Meet Chris Marinez | Breathless Weddings | Co Owner & lead photograper

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

Hi Chris, what do you want your legacy to be?
We don’t care much about being remembered for the work I’ve done — photos fade, trends shift. What matters to us is being remembered for who we were while doing it. We want people to say we were honest, that we showed up fully — We hope people remember that we cared deeply about the moments that made life real… not the staged or perfect ones, but the raw, emotional, often overlooked parts of a story.

As photographers, we want our legacy to be that we gave people a piece of their truth — something they can hold onto when memory becomes fragile. And more than anything, we want my son to remember us not just as someone who worked hard, but as someone who never compromised who we are to do it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets our work apart isn’t gear, editing, or poses — it’s presence. we don’t chase perfection. We chase meaning. Our photography is documentary at heart, rooted in honest, unfiltered moments. We’re not the photographers who gives a lot of direction — we prefer to let life unfold, to stay just far enough so people forget we’re there, but close enough to feel what they feel.

We’re most proud of the trust people place in us. Weddings, especially, are full of fragile, chaotic, emotional moments — and being allowed into that space is something we never take lightly. Every time someone tells us that a photo brought back a forgotten memory or made them cry, that’s success to us.

Was it easy? Not at all. There were years where we questioned everything. But every challenge pushed us to define what success really meant for us — and it always came back to this: being present, being real, and doing the work with integrity.

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that consistency matters more than inspiration. Showing up, even when you’re not feeling particularly creative, builds something far deeper and more meaningful than a portfolio: it builds trust.

As for our brand, Breathless is not just about pretty images — it’s about preserving legacies. It’s about being invited into someone’s most intimate moments and treating them with the care they deserve. we want people to know that behind the camera, there’s someone who sees their story not as content… but as memory, emotion, and truth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We wouldn’t start with a list of places — we’d start with how we want them to feel. We’d want them to slow down. To breathe. To see things most people walk past. So the trip wouldn’t be about hitting all the “must-sees.” It would be about moments.

We’d begin early in the morning, when the light is soft and the streets are still half-asleep — coffee in hand, no rush. Maybe just walking, talking about nothing and everything. We’d find a little place to eat where the food is real and made by someone who loves what they do. We believe the best meals are the ones that remind you of something — or someone.

One day would be for people-watching — a quiet bench or a street corner where life unfolds like theater. Another day, we’d lose track of time in a local market or a used bookstore. There’d be music somewhere in the week, preferably live and a little rough around the edges, the kind that makes you feel something even if you don’t know the lyrics.

We’d have long dinners with great conversation, and at least one night walking under city lights with no real destination, just being present. The best part of the week would be the spaces in between — the silences, the laughter, the rediscovery of small joys.

To us, the most exciting thing isn’t a place — it’s presence. And that’s what we’d want to give them: a trip where time felt slower, but somehow fuller.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely. Nothing I’ve built — creatively or personally — would exist without the people around us.

First and foremost, being together, not only working together as Breathless Weddings, but as partners in. life. We have been ourselves mirror, our balance, and a constant reminder of why we do what we do.

Also, our son. He keeps us grounded in the present and constantly redefines what legacy really means.

Professionally, I (Chris) owe a lot to my father, who gave me my first camera without even realizing what he was setting in motion. And to every client who trusted us — not just to take their picture, but to see them, to capture something they might not even have noticed about themselves.

And finally, to silence. we know that might sound strange, but solitude has been one of our greatest teachers. It’s where we process, observe, and reconnect with why this work matters.

Website: https://www.breathlesswc.com

Instagram: @breathlesswed

Image Credits
All photos have been taken by Gab & Chris / Breathless Weddings