11 Photographers From Cancun You Should Know

Named Photographer of the Year by BBC London and Natural History Museum, Luis Javier Sandoval is the first Mexican to obtain a second Best Photographer of Wildlife Award. The marine photographer, currently working for National Geographic and Mexico Desconocido, has captured the underwater life worldwide, swimming among sharks, crocodiles, and sea lions in 10-hour journeys. He has published three books, (Bajo el Espejo, retrato del Caribe Mexicano got him a silver medal by ADiseño magazine in 2011), has a long list of national and international awards and recognitions, and participated in TEDxCancún with the theme “Nature photography: a weapon for conservation.”

Cancun native Xavier Tek has a background in photojournalism and urban street photography, and his life’s pursuit is to recognize the values and contributions of past generations through photography. For Xavier, a photo is not a simple image but “our history”, so as an observer of urban life, he shoots significant moments to share with the world. He has traveled through Central America capturing scenes of urban life in Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, and Costa Rica with an anthropological eye. With El amor no es desechable, a photo of an old Mexican couple, he shows that love is not disposable. His work is displayed in the Galeria Balance Cancun.

A talented photographer who started his work as a hobby, Diaz (known professionally as PpToTravel) captures the beautiful landscapes of the Riviera Maya. He began with the blog Riviera Cancun but later decided to go global and started a new blog—PpToTravel displays the beautiful landscapes of New York and different stunning Mexican cities, like Chiapas and Puebla, and his YouTube channel features the places where he held his photo shoots. His achievements include a place in the Top Ten of Mexico Destinos (a travel agency and magazine).

Julieta Belmont is one of those remarkable people who shows that physical condition don’t have to limit professional dreams. Having cerebral palsy has not prevented her from becoming a talented photographer that wedding planners are proud to recommend, and she feels the excitement in every wedding and client interaction, which let her perceive and capture their emotions. In addition to wedding photography, her work includes a series of landscape photography based in Peru, England, and USA, which was exhibited in the Government Palace from Aguascalientes. Her next project is to shoot the best landscape of the Americas via a road trip from Alaska to Argentina.

Rocha was born and raised in Mexico City before studying nature photography in Florida and settling in Cancun, where he became a landscape and underwater photographer, captivated by its beautiful panoramas. Since he’s a certified diver, his work includes shooting expeditions of free diving champions and underwater weddings and has been exhibited by Nature Photographer Magazine and in Mexico, in the Jupiter Lighthouse Gallery in Florida, and in the Louvre Museum in Paris. His photo Serenidad earned an honorable mention at the Panoramic Photography in Madrid in 2015. Rocha currently works as a photographer, cultural journalist, and entrepreneur.

Before finding his real passion as a graphic designer specializing in digital photography, Martin Ruano began his career as a product photographer. He loves capturing the emotions of people and the magic of the weddings and was recognized by the website MyWed for his visual stories and wedding pictures. His latest project, Graphic Europe, showcases the continent’s urban life.

An Italian transplant in Cancun, Proietto is a specialist in wedding photography. His underwater photos include Cancun’s cenotes (Pit, Dos Ojos, and Car Wash), he has photographed ecenaries all over the world, including Guatemala, Italy, Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Germany, and Cuba. His last exhibition took place in Italy and shows a travel report around Ireland. His talent has flourished since his father taught him photography at age 13, and he hasn’t stopped his labor since.

Juan Navarro takes his work as seriously as a war photographer might and says, “The photographer must be the first to arrive and the last to leave, the feet are the zoom.” He’s been a landscape photographer for the last 15 years and a pioneer in Trash the Dress photography, and for him, a good session means capturing the secret moments: a tear, a smile—little details that reveal everything. He’s currently displaying his photos in hotel stores and experiencing a new professional stage as the founder of Novia Mía, a photo studio that shoots 800 weddings a year.

For husband, dad, and photography lover César Rioja, photography is a way of life, and he enjoys everything involved in a photo shoot: interaction, empathy, emotions. What he likes the most is meeting people and witnessing the most important moments of their life, which is why he’s captured hundreds of them as a wedding photographer for the last 15 years. His work includes portraits and beautiful landscapes features Cancun’s turquoise waters.

Freddy Koh has an extensive experience with fashion and documentary reports and has his own photography company. His unique, stunning landscapes combine fashion photography and documentary. He thinks out of the box and plays with elements and composition to capture the best projection of fashion in the finest of Riviera Maya scenery.

“Stunning” is the word that defines the work of Oscar Zarate, who always finds the right angle to project the best colors and forms. With a B.A. in Communication, he knows not only how to communicate the feelings of the bride and groom in the most important moments of their life but also how to execute studio photography for commercials and portraits. While Zarate does travel occasionally for his work, the sandy beaches of Cancun and Riviera Maya are the main backdrops for his photography.