Last year Cami & I started offering Photo Guest Books to our brides and grooms.  We can’t BELIEVE what a huge hit they have become!!!  These beautiful coffee-table books are printed on fine-art silk paper, containing each couple’s favorite images from any of their Signature Shoots…like The Proposal, their Engagement Sesssion, or the Bridal Shoot.  Each page has space around the images where guests can sign the book, leave fun comments, or write a few words of wisdom.  Folks just love looking through all the pictures, often passing the book around the reception.  And the couple loves all the personal comments and well-wishes that make the book a very special keepsake instead of just the generic guest book with blank lines as a record of all who attended.  It’s a win-win and we love being a part of that!

Last year at the Family Circle Cup, Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva were locked in a semi-final battle when Caroline slipped and twisted her ankle…a very scary moment for ANY athlete.  But she recovered quickly and both players had an excellent 2010.  This year at the Australian Open, Caroline came in ranked #1 and Vera was #2!!!  They’ve both played some exceptional tennis throughout this first Grand Slam of the year.  So I was pretty sure they were going to be our finalists!!!  But Na Li, who has been on fire in 2011, and Kim Clijsters, who’s always a tough competitor, had other plans for the top seeds.  Yup, I’m sad to say Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva are out of the 2011 Australian Open Tennis Championships.

Many thanks to the incredibly knowledgeable Mark Suban from Nikon Professional Services for teaching the “All Things Nikon” Seminar yesterday!  It was held at the Charleston Center for Photography, graciously hosted by Stacy Pearall & Andy Dunaway.  We really drilled down into the dark recesses of our menu systems, and talked about the myriad of tools and settings at our disposal in these amazing cameras to help us make the most use of them and get the best images in every situation!  Plus of course it’s always fun to play with the latest new lenses and accessories that are out.  J

(Some of these were shot on my new Nikon Coolpix P-7000, which I love!  Others were shot with one of my D3s and either the 50mm f1.4G or the 14-24 f2.8.)

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of meeting Walt Dunlap.  He’s done quite a bit of stage acting in his career and is looking to re-focus on the TV/Film industry.  So I had the privilege of helping him create a new Portfolio Head Shot.  You know the old adage…you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.  Hopefully, capturing Walt’s fun and engaging personality in this portrait will make for a good calling card as he moves forward.  I wish you all the best in all your new adventures, Walt!

We had a nice turnout for the February January gathering of the Charleston Photographers Lunch Group today.  It’s always a wonderful gathering of fun, friendly, and amazingly talented photographers that Cami & I enjoy hanging out with, sharing ideas between, and encouraging each other as we all strive to excel in our creativity and dedication to the craft of creating amazing images for our clients.  This month our very own Rick Dean and Ron Montgomery brought back news and information from Imaging USA to share.  It’s such an honor to be a part of this giving and supportive community of awesome Charleston Photographers!

It’s the NEW YEAR!  So as one of the official photographers of the Family Circle Cup, you’ll start seeing a few announcements pop up about this wonderful tennis tournament!  J

“The Family Circle Cup and InsideOut Sports + Entertainment  announce the return of Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified presented by Dove, an evening of music and tennis entertainment featuring John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Todd Martin, beginning at 7:30pm on Saturday, April 9, 2011.  McEnroe will defend his Game, Set, Rock! singles title during this tennis exhibition, which will feature singles and mixed doubles action.  Marking the tournament’s 39^th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 2-10, 2011 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in the Best Tennis Town in America, Charleston, South Carolina.”

I love shooting reflections in mirrors, through natural vignettes, and with unique angles throughout the course of covering a wedding.  Here’s one time where I made a booboo and caught myself in the shot.  J  It was taken during Alexis & Nick’s beautiful wedding at St. Luke’s Chapel.  Fortunately I was able to crop myself out during editing so that the focus remained on Alexis and her bridesmaids.  I realized my error as soon as I shot it though…and re-composed so that the rest of the shots I made in that mirror didn’t include my ugly mug.  J  Hey, we all make mistakes!

The best way to get a pure white, high-key background, is to separate the subject from the background and light it independently.  That way you can control the light falling on the background separately from the light falling on the subject.  I routinely expose the background at a stop or two higher than your subject to get that super white look. 

Here’s the setup for a shoot I did for Anchor Commercial recently.  I set up my Savage White Seamless background in their lobby.  Two SB-800 flashes were aimed at the background and gobo’d so as not to spill onto my subject, Lindsey.  She was lit independently by two more SB-800 strobes as master and fill lights.  All four were controlled via an SB-900 on my D3 in Commander mode, and triggered via Radio Poppers.  I shot with my favorite 14-24 f2.8 mounted to the D3 and stood on a chair to create that elongated look they were going for in this image.

Last weekend Alexis and Nick had their FIRST KISS!  They are both in the military, stationed in Germany.  And when they met, they knew early on there was something special between them.  So they decided to start a relationship with the intention of marriage.  And part of that covenant they made with each other included keeping themselves pure before God and saving their first kiss until their wedding day.  I absolutely LOVE that!!!  Their ceremony was truly Spirit-led and such an honor to be a part of! 

They were married at St. Luke’s Chapel with their reception following at The Summer House.  After the ceremony, we stopped at Cannon Park and White Point Gardens for some dramatic images in the setting sun.  Check out the fun slideshow at www.chrisandcami.com/blog and the rest of their photos at www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.  

CONGRATULATIONS Nick & Alexis!!!  You guys are a living testament to what TRUE love is!