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Wedding Schmedding!
Getting those vendor's checked off for our big day!
Encarnacion Photography
Category: Event Planning & Services Photographers Photographers [Edit]
San Jose, CA 95117Serving San Jose and surrounding area
(408) 634-0660
- Hours:
Tue, Thu 9 am - 5 pm
Fri 9 am - 8 pm
Sat-Sun 7 am - 8 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
37 reviews for Encarnacion Photography
37 reviews in English
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Review from Jasmine J.
Santa Clara, CA
Updated - 11/15/2011
still in love with Joannathan! not only are they great photographers, but they're awesome people to be around.
we had our E-Session with Jonathan late October and recently were pleasantly surprised when Joanne posted them on their blog a few days ago. it's very mindblowing to see our engagement photos... the fiance and i were very impressed and satistfied with the outcome of the session.
can't wait to hang out with these guys on 2/18/12!Listed in: Wedding Schmedding!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/2/2011
So we've booked Joanne and Jonathan to be our wedding photographers. They're very professional when… Read more »
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Review from Jill G.
San Pablo, CA
10/12/2011
This review is purely for their customer service.
I had been researching photographers for my wedding ever since I got engaged at the end of April. I contacted over 15 vendors, looked at TONS of blogs and websites and almost every photo began to look the same.
Encarnacion has the cool + hip edge that exemplifies Joanne and Jonathan as people and as a couple - it reflects in their photography. Their photos are obviously stand outs and knock outs!!
They were very quick to respond to all my inquiries and I truly appreciate their honesty and candidness when it came to my budget and my expectations.
I am convinced that anyone that hires Encarnacion will not be disappointed. They are professional, easy going, flexible, extremely talented and downright cool. -
Review from Beverly T.
Emeryville, CA
7/15/2011
Joanne and Jonathan are AMAZING. That's it. That's all you need to know. Review done. Just kidding.
They recently did the photos for my friend's massive 450+ person wedding and let me tell you, they are not only professional but they go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to capture that perfect moment. The bride and groom couldn't stop raving about how much they loved them. I've only seen a few sneak peak photos but they're beautiful and I'm dying to see the rest.
Joanne and Jonathan are able to capture you at your absolute best. With the snap of a camera they manage to capture not only a moment in time, but a priceless memory. I know. I sounded like such a sappy loser but they are that fucking great. Seriously. Instead of your typical boring weddings photos, they took fun, unique and playful photos that captured the bride and groom perfectly. If you're looking for amazing photos for an event, or if you're just conceited and want professional pix of yourself, call them! You will not fucking regret it!
Side note: They are the cutest little couple ever! -
Review from thuy v.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 4/5/2011
First, Jon came ALONE when he told us about the pictures gone missing. He offered us a free photo album (but did not tell us the value, not that it would matter to us) OR, OR, OR, a free photo session.
I want to be very clear that I know PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES. It's the way it was handled that is upsetting. They told us in writing they'd give us a dollar amount back, but they didn't..
Instead they tried to counter offer us an amount much lower than agreed upon. When we declined their offer, they went to a Photographer's Trust and so now we had to deal with a third party! We weren't allowed to deal with Encarnacion Photography anymore. We had to deal with the Trust.... While on our Honeymoon! The Trust also asked us to sign a "waiver" but they never disclosed what this "waiver" was. ... I am assuming it's something to shut us up. We never accepted anything of the sort.
I am in no way degrading Jon and Joanne as people, because they are nice people...but I would NEVER do business with them again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/2/2011
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, FRUSTRATION, ANXIETY, HEARTBREAK. Compliments of Encarnacion Photography. This… Read more »
Comment from Jonathan E. of Encarnacion Photography 4/4/2011
First off, Jonathan and I want to apologize again for the… More » -
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Review from Frances B.
San Francisco, CA
4/4/2011
My wedding was only yesterday, YESTERDAY (04/02/11), but I already feel compelled to tell the world about these absolutely PHENOMENAL PHOTOGRAPHERS!
Where should I begin? Maybe I should start by telling you that Jonathan and Joanne already provided me with professional photos less than 12 hours after my event, or should I tell you about how they made my entire bridal party and I laugh the entire wedding day? They not only kept my husband and I entertained and happy throughout the entire evening, but all of my guests also gushed about how fun they were to be around. Yup, that's definitely their trademark -- fun, fun and more fun. And, they are ALL about QUALITY when it comes to your photos. They won't stop shooting until they have the perfect shot. And their vision? Very original and creative. Heck, they can shoot you in any boring place and make it look amazing. I even have people ALREADY asking me who my photographers were so that they can hire them for their next event.
There are too many A-M-A-Z-I-N-G things to say about these photographers, but I will leave it at this -- professional, fun and sincere folks. If you choose Encarnacion Photography, you choose the BEST. Don't let others make you think otherwise!Comment from Jonathan E. of Encarnacion Photography 4/12/2011
It was such an honor to be able to witness two very special… More » -
Review from Micah B.
South San Francisco, CA
4/12/2011
Jonathan and Joanne are awesome!
I booked a family session with them for the "For Japan With Love" Fundraiser, and it was such a rewarding purchase not only because of the price & great quality of photos, but also because I knew that my family would be giving hope to other families and individuals affected in Japan.
I booked the Mini Meal #1 Session which was a 30-minute session @ their chosen location. When we met with them, they took us up to their cute, little office where they do consultations, etc. After dropping off our stuff, we started walking around Downtown Campbell, and Jonathan seemed like he knew the right spots with good natural lighting. It took us awhile to warm up--but Jon made it easy, and he definitely knew how to get my 6-year-old son to participate and get involved in this shoot as his little "helper". They were definitely buddies in the making, and BFF's by the end of our shoot.
I would definitely recommend this awesome husband/wife team of photographers because of their professionalism, their love and passion for what they do, and simply put....their photo-skills. =)
THANK YOU AGAIN Joannathan! -
Review from Jeni F.
Fremont, CA
11/29/2010
As a bride, it was completely important to find the RIGHT photographer to capture a very special day to me. We (my hubby and I) needed a photographer that wasn't your typical pretty wedding cookie cutter photographer. We wanted a very creative eye, a modern and contemporary perspective and photographer that understood us.
I was lucky to find them accidentally on Facebook. We were a little hesitant at first since they didn't have 10 years of experience under their belt and like hundreds of weddings in their portfolio either BUT I was impressed with their website and contacted them. They contacted me back with hours of my initial email to them. I was totally impressed by their professionalism, creativity and their attention to detail. They never made us feel like we were just clients.
Our engagement session with Jon was so fun and the pictures and the book they created were just gorgeous. I can't stop flipping through it.
When it came time to plan the wedding day, they were very helpful, made many recommendations that I did end up using and they were very detailed. It really built my confidence with every interaction with them that I absolutely made the right choice in photographers.
The day of the wedding, they were early and prepared beyond belief. It was so neat to watch them all walk in, cameras in hands, and just start shotting. The whole day was awesome. They were able to rally up my huge wedding party for photos when it was time and my bridal party absolutely loved working with them. It was more like a party during the wedding sessions then a photo session. With my wedding I also ordered up the BOOTH OF AMAZE. Essentially it was a simple white backdrop that all my guests could take photos to their hearts content. MY GUESTS LOVED IT and had lots of fun with it. Totally beat having an old school carnival style photobooth. The best part - the Encarnacion provided these HILARIOUS pre-made signs and my guests went to town. The pictures were awesome!!!
All in all, Encarnacion Photography was first class in their professionalism, they were great and super upbeat in their personalities and they totally helped make the wedding easy and enjoyable. -
Review from Toonces C.
Los Angeles, CA
4/25/2011
What a great team! I really enjoyed my photo shoot! Joanne and Jonathon made me feel relaxed and at ease! They totally made it fun and made me laugh which made the pics so much better. They were great at telling me how to pose and picking what seemed like ordinary spots and turning the backgrounds into fantastic photo's. The pics turned out great like I knew they would! I got several awesome images to use! I would LOVE to work with them again! I have used other photographers in the past, they were by far the best!
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Review from Tiffany R.
Fremont, CA
9/1/2010
I found Encarnacion Photography on Facebook through a recommendation from Limon Salon. I inquired about their bridal packages and met with Jonathan a short while later to go over what we had in mind for the wedding and view some of his work. Needless to say, we were impressed and decided he would be our photographer for the big day (which would take place on a yacht in the bay).
Jonathan and his associate Quincy (we missed Joanne!) showed up exactly on time to our hotel in SF and were 2 of the friendliest guys I have met to date. They put us all at ease and were a huge help in pushing us along schedule (even going so far as to help get the flowers where they needed to be, helping the groomsmen, etc). Jonathan made us feel relaxed (even while shooting away).
I wasn't able to provide much direction on the exact locations I wanted the pre-wedding photos shot (I said "urban" and "with the bridge"), but Jonathan was able to direct us to some BEAUTIFUL areas of the city and near Sausalito for our shots.
Once the wedding began, Jon was extremely patient in all of my "can you get one of us" requests that weren't necessarily planned, while still snapping away for the entire 4 hours.
I have heard from all of my bridal party, my mother, my sister, and some guests that they absolutely loved the photographers and felt like they were our friends! Some couldn't believe that we actually didn't know them personally (before the big day, of course)
Since our wedding was just last Saturday (8/21/10), I have not yet seen the photos, but I already know they are going to be beautiful.
Jonathan - THANK YOU for helping our day to go so smoothly! I HIGHLY recommend you to anyone looking to remain stress-free on the big day! -
Review from Jeffrey T.
San Francisco, CA
5/27/2008
Documenting everyday life and big events is crucial to me. As a graphic designer, I'm pretty picky about how things turn out and at family parties or any other event, I find myself capturing everybody's else's moments but mine. That is why Kate and I sought Jon to artistically document our engagement photo session.
Kate and I asked Jon to be one of two photographers to shoot our engagement pictures. We sought Jon to capture more of the "Jeff and Kate" moments of just silliness, randomness and a bit of youthfulness since our other session captured more of the grown-up aspect. We were shot in and around Crissy Field and the Presidio in San Francisco in some pretty grimy and industrial areas. Kate, Jon and I share the same affection for grimy textures, old brick and seemingly haunted and abandoned buildings. He immediately knew what we wanted and while we had a prepared list of where we wanted to be shot, Jon was quick to adapt to find more stellar places to shoot.
It's also easy to be comfortable with Jon behind the lens since he's got an awesome personality and a great sense of humor. Interacting with Jon helped Kate and I have a lot of genuine moments of laughter which Jon documented well. There's a good mixture of goofiness, some of that passionate couple stuff, natural/casual situations, and posed stances.
He's a talented photographer and the photos turned out great. Jon pays mind to the art and craft of photography and has a great sensibility for composition, lighting and a killer post-processing workflow.
check it out:
http://www.flickr.com/... -
Review from kate r.
San Francisco, CA
5/28/2008 1 photo
The man and I had the pleasure of having an engagement session with Jon earlier this month. After 7 years together we finally have decent pictures of the two of us. We used take every opportunity possible to hop into $3 photo booths, just to get recent couple photos. And no, a quick snap from a pocket digital cam never cut it for us.
We're visual people and photography is something we greatly appreciate. Jon is a wonderful photographer and captured my fiance and I in our true element. Even the way he processed our photos was true to our style.
During the shoot he was able to give us enough direction while allowing us to do what we felt, this gave us true photo journalistic photos. Anyone can tell you to smile at the camera standing side by side, but how natural is that? Our photos are real freaking corny, but thats our life when no one's around and we don't have to feel ashamed of our lame-ass love.
We're getting married, we have the right make you want to throw up.Listed in: Destination Wedding: Oahu
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Review from Rain D.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/18/2009
I was looking for a photographer for my wedding next year.
I ended up not booking with Encarnacion Photography but I still wanted to write them a good review.
I was in contact with about 15 photographers for my wedding next year. 3 of them didn't reply to me at all. Most of them replied 1-2 days later. Only about 4 of them replied the same day I e-mailed them.
Encarnacion replied less than a hour after I first e-mailed them. They were in fact the first to response. Talk about responsiveness! In fact anytime I e-mailed them they got back to me almost within an hour. All the e-mail were very friendly and nice, and they really wanted to work with me, answering all my silly questions with kindness and charm.
Their prices are great for a bride on a budget and they are super nice and their pictures are awesome.
I unfortunate didn't book with them because I meet with another photographer that I liked very much before Encarnacions had time to meet with me personally (they are busy with weddings and yet the still e-mail quickly!) I regretfully had to cancel my appointment with them and you know what? They wrote me a nice e-mail back saying no problem and they wished me the best. Isn't that sweet!
I can't really say enough good things about them. Seriously just e-mail, it's worth it. ^_^ -
Review from Caroline L.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/15/2008
Jon is awesome. He's a talented photographer with a great personality to boot. We did our second engagement shoot with Jon and were nervous about how the pictures would turn out (the first shoot with a really expensive photographer turned out badly). When we received the photos, we were really elated to have many wonderful shots.
Jon is dedicated to getting the perfect shots and doesn't try to rush through the shoot at all. His laidback personality makes you comfortable cuddling up and smooching and he's also quite hilarious and got us busting up often as you can see in the pictures. Not all photographers have that gift! Jon is quite the professional and I would definitely recommend him to friends. -
Review from jane h.
San Bruno, CA
3/7/2010
Jonathan and Joanne are absolutely AMAZING! We were lucky enough to have Jon shoot both our engagement session as well as the big wedding day. On top of their great work, their fees are incredibly reasonable.
The engagement session was a breeze and a ton of fun. I expected the awkwardness of trying to act "natural" for the shoot, but Jon made it fun. I hardly noticed that there was a camera there. :)
For the wedding day, we were expecting both Jon and Joanne to be there, but with Joanne's pregnancy, she could not make it. In place of her, they recruited a friend/colleague who worked just as hard as Jon. Although we missed out on seeing Joanne work in the flesh, her "behind-the-scenes" work and effort do not go unnoticed.
All of our family and friends had nothing but positive things to say about the Encarnacion group. Everyone absolutely LOVED the slide shows (engagement session & wedding day). We can't wait to see the album! -
Review from kris e.
San Jose, CA
4/18/2011 1 photo
Who will you have in your delivery room when you go into labor? Whether it's just you and your partner or birthing coach, or your mother, sister, mother in law, etc... I'd like to share our experience with the delivery of our 1 week old daughter, that is one of the best decisions I've made for her so far.
My fiancé and I did our maternity shoot with Joanne and their intern Kristen around 28 weeks of our pregnancy. We absolutely LOVED our photos. The experience had us on cloud 9 for weeks after the photo shoot. It was everything we could ask for... they both made us comfortable in front of the camera, and it was an overall great experience! After viewing our photos, we were sooo happy. Each photo captured our true personalities and said a lot about our love and relationship.
On our way home Joanne told us about Jon shooting the birth of their second daughter. My fiancé and I looked at each other instantly thinking, "how awesome would that be?!". I have to say... after some thought I was iffy about having someone who wasn't family in such an intimate setting. But after seeing their slideshow, I was sold!
This is something I would recommend any expecting parents! There is no other way to capture the memories of the birth of your child so beautifully. Why share a video of the birth with your groaning and deep breathing, or give the task of taking photos to the father? Aside from my comfort level with Joanne, you would have hardly even known she was there. She wasn't in the way of any of the doctors or nurses, she didn't say much or ask a lot of questions... after all she's a mother of two beautiful girls... she'd been there before! With that said... my fiancé was by my side with no other distractions during the labor. Aside from his occasional FB status updates throughout... he didn't have to stress about taking a picture or missing a "moment" because Joanne was there to do it for us.
Please view our slideshow and spread the word! With all the new "trends" or "traditions" of labor and delivery... this is the ONE to truly consider and act upon!
http://clients.encarna...
http://clients.encarna... -
Review from Melissa E.
Morgan Hill, CA
9/25/2008
Jonathan has done such a great job taking my family pictures. Although he IS my brother, he has always been very professional. He has captured so many great memories for me and my husband. It's been such a joy to be able to look back at the pictures he has taken of me from the time I was pregnant to now. My daughter Madeline is now 6 months old and loves when her uncle takes pictures of her. Jonathan is funny and has such a great sense of humor he can make anyone smile. Instead of using those hand puppets at BabyR'Us or JCPenny Portrait Studios, they should just hire Jonathan to stand in the background and make kids laugh. :)
Joanne my sister-in-law is always on top of things when booking his appointments. She knows we have such busy schedules, but she never forgets to send us a reminder email.
Although he has not been in the business very long, I would highly recommend him. Being that I spent over $7K for a wedding photographer last year, I can honestly say that Jon's prices are great for the package and coverage he offers. I guarantee you will love the way your pictures turn out. -
Review from Jordan T.
Oakland, CA
2/23/2011
Joanne and Jonathan are amazing to work with!!
Not only are they fun and silly, but they take amazing photos!
I had to plan our wedding from out of state and they were super helpful and easy to work with, despite the long distant relationship.
On wedding day, they made the posed/family photos breeze by.
We absolutely ADORE the photos they took, and are planning to do future shoots with them :)
You guys ROCK! -
Review from Genevieve M.
Hayward, CA
2/8/2009
Jonathan is a super talented photography and I have to agree with whatever everyone else has said in their reviews of Encarnacion Photography! If you want great photography service, go to them!
I just recently had a baby shower for my first child and it was wonderful to have Jonathan around shooting these memorable moments for me! I can be overwhelmed when there is a big crowd and he was helpful with his suggestions on what I should do, open to taking shots when I needed them done - I even was able to get some really great solo maternity shots! A super must-have at this point - especially since I don't have much time left to capture myself at this stage of pregnancy...
He shot everything in a manner that made the shots feel very natural and from what I've seen of my pictures so far, I'm really happy!
**BIG THUMBS UP** -
Review from Stacy M.
San Jose, CA
10/4/2009
Let's just say I wanted to elope. He wanted to elope... we were set. Then, the parents got involved, and lets just say eloping was out... Then I got thinking, I am only going to look this glam once in my life, lets go all out... at least we will have the photos to cherish all of the moments of the day. Then the drama of who to choose, because if you think about it, all vendors are important, but one vendor will stand out if they suck- [the photographer] and this brought me much stress.
[Bottom line: Jonathan and Joanne rock, and you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you did not contact them.]
Well, I ended up on yelp [because Yelp has never led me astray thanks Yelp community!] searching for photographers and ran across Joanne's comment that her husband takes photos.
We set up a meet, and at the time, Jonathan's portfolio wasn't huge, but we were impressed with Joanne and Jonathan's enthusiasm and the photos they did share with us.
So we booked.... and let me tell you, we are SO HAPPY that we did. Our engagement session (read: for us the trial session to make sure I wouldn't freak out about the quality of photos) was fantastic! Jonathan was great with us, so friendly, I never thought an afternoon of getting photographed kissing my fiance would be so cool. I mean the kissing part was nice, but the fear of the paparazzi camera was gripping for us. Fortunately, it wasn't bad, it was so much fun! Our photos turned out amazing, way better than we ever thought. Joanne totally processed those babies in no time, and we were so happy to see the photos. Thanks!!
Then, months later, wedding day. Stressed? Why yes, yes I was. But not about the photographer. Jonathan and Joanne were so awesome. They even helped me set up the stage (how cool is that)?! They are so invested in making sure that you are comfortable and happy that it was beyond helpful. Don't know how to pin on a boutonniere? Don't worry, Jonathan does (yes, he is that helpful!)
They were so much fun, and we had a great time working with them. I could not recommend them more! My family was even raving about them all throughout the night. So far we have only seen a sneak peek of our wedding photos, but even if I only got those 10 photos, I would be pretty darn happy.
Bottom line: Jonathan and Joanne rock, and you would be doing yourself a huge disservice if you did not contact them. -
Review from Stephanie S.
Hayward, CA
4/21/2009
I've decided that choosing Encarnacion Photography to shoot my April wedding was the one of the best decisions that I could have made throughout the whole planning process. That and of course wearing tennis shoes under my full length gown the day of the wedding (boy was I comfy!).
I found Jonathan on Facebook through a friend of mine. I checked out his website and was blown away by the work I saw displayed there. There is just this "real" feeling to his work that I hadn't yet found while on a mission to find a wedding photographer. I felt like I was seeing a snap shot in time as opposed to a constructed and directed image.
I met up with him at a Starbucks and was sold after our first meeting. His great personality instantly made me sure that he was the one that my fiance and I would want to work with.
Jonathan and his wife Joanne are super easy to work with and always had suggestions for me as far as locations for our engagement session and stuff like that. They even totally understood when I changed the date and wedding location a few months prior to the wedding.
Our engagement session ended up being a family & engagement session due to the fact that I am a horrible parent and have no decent pictures of my husband, my five year old, and myself all together. Now I have beautiful pictures of all of us together to hang on my once bare apartment walls. My daughter looovvved Jonathan and enjoyed the attention of having someone taking photos of her. Joanne even met up with us and brought their daughter to keep my little one occupied while he took some solo shots of just me and my hubby.
The wedding day was a long and tedious day but Jonathan hung in there like a champ reminding us to smile and laugh when we were getting antsy waiting around at the city hall. Overall I am completely satisfied with the work that he's done for me and my family. He's laid back, professional, will use humor to get you to laugh, and can adapt pretty quickly to whatever it is you need him to do. Most importantly he was able to capture all of these amazing yet simple moments and that's exactly what I was looking for. -
Review from Rosalie Y.
Dublin, CA
10/1/2009
We were fortunate to have discovered Jonathan early on in his career. Luckily for me, my husband has been a big Yelper and he spotted reviews written about Jonathan's work about a year ago. We immediately booked a consultation with Jonathan and were pleased with his price point and with this samples.
He took care of both our engagement & our wedding photos and we loved them. He captured many touching moments shared between us and our friends and selected tunes we loved to accompany our slideshow. They're an amazing pair! Joanne, works hard to get you your photos as soon as possible. If you're Facebook friends with them, you'll see she often works past midnight. The two are dedicated and have a phenomenal amount of talent. -
Review from Freesia R.
San Francisco, CA
9/4/2010
Encarnacion Photography should really be called Awesomecarnacion Photography. They are seriously amazing. They're an awesome husband and wife duo and are both super fun and so, so great at what they do. We found them by pure chance and I couldn't be happier that we did.
After looking over the photos on their website, I was completely sold. We got in touch with them and Joanne responded promptly and with all of the info a neurotic bride could want: rates, services, extras, you name it. We chatted a little on the phone and with a possible threat of someone else booking them, we were signing contracts before we'd even met them. That's how much I loved their work and wanted it for myself!
When it finally came to the big day, after we'd met and done our engagement pictures and things like that, both Encarcancions were a joy to work with. Part wedding planner, part bridesmaid (especially Jon), and always a photographer, they were more help than I could've ever imagined. Aside from taking beautiful pictures, they were there to touch up my hair (Joanne also does hair so she's extra great to have around), to calm our nerves, and even there to remind us to eat.
And of course, to top it all off, they delivered absolutely stunning work. I was so afraid that it was going to turn out that I had made ugly-crying-laughing-face all day and they just weren't going to get anything, but I couldn't be happier with the results. They got beautiful pictures of me and my husband, they got great pictures of our family, and they made sure to get great shots of all of the hand-crafted details that I spent so much time on and now literally only have those pictures to show for it. We were happy to have spent our money with Encarnacion Photography, and if and when the time comes, we'll absolutely be giving them a call for family portraits.
Stop reading reviews and give them a call. They're great to work with, have reasonable rates, and are all around fun people. Seriously, call them now, they book fast! -
Review from shirley n.
Daly City, CA
12/21/2010
If you're in need of a unique, fun, professional, and amazing photographer, you need not look further than Encarnacion Photography!
I've known Joanne (1/2 of the Encarnacion team) for many years now, and I was there when she would tell me about her hubby wanting to go into the photography industry and pursue his passion. It was a risk, but one that has definitely paid off, especially for their lucky clients!
Since becoming engaged, I knew that I wanted to reach out to the Encarnacion's for our E-session and wedding. Unfortunately, I reached out too late and they were already booked for our wedding date/ However, my fiance and I still very much wanted to work with them and so we were fortunate enough to have them shoot our e-session in Disneyland! Jonathan and Joanne definitely know how to put you at ease and create the best shot possible! The whole day was magical and we could not ask for better photos afterwards. They were everything we wanted: unique, fun, romantic, and beautiful (not to mention timely)!
If you need a photographer and want your experience to be different and fun, definitely reach out to the Encarnacions! -
Review from Goshan D.
San Jose, CA
11/10/2010
My wife and I found Encarnation Photography searching through Yelp. After looking through their website, we really liked their awesome pictures, photography style and how their awesome personalities showed in their work. We thought maybe they'd be able to make us look really awesome with their pictures so we went with them.
We met Jon at a local Starbucks for our initial consultation. He showed us a few albums he had made. He didn't really have to sell us on his business as his price was right and we were happy with the website and the pictures on these albums. We were there just ready to make the deposit.
Jon and Joanne scheduled an engagement session with us. My fiance and I had really busy schedules at the time so we didn't get to go to a cool place like Monterey, Yosemite or Disneyland like some of their other clients. Instead we trusted them with whatever they could come up with locally in the South Bay Area. We ended up going to a few local locations. Behind HP Pavilion, under an overpass in downtown and Alviso. haha.
Those places might not seem like much. But I guess if you're super creative and have an eye for good pictures it doesnt matter. i'd say our engagement album came out top notch. We got the finished engagement album from Jon and Joanne while my family was together putting our wedding programs together so we all flipped through the pages and man, we couldn't have been more impressed. They've officially made Alviso the photography Mecca.
During the actual wedding. Jon started he day off coming to my hotel room as I got ready. He was with another talented photographer, Alex Bauzon. Joanne was down a floor below working with the girls. I was working on an unfamiliar hair style and hair product. Alex and Jon were nice enough to actually style my hair. Jon even put my boutonniere on for me. Talk about service. They did their thing.
At the ceremony Jon, Joanne and Alex were like little ninja's I'd notice them once in a while moving about giving little signals to each other. Our ceremony started late so pictures afterwards had to be done quickly. They were able to get all the different groups together for shots without having to use a border collie or a bull horn.
At the reception they were less like ninjas and more like guests at the wedding. We felt really comfortable with them and they did their thing.
In the end... The pictures turned out super awesome. They did somehow make my wife and I look somewhat cool. I'm sure they did a lot of editing but wow. Thanks Jon and Joanne.
If you want super friendly and cool photographers for your wedding with super good photo skills that express their cool creative vibe in their work we highly recommend Encarnation Photography. -
Review from Jean P.
San Jose, CA
9/23/2008
Jonathan is very talented and personable! I hired him to shoot my Catholic ceremony last month. Working with him was fun! Even my bridal party had an amazing time shooting with him. His easy going personality and humor made us feel comfortable throughout the shoot despite all the stress that was going on that day. In addition to being talented and personable, Jonathan is also artist. He was able to capture our moments in ways I couldn't have imagined. He never rushed us and took his time to perfect some shots in different locations. He's also very professional, from being on time for meetings and shoots.
Despite not being in the business that long, Jonathan really has the potential to be one of the most sought after wedding photographers in California. His techniques and lighting skills are awesome. When he forwarded me my slideshow a day after the wedding, I was really impressed. The images he captured were not only natural, they were vibrant and edgy. I started to imagine all the future family, dog, and children photoshoots that we would like to have him do for us.
Overall, I had a wonderful experience working with Jonathan and Joanne from booking through the actual event. Throughout most of the wedding planning, I was stressed out to the max because of work and issues with family. They were understanding and even listened when I had to vent about the wedding planning at times. They always assured me that everything would be ok. Their show of concern and ability to be patient with me showed how much they care about their clients. In addition to being patient, they are very easy and flexible to deal with. Since I wasn't sure which photo package suited me based on the menu, they gave me the option to customize a package based on my wants, needs, budget, and hours of coverage. I find those qualities important when you're dealing with vendors. Wedding photography is an investment and its important that you're comfortable working with people you can trust.
I highly recommend Encarnacion Photography for your wedding or family event! You should book them ASAP since their prices are unbelievable for the quality of images you get. I wouldn't be surprised if their prices increase any day now. Hurry up and book them now!!!Listed in: Road to Tying the Knot
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Review from E D.
Fremont, CA
5/25/2008
My kids and I enjoyed our photo session with Jonathan very much. I really felt like I paid this guy to play with my kids. At first when I saw the pictures I honestly was a bit disappointed because I was expecting a little more posed photos. But when I relooked at the pictures he took... I really love them! They captured my kids at play, having fun, and being themselves.
Jonathan is very good at taking pictures as if he was hiding in a bush zooming in spying on your family at play and taking photos. But I think that's what is his specialty... to take pictures as if he wasn't there taking pictures. Yeah anyone can take a picture of a family sitting still and smiling, there's no skill needed to do that. But not everyone is able to capture a moment in time that you may not have thought would be something you wanted to take pictures of to remember.
My eldest hates to smile with her teeth because she's lost some and they are slowly growing back... and he caught her real smile, her sweet side, and her innocence.
My middle daughter gave Jonathan a run for his money and made him work for her smile... but that's okay cause he got pictures of her with her lilttle cute bratty side and also caught her having fun without her knowing it. People have said they can actually hear her laugh through the picture he took . Also, in the photos where she's just giving you that stare people have said, " that's Taleyah all right".
My son is such a ham when it comes to photos so I wasn't surprised when he was able to get photos of him cooperating. But, he got some great pictures of his actual smile not his CHEEESSSEEEE smile.
Jonathan captured my kids real personalilty. Like I said at first I wasn't happy because they weren't posed pictures but now my favorite picture is the one with my oldest sticking her tounge out, my son smiling, and my middle daughter with her fist up like she's about to punch Jonathan if he didn't put the camera away! :) That's MY KIDS! And Jonathan caught it on camera and now I have it hanging on my wall! -
Review from Nancy L.
San Jose, CA
9/26/2010
One of the things that I appreciate the most in life is efficiency! Especially when planning a wedding you want to choose people who are efficient (and competent). Joanne and Jonathan were EXTREMELY efficient, competent, and they did it with STYLE!
Any bride knows how stressful the initial stages of planning can be. You email tons and tons of vendors and then you have to take time out to go meet all of them. Then, once you meet all of them you have to decide which one really fits your personality and who will honestly get you the most bang for your buck.
Jonathan was the very first vendor we met for anything wedding related. He is very personable along with Joanne and his pictures were beautiful! We did meet several other photographers after Jonathan and kept finding ourselves comparing their work with Jonathan's work and knew that Encarnacion Photography was the way to go.
They are super reliable, Joanne had quick responses to all the emails that we sent, and they are so easy going!
The day of our wedding my husband and I had a shot list prepared of 40 some pictures that we had wanted to take with our families before the ceremony and Jonathan was SO FAST in getting through all of them! I thought it would be torturous trying to round up all the family members but he was able to get the pictures taken in under half an hour! Since we had gotten all those pictures out of the way beforehand we actually got to enjoy and mingle during our cocktail hour! I was SO happy!
By chance, Joanne knew a few people that were at my wedding. What a small world after all. :)
We have not received our wedding photos yet but are confident that they are going to turn out beautiful and fabulous just like this husband and wife team that we hired to capture what really was "the best day of my life!"
Now, you should go and hire Encarnacion Photography so that they can do the same for you! :) -
Review from Maya O.
San Jose, CA
9/24/2010
I found Encarnacion Photography through a mutual friend when I was looking for a wedding photographer. When I decided to book them, Joanne told me someone had already booked them for the day of my wedding..and I almost had a heart attack! (Brides...book your photographers early!!!!) She called me back about a week later to let me know, it turned out they could do my wedding after all!!!
Joanne and Jonathon did and awesome job! Our engagement session photos came out beautiful. Jonathon is a genius! He made us feel very comfortable and we actually had fun! (My husband hates taking pictures..and I had to drag him to our E-session)
When it came time for our wedding, it felt more like they were family at our wedding than photographers! Jonathon helped calm my nerves and Joanne was all over the place making sure everything happened on time! My pictures came out beautiful! They are everything I wanted!
You will not be dissapointed with Encarnacion Photography! I HIGHLY reccomend them to anyone who is looking for a photographer. I have beautiful memories to look back at thanks to them.
On a personal note...a few weeks after my wedding, my family experienced a horrible tradgedy, and Joanne even called to offer condolances and hugs. It meant alot.
Thank you Encarnacion Photography!! I look forward to working with you guys in the future! -
Review from Ray V.
San Jose, CA
5/28/2008
Jon is the man. I hired him to do a photo shoot for my personal training business. Jon listened to my ideas, gave me great suggestions on how to capture my ideas and most importantly the pix came out better than I had imagined. His work can be viewed on my website http://www.iso-tonix.net and under Iso-tonix Personal Training here on YELP. Jon THANK YOU so much for the awesome job. Your the best
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Review from Sammy T.
San Jose, CA
9/2/2008
Every bride knows that it's all about the little things that make your wedding special. Encarnacion Photography brings forth that special element...This review is long overdue!!! I cannot stress how incredible Jon made this experience for my F.H. (future hubby) and I.
Joanne (his just as incredible wife) contacted me to get a feel of what kind of couple my fiance and I were. She gave me a couple of wonderful suggestions that would work well in terms of what F.H. and I had in mind. I really wanted to shoot at Hakone Gardens and F.H. couldn't agree more with the site. I expressed my concerns that F.H. has blue eyes and is VERY sensitive to light, so he may end up squinting a lot in the pictures. She told me not to worry..even though, I secretly did. After we set up a date and time, Joanne did an amazing job following up with us to confirm the date. The weather was drastic that week and of course, I was worried; and again, Joanne told me not to. She continued to tell me that we would play things by ear and that she would update me hourly the following day (our scheduled shoot)...and she did! Joanne was up at 8 on a Sunday morning giving me a play by play weather update via email and text. We decided not to shoot that day since the chance of rain was prevalent.; and rescheduled.
A month later F.H. and I had the pleasure of finally meeting with Jonathan. He called me an hour and a half prior to our appointment to make sure I had directions to Hakone and to give him a ring when F.H. and I got there. I was floored by the fact that he was already on his way to our site while I was still getting ready. He told me he didn't want to be late. (MAJOR BROWNIE POINTS FOR THAT, since my biggest pet peeve are people who are not considerate of other people's time!)
Upon our arrival, Jonathan greeted us with a smile. My first impression of Jonathan: friendly, funny, energetic, upbeat, young and very professional. He guided us through Hakone while snapping shots left and right...and although we knew he was taking pictures of us, we really didn't feel "under the scope". Jonathan was very easy going that it was fun trying to make him throw up with our PDA.
Jonathan took so many pictures that we actually had to ask him if we could stop. I just don't know where all that energy comes from...until we saw the pictures...our pictures were burned onto a cd, sent in the cutest package ever. Jonathan had enclosed a print of one of our pictures which I considered to be a wonderful surprise and an even more thoughtful gesture. Scrolling through each picture, I couldn't help but smile. Jonathan gives life and style to meaningful moments he captured between us. It was so natural, timeless...US.
My worries just washed away. Not once, in any of the pictures Jonathan took did I find a picture of F.H. squinting! That is talent within itself. People...you have NO idea!!!
So if you want to stress over your pictures, want to wait for your photographer to get back to you, or just like making your life difficult...don't see Jonathan for your nuptial needs. But if you're looking for someone who's passion seriously show through their work...contact him. You will not regret it!
p.s. Looking at our pictures, I'd forgotten that during the shoot, that F.H. and I had our very first fight 10 minutes prior. That's how good Jonathan is...
Thanks again, Jonathan!!! -
Review from Elaine S.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2009
Jonathan and Joanne are the best! I am super excited that we chose Encarnacion for our wedding photographers. We just got our engagement pics back, and they are way more than we ever expected!! They did a beautiful job! I can rest assured that we will have amazing wedding photos. During the engagement session, Jonathan made us comfortable and kept us laughing the whole time. He was more than we could ask for, always trying to make us look our best! He definitely went out of his way for us...even so far as lending my fiancee his tie for the photos! :) I feel so luck to have found such a great photographer for our wedding day!
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Review from chris w.
National City, CA
7/12/2009
For your wedding the one thing you don't want to gamble on is the photographer... so please please take our word for it, look at the pics, check out the comments--Encarnacion Photography is legit. We loved the way they captured moments, the feel in each photograph matched the feelings as we remembered them, Jon and Joanne are so fun and are willing to go all out for each pic.
I've been a groomsman (and a groom!) in 8 weddings now and these peoples are by far the best photogs I've been around. Very at ease and with a great eye for surroundings, color, and creativity. Seriously their humor and creativity really helped put to ease the crazy wedding madness. We might just name a baby Encarnacion : ) -
Review from Kathy L.
San Jose, CA
10/25/2009
The guy that kept my spirits up when everything hit the fans was Jonathan. My entire gang of friends and family that helped me with this wedding agree, Jonathan is absolutely amazing. This team is very responsive to emails and I never worried for a minute about whether or not we were in good hands. This one was a major piece of the wedding that I really did not have to worry about because that is how much ease I was at with them. The wedding was just yesterday so I have no idea what the pictures look like.. however I will say this - to have Encarnacion Photography on your wedding team was a huge help. He kept me posted on the schedule, kept things fun, was professional in dress, and I have nothing, absolutely nothing to say about what they bring to the table. Can't wait to see the pictures!! Will definitely be posting an update to this review!!!!
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Review from Jennifer L.
Union City, CA
1/15/2009
We just received our slide show, and I am so impressed! We have a TON of beautiful photos to chose from to display at our wedding! Jonathan spent the afternoon with my fiance and me as we grabbed a cup of coffee where we had first met, and then followed w/ more photos at Stanford. You would think that an afternoon with someone following you around, taking pictures is a little awkward, but w/ Jonathan it just feels like hanging out with a good friend.
Converstaion was easy as was his direction. Before you knew it, he had already taken hundreds of photos!
Thank you Jonathan and Joanne! We can't wait til you shoot our wedding in March! -
Review from Zee A.
San Jose, CA
12/22/2008
i am not a fan of taking professional pictures, but when my cousin went to jon, and i saw the results - i had to take a chance!
when i saw the slide show he sent a few days later - i was so pleased! he is so talented and FUNNY. he had my son laughing and giggling during the shoot. he did an awesome job and had so much patience w/my son who had too much ENERGY that day! him and joanne are personableand professional.
I would definitely recommend encarnacion photography! -
Review from Dylan W.
Mountain View, CA
3/23/2009 4 photos
Encarnacion Photography is absolutely AMAZING!!!!! We were lucky enough to be referred to them by a friend and were surprised by the quality of work that was to follow. My wife and I went to Encarnacion Photography for both our engagement and wedding photos. Jonathan was so personable and working with him was like working with a friend. His ability to keep up with our sarcasm and dirty sense of humor made it even better! Don't get us wrong...he's very professional and knows how to get a great shot really quickly. At our wedding we were lucky enough to have Jonathan and his wife Joanne photograph the day. They worked so well together and their energy made the day that much better. We absolutely recommend Encarnacion Photography to everyone whether you're getting married or just want to take family photos. We loved working with Jonathan and Joanne and we're currently brainstorming a good reason to take photos again!
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Review from ashley h.
San Jose, CA
1/7/2010
We just got our engagement session photos back and we are so happy! Jonathan was so fun to work with and helped us both feel comfortable. I was especially impressed by the diversity in the set of photos- the backgrounds, the varying effects, the overall feel... There are photos in this set for everyone's tastes from old fashioned grandma to trendy cousin! Overall, VERY VERY happy and really looking forward to having them shoot our wedding day!
