For weddings (and indeed for events, Quinceaneras and Bar\Bat Mitzvahs) I try for a blend of classical with photojournalistic (candid) style. I want create images which don't look "that's so 2019" -- in 2030. You can often date family, wedding or portrait photography quite easily by the style. We've all photos of someone's parents from teh 1970s or 1980s.
I hope to create lasting photographs which don't look dated and hence don't adhere to current (often passing) photography styles. There's an old Italian proverb which says: "A woman born beautiful is born betrothed." I say all brides are beautiful and that's why I think I fall in love a little bit with each of my brides.
I hope to create lasting photographs which don't look dated and hence don't adhere to current (often passing) photography styles. There's an old Italian proverb which says: "A woman born beautiful is born betrothed." I say all brides are beautiful and that's why I think I fall in love a little bit with each of my brides.
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There's an old Italian proverb that says: "A woman born beautiful is born betrothed." I say she who is betrothed is beautiful. I say all brides are beautiful and that's why I think I fall in love a little bit with each of my brides. It's hard not to. I love women. A misogynist I'm definitely not. When they are in their wedding day "mode" they're irresistible.
Needless to say, I took the family and we did some San Simeon elephant seals type photos to enjoy the coast. It's Malibu, with a luxurious villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean and yes, we had a drone to capture all the fun. It's hot, it's August in Topanga and the sweltering heat is made bearable by the cool couple Jonathan and Karen.
I give my clients next day, yes, NEXT DAY, previews. These will be watermarked and NOT the final product although they will be great photos for sure but I reserve the right to edit them. Yes! Sometimes I'm hired to do JUST the video and I love it. I have a great team who shoots the "B" roll and act as second shooter to catch all the fun wedding video moments.
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Reviews (22)
Katie B.
Feb 07, 2021
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Thank you for being our wedding photographer!
Mark is exceptional. From the very beginning when we met throughout the wedding and post production, Mark has been a true professional, and at the same time feels like part of the family. The caliber of his work is top-notch and we look forward to enjoying our wedding photos for a lifetime to come all thanks to Mark.
Mark is exceptional. From the very beginning when we met throughout the wedding and post production, Mark has been a true professional, and at the same time feels like part of the family. The caliber of his work is top-notch and we look forward to enjoying our wedding photos for a lifetime to come all thanks to Mark.
Danielle Martinez
Oct 03, 2020
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Mark photographed our wedding in Calabasas last month and did an AMAZING job! He also did our engagement photos which were absolutely beautiful! All of the pictures were breathtaking! He captured all of our beautiful moments perfectly. He is extremely professional and worked with our busy schedule. We highly recommend Mark and give him 10+stars!! He responded immediately with any questions we had and had our pictures ready extremely fast. We thank you Mark for everything you did!
K. W.
Jul 27, 2019
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Michelle George
Jun 13, 2018
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We are so so glad we had Mark for our engagement photos, and both our small intimate wedding ceremony and large family/friends ceremony and reception! Our theme was “under the stars” and so we did our engagement photos at Griffith Observatory. The photos came out amazing and we had so much fun. We used the photos for our Save the Dates and wedding website. The photos and videos from our two ceremonies came out beautiful and the video gave a chance to family who couldn’t make the wedding to experience our happy day. Mark sent us prints of our photos and copies of all the pictures and videos
Karen Gilbert
Dec 17, 2017
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Mark is AMAZING! He is a very talented photographer who takes great pics but he also makes everyone feel very comfortable from the beginning. We had the fortunate experience of getting to do several shoots with him and he truly felt like a long time friend that does amazing work. He is super prompt at turning things around and getting your pictures back in an easy to view/share way. I would definitely recommend Mark to anyone for wedding, family, baby pics, etc.
Gina Sutedja
Oct 31, 2017
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Mark was amazing. From a year before our wedding, he worked with me to find a reasonable price within our budget and everything exceeded expectations. Our engagement photos were included in the package and we received them within three days of the shoot. He helped pick out sites for our photo shoot for the actual day of the wedding. I booked two photographers for 10 hours on a very long and complicated wedding day. He and Debbie, the other photographer, were prompt and ready to go at 10am and we're extremely flexible with the entire schedule. There were photos done in Woodland Hills, Simi Valley
S.
Oct 10, 2017
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Mark is a phenomenal photographer. When you first meet Mark it feels like you have known him for a long time. During your first meeting he offers a complimentary photo shoot to help you decide if his style meets your needs. His personality, quality of work, and reasonable prices made it an easy choice for us. During the wedding our guests enjoyed his presence. Mark felt like another guest to us, he wasn't intrusive yet captured every special moment. Within a couple days we had an online preview album to share with family and friends. The end results were beautiful and amazing. Thank you Mark!
Sabrina A.
Jun 17, 2017
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I hired Mark to capture a henna party hosted at my house, and by the end of the night I knew he would be my family's new go-to photographer. Mark is so so responsive, respectful, and easy to work with. And his prices are also very reasonable too.
My family and I really appreciated that Mark came early to capture all of the guests' arrivals. He was dressed in a beautiful black suit and totally blended in with all the other guests. My family and I feel like the photos he took at the party are magazine-worthy; they are that amazing. He is just so great at capturing raw emotion and sweet
My family and I really appreciated that Mark came early to capture all of the guests' arrivals. He was dressed in a beautiful black suit and totally blended in with all the other guests. My family and I feel like the photos he took at the party are magazine-worthy; they are that amazing. He is just so great at capturing raw emotion and sweet
Samira Ash K.
Feb 01, 2017
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I was shopping around for a good photographer to cover my kid's 1st birthday. Upon checking yelp reviews, packages/rates offered and going through their individual work, we decided to go ahead with Mark and are extremely happy with that decision. From the start, he came across as extremely warm, approachable, kind human being, and of course, extremely professional. After the event, he was also super quick at sharing the pictures/short video. I am extremely picky about pictures, difficult to please and hey did Mark deliver?! Of course. In fact, he exceeded our expectations. I would recommend
Toya H.
Sep 28, 2016
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We are so happy that we had Mark for our big day!!
We hired Mark to take video of our wedding on 8/20/16. We had already secured photographers, and only decided to add video pretty last minute (about a month before the big day). Mark was very responsive via email (given that we live out of state from the wedding/Mark) and his prices are reasonable.
We liked his work that we found online, and are thrilled that we chose him! Not only were the final products amazing and fast (he got us a sneak peek video within days of the wedding!), he was so warm, kind, happy and fun to speak with. Our family
We hired Mark to take video of our wedding on 8/20/16. We had already secured photographers, and only decided to add video pretty last minute (about a month before the big day). Mark was very responsive via email (given that we live out of state from the wedding/Mark) and his prices are reasonable.
We liked his work that we found online, and are thrilled that we chose him! Not only were the final products amazing and fast (he got us a sneak peek video within days of the wedding!), he was so warm, kind, happy and fun to speak with. Our family
Erana L.
May 01, 2016
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Mark is by far the best photographer I've ever met. His photos are amazing and he is a true pleasure to be around, he really felt like one of the family and is super sweet and professional.
I was so surprised when he sent us some of our wedding shots only two days after the wedding so we wouldn't have to wait while the others were being edited, they were just breathtaking and he truly captured the moment. Thank you Mark we will be using you again!
I was so surprised when he sent us some of our wedding shots only two days after the wedding so we wouldn't have to wait while the others were being edited, they were just breathtaking and he truly captured the moment. Thank you Mark we will be using you again!
Maha M.
Jan 23, 2016
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I can't say enough good things about Mark. He is kind, professional, courteous, and so pleasant and easy to work with. And so TALENTED! We hired Mark last minute to tape a family event and what he delivered was above and beyond our expectations.
We are planning to renew our vows next year and are looking forward to using Mark again for our photographs/video.
Thanks for everything, Mark!
We are planning to renew our vows next year and are looking forward to using Mark again for our photographs/video.
Thanks for everything, Mark!
Laura Leonard
Jul 21, 2015
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I work for an online K-12 school and Mark partnered with us to shoot our annual graduation weekend event. This event includes a graduation ceremony, prom, National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, Coffeehouse open mic event, and two breakfasts. It was a lot to handle in a short amount of time (Friday and Saturday), and Mark handled the events flawlessly! My favorite thing about our experience with Mark Laing Photography is how important it is for him to understand your needs. He took the time in the months leading up to our events to speak with me multiple times to understand exactly what we were
Yasie M.
Jul 07, 2015
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So many great things about Mark. His pictures are awesome. He provided tons of sneak peak photos right after the wedding and a ton of wonderful and beautiful pictures a couple weeks after the wedding. The guests loved him. He's really fun to have around on the wedding day. He is on time and professional. He is super quick to answer questions, very helpful and flexible. I would definitely hire Mark again for another event.
WGAw Committee Of Black Writers
Jul 05, 2015
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I highly recommend Mark Laing for all your photography needs! Mark recently took pictures at an inaugural scripted reading event I hosted at the Writers Guild of America West on behalf of the Committee of Black Writers, and he did a fantastic job! He arrived in a timely manner and didn't waste any time getting started. I told him exactly what I wanted from him and he nailed it! His pictures were incredible and so creative. He took, literally, hundreds of photos and I (and everyone) was very pleased with them all. Everyone can't take good pictures of People of Color but Mark can and did. No matter
Vikas Chagantipaati
Jun 17, 2015
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There are so many POSITIVE things I can say about Mark! He's so talented and did such a great job on our engagement shoot and wedding pictures!
His pictures are so clean and raw, but yet so much character. He's able to capture moments and connect with the couple! And he knows exactly what he's looking for, and for those who don't know how to really pose, he makes you feel comfortable in posing.
Pros:
- Friendly
- Creative
- Well knowledge of equipment
- Accommodating
- Prompt
Cons:
- None
His pictures are so clean and raw, but yet so much character. He's able to capture moments and connect with the couple! And he knows exactly what he's looking for, and for those who don't know how to really pose, he makes you feel comfortable in posing.
Pros:
- Friendly
- Creative
- Well knowledge of equipment
- Accommodating
- Prompt
Cons:
- None
Michael R.
Dec 02, 2014
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A big thank you to Mark for capturing the joy and beauty of our special day in spectacular images and also for being a top notch guy.
Wedding planning is tough business, and you don't know what you're going to get in hiring a vendor to help make your day a success. A signed contract does not guarantee great performance. Mark Laing proved to be a sure bet straight away. We didn't meet in person until we walked in the door of our venue in Malibu that bright October day, and Mark was already there scouting the location, prepped and ready to shoot.
Mark is a great guy. Gregarious
Wedding planning is tough business, and you don't know what you're going to get in hiring a vendor to help make your day a success. A signed contract does not guarantee great performance. Mark Laing proved to be a sure bet straight away. We didn't meet in person until we walked in the door of our venue in Malibu that bright October day, and Mark was already there scouting the location, prepped and ready to shoot.
Mark is a great guy. Gregarious
Jennifer B.
Mar 10, 2013
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We booked Mark for our December 22nd wedding in Topanga Canyon, California as our videographer. I chose him after our first meeting. He was wonderfully personable and I was excited to have him around on the big day. He is also wonderfully responsive. Email him right now he'll respond unbelievably fast!
On the day he got a ton of great shots and I didn't have to instruct him at all (but I could had I wanted to).
The end result was wonderful! He did a great job and clearly spend a lot of time compiling the video. We couldn't be happier, he should have charged us more!
On the day he got a ton of great shots and I didn't have to instruct him at all (but I could had I wanted to).
The end result was wonderful! He did a great job and clearly spend a lot of time compiling the video. We couldn't be happier, he should have charged us more!
Rachel K.
Nov 16, 2012
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Mark is a really great photographer. He is super creative and he really seems to love what he does. He makes you feel very comfortable being photographed which isn't always the case for me. Everyone at the wedding kept commenting on how nice the photographer was. He always responded very promptly to all of my calls or emails and he produced some really amazing photos of my wedding. Mark shot and edited a video for us too that also came out really great. I will be able to always remember the most special day of my life thanks to the amazing pictures and video I will have forever. Thanks for
Sarah J.
Sep 26, 2012
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Mark is a talented, incredibly nice and extremely professional photographer. He was at the venue early, captured tons of beautiful shots, and had absolutely no ego when it came to my suggestions. Our wedding day was beautifully sunny - great for us, but challenging to a photographer - and Mark handled it beautifully, getting us great pictures. And he delivered our photos to us right away! I feel confident in strongly recommending him to any couple.
Regina R.
Sep 25, 2012
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Mark has taken our family portraits twice in 2011, and is scheduled to take our next portraits this upcoming November. He's willing to travel to your favorite locations - we've picked a different spot each time in order to illustrate some of our favorite places we like to spend as a family. We love how he captures the creative side of our family - the laughter, the fun, the emotions, and the real time that defines us as a family. He works great with children and adults, making everyone feel comfortable. Every photo he takes is beautiful and tells a story. We always have a difficult
Mike V.
Oct 17, 2011
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Mark was simply the most fantastic addition to our wedding.
Even now, 5 weeks on we think Mark was the most outstanding professional we worked with across our entire wedding experience.
Mark is a real people-person. You don't get to be that good unless you have an understanding and affinity for people.
Mark's bright, enthusiastic personality and his ability to capture special moments helped make our wedding day a success and captured forever the elegance, excitement and magic of our special day.
After our wedding, Mark was wonderfully responsive - our whole family love the beautiful
Even now, 5 weeks on we think Mark was the most outstanding professional we worked with across our entire wedding experience.
Mark is a real people-person. You don't get to be that good unless you have an understanding and affinity for people.
Mark's bright, enthusiastic personality and his ability to capture special moments helped make our wedding day a success and captured forever the elegance, excitement and magic of our special day.
After our wedding, Mark was wonderfully responsive - our whole family love the beautiful
