I'm JOsh— a southern california-based photographer

Here to tell your story.

At the core, I love all things beautiful, genuine, and raw. Without realizing it, my love for photography started at a very young age. As a kid, I remember being mesmerized by my family's collection of photo albums and home videos. When my parents and older siblings looked back at those photographs, they weren’t simply remembering what happened—they were transported back into those moments, feeling the same emotions as if they were living them all over again. Witnessing this first-hand is why I strive to create photographs that preserve moments in time and tell a story that brings you back to how it felt to live it.

The moments I see, the memories you keep.

When I photograph anything, my number one goal is for future you to look back at your photos and truly feel everything that transpired. From what it felt like to exchange vows with the love of your life, to the joyful moments getting ready with your bridal party, or even feeling sentimental looking back at time spent with your close loved ones. While anyone can capture a moment, I believe it takes an artist to turn them into stories—and that's what I'm here to do for you.

My style of taking photos is capturing the events that naturally unfold while providing more direction and guidance during moments that deserve more intention. I believe in being both hands on and hands off during the right moments—reading the room and observing how you feel so I can capture what feels right. Each wedding, engagement, and session is customized to document the emotions, moments, and connections that make your story uniquely yours, while doing it beautifully with artistic intention.

My "WHy"

Why do I love taking photos so much? To answer this question, you have to meet my mom, Mary Ann Almonte. She's the most selfless, loving, and strongest person I know, but when I was 15 years old she lost her life to cancer after an almost three-year battle. Throughout her illness, she documented everything. She filled scrapbooks with our family's experiences and travels, took photos of random things she found beauty in, and even took selfies almost everyday during her treatment to record her journey. At the time, my adolescent self didn’t understand why she took so many photos. I didn’t understand why she felt the need to document the seemingly ordinary moments, or how meaningful those photographs would one day become.

Now, I understand. Those photographs are some of the closest things I have to stepping back into moments that I can no longer live again. They allow me to see her, remember her, and feel the emotions surrounding a time in my life that has long since passed. Looking back, I wish I had understood their value sooner. I wish I had taken more photos. I wish I could have documented every little thing. Because one day, those little things become everything. And that's my "why."

I picked up photography on a whim shortly before starting college, never realizing that it would eventually become something so deeply personal to me. I soon realized that I could preserve other people’s memories and tell their stories in a way I wish I could have done more of with my mom. There is so much purpose in being able to photograph love and life. Whether it’s the deep connection between newlyweds, the quiet love shared between family members, or the little moments that might otherwise be forgotten, I feel incredibly lucky to create photographs that become part of someone’s story. Because to me, a photograph is more than something beautiful to look at. It is a way of remembering. A way of feeling. A way of holding onto the people, places, and moments we never want to forget.

And if I can give someone that gift—the ability to look at a photograph years from now and feel like they’re right back there again—then I know I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do.