WEDDINGS BY JMF

OUR SERVICES

COUPLES & ENGAGEMENTS

WEDDINGS & ELOPEMENTS

DESIGN SERVICES

WHO WE ARE

JESSICA MARIE FRANCIS
OWNER/PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHER

My love of photography began in a darkroom. The first time I saw one of my images appear in a cool tray of developing liquid, I was hooked. In digital photography, everything happens in an instant, but it was the darkroom that taught me how much love, skill, and patience should go into creating images that have an impact. Whether shooting film or digital, something I carry with me is the understanding that my machine and I are there to capture the emotion and magic of each moment.

How did I end up as a wedding photographer, you ask? As cheesy as it may sound, the wedding industry is home to me. I have been a part of the wedding industry since 7th grade; that's when I was hired to sing at a wedding for the first time. I was a wedding singer and worked in banquets/events as an assistant banquet director through high school and part of my undergraduate career. After earning my BA in Philosophy, (#GoGators), I took a short break from weddings to build my lifestyle photography brand Memories by JMF, coming back to weddings after planning my own and realizing how much I loved telling love stories.

In 2016 I went back to school to round out my skill set, (#DoubleGator), achieving my MAMC in Online Communication and Web Design. I always loved graphic design and branding, but it was this program that gave me the tools I needed to expand into offering boutique design services like creating one-of-a-kind Save the Dates, Wedding Favors, and Personalized Wedding Logos.

Beyond my time at UF, I have two years of technical darkroom and digital photography training, a perfect score in higher level photography, and over 15 years of experience in shooting, developing, printing, and exhibiting my work.

DANNY HERNANDEZ
SECOND SHOOTER/ASSISTANT

I love my work and the business I've built, but I could not have done it without my in-house second-shooter, lighting assistant, crowd wrangler, and husband extraordinaire, Danny. Before shooting with me, Danny trained with me for about 4 years. In that time we focused on the mechanics behind producing a great image as well as composition.

His attention to detail and approachable nature help him frame and take fantastic images as well as to efficiently manage large groups of people. Danny has a career of his own, so it is a special treat when we have the opportunity to photograph weddings together.

Together we are able to cover events, small and large, with ease; communicating with our own set of hand-gestures, nods, and eyebrow wiggles developed over our decade+ long love story.

<3 JMF
Weddings by JMF, a Gainesville Florida Wedding and Engagement Photography Company.