About Marena

Hey! My name is Marena Koenka (she/they), I'm a queer photographer based in Portland, Maine and willing to travel (bring me along to your Greece destination wedding, I speak Greek!). I love meeting new clients and learning about them as I take their portraits. Photography has allowed me to make long lasting connections that I will always cherish. My heart seriously lights up when I receive a Christmas card from someone I've worked with or get updated on how they're doing. During a session, you can expect me to be hyping you up, posing you to capture natural looking moments, and most importantly, making sure you feel comfortable!


I graduated summa cum laude from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts with a B.A. in Business Management and double minors in Theatre and Studio Arts, with a concentration in photography. I studied photography under Stephen DiRadoFrank Armstrong, and Eric Nichols. My favorite part of living in Worcester was all the stage managing opportunities I got to pursue, it gave me lots of practice working under pressure for wedding days.


Founded in 2016, Sunset Ridge Photography has allowed me to explore both the commercial and the creative sides of photography, often melding the two. From selling greeting cards and prints at local craft fairs, to capturing clients' important life moments, to spending hours in the dark room perfecting a single print; I've enjoyed every minute of building this business. I always do a little happy dance when I get a new inquiry or come home from a session, I just get so excited that this is my job!!


Want to know more about what I offer? Let's chat!

Photo by Leah's Lens Photography

When I'm not behind the camera, you can find me working in the mental healthcare field through peer support, rock climbing (aka cross-training for long wedding days), cooking with my girlfriend, or snuggling my cats (Sapphire and Jet, though his full name is Sir Jettison Fuzzy-Pants Spaghettison aka Plomp, a fact I will very embarrassingly tell you during our session) .

Gallery Showings

Blue Hill Co-op Gallery: Personal Show, April 2017

Clark University Photography Society: A Different Light, April 2018

Clark University Photography Society: Contrasts, December 2018

Clark University Photography Society: Visions of Growth, April 2019

Undergraduate Photography Now: UPN VII, April 2020

Texas Photographic Society: New Visions 2020, May 2020

ArtsWorcester: 17th Annual College Show, January 2021

A Smith Gallery: Diptych, March 2021

Marena sitting on a rock holding her camera and smiling