Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz
Based in Santa Cruz, California, Expressive Photographics is a full-service photography studio, specializing in creative, artful wedding photography and Lifestyle Portraiture for families, individuals, and creative professionals. Available for assignments anywhere in the US.
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46 customer reviews
Jenny Grote
Unbelievable photos of my daughter’s wedding! Mark was able to capture every event before, during and after the wedding. Events I didn’t know were happening, so I was pleased to see everything that evolved around the big day. Now I’m enjoying the various prints in my home, and the metallic finish is really unique. Thanks for your excellent photographic skills, Mark! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Rebecca Stoller
I have used Expressive Photographics for many years and have always been amazed and impressed with the quality of Marks service and most importantly the life of the images he captures. Mark photographed my wedding back in the eighties capturing the romance despite the stress I was feeling.He has done memorable photo shoots with friends and family and even at the beach catching the reflections of our images in the sand at low tide.He has even photographed my home renewing a feeling of love and appreciate for my older dated sanctuary.I will use him again and again and I completely recommend him to everyone who wants memories captured they can share and view for a lifetime.Thank you Mark!!! More...
Reviewed on Google Maps
Joe Faviana
Mark has an exceptional talent. Amazing
Reviewed on Facebook
Tim Royal
Fantastic job at my daughter's wedding. Couldn't be more pleased.
Reviewed on Facebook
Tommy Barker
Mark, you truly went above and beyond for us! You were amazing to work with and your dedication to a project is amazing.
Reviewed on Facebook
Jessica Martinez
Fantastic work, love how our engagement shoot came out , now can't wait for our wedding day and to see how those photos come out. Mark is great and wonderful and he knows what he is doing. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jes Kohlmeyer
hi mark !!! well once again you have worked your magic eye for us ... over the last 20yrs. we have a family photo for every 5yrs. thanks mark !!! all best, jes
Reviewed on Facebook
Vania Fusco
We are beyond impressed by Mark's talent, personality and professionalism. He certainly captured the little details we were hoping for and more! When we told him that instead of marrying at the aquarium we had opted for a race sailboat he was so enthusiastic and did an amazing job ..from the bottom of our hearts, thank you! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Kimberly Anne Brosseau Beardsley
Mark did an amazing job on our adoption announcement photos! A great photographer we highly recommend!
Reviewed on Facebook
Melissa A Royal
If you're shopping for a wedding photographer, STOP. You've FOUND him! We are incredibly pleased with how professional, thoughtful, talented and timely Mark was for my sister's wedding. I am blown away! Better than we could ever to have expected. Her sunset and sparkler shots were perfectly timed and executed and that is SO HARD TO DO! I just cannot even believe how gorgeous and perfect the photos are coming out. Expressive Photographics is amazing!! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Danielle Lawrance
Mark Stover is an amazing photographer. I am forever grateful that he was part of the team to capture the images of my wedding 2 years ago! His photos are well balanced, beautifully composed and he is not afraid to go out of the box to capture a perfect shot! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Mikey Castro
Mark did our engagement photos and our wedding photos. He instantly can see amazing photo opportunities and always has great suggestions. A wedding is a very stressful day and Mark manages to make the day easier with his guidance and professionalism. I could not even imagine how stressful the day would have been without him there offering suggestions. Every time he takes a shot you can see the excitement in his eyes. We cannot wait to get the pictures. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Amy Elizabeth Dworsky
Mark is a truly gifted artist. Plus he really listens to what you want! Rare to find both! One of the best parts was Mark and my new husband and I seemed to always be on the same page with the pictures we wanted! Whether it be my husband and I climbing up a rock for an epic picture or sunset romance on a bridge. It was almost comical how often one of us would suggest something and the other would say "I was thinking that too!". It was truly just a joy to work with him!!! My favorite part of working with Mark was his dedication to getting THE picture. At one point he climbed a rock to get a shot and at another we took several attempts to get the perfect sparkler picture. His pictures all look stunning and he's fun to have around even after you get tired of smiling :D More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Gabriela Arias
Mark did out pre-wedding photos at Point Reyes National Seashore, we were in full wedding gown/suit. It was AMAZING! not only did he go early to walk through the park and see the options, but he also was able to see the opportunities as we walked around. Some of the most amazing shots were between locations! He was also so enthusiastic and dedicated. There is no doubt he loves his work, and WE absolutely LOOOOOOVED the final product. These pictures were exactly what we had hoped for and we cannot wait to see what he is able to capture at our wedding. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Vanessa Bee
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. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Mary Ann Montoya
Mark did our family photos while we were visiting our daughter in Sant Cruz. We were so pleased with how he made it fun and easy. We were relaxed and it shows in the photos. Thanks so much Mark! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Maritza Pozzi-Loyola
Mark has shot many friends and family of ours and we finally had a great reason to have him capture our growing family as well. We could not be happier with the beautiful photos he got. Mark is so patient (we had three kids to work with), has an amazing eye and uses nature so beautifully. He froze time when our littles were young! We will cherish our family photos for the rest of our lives. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Pris Stevenson
My husband and I had a wonderful experience with Mark Stover of Expressive Photographics at our wedding this October. He knew exactly what we wanted and how to get perfect shots.
Mark was easy to work with and knew how to direct all members of our wedding party making every moment count. Thanks so much Expressive Photographics -Mark it was a pleasure to work with you!
Priscilla and Rob Stevenson
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Reviewed on Facebook
Kirsten Smith
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. More...
Reviewed on Google Maps
Van B.
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. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Samantha
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! More...
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Richard K.
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! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
User5059021
Mark was great. We did not have him shoot a wedding - but an elopement session in Big Sur. He was professional, took in mind what we wanted, and got lots of great shots. I liked almost every picture that he took - and he touched up the pictures so they looked incredible. I would recommend him for your wedding or engagement portraits. More...
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Devin P.
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!!! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Marielle M.
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. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
User3810663
I cant say enough good things about Mark from Expressive Photographics. Starting with our engagement photo shoot, he had the best locations in the area, we did some at the beach and some at the park, he was so creative and made us feel so comfortable. I was amazed with the photos. He just did my wedding recently and was so pleased with the amount of photos he was able to capture. He is reliable, punctual, professional, kind, and just overall a great person and photographer. He worked well with me in putting together my wedding album, which turned out amazing! Highly highly recommend him, he has tons of experience and yet still comes up with new ideas all the time, he is truely the best at what he does! You get what you pay for, and it was definetly money well spent. Memories to last a life time. Thanks again for everything! More...
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Sarah New
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. More...
Reviewed on Google Maps
User3862209
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! More...
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Anna H.
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! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Pris Stevenson
My husband and I had a wonderful experience with Mark Stover of Expressive Photographics at our wedding this October. He knew exactly what we wanted and how to get perfect shots. Mark was easy to work with and knew how to direct all members of our wedding party making every moment count. Thanks so much Expressive Photographics -Mark it was a pleasure to work with you! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Sarah N.
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. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Keith Ward
Mark did an outstanding job with our family photographs! He was patient, listened to our needs and was really fun to work with. Mark captured our essence with many posses. We just love the final portraits and his creative suggestions. We recommend his professional photography for any event or occasion. More...
Reviewed on Google Maps
Vania Fusco
We can't find words to describe Mark's work. His professionalism, amazing personality, and talent are beyond amazing! My husband and I hired him to be our photographer on our wedding day, and we couldn't be happier with the results. His communication skills are excellent: he followed up on my email inquire the very same day, he explained the process step by step, and he really took the time to listen and get as much info on what we envisioned. When we told him about a major change in plans (from holding our ceremony at a yacht instead of the aquarium) he couldn't be more enthusiastic and up for the challenge, providing many fantastic ideas along the way. The day of our wedding, working with Mark was a pleasure as well: he was professional and easy going...we were so nervous! and he managed to walk us through the process and made us feel at ease and comfortable, and allowed us to relax, keep smiling, and just enjoy the occasion. He kept in touch throughout the process, and when we saw our pictures (he turned them in very promptly) we were thrilled he managed to capture exactly what we were hoping for and more! His pricing is also VERY reasonable for the quality of his work and the end results, and he provides you with high quality alternatives to turn your pictures into unique keepsakes. We 100% recommend Mark and Expressive Photographics!!! More...
Reviewed on Google Maps
Joe
Mark 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.
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Joe F.
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.
Reviewed on Yelp
Jennifer
Mark Stover is a wonderful Photographer, he has captured some of the most important memories in my life and I am so grateful for his work! He is very understanding of your view on a day and takes the extra time to make it perfect. I love his online website after your pictures are ready for viewing; makes it super easy to share with friends and family. I would definitely recommend Expressive Photographics! More...
Reviewed on WeddingWire
Jennifer A.
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. More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Kim T.
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! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
JJ V.
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! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
A Google User
I'm a wedding videographer and have worked professionally with Mark for several years. He has also produced wonderful portraits of my family, so I can recommend him highly as both a customer and professional associate.
I'm always impressed at the quality of Mark's work and his wonderful connection with his clients. He has a way of making the most nervous brides and shy grooms feel at ease and comfortable with the camera, allowing Mark to capture people at their best and most beautiful.
Jim Clark
Dejavu Video Services
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Reviewed on Google Maps
Lorraine L.
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! More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Lorelei S.
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 More...
Reviewed on Yelp
Crystal