Who is Mark Gardner?

I’m a husband of 13 years, a dad, a friend, a colleague, etc. I’m sure the more people you ask, the more adjectives you’ll find to describe me. I love fishing, poker, baseball, classic cars, motorcycles, and good times with friends and family. I am also a documentary wedding and portrait photographer serving the entire Mid-Atlantic region as well as popular destinations in the US, Caribbean, Mexico, and the world.

My passion for photography began during my Army days as a creative outlet, and also to remember the places I’ve been but might never see again. Somewhere along the way a talent for capturing people and emotions quickly emerged. My life experiences have evolved into an ability to skillfully capture moments and memories in a distinctive style. I strive to create beautiful images that are not only unique and different, but more importantly, real.

With a documentary approach, I’ll capture the emotions and moments of the wedding day as they unfold anticipating what’s about to happen, but your wedding day is more than actively capturing moments; it’s also about the creation of amazing portraits. I'm using the influence of art history tell stories with images. I’ll scout each location for elements that will not only make great scenes, but will allow me to create unique images that characterize individual couples and details their wedding day.  Posing clients quickly, in such a manner that they look great, feel great, and have a blast doing it.

I certainly hope you enjoy your visit. If you surfed from a link posted on another blog, you might want to take an hour or so to check out my NEW website featuring HUGE full screen images from recent weddings and portrait sessions. Please subscribe to our RSS feed, as the latest greatest stuff will make its debut right here first.

Select dates are still available for the Fall/Winter of 2008, 2009 weddings are booking a very rapid pace. Don’t hesitate to contact me about your wedding photography or portraits. You can always drop by the studio to view my work firsthand.

I’m an active member of Professional Photographers of America as well as the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers, and Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.

“Are your images as important to you, as they are to me?”

washington dc wedding photography

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Cory Parris - I love that second image with the clock. Excellent perspective and timing.

Images from One Light Workshop

A few images from the One Light workshop I attended yesterday. What a day…

craig single - the first one rocks Mark...glad you were able to make it in my place!

Lisa Love O'Connor - Hey Mark! I love the third image and the beautiful contrast of colors to boot!!

westminster maryland wedding photography

This photograph was made well after sunset using a technique known as Painting with Light. Super-long exposure, applying additional light on only what I wanted you to see. Kudos to Tessa and Chris for putting up with the brisk conditions to make this shot happen.

Tessa & Chris - Mark, the picture is AWESOME!!!!!!! We love it!!! It was so much fun working with you yesterday! We are really looking forward to seeing more :) We couldn't be happier with our experiences yesterday. Thank you very much for coming out and playing with us!

Protected: Bobbie’s portraits

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:


St. Michaels Maryland Wedding Photography

Sarah and Dave asked me to tag along after rehearsal dinner to a local pub to party with friends. We took a few minutes to play with some light… and traffic ;)

The wedding was held at a private home resting right on the water, and the weather couldn’t have been better! Here is a few shots from wedding day.