Maren Kathleen Photography Reviews
Reviews
4.8 out of 5 rating
4.8 out of 5 rating
24 Reviews
96% recommend it
Awards
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Kelsey Sent on 10/29/2021
Maren is the best! ☺️
Words cannot fully express how happy we were to have chosen Maren for our wedding day.
The day I found her on Instagram, I knew immediately she was the right fit for us and our aesthetic. From the very beginning of the process until the very end, she has been organized, professional, and just so, so sweet. She was great with communication, always an email or a phone call away. Both during the planning process, and on the actual wedding day, she was able to deal with the craziness and last-minute issues that arose, with a smile and a plan.
We just received our sneak peek photos the other day, we couldn’t happier. We now call her the “photo ninja” because not only did she get the discussed poses and shots, but because we were surprised with a few we didn’t even know she was around for! She captured every single special moment..and then some!
We wouldn’t hesitate for a second to recommend her for your special event, but most importantly for your wedding day!
Thank you so Maren🤍 -
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Trisha C. Sent on 11/17/2020
Would highly recommend to all future brides!!
I highly recommend Maren to any brides looking to capture AMAZING photos on your special day. Maren was able to capture so many special moments filled with so much emotion. We are grateful we will be able to look back on these photos and remember all the feels on our day. She was responsive, easy to work with and has been more than flexible throughout the pandemic! -
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Sarah S. Sent on 10/26/2020Absolutely Perfect!
Honestly words can't describe how perfectly Maren and Stephen captured our wedding day! My husband and I had a microwedding with only immediate family. Maren and Stephen were able to capture the true essence, love, and energy that filled our day. Maren made us feel really comfortable and she was able to naturally capture our day. All of our friends and family keep complimenting the beautiful pictures from our wedding day!
Maren worked with us when we changed our wedding plans to a microwedding due to the global pandemic. Maren is a true pleasure to talk to and work with. She was timely in all communication leading up to our big day.
We highly recommend Maren!! We cannot say enough good things about her! We are excited she will be our photographer and videographer for our one year anniversary party with extended family and friends! -
Jillian C. Sent on 09/03/2020
Wonderful Interaction & Beautiful Photos
Maren was recommended to me when I found out 3 weeks before my wedding that I needed to find a new photographer! From her first email response I knew she would be great to work with! She was so understanding of my situation, and was able to work with me to find a photography package that fit my budget. She even was able to find a second shooter (Kateigh) with such short notice! Maren and Kateigh were both amazing to work with in person. Maren sent me sneak peek photos less than 2 weeks after the weeding and they were so beautiful! I cannot wait to see the rest of them! I will recommend Maren to anyone I know looking for a photographer! -
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Kendall Sent on 04/10/2020It's true, Maren is amazing!!
Choosing Maren as our photographer was one of the best decisions we have made! From the first phone call , I knew that Maren was the perfect fit for us. Her photography syle is exactly what we envisioned! We worked with Maren for both our engagement photos and wedding. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and had never had our photos taken until our engagement photos. Maren made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Leading up to the wedding, we met to talk about final details and you could see that Maren was so excited for our day and we could tell how passionate she is about her work. On our wedding day , Maren captured every detail right down to the midnight kiss on New Years and my sparkly sneakers. She remained calm all day and it kept us all at ease.
When we received our wedding gallery, it just took our breath away. It was everything that we had thought and more. Maren captured every moment and we are so grateful that we can cherish all of these memories.
Maren , we can not thank you enough for capturing ever detail of our special day. -
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Ellen W. Sent on 11/01/2020I could not have asked for better!
Where do I begin?! I have followed Maren and Maren Kathleen photography on social media for 10+ years. When I was in high school, it was almost like a dream to have her photograph my wedding one day. Well it happened! I messaged her one day to see if she had any recommendations for Central Louisiana photographers because I knew she was in New York, and didn't know she would TRAVEL across the country! So then it began, we had some phone conversations and some emails. Then she asked us exactly what portraits we wanted so she knew what was important to us! 😍 I had never met Maren before, even living in the same area at one time, but Maren was a NATURAL at capturing every moment on our special day with ease! She made us feel so comfortable around her! Now the photos in our gallery... makes me tear up just looking at them because I am still in awe almost a year later. They are perfect! Perfectly taken, perfectly enhanced, perfectly everything! Maren, thank you so much for everything you did for us to capture the beauty of our same sex wedding day! We are forever grateful for your amazing art on our walls! 😍 -
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Lucy M. Sent on 11/07/2019Dream Come True!
We cannot say enough kind words about working with Maren. From our first phone call, she was personable and kind - a true partner leading up to the wedding. During our engagement session, we felt instantly comfortable with her, feeling more like a friend than a hired photographer. She has a great sense of humor and puts you at ease. We just received our sneak peek of our wedding photos and I could not have imagined a more perfect way to remember our evening. Her photos are stunning. Maren, thank you for being such a joy to work with! -
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Tessa Sent on 01/15/2020Not just an incredible photographer!
Wow where do I begin. Not only did Maren do a wonderful job photographing our wedding and giving us a gift we’ll enjoy for years to come, but I felt like at the end of the process I gained a friend. Maren was so professional while still being a real person who wanted to capture real moments on our big day. I laughed and cried and couldn’t have asked for more incredible photos. She was there at all the right moments, but somehow I never saw her. Simply put Maren is the photographer everyone needs!! -
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Eric R. Sent on 01/05/2020An absolute pleasure to work with, and truly incredible results
We worked with Maren for both an engagement shoot as well as for the wedding itself, and like the title says, she was an absolute pleasure to work with! We both had so much fun during each event, and as Maren’s enthusiasm and enjoyment radiated out of her, we felt extremely enthused, too. Maren made us both feel at ease with being professionally photographed (something that neither of us have had much experience with); she really wanted to see how we interacted as a couple, and because of her direction, it almost made us feel like she wasn’t even there. The sessions felt more like the two of us were just enjoying one another’s company, and we were able to slip into our usual, candid, authentic selves. Maren was always complimenting us during the shoots as well, saying that she loved how we interacted with one another and how great we looked; this in turn gave us more confidence while we were in front of the camera, and also got us more excited during the process! She was open to any ideas we had for the photos, but she was also very helpful in coming up with a lot of unique ideas for us to do during the shoots themselves. For example, in our engagement shoot she helped us get some photographs on a swing set (something meaningful to the two of us), but also suggested that we do some action shots by having one of us run up behind the other and hug them, which generated some pretty funny (but also lovely and genuine!) photos. Similarly, during the wedding, she took some photos of us during golden hour like we requested, and also provided many different suggestions for photos (bride holding groom, running together at the camera while holding hands, etc.). We cannot overstate how fun she was to work with—as well as her assistant during the wedding—it was like working with a friend we had known for years, even though we had only met a couple times! Maren also made sure that all of the formal family/friend portraits we requested got taken and was excellent with time management during the photo sessions; her attention to detail was a huge help on our wedding day while we had a million other things to focus on.
As for the results, they were truly special. The turnaround time after the wedding was a little over two months, which wasn’t too long considering that it was peak wedding season and Maren had been photographing many other weddings in addition to ours. She provided us with probably close to a thousand different photos (!), all edited so professionally and perfectly, and we were so happy. After showing the photos to our family and friends, they also were very impressed with both the quality and quantity of Maren’s work! One of our favorites was taken in a room with some old fancy chairs, and at Maren’s suggestion, we posed with the bride sitting in the chair and the groom standing above it. The result was a photo that looks straight out of the Victorian era, yet simultaneously could be in a high fashion wedding magazine, and we love it!! We spent hours going through all of the photos from the wedding, reliving each moment as Maren and her assistant had really captured the energy of the day, with plenty of organized as well as candid photos to work with. We were amazed with literally EVERY moment they captured during the day—from us being all teary-eyed right after saying our vows and the officiant pronouncing us husband and wife, to the looks of admiration we were giving our speakers during their toasts, to us rocking the eff out during the reception dances—the entire day was there in our gallery delivery. Maren and her assistant were pros at being “flies on the wall” during the big wedding moments: unobtrusive but completely in each moment at the same time. We could not be happier with our choice, and would 100% recommend Maren to anybody who is looking for a wedding and engagement photographer. She is sweet, fun, professional, does fantastic work, and made us feel so thankful for working with her. We could not have made a better choice in hiring her. Thank you so much, Maren—we are absolutely thrilled with the results and with the experience we had with you! -
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Samantha E. Sent on 12/02/2019I'm basically obsessed
Maren was an absolute DREAM to work with. Photography was my #1 thing and as soon as we spoke to Maren over the phone I felt like she was the right choice. My (now) husband and I didn't even want engagement photos but since they came with the package, we did them and BOY are we glad we did. We had the most fun spending the day with Maren, and she even climbed up a mountain for us for her first time (--sorry Maren for nearly killing you). I thought the engagement photos were the best things in the whole world until our WEDDING DAY. She so perfectly captured our day, and the small moments during it. I still stare at our photos nearly daily and my wedding was like 6 months ago. Maren is such a joy and seriously captures the right moments. THANK YOU MAREN -
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Cara R. Sent on 05/30/2019
Maren is the best!
Maren photographed our wedding just two weeks ago and after looking at the 100 preview photos she sent us, we know we made the right choice! The photos are so beautiful and exactly what we wanted. Maren picked all the right moments to capture, she always made us )and the rest of our wedding party/guests) feel comfortable and was incredibly easy to work with. We can't wait to see the rest of the photos! -
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Megan P. Sent on 11/15/2018A blessing
Maren & her help were VERY helpful & easy to work with! Even with her traveling, the experience was everything I’d hope for on my big day; painless & fun! -
Allison Sent on 08/02/2018Maren is such a gracious, talented photographer! She captured one of the most precious times of my life and gave my family and I the opportunity to relive each moment through her photos. I cannot thank her enough for the time she dedicated to my big day. My husband and I are so fortunate we found Maren for our wedding! I could not recommended her photography services more highly to any future bride!
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Jessica Sent on 08/03/2018We knew we wanted Maren to shoot our wedding before we were even engaged. We love that she catches all the details and quick, candid shots, and not just stiff poses. Maren was so easy to work with. She helped keep things running smoothly and captured the sweetest and funniest moments of our day. The photos turned out even better than we imagined. We’re so thankful to have our memories so beautifully preserved!
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Ashleigh Sent on 08/02/2018Holy hell. I am endlessly amazed by your talent. I feel at a complete loss for how to tell you how happy these photos make me. That was an incredibly happy day for us, and we’re so grateful you could capture it. I’m like hardcore grinning in every photo which is exactly how I felt that day. Thank you a million times over. I so appreciate these memories.
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Nicole Sent on 12/30/2018Beautiful Photos!
Maren did an amazing job photographing our wedding!! She does everything possible to make sure her clients are happy and I was incredibly lucky to book her on short notice! Five weeks prior to our wedding my old photographer made my worst nightmare come true and she claimed that she double booked our wedding date so she could no longer be our photographer. That is when Maren stepped in and saved the day. She heard about the awful circumstance that I was put in and she managed to jump right in and agreed to work our wedding with about 4 weeks notice. She even went so far to agree to the price that my original photographer was offering us even though this meant a pay cut for her!! On the day of our wedding everything went smoothly and our photographs turned out amazing!! I would highly recommend her! -
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R.k. Sent on 05/03/2022Wedding photography
Maren sounded nice and knowledgeable the first time we spoke and she photographed in the style we liked so we decided to book her as our wedding photographer. After paying the initial deposit just before 2021, I reached out to her in May 2021 asking if we shouldn’t be thinking about doing engagement photos. When all was said and done, we got the engagement photos on October 4, one month before our wedding.
Our wedding was November 5, 2021. Her contract said pictures were to take 6-8 weeks, up to 15. We received them April 3, 2022, over 21 weeks after our wedding. We waited patiently, didn’t bother her much, and received three “sneak peek” photos on March 10 with a text saying “upload has started! should be all set by tomorrow!” There weren’t pictures “tomorrow”, the next day, a week or two after that. And there was no update from her either, as usual. So, we texted her asking if we’d receive a link. No response. My husband texted again on March 25. No response. I finally expressed annoyance on March 29 saying, “Hi, Our pictures were due 2/18. We’re more than 5 weeks past that date. Delivery date keeps moving- week of 2/28 per Instagram then “tomorrow”. The delay is not what’s bothersome to us but the lack of response. Can we please have an update?”
She responded exactly 5 minutes later saying ~428 pictures were uploaded, remaining sections (cocktail & reception) were still in progress. She gave us the link to see the uploaded pictures and I responded:
“Please tell me there are more details/décor photos. I had two dresses and this is the only photo? Looks like the planner took that? The shoes and bouquet were set up by the planner. The photo timeline accounted for couples photos inside the venue. I wondered about that…Why none taken?* Those I really wanted. Any of the venue inside or out? The sign with our names in front of the venue? Family photos table? How about Theresa’s photos? She took a bunch of my mom, sis and I while you and the planner photographed the invitation.”
*I even took Maren to the location I wanted photographed inside the venue. She looked around, didn’t say anything, walked away and never came back.
When Maren finally delivered our gallery link on 4/3, she delivered it with an 18+ paragraph email rebutting my text and addressing things I hadn’t even mentioned. We had no idea she had so many issues but beats me why she was telling us now, after the fact, when noting could be done about it. Goes to show how poor communication is.
The picture of my dress is attached. It’s not good composition or on par with her other photos so I think my question was reasonable but boy, what an answer from Maren: my getting ready place was not aesthetically pleasing and only 900 sq ft so I should not expect the same quality of photos because Maren is not a magician. She went on and on about lots of other things as well, many of them unrelated to my text or our situation. My friend thinks she was taking things out on us that she was going through with other couples. She admitted to missing the photo(s) I wanted inside the venue and which were listed on the photo timeline- which I would have let go of if she didn’t make up excuses like the photo(s) couldn’t be taken because there were people in the room and our belongings were on the table/in the room. I don’t care much that it was missed as much as I don’t like the excuses and unprofessionalism. And I am also very aware that photography is subjective.
In general, Maren was very unresponsive which was maddening, uncommunicative, and unprofessional. One of my favorite examples is when after the wedding my husband texted her saying we’d sent her more money as an additional tip (we were still starry eyed, I guess) and received no response from her. That’s an easy one, too- smiley face, thumbs up, “Ok”, “Thx”. Not much thought is needed to respond to that. But, nothing from her. I found it very rude.
If Maren had just sent a link to our photo gallery with a brief and professional email like, “Sorry for the delay. Thanks for your patience. I’m sorry you don’t like some of the photos and I didn’t get a couple of shots you wanted but there are lots of others that I’m sure you will love”, the maddening feeling resulting from her consistent unresponsiveness would have been overlooked and this review would not have been posted.
I wish I had listened to my gut and found another photographer when she snapped at me for asking about engagement photo locations. I didn’t feel like starting the process over with photographers and losing a deposit so I remember telling myself, “how bad can it be”. There are plenty of other photographers to choose from and I’d suggest looking for one of them. For the record, my response to her 18+ paragraph email was, “Wow, Maren. Harsh. Thanks for the blurred lights photos.” (At least she got the blurred lights photos I asked for.) We were happy to move on and disinterested in engaging with her any longer. -
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