We used Expressive Photographics for our engagement photos. Mark is very professional and easy to work with. If you have a special spot or ideas that you would like him to incorporate he can get the shot you're looking for! We won't be using him for our wedding photography but our engagement pictures came out great! read more

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Mark was the best wedding photographer we could have asked for. Throughout the entire process, he was extremely professional, communicative, and responsive, and he delivered utterly stunning photos of our wedding day. I will especially point out that, with me as a client who really dislikes having her picture taken, Mark was super understanding and easy to work with. At our request, he captured the majority of our wedding photos without me even noticing, and I couldn't be more grateful for that! Mark took a silhouette shot of our friends and us at dusk (attached), and it is not only one of my favorites from our wedding, it's one of the most awesome photos I've ever seen. Thank you so much, Mark! read more

Expressive Photographics - Awesome wedding silhouette from Expressive Photographics! - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We had the most wonderful experience with Mark from start to finish. From the first meeting with him to discuss package options, I knew right away what a professional, organized photographer we were going to get! He was so creative during our engagement photo session, as well as friendly which made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. I knew our wedding day photos were going to be absolutely amazing! He would make himself available to accommodate our schedules. He continued to make us feel as if we were his only clients, knowing he was juggling multiple clients. He created a wonderful wedding album for us that I am extremely pleased with, I couldn't have asked for a better photographer! Remember you get what you pay for, quality photos and professional experience. Money well spent! Memories to last a life time. Thanks again Mark for going above and beyond to make our wedding photos so spectacular ! Highly recommended!!! read more

Expressive Photographics - Seascape Golf Course- Aptos CA - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary April, 09. Mark was our Wedding Photographer, and he was fantastic! He is very professional, yet very friendly. He puts time and energy into his photos, and all you have to do is look at his portfolio, to see that. I would highly recommend using his services at your event, and will always call him when I need a photographer. Lorelei Smith read more

Mark captured the amazing venue, party and bride! We had a small evening wedding with just a few months notice and Mark really came through. Our engagement session was casual and fun and that really showed our personalities in the photos. For the wedding he was prompt, professional and able to calmly direct the guests and wedding party as needed for perfect shots. As stressful as wedding planning is he really helped make the whole experience enjoyable. I can't recommend Expressive enough! 8 stars! read more

Expressive Photographics - Evening wedding shot from Expressive Photographics! - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

We used Mark as our photographer for our engagement photos and our wedding. He was able to work with us with only 3 months before our wedding, after our photographer flaked on us. He was very professional, has a good eye for lighting and scenery for engagement photos. He even suggested some locations that we thought were going to be cheesy but the pictures turned out great. We were able to get our pictures within two weeks. For the wedding day pictures, Mark found this awesome barn near our wedding site that we were able to get some really cool pictures with and everyone loved the pictures. I would highly recommend their services. The prices are reasonable, as we tried to go with someone cheaper and they were very unreliable. Remember you get what you pay for, and after your big day all you have left are your pictures and the memories. read more

Expressive Photographics - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Another year, another session! Since the last review we had another baby and of course that meant another family photo session with Mark. We drove down to Santa Cruz again because Mark is truly in his environment in his town. With two small kids (2.5 yr and 1yr) we requested that Mark pick something outside and somewhat secluded to prevent the kids from being distracted. Mark took us to Four Mile Beach with blew us away. It was amazing with both a bluff and beach to shoot photos on he kept the kids moving and happy. We spent almost 3 hours taking photos which is amazing given we were up against nap time and Mark made it fly by. Once he noticed our kids needed a break and he suggest we simply let them play in the sand for a bit. To my surprise he kept taking photos and when we received the images some of the best shots are of our girls just playing. Mark is incredibly professional, friendly and easygoing with an innate ability to select amazing locations and capture the amazing everyday life shots. He has become part of our family from our engagement through 2 children and I can look forward to knowing he will be there to capture our memories for many years to come. read more

Mark is an amazing photographer! My husband & I just got married a month ago and Mark was the one who took our engagement and wedding photos and we couldn't be happier. There is a distinct beauty to the way he is able to capture the moment. For example, we asked him to stay after the wedding to get some shots overlooking the bay (we got married on the ocean front in Monterey). When we saw the pictures were were astonished, he made it look like it was our own little world and we were looking out into it together... He is a very well-liked gentleman and tries to get everything you want together in the most effective way possible. Even though our wedding was running late and all, Mark was able to give us all the shots we wanted and is very comfortable working with many people too (getting everyone together for portraits isn't as easy of a task as it seems, but Mark made it look effortless and he did an outstanding job). I really could go on and on about how wonderful working with Mark was, but maybe you should experience this for yourself. He's the No. 1 photographer in our book =) Thanks for everything Mark! Sumaiya Reza read more

I'm looking at our engagement photos which Mark took for me and my fiance, and the pictures are so impressive, I needed to update this review and give him the 5 stars that he deserves. Mark is fantastic and a great person to work with. Thanks again, Mark for all the hard work you did for our engagement session! read more

Mark has photographed more special occasions and events than we can even count. From our engagement shoot all the to pictures of us with our baby girl. I can't say enough good things about him. He cares deeply about his craft and the moments being captured. Thank you Mark, you're the best!! read more

We met with Mark to discuss our upcoming wedding. We showed him websites that had the exact type of photography and photo book layouts that we were looking for. While he took many photos, he missed many key shots. For example, the only photo of the men in the bridal party was overexposed. Our friend, who had taken photos, had to provide key photos to be used in our album because the shots were missing. After several months of frustration and Mark's lack of production, he had to outsource our photo book to another designer because he could not produce what was promised. It took us over 8 months to receive our photo album. The vendor did exactly what we had hoped for- what Mark could not. We were not impressed with Mark and would not recommend him. read more

Mark is a fantastic photographer who is very professional and goes above and beyond with his work. He had never been to Hotel Sofitel, so he even took the time out to visit the day before so he knew of all the great shots to take. So many great shots to choose from that it's going to pretty hard to put the book together and we can't wait! I highly recommend Mark as your photographer for those special events. :-) read more

Like every bride, I was shopping around for the best photographer that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. I was quoted anywhere between $3K to $15K (ridiculous). In addition to having a great portfolio at a reasonable price, I was equally concerned about clicking with someone and being comfortable around that individual. Mark checked all those boxes for me. He was not fazed by anything that I threw at him. He listened to what I wanted and he went above and beyond anything I could have expected. My husband and I used him both for our engagement session and our wedding day. I would highly recommend Mark to anyone! read more

Mark from Expressive Photographics is an amazing photographer. Very professional and great prices. He works with you to make sure you get the best job possible. I would highly recommend him. read more

We selected Mark among several at a Bridal Fair because he was the only photographer who didn't give us 'canned answers' and who seemed to still have passion for his job. After 25yrs++ in this field, Mark always strives to push the boundaries of photography and sort of lives 'on the edge' in his area of expertise. He plays a lot with the photo and digital medium and enjoys sharing his process, which was a plus for me since I'm also into photography. Prior to our photo sessions, Mark had no hesitation to walk us through what he saw in the sample photos we brought him from other wedding sites. He patiently explained what he saw in each picture: the lighting, the colors, the perspective, the skin tones, the effects, and sometimes the challenges he found. We had fun learning about photography through Mark's eyes. Mark is also very generous of his time and wants to make sure his clients are satisfied. During our engagement picture session, he spent over an extra hour to take advantage of the weather conditions. He also delivered several more enhanced pictures than expected on our engagement set and our wedding set. Finally, Mark's professionalism is worth mentioning. Whether in the process of making us feel comfortable in front of the camera, or through email exchanges, we never wondered where he was or why he wasn't answering our emails. He was always very responsive. Overall, we truly enjoyed working with Mark and would recommend him as a professional photographer to anyone who seeks expertise and creativity! read more

Mark did such an amazing job on our engagement photos! his ideas and designs are very unique and that's what we loved about him, we got all of the traditional photos along with many fun and creative shots. We are very excited after seeing his work and can not wait for the wedding especially because he will be our photographer! read more

We are so happy we hired Mark to do our engagement and wedding photos. He was extremely professional, kind, and great to work with. He is a talented photographer and has good taste when it comes to poses. We appreciated the way he made us feel comfortable during the shoot and his many years of experience is invaluable. You can trust Mark to capture all your special moments. read more

Mark created some very incredible and special photographs when we did a family photo shoot in our backyard this fall. His creativity and ability to capture "off moments" or "special unplanned pictures" really created a portfolio of pictures we just couldnt decide upon! They were all so terrific and we really loved all the pictures. Thank you Mark for helping create some lifetime memories in these very special photos. We'd gladly recommend Expressive Photography for anyone looking for an extremely professional, experienced photographer. read more

We had an amazing experience shooting our engagement pictures with Mark! It was an absolute joy working with such a kind and talented photographer and we were blown away by Mark's work. Highly recommend working with Mark and Expressive Photographics for amazing photos and a fabulous service experience. read more

Mark is a great guy and a pleasure to work with. He's friendly, professional, and takes amazing photos. He takes pride in his work and has the skill to capture all the key moments of a wedding. I would definitely recommend Expressive Photographics for all your photography needs! read more

Mark had a passion for what he did, was energetic, and fun to work with. I received many compliments on our engagement session, and several people asked for a reference after seeing Mark's work. In contrast to some other wedding photographers we saw online, Mark's work had a definite creative and professional quality to it that gave me the message that the service was worth paying for. He lived up to that promise. I especially recommend getting a package that includes an engagement session. read more

Mark was wonderful to work with. He stayed very focus on the photo list I provided to ensure we got every photo we wanted. He has a very easy going nature but also completely professional. My family and friends felt very comfortable with him. We had our engagement shoot with him and the pictures were wonderful. We got married two days ago and have not yet seen the photos but are confident they will be perfect. He gave us glimpses in the camera and we can't wait to see them. read more

My husband and I had Mark as our wedding photographer in Santa Cruz and had the most positive experience with him. He was great to work with starting with the engagement photos all the way through to our wedding photo album. He was always very responsive to my emails and never hard to get ahold of. His work is truly creative and talented and I recommend him to everyone. He is great with capturing the outdoors and really captures special moments. I hope to work with Mark again in the future! read more

Mark did an awesome job. He was very professional and patient and really took into mind what my husband and I wanted for our elopement photos. The photos of us in Big Sur came out amazing and he knew some really cool places to get beautiful natural shots. I am very unphotogenic, but amazingly in all the pictures I look great. I am very pleased and would recommend him! read more

My husband and I got married on June 23, 2016, and we had our engagement session on May 26, 2015. We used Mark for both and could not be happier. Our engagement session was fun and creative and Mark did a really great job at making us comfortable in front of the camera. Mark was quick on the turn around for the engagement photos and we even had one put on a canvas to show off at our wedding. On our wedding day Mark was more than on time, he showed up an hour before so that he could look around the venue because he had never shot there before. He was very quick to get though all the photos we wanted before the ceremony. During the ceremony he was everywhere, he got so many pictures from different angles I have no idea how he did it. He was like that the whole day. He got every picture I wanted and I rarely noticed he was there. That really showed his experience. My husband and I love the photos and would recommend him to anyone! read more

My wife and I wanted something/someone different. Just about everyone we know who has been married has used the same guy from Monterey and all have been unhappy with him. So our search began for someone new. We found Expressive Photographics at the Monterey Wedding Expo and fell in love with their work. Their photos were artistic, fun, and captured the emotion of the moment. I was set on hiring them as soon as I saw that they printed on metal. We since have had our engagement photos taken by Mark and we choose our favorite to go on metal. Although we only choose one to go on the metal as a art piece for our home, every shot (sometimes even the test shots) were amazing so we bought all of them to go on a CD. We also used Mark for our wedding. We had a destination wedding in Northern California and were able to book Mark a room at the Lodge where the wedding was taking place. We felt so comfortable with Mark that we asked him to attend our rehearsal dinner. Although he did not have to, he took many shots that evening just because he saw a good opportunity. The lodge we had for our wedding was ours for an entire night but we only hired Mark for 6 hours for that day, yet on many occasions I found Mark with a camera in his hand well after 1:00 a.m. He did not have to do this but he is the type of person who can't pass up a great opportunity to take the shot. The day after our wedding, while traveling to our honeymoon, I checked Facebook and Mark had already posted a few "teasers" for us to see. They were perfect. I don't know if he knows it but he created a very special moment for us on our honeymoon. We got to see just how perfect the day was through just a few photos. I asked him at one point in a conversation about backpacking (a common hobby he and I have) what his favorite thing was to take pictures of. I figured since he loved the outdoors he would love taking pictures of nature during his free time. Nope, he answered that he loves taking pictures of people. Mark is a man who has made a career out of what he loves and he is amazing at it. read more