Even though it’s been a while, it seems like only yesterday that Cami & I worked at High-Purity Standards.  That’s where we met and became friends with the vibrant and beautiful Carolyn.  We were SO honored that when her and Jeff decided it was time to tie the knot, she asked us to do the honors of photographing her special day!  J  This will be the FOURTH wedding we’ve photographed for friends from HPS!

Last weekend, Carolyn & Jeff were married underneath the giant Live Oak trees at the picturesque Legend Oaks Plantation Golf Club.  Even though rain came and went all afternoon, it parted the way just in time for them to have their ceremony.  The weather never dampened anyone’s spirits, we had a BLAST!!!  In fact it gave me opportunities for some amazing images I never could have gotten otherwise!  After watching their fun Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog, head on over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of Carolyn & Jeff’s wedding photos!

CONGRATULATIONS Carolyn & Jeff…you guys ROCK!!!

Kirsten is the most AMAZING young lady in the world!  Cami & I know her well since she works at our absolutely wonderful dentist’s office, Hilton Dental.  I had never met Jason before.  But I was very impressed with his quiet strength and funny sense of humor.  They have a wonderful son named Reis who was the handsome Ring Bearer and all-around hit of the party!  J 

Kirsten & Jason were married on Folly Beach in front of the HUGE beach house they’d rented out for the reception.  She wore a gorgeous dress that was hand made for her, and had a really cool detachable lace train.  He wore the quintessential khaki pants and white cotton shirt…perfect for the outdoors setting.  Rev. Pete Lanzillottoy performed a beautiful service.  The weather was perfect and the light was just right for some gorgeous shots on the beach with the dramatic glow of the setting sun.  After checking out their fun Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their photos.

In Season Catering kept our mouths watering.  Complete Music ROCKED the reception.  And everyone had a fantastic time!  It was so much fun to be a part if Kirsten & Jason’s wedding.  CONGRATULATIONS to the new Mr. & Mrs. Swander!!!

Hillary & Matt are from Indiana and will be getting married in Indianapolis this fall.  I had an awesome time photographing their e-session in and around all the historic homes and gardens in downtown Charleston.  Matt just came back from doing a tour, performing on a cruise ship in Australia.  Since Cami & I have ties with the Land Down Under, and just came back from photographing Dave & Megan’s wedding, we had lots to talk about.  Hillary is just the kindest, gentlest, sweetheart in the world…she’s going to be such a beautiful bride! 

Each spring I like to keep an eye on the nesting egrets & herons at the Magnolia Gardens Audubon Swamp.  It’s so much fun to sit and watch the baby birds jousting and jockeying for position in the nest.  J  Here’s just a small slice of what I saw in my short visit the other day.  So if you enjoy nature and wildlife, don’t pass up a chance to stroll through this beautiful spot!

Last week I completed the first half of a project for Clawson & Staubes, LLC on Daniel Island.  They are redoing their website, marketing, and promotional material and asked me to do the photos for it.  As a full-service law firm committed to excellence, Clawson & Staubes, has been providing clients with quality legal services since 1975.  In 1997 they opened a location in Charlotte.   They are one of the largest law firms in the Charleston area.

Megan is from Fairhaven up near Boston.  David is from Down Under…REALLY…like as in Australia.  The story of how these two met online is a wonderful tale that shows how love knows no boundaries! 

Megan got our name through Deb & Michael, who’s wedding we photographed her in Charleston a few years ago.  (So a HUGE thank you goes to Deb & Michael!)  Megan loved the photos we’d done for them and contacted us to set up a conference call on Skype.  We had a BLAST talking to them via computer…Meg was up in New England having just gotten home from work…David was waaay over in Australia JUST waking up…and Cami & I were here in Charleston.  We really hit it off, especailly since Cami’s been to Australia twice and her Maid of Honor in our wedding doesn’t live far from David’s home.  So we had a lot in common from the start and everything simply fell in place from there.

The wedding was held at the beatiful gothic style Unitarian Church in Fairhaven, which I absolutely loved.  And the reception was held at The Sky Room, a really edgy, ultra modern venue that had great natural light and was really cool to shoot in.  Meg & David were introduced into the reception hall with a Bagpipe processional.  And their music and entertainment featured a fantastic Big Band.  I loved the bright yellow dancing outfit Megan changed into during the partaaay.)  J  After the reception, Megan, David, Cami & I, along with the entire wedding party, drove all over town photographing really cool artsy images as we went.   

We eventually ended up at the bay with its huge rock outcroppings right before sunset.  So after starting at 8:00am, we wrapped up our 12-hour day with some gorgeous images at 8:00pm right before the sun faded away.  Those were some of my FAVORITE shots!!!  What an AWESOME day Megan & David put together!  CONGRATULATIONS to you both…you guys ROCK!!!

(Visit www.chrisandcami.com/blog to see their fun Music Video, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their images, and jump to http://chrisandcami.com/blog/2010/05/11/megan-daves-new-england-day-after-shoot/ if you haven’t seen the photos from their Day-After Shoot.)

I totally subscribe to the sentiment “variety is the spice of life”.  Even though most folks know us for our wedding and portrait work.  I love shooting a variety of subjects…from corporate to sports, arials to architecture, head shots to barmitzvahs.  Knowing your equipment and knowing how to beautifully light ANY subject…whether it’s a tiny wedding ring or a huge five-story building…makes it possible to attack any assignment with confidence.  

For the “hero” shot at dusk, I augmented the buildings up-lighting with 4 SB-800 strobes on light stands spread along the right side just out of frame.  Each had a full CTO warming gel and was triggered at full power via RadioPopper by an on-camera SB-900 in Commander Mode.  The image was shot with a D3 and 14-24mm f2.8 lens securely mounted to the top of a 12 foot A-frame ladder.  The camera was fired with a PocketWizard at 1/6 second with a white balance setting around 4100K to enhance the rich blue color of the sky.

Megan & Dave’s Destination Wedding in the beautiful seaside town of Fairhaven was absolutely AMAZING!  Cami & I are still editing the TONS of images we photographed that day.  But I did have a chance to edit their New England style “Day-After” shoot this afternoon.  So even though it’s in reverse order, here are a few of my fav’s from that.  Basically, many couples elect to do a “Day-After” so they can have dramatic images taken in a location that just isn’t feasible on their wedding day.  Whether it’s because of time constraints, logistics, or the fact that the bride doesn’t want to be in an environment that might adversely affect her dress before she walks down the isle…a Day-After shoot allows them to accomplish all of the above without worry.  J  Megan & Dave decided to do theirs on the beach near her Mom’s house.  It was a perfect, balmy, New England Day.  We had a great time and I love how they all turned out.  We even found a few crab-traps in front of an old weathered deep blue steel background…perfect scene for a New England style Day-After photo!!!

This past weekend Cami & I had an AWESOME Destination Wedding to photograph in Fairhaven, just outside of Boston, MA.  So we decided to fly up a couple days early to check out the beautiful and historic town of Boston.  We stayed at the quaint old Milner Hotel near the Boston Common.  So everything was within walking distance.  We thoroughly enjoyed Park Street Church, the Old Granury Burial Ground (where the fabled Mother Goose lies), followed the Freedom Trail, saw Kings Chapel, the Old State House, Faneuil Hall Place, Quincy Market, Columbus Park, and of course my favorite…Cheers!  Here are a few shots from our wanderings.