About Me

Hello there!

My name is Mariko.
Friends call me Mari.     ||     Pronunciation: [mah-ree]
I am a lifestyle and wedding photographer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

First and foremost, I am a goof. Proud of it.  

I laugh at almost everything. 

I am a people person. ... "I am a people person, people!" (Movie quote: Kate & Leopold) So naturally, portraiture is my ideal profession.

I love movie quotes (if you couldn't already tell). Don't test me. You will lose.

I worked at my family's Mexican restaurant for 11 years. No, I am not Mexican, and no, I never get sick of the food. I crave it!

I am half Japanese and half American. I am very proud of my heritage and have loved living both cultures.

I am married to the most handsome master cellist who loves to listen to R&B and rap music in his spare time. Seriously guys. He's totally cool.

That covers most bases about me. Want to know about my photography? Keep reading.

I think being a daughter of a Japanese mother, I was naturally born to have a camera in hand. Growing up, my mom would constantly be taking pictures at every occasion. I remember my first camera. It was a film toy camera that had a cartoon stencil on the sensor that would show up on every image. ...I never really thought about how funny of a camera that was until now when I just typed that out. But I seriously loved that camera and I couldn't wait to get the film back to see how it all turned out.

Fast forward about 17 years. I attended the University of Utah and received a BFA in Photography and Digital Imaging. Most of what I studied was film photography. We learned a lot of the 19th century processing -- Daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, gum prints. We also got to shoot on medium and large format cameras. Developing the film and seeing it show up on paper as it sat in the developer mix was pure magic. I loved it, and I could spend hours on end in the darkroom. Record: 13 hours. Not kidding.

Honestly, I didn't think I would be making a profession out of it when I started my major. I just enjoyed doing something that had a creative outlet. But I am so grateful for how things have worked out. I absolutely love watching people interact with each other. It gives off an energy where I can't help but smile! I'm naturally a happy-go-lucky kind of gal, but when I have the opportunity to capture the many emotions that take place on a wedding day, you can bet your bottom dollar you won't be the only one needing a tissue. Time and time again, I've fogged up my viewfinder while I'm snapping away at the daddy-daughter dance. Gets me every time.

I know planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful things a young woman has to deal with, but when all is said and done, I can promise you that the photographs will mean the world to you. Yes, its true that your Uncle Bob might have a "super cool" camera and could easily snap a few shots on the most important day of your young life, but let's face it, if Uncle Bob had a pair of those orange handled scissors, you wouldn't let him take those shears to your lovely locks, now would ya? Not likely. So let me be the one to take care of you during this special occasion and I can promise you we'll have loads of fun!