Name: Franz Josef D. Sarmiento but please, call me F.J.
Date of Birth: August 27, 1982
Current Location: Toronto, ON. Canada
Photography Experience: 8 years
Blog: fjsarmiento.tumblr.com
Bio:
The very first time F.J. picked up a camera was back in 1996. He borrowed an old point
and shoot film camera for his grade 8 trip. After a few snapshots of friends, he
thought to challenge his creativity with the nature surrounding him. There was one
particular scene that caught his eye – a tree with bare branches leaning over a dreary
river with hundreds of rocks obstructing the water. Although he was only a beginner,
the photo brought him much pride and thus he began to see the world in a new perspective.
His passion grew over several years as he studied all aspects of the art of photography.
He developed a great appreciation not only for the mechanical relationship between the
equipment and exposure, but more so the importance of perspective and composition.
He started out shooting 35mm film but realized soon after the vast possibilities with
shooting in the digital format. He recognized where the industry was heading and took the
necessary steps to meet the demands of his craft.
F.J. loved to shoot nature and landscapes simply because of his appreciation for natural
beauty. He experimented with many genres of photography, including macro, architecture,
and still life. He, however, found most joy when shooting people. “Creating art by
capturing someone’s true emotion is unbelievably fulfilling.” Taking this one step further
in capturing the emotions shared between two people IN love brought him even greater joy.
He promotes that we should all take moments to enjoy and appreciate a little bit of
romance in our lives. “I love what I do and I think it shows. Being able to share in
these moments by photographically documenting them is a privilege and an honour. I
dedicate my craft to embracing life’s every moment by capturing them so that we can truly
cherish them for a lifetime.”
TESTIMONIALS:
“We have known F.J. since his high school days and since then he had a passion for photography. When it came to choosing a photographer to capture the most memorable day of our lives he was the first person that came to mind and the only candidate fit for the job. We met with F.J. and not only is he friendly and personable he made it a point to immerse himself in our dreams and vision for our Wedding Day. F.J.’ s style of photography is truly amazing. He captures the natural essence of your day. Most of the time he shoots unnoticed which makes it easy for you to focus on enjoying your day. He handled everything professionally from prompt meetings to assisting us with a customized package to get the most we could. We were blessed with a rainy Wedding Day but F.J. was a trooper and he ensured us that the pictures, although outside, would still be worth it. We put all of our trust in him and we were not disappointed. It only took a few weeks before he compiled his masterpiece collection of our day equipped with gorgeous photo books. We couldn’t ask for anything more.
Thank you again F.J for capturing all the momentous events of our day.”
- Mel and Ryan
“F.J Sarmiento is a phenomenal photographer and enhanced our wedding experience tremendously. From the very beginning he not only engaged us to ensure that our vision was realized in our pictures but he also incorporated his creative and artistic ideas. The results were photos of our special day that were better than anything we could have imagined. Months leading up to our wedding, he was undoubtedly, very professional and made our working relationship a pleasant experience. He navigated our engagement shoot and wedding day effortless and still captured all of the ethereal moments in between. I would recommend F.J. Sarmiento Photography to anyone… and I already have!”
- T&T (Terence & Tola)
“We got married on Labour Day weekend in 2011 and FJ did an amazing job filming and editing our wedding video. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, FJ went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable with the whole process. He was always available to answer our questions, and he had a lot of creative ideas for shots based on his visits to the locations. On the actual day, FJ was very professional and friendly with our families and guests, and he worked collaboratively with our photographer to ensure they both got the best shots. In the end, the video turned out beautifully! We originally weren’t going to have videography, but we’re so glad we decided to go for it – it’s the perfect way to remember the special moments and to share them with our families and friends. Thank you FJ for all your hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity!”
- Cheryl & Ganan
“We were married on November 7, 2009, and not only were we blessed with amazing weather for the day, but FJ did a wonderful job capturing our vision for a perfect autumn wedding. He was professional, accommodating, and committed to making our wedding day memorable. We definitely enjoyed his sense of enthusiasm, creativity and originality, which helped set the tone for not just his work, but for the entire day.
FJ’s photos were both candid and artistic, highlighting our brightest moments on camera – the photobook/album we received at the end told our wedding story in such a beautiful, classy manner from beginning to end, giving us something that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.
Thank you FJ for everything, for bringing out the beauty and emotion that was all part of our wedding day – you are quite talented and were so great to work with!”
- Estelle and Alain Fadel
“Originally we didn’t think it would be necessary to have a video element for our wedding, but hiring FJ as our videographer turned out to be one of the best decisions we could have made! From the beginning to the end of our contract, FJ was courteous, responsive and very professional. He demonstrated his artistic versatility not only through shooting and editing a beautiful video recapping the ceremony and reception but also by photographing candid moments throughout the day.
FJ made an effort to connect with our friends and family and it definitely showed through the video’s footage. Many of our guests commented on how pleasant he was and how much fun he was to work with.
And of course, we cannot express enough how much we love watching the video! It really captured the whole day exactly as we remembered it – the music, images and special moments. Now, whenever we want to share our memories with others, the first thing we want to show them is our video!
Thanks again FJ!!”
- Jenn & Chris Kong
“I was introduced to FJ Sarmiento by one of my friends, KG, a singer. He had covered the launch of her first album and she loved the work he had done for her. I was about to launch my own business Behind Dogon Doors and in the process of publishing my memoirs ‘Rwanda Where Souls Turn to Dust’.
FJ was absolutely great throughout the photo shoot. I explained what I needed and he directed me. I had never done a photo shoot before, but he put me at ease, and after a while, I even forgot what we were doing. In retrospect, it was more fun than work. The pictures where simply amazing. And strangely, his pictures made me discover aspects of myself I never really paid attention to. At the risk of sounding cliché, FJ practically uncovered me with his lens and his unique touch, he revealed to me the person other people see when they look at me.
More recently, I was invited to be the keynote speaker at the launch of a magazine, and FJ covered my presentation in a different capacity: as videographer. Once again, FJ was professional, and the product was simply amazing.
FJ Sarmiento is a truly gifted artist and great at all he does. He brings professionalism, reliability and creativity to all his projects, making them more than just another photo shoot, or just another video, but the best photo shoot and the best video you will ever have.”
- Um’Khonde Patrick Habamenshi
“FJ was an amazing wedding photographer. He spent a lot of time before the wedding getting to know the locations (church, outdoor photo site and reception hall) and this really showed. He found just the spot to take photos from that made our tiny church look huge! He was also very open to accommodating all my requests for specific shots. We received many compliments on our photos and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend his services.”
- Stefanie and Hector
“Truly a great service, ‘Friend’ comes to mind as the best description of the work he does. FJ went way beyond and back, he insisted on being there on a time schedule we were afraid to ask for… pretty much from 6am till after midnight, coordinating and leading all the photos, scene and pose setups, and most of all, much of it with us busy enjoying the day – seamless!”
- Jessie & Richard
“We wanted to cherish every single moment at our daughter Makayla’s first birthday in December 2010 and like any parent who has to host a party, care for a very active birthday girl and make sure everything is going smoothly, we were able to capture and cherish every moment with FJ’s help. He has a unique style, very artistic and has wonderful ideas to capture any memory anyone wants to cherish for years to come! Thank you FJ!!”
- Raevelyn & Mark