Meet Brandon Marks | Owner @ Oakenheart Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Marks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business was a long time coming. I originally thought up the name “Oakenheart Photography” in 2016 after I’d been photographing at JCP Portraits for years and setting up my own photoshoots outdoors. I felt at that point, I’d gotten good enough and I needed a name to start calling my work a business.

Shortly after that, I’d shot my first wedding and realized how amazing it is to help capture people on their happiest days. Not just weddings, but also family, engagement, maternity, and graduation sessions.

My favorite memory as a photographer was on a family shoot at Coronado beach and one of the twin girls had said to her dad at the end of the shoot “I had a lot of fun today” after starting out so not into it. That’s the biggest compliment and sign that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.

It took several years, because I was still trying to split my focus working more “guaranteed” jobs as an employee, but fast forward to February 2020, when I officially registered my business. That really helped me to see that Oakenheart Photography (+ Video) can be a thing, and a successful one at that. Then COVID hit *womp womp*.

Despite that, however, I persisted, and while I didn’t get too many weddings that year, I booked a good amount of graduation shoots that year and the following years.

Since then, I’ve grown my portfolio to something I’m incredibly proud of.

Today, things still aren’t always easy, but doing hard work for myself and my own business is so much more rewarding and the kind of motivation I need to keep going through tough times. Having my own business isn’t just capturing other peoples’ best days, it’s also creating some of mine <3

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I named my brand Oakenheart because I didn’t quite want to use my name, but instead, come up with a name that fused together things that I love: nature and authenticity. I also thought it sounded kinda catchy 🙂

With that in mind, many of my shoots really rely on beautiful surroundings to envelop and accentuate the beauty and love in my clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
– City Tacos in North Park – La Jolla Cove (and Bobboi, the gelato place near there)
– Mt. Soledad at Sunset
– Mission Trails

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout some of the books I’ve listened to on Audible:

– Atlas of the Heart & Daring Greatly, Brene Brown

– Don’t Keep Your Day Job, Cathy Heller

– The Universe Has Your Back, Gabrielle Bernstein

– The Sweet Spot, Christine Carter

Website: https://www.oakenheartphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakenheartphoto/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/oakenheart-photography-san-diego

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGn0KD-lrxMakI0ez40BGcA