Marie Monforte Photography

Marie was positive, supportive, communicative, and flexible throughout the entire process, from when we first reached out to her, to when we changed the date and venue of our wedding, and on the wedding day itself which was in the middle of a heat wave! Truly a pleasure to work with and we are head over heels obsessed with our wedding photos!

My partner and I had very little opinions about our wedding other than we wanted our photos to be good. Everyone's preferences about style are different, but we found ourselves nit-picking some of the first vendors we looked at because the people didn't look like themselves. Thankfully, we found Marie; when we looked at her website, we knew she was who we had been waiting for, from her sample galleries to her "about me" section of her page. Before we booked her, we had a chat for over an hour about our wedding but also just about ourselves. She is a gem. For our engagement shoot, she took two awkward people who had never been photographed, made us feel comfortable, and produced STUNNING photos. Before our wedding, she made sure our shot list was inclusive of everything we wanted to capture. On our wedding day, she arrived early and made the whole day feel easy, fun, and not forced. Her second shooter, Christina, was just as lovely as Marie. We even had Marie drive her first golf cart (and not crash)! We put our trust in her about what the best places to shoot were and what the posts should be and WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED. She also worked great with our videographer and even asked us day-of if there were any last-minute shots to capture before she left. Her work speaks for itself but booking Marie means you will get a genuine and kind person on the other side of the camera.

Due to a nasty round of the stomach flu, this was our third attempt to get maternity pictures done before the holidays. We took a chance having no connection to Marie--just saw she had mini sessions available right next to my husband's office so he could pop over and then pop back. I was worried about the time of day and the possibility of post-nap crankiness with my toddlers, but it all worked out beautifully! Marie was SO good with them, had good suggestions of little nooks and paths and places to snap some pics. And you know you have found a dedicated photographer when she uses her own shirt hem to wipe your toddler's nose. ;) We are so pleased with the results and highly recommend you consider Marie for your photo shoot!

Marie did an engagement shoot for my fiance and I and we couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out! We were on the beach for almost two hours and did so many poses but it was fun and playful rather than feeling posed. I cannot recommend Marie enough for any photography needs you may have!

Marie is incredible! My husband and I hired Marie to capture our engagement photos as well as our wedding day. I can honestly say she is such a joy to work with- she worked tirelessly to ensure that we received all the shots we requested. She is organized, clear with her communication, and creative. She sent us some sneak peeks from the wedding day and they are STUNNING! We have received so many compliments and I can't wait to see the rest of the material. Outside of being an amazing photographer, she is also an awesome person and fun to be around! She is easy to talk to, hilarious, and all around a great person to have by your side on your wedding day. I totally recommend hiring Marie!!

Marie was beyond amazing on our day! After our initial photography company filed for bankruptcy, we had to find a replacement. We couldn't be happier with Marie! Losing that first photographer was a blessing in disguise. We are both so grateful to you for your wonderful photography, your kindness and your patience. Everyone at the wedding was saying how great she was, and she kept us on schedule while managing to take amazing photos even though it rained a little on our day! Thank you so much!!

I am sincerely blown away by Marie and her innate ability to capture what is the most important day of many peoples lives. Marie met us on site for our wedding and she hit the ground running. She was able to not only take pictures that represent our personality and love, but take all the right shots so that my husband and I can look back for a lifetime, and remember every second. She was so eager to take all the classic shots, excited to capture the beauty of our venue, and to take photos of moments that we would have never even thought about. She is so kind and easy to work with and incredibly flexible (we had her pulled in every direction). Marie, we cannot thank you enough for capturing every moment of our wedding. Your pictures are so incredible and an absolute sentiment of your professionalism and commitment to your art. We are so grateful that we had you!

This review is long overdue but I wanted to make sure I shared my experience! Marie is absolutely wonderful (as a person and professional) and having her document some of my families most precious moments was such an amazing experience! Anyone that can keep up with a toddler (and a less than thrilled for photos hubby) and get genuine expressions out of them is a rockstar in my book and Marie has done it time and time again. From a family session at the apple orchard and most recently for my maternity session and home newborn lifestyle session - Marie's has a true talent for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary moments. We love having those photos to look back on!

When it comes to taking family photos (in my case with two energetic toddlers), I've always steered toward the quick and dirty photo sessions at Sears or JC Penny. With a Groupon and 10 minutes in a cramped studio, I was hopeful to get one decent picture where at least the kids looked cute and the grown-ups looked OK. It always seemed convenient and quick, but it was always more stressful that I expected. I became tired of the crowded waiting rooms of tired parents and cranky kids, the hour-long sell job that you had to sit through while choosing pictures, and the mediocre composition of the overpriced pictures.

I wanted beautiful pictures of my family-- the kind that you see in family blogs and magazines. I wanted pictures that I would cherish forever.

And then I found Marie-- and I discovered the wonderful experience that comes with working with a true professional. Working with Marie was easy and simple and overall just a joy. I booked a time with her on the weekend and we decided to go Jack's Pond for our pictures. Before we met up, she sent me some tips on how to coordinate outfits so our pictures would come out better. It was a simple yet very thoughtful gesture.

We had an hour long session with her and it was a lot of fun. At first I felt like I had to try to keep my one and three-year old girls attentive and cooperative with the poses-- something that I was used to doing with those crappy Sears and JC Penny photo shoots. As you can imagine, it was tough to do, especially as the kids quickly became fidgety and lost interest in standing still. Marie, with her casual and laid back approach, encouraged me to just let the kids do what they do naturally and explained that sometimes those made the best pictures. So I just let the kids run around and do what they do and with the pressure off, it made the photo shoot a lot easier and more fun.

I have to admit that there was a moment during the photo shoot where I thought, "Boy, I don't know how good these photos are going to be. I'm sweaty, my hair is frizzy, the kids are running all over the place, we can't get them both to look at the camera at the same time..." And I'll tell you what: this is where it totally pays to work with someone as talented as Marie.

When she sent me our pictures, my initial reaction was, "Holy cow, these can't be the same people!" I couldn't believe how lovely we all looked, how tranquil the colors and lighting came across, and how the pictures just evoked an overall sense of calmness and ease that I didn't think was possible. We all looked fresh and glowing and happy. My two girls looked so adorable and Marie did a remarkable job capturing their sparkling personalities, their closeness, and their sisterly bond. On top of that, I didn't even recognize Jacks Pond-- she had turned an ordinary, dusty old neighborhood park into a dreamy countryside destination.

I am extremely grateful to Marie for capturing these memories in such a beautiful and stunning way. I am hooked and I will definitely be going back for more. I hope that I will be able to continue to go to her to capture these wonderful memories as my children grow.

Thanks for the fantastic job you do Marie!!!

Marie has been taking our family annual photos for 3 years now and also took my brother/sister in laws wedding photos and I can confidently say that she is an amazing photographer and business woman. Marie has a very creative eye for photography and poses/backgrounds, is very personable and fun to work with (especially with my young boys who are often hard to get to cooperate with pics), and is VERY reliable with returning phone calls/emails/proofs (something I've found extremely lacking with most other photographers I've worked with). I would definitely recommend her!!!