highly recommend him! We love you, John!!!

– Jess & Sheena

5 stars without a question. Not just for amazing photos, but for also being an amazing human being. We don’t live in Vancouver so we had the task of finding a photographer that could sense who we were without meeting us in person. Through constant communication and many questions, John made that “human connection”. He helped us find that perfect spot on the ocean.. it was quiet and intimate and we never would have found it on our own. It poured rain the night before yet out of nowhere we received his confident text telling us that the weather was going to hold out the next day…and he was right! That simple text reminded us that we mattered.

Our special day mattered to him. His photography captured our story, full of love, surprise, laughter, tenderness and happy tears and took our hearts into his hands and with remarkable ability.

 John captured our deepest most vulnerable moments that forever will allow us to relive that very special day. 

John, you are a special person…keep sharing your talent…we will never find the words to show our gratitude. Again, we thank you.

– Scott & Terri

We hired John for our wedding ceremony and reception. John was the first photographer we met with, and everyone we interviewed after him seemed sub-par.

 We love John – he’s an amazing human being and an equally great photographer.

 He truly made us feel like he cared about our day and what we wanted in terms of memories. We were looking for real candid shots – photos that told a story and captured a moment.

We are extremely happy with our pictures, and even more happy that we’ve found a friend in John. Thanks John – we look forward to working with you again.

–  Ajay & Jeetesh

 Over these past couple of years, John Bello has not only become one of my favourite photographers, but also one of my favourite humans. 

He is fun, kind and a beacon of positivity. You can’t help but want to be around him all the time. In terms of his work, it’s simply amazing. John Bello is everywhere at an event, he doesn’t miss a thing! He captures every important moment stunningly and is always looking for cool angles to shoot from – even if it means climbing up a tree to achieve! I would never be able to find the words to articulate how amazing John actually is. He is just the best!!

– Cristie of Umbrella Events

John is a talented photographer who will capture the most beautiful, authentic, captivating images of your special day or occasion. 

  More than this, John is someone who lives his passion and brings his heart to everything he does – it comes through in his work!  

Our wedding was initially planned for 2020 and cancelled due to the pandemic but John still met with us to capture our photos on our would-have-been wedding day. Those photos are some of my favorite ever and I will cherish them always! When our real wedding day finally rolled around, John was there again and he captured every smile, laugh, and embrace – made all the more special after months of being apart from friends and family. John’s work is magical!! <3

– Taryn & Trevor

John, it was an absolute pleasure that you got to shoot our wedding/elopement.

  John is not only talented but he was great to be around. Everything felt so comfortable and natural with him. We particularly love that he does a mix of posing with family but lots of candid shots where you can feel the emotion popping out of the picture!  

I always say anyone can own a camera but it takes few who just “get” how to take the right photos and that’s John. He gets it and intuitively knows all the right angles and frames. We will 100% be using him again for any future family photos.

– Tamara & Ariel

We didn’t know much about photography but we were amazed with John’s work looking through his online portfolio. We loved how he was able to capture candid shots so beautifully and how he was able to find creative angles at all of our wedding day locations.

  Most of all, John is just a really solid person and he genuinely cared about our big day. He took the time to get to know us and was very helpful in providing us feedback and suggestions from a professional perspective as we planned for our wedding.  

Not only is he extremely talented, he is also very dedicated to his work. He even came to our church rehearsal couple of days before the wedding despite the pouring rain! We highly recommend his services 100%.

– Roseanne & Derek

 “Representation truly helps people feel connected, important and seen. If a person can see themselves in a photographer’s work, that deep connection is powerful beyond measure. “

Check out my interview with Young Hip and Married to read more about how highlighting diversity and valuing representation in my photography is something I am very passionate about.