![A dressed-up couple stands close together and smiles outdoors after a celebration.](/api/photo-file/07d99725-426c-4148-ab99-9fc8abc28c2c/wrapped-up-together.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![](/api/photo-file/0de59c7c-fc82-4a96-ad5e-c024bd4fa31c/bride-in-the-mirror.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![](/api/photo-file/86958e35-71f5-4b8a-99a9-507b2da9a8cc/together-on-the-park-bench.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![](/api/photo-file/1b35cd6a-93a5-4b3f-9082-3833844d828a/held-close.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![](/api/photo-file/91601f08-39db-4113-8f9d-e79ad37d9857/our-favourite-place-to-be.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

# Capturing the moments you didn’t see coming
(and the ones you did)

[Find Your Session](#services)[View my work](/portfolio)

[Scroll](#about)[https://www.instagram.com/schmidtthappens/](https://www.instagram.com/schmidtthappens/)[mailto:jonschmidt001@gmail.com](mailto:jonschmidt001@gmail.com)[https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanjschmidt/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanjschmidt/)

![Black-and-white headshot of photographer Jonathan Schmidt smiling at the camera.](/api/photo-file/d2b33580-af4e-4663-a39d-8f40c9342333/behind-the-camera.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)
Behind the camera

01 · About

## Hello There!
I’m Jonathan.

I’m Jonathan Schmidt, a photographer based in Surrey and working across Langley, Vancouver, and the wider Lower Mainland. I photograph families, couples, weddings, and events with enough direction to keep things comfortable and enough freedom for real moments to happen.

I started taking photography seriously in 2013, although it was still very much a hobby, but began accepting paid assignments around 2015. Over the past decade, I’ve completed several dozen varied photographic escapades, including portraits, families, engagements, weddings, and events.

Before moving to British Columbia, my photographs also appeared in several local magazines, some city tourism promotions, and advertising displayed at Xfinity Arena in Washington. I still get a particular kick out of seeing a photograph leave the screen and show up in the wide world.

My work is colourful, lively, and made to hold up beyond the day it was taken. These are photographs for the wall, the album, and the camera roll you still open years later.

Over roughly the past two years, I’ve also begun restoring damaged, faded, and low-resolution photographs. The goal is simple: recover what can be recovered, keep the people recognizably themselves, and prepare the image for sharing or a new print. I love seeing old details renewed and refreshed!

[Tell me what you're planning](#contact)

ABOUT

02 · Portfolio

## Planned shoots to capture unscripted moments

[Explore the full portfolio](/portfolio)

![A father lifts his laughing baby into the air beneath blooming pink branches.](/api/photo-file/c014cf4e-d8ea-460d-8c4f-5a630ab62b55/higher-than-the-blossoms.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![A joyful bride covers her smile with one hand while standing in her wedding dress.](/api/photo-file/c4c6c6c6-91f3-48af-b503-13e597a15f8d/the-moment-it-felt-real.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![An expectant couple embraces beside a calm lake while holding the mother's baby bump.](/api/photo-file/b2814959-e4d1-404c-b687-cab67f189278/waiting-by-the-water.webp?v=2026-08-12%2015%3A50%3A03)

![A close-up shows an engagement ring as a woman wraps her arms around her partner.](/api/photo-file/cb66cc68-4424-4771-9f3b-87fab7ce91bb/promise-in-her-hands.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![A mother kneels with open arms as her young child runs toward her beneath spring trees.](/api/photo-file/058bb5a8-cc21-4cd1-a624-5b8d75a75838/run-right-into-my-arms.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![A smiling toddler in brown overalls holds a small orange pumpkin outdoors.](/api/photo-file/fdc4b650-940b-43bb-9841-f7fdda0949ab/little-hands-big-pumpkin.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

“Jonathan captured one of the best days of my life perfectly! Not only were the photos true to that day and moment, but they were beautiful as well… It is easy to be comfortable with Jonathan during his shoots, and the results lead to artfully genuine shots. I would book Jonathan again in an instant.”

Alexi & Gunnar GuddalEngagement Photography

“Every time we have asked Jonathan to take pictures for us—whether it be engagement photos or casual family photos, we know that not just the quality of the photos will be great, but that he will capture the moment perfectly. He is fun to work with, has lots of great ideas, and knows how to get the job done. We would highly recommend him to anyone.”

Austin & Melissa HiattEngagement & Family Photography

[Read more testimonials](/testimonials)

Behind the photographs

### What happens between the poses

I give enough direction to make sure we get the photographs everyone came for. Nobody should spend a session quietly wondering what to do with their hands. Once those are covered, I leave room for movement, jokes, children with their own agenda, and the expressions that show up when people stop thinking about the camera. That breathing room usually makes the planned portraits better.

[Explore family and portrait sessions](/families-portraits)

Emily & Cole · Fort Langley

#### Forty-five minutes by the river

Emily arrived in a black dress and ready to go. Cole was more reserved, which is a fairly normal response to being asked to look natural on command. Rather than dropping him straight into conventional poses, I spent the 45-minute session walking with them along the river, joking, and following the rhythm they already had. Emily made faces and drew Cole out naturally. Soon the traditional maternity portraits felt easier too. Some of my favourites are still the two of them laughing because to me those photographs look recognizably like their relationship while still marking an important season in their lives.

Alexi & Gunnar · Pumpkin patch

#### Portraits, mud, and three living-room prints

At the pumpkin patch, the twins investigated the important things: mud, pumpkins, wagons, and whatever caught their attention next. We made the posed family photographs everyone expects, along with the twins together and each child separately. Then I kept shooting as they explored, played, and generally ignored the idea that the people in a session need to stand still (an abundance of pumpkins helped). Three photographs from that gallery now hang prominently in Alexi and Gunnar’s living room: one of each twin and one of them together. I have seen them there myself! Getting a photograph off the hard drive and onto the wall is always a great ending to a shoot.

03 · Find Your Session

## Find Your Session

Sessions from $150Portrait, couple, and family options

Complete edited galleryNo proof fee and no paid unlocks

High-resolution filesPrivate gallery and personal printing rights

About two weeksNormal portrait-gallery delivery

[View all pricing and session details](/sessions-pricing)

[!\[A mother reaches for her toddler as he walks toward her through a tulip garden.\](/api/photo-file/add521fc-468b-4db9-858b-fa635feaa4b2/one-more-step.webp?v=2026-08-12%2015%3A52%3A28)
FAMILIES & PORTRAITSEnough direction to feel comfortable, without posing the life out of it.See the Options](/sessions-pricing#families-portraits)

[!\[Black-and-white silhouette of an engaged couple leaning close beside a bright window.\](/api/photo-file/47922c1d-cb3e-47a6-9670-78f3c90ba06c/close-in-the-window-light.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)
ENGAGEMENTS & WEDDINGSThe photographs you planned, the reactions you could not, and a record of how the day actually felt.See the Options](/sessions-pricing#weddings-engagements)

[!\[A smiling bartender shakes a cocktail at an outdoor event.\](/api/photo-file/7e5d072b-8fad-494f-ac4d-c4b35499f1f2/shaken-at-the-waterfront.webp?v=2026-08-12%2015%3A53%3A00)
SOMETHING ELSE?Events, tourism assignments, community projects, and the wonderfully specific ideas that do not belong in the other boxes.See the Options](/sessions-pricing#something-else)

[!\[A restored family photograph blends a black-and-white original with a colourized version.\](/api/photo-file/896a6849-bbba-4b12-94a9-9ed2ca7b0ea7/garden-family-portrait-before-and-after.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)
RESTORATION & UPSCALINGComplete restoration priced by the number of photographs, plus lower-cost upscaling when a clean file only needs to be larger.See the Options](/sessions-pricing#photo-restoration)

04 · Photo Restoration

## Got a faded memory?

Don't worry, it happens to everyone.

Fading, scratches, tears, missing colour, and low resolution can all be addressed in one restoration. Every appropriate correction is included, and the finished file is prepared for sharing or a new print.

[See the restoration process](/photo-restoration)

Upscale & RefreshColourize and Restore

![Original portrait of a couple seated beside a mountain road before restoration.](/api/photo-file/7e31f291-ba3a-40d2-acc7-bc66bdc3d8d1/mountain-road-portrait-original.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

![Restored colour portrait of a couple seated beside a mountain road.](/api/photo-file/d882896a-ab64-45cb-bdf5-6c65f1d5faae/mountain-road-portrait-restored.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

BeforeAfter

Compare the original and restored photographs for Upscale & Refresh

![A laughing man lifts his partner beside a railway platform.](/api/photo-file/08f45bbc-1e25-4523-91fd-2ab9a37714f0/the-best-kind-of-detour.webp?v=2026-08-11%2022%3A11%3A22)

05 · Start a conversation

## Tell me what you’re planning.

Pick the closest service and tell me what you know so far. A date, location, and rough idea are plenty to start.

[View pricing and session details](/sessions-pricing)

“We really appreciated your efforts—you were more punctual than we were, had amazing initiative, a joyful attitude, and really went above and beyond.”

Daniel & Connie KazmierWedding Photography

NameEmailWhat are you interested in?Select a serviceFamily or portrait sessionEngagement or weddingSomething else or custom photographyPhoto upscaling or restorationTell me a little about itSend inquiry

Your message is kept for up to 18 months in my private inquiry system so I can reply. Cloudflare delivers an email notification to me when it arrives. A temporary network identifier helps stop spam. For restoration inquiries, wait for my reply before sending photographs. [Read the privacy policy.](/privacy)

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