ABOUT CHICAGO PHOTOGRAPHER MARIANNE DRENTHE
Marmalade Photography: Creating Heirloom Portraits for Chicago Families Since 2005
Hi, I’m Marianne – most people call me Mare. I’m here to help you create meaningful artwork that celebrates your family’s story.
When you work with Marmalade Photography, you’re not just getting someone who knows how to use a camera. You’re getting a photographer who understands why family portraits matter, how to make the experience joyful for everyone (even reluctant teenagers and skeptical partners), and how to create artwork you’ll actually want to display in your home for generations to come.
How I Got Here
I’ve been drawn to photography since childhood. I was about six when my older brother Matt let me hold his heavy Canon AE-1. I remember the heft of the camera in my small hands, the rough strap scratching against my neck, and that first moment looking through the viewfinder – seeing the world framed in that small rectangle. I was entranced and it was the beginning of my love affair with photography and with the art of seeing.
Before becoming a professional photographer, I worked as an RN in ICU and critical care. I spent years with people during their most vulnerable moments – crisis, loss, the hardest days of their lives. What stayed with me most? The family photos patients’ loved ones would bring to the hospital. Those images transformed my experience with each patient. That person struggling in the hospital bed wasn’t just a patient – they were someone’s beloved parent, a doting grandparent, a cherished friend. The photos reminded everyone of who that person really was beyond the crisis.
Those experiences shaped how I understand photography’s deeper purpose. We create images not just to document moments, but to affirm connection and belonging. To say: You matter. Your relationships matter. This family – your family – matters.
A series of events surrounding my second daughter’s birth shifted my priorities entirely. I realized I wanted to contribute to the other end of the spectrum – celebrating growth, milestones, and memory-making rather than managing crisis. In 2005, I founded Marmalade Photography. Twenty years later, I’m still here, doing what I love: creating beautiful imagery that helps families see themselves and celebrate who they are together.
What Makes Working With Me Different
I don’t just “take pictures” – I witness and document your family’s story. My job is more like that of a cartographer, mapping the relationships and connections that make your family your family. The shy preschooler and their exuberant older sibling. The way you and your partner navigate parenting together. The affection and occasional chaos that define family life. The moments between the moments – those are often the ones that matter most.
My understanding of what makes family photography meaningful comes from multiple sources: my nursing background, 20+ years photographing thousands of Chicago families, and 26 years as a mom myself. I know how children respond to being truly seen and celebrated. I know what makes teenagers relax in front of the camera. I know how to capture genuine connection, not forced “say cheese” smiles. (We never “say cheese” – except ironically, of course.)
I’m also a storyteller. I write fiction, I engage my imagination constantly, and that narrative sensibility translates directly to how I approach your session and your final artwork. This is why I focus on creating images you’ll actually display – not digital files buried on a hard drive somewhere. A photograph only does its emotional work when it’s on your wall, not hidden in your phone. I’ve witnessed this truth for over 20 years professionally and 26 years as a parent: printed and displayed photography matters.
WHAT’S BEHIND THE NAME “MARMALADE”?
When I created Marmalade Photography in 2005, I wanted a name that represented what matters most: family.
MAR – Marianne (me)
MA – Madeline (my oldest daughter)
LA – Lauren (my youngest daughter)
DE – Duane (my husband)
Marmalade is family. And that’s exactly what I celebrate every time I take a photo. I hope we can celebrate family together.
Press & Recognition
My work has been featured on the cover of Rangefinder Magazine and within the pages of National Geographic Traveler. I’ve also been published in Professional Photographer Magazine. I’ve had the privilege of presenting webinars for various photography related groups, my favorite was for the Professional Photographers of America, teaching photographers across the country on a topic near and dear to my heart: Photographing Children via the Lens of the Developmental Stages. I’ve also taught countless photographers at my small hands-on workshops and also in 1:1 mentorships.
In 2007, I founded Professional Child Photographer, an educational platform serving families and photographers worldwide. In 2025 I began a complete overhaul of the PCP site. I’ve created additional resources for families looking for a professional photographer and for photographers looking to elevate their professionalism in art and business. It’s a great site and something I’m very proud of.
But ultimately, and here’s what matters most: the families I am lucky enough to have worked with year after year? They are everything. Like the New Orleans mom who called me before she even unpacked boxes when moving to Chicago back in 2006? I photographed her family while her oldest was a toddler, I then was able to celebrate this family when that same toddler became a big sister! Over the years I have been asked to document other family milestones: capturing that former toddler’s (and her little brother’s) First Communion portraits and most recently have created her senior portraits!
That’s what Marmalade Photography is really about: partnerships that grow alongside your family, documenting not just moments but the entire arc of your story here in beautiful Chicago and the suburbs.
Beyond Photography
When I’m not behind the camera or tending to industry related “stuff” – I’m writing fiction, working in my garden (I have a green thumb outdoors and am becoming a better indoor plant parent!), catching up on all those shows I never seemed to have time to enjoy when my Littles were Little, enjoying travel and our newfound free time with my husband, Duane.
My daughters, Maddie and Lauren, inspire me every single day – they’re young adults now, which is both wonderful and slightly surreal. I love being a part of their worlds.
I’m a historian at heart, endlessly curious about people’s stories. Chances are you and I may have more in common than you think. I’d love to get to know you through that viewfinder rectangle and help tell your family’s story. Contact me to schedule a consultation and let’s create something beautiful together.
