Evans Family on Kiawah Island

Last year was the first year we had missed our annual “Evans Family Sunrise Shoot” on Kiawah Island for half a decade. It’s been so much fun watching their kids grow into young adults over the years! Having that gap last year made me realize how quickly they grow. I could hardly believe how big Quinn had gotten!!!

In the wee predawn hours, a pocket of rain rolled up the coast. But luckily the storm moved on just in time for us to enjoy a really peaceful morning! Temperatures were mild, having been cooled off by the rain. And there was a quiet calmness on the beach I hadn’t experienced in a while…almost no wind at all!

As usual, Geraldine had everyone dressed in coordinating outfits, all lined up and ready to go on schedule! From blue-hour till breakfast, we had so much fun clowning around and capturing fun images of their amazing family.  It was wonderful to experience another sunrise together!

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Nikkor 500mm f5.6E PF ED VR

My good friend and AMAZING photographer, David Archer (www.davidarcherimages.com), was kind enough to loan me his new Nikon Nikkor 500mm f5.6 PF ED VR lens for evaluation!

Unfortunately it was during a busy time of year. So I didn’t get to do a full review or a comparison video against it’s younger sibling, the 300mm f4.0E PF ED VR. Hopefully I’ll have time to get back and do that with David.

But for now, let me just say that I am VERY impressed!!! In fact, I’m probably even more impressed with this lens than when I bought the 300mm PF, which I thought was absolutely ground-breaking! This new technology Nikon is throwing into their ultra compact and light-weight Phase Fresnel series of lenses is just magnificent!!!

I really enjoyed shooting with this super lightweight, wickedly sharp, and extremely portable telephoto lens. Most of the time I used it on the Nikon D500, giving me an effective focal length of 750mm. I even tried some with the TC14eIII 1.4x converter, giving me 1050mm of reach!

300PF
300mm f4 = 420mm f5.6 with TC14eIII
300mm f4 = 450mm f4 on DX
300mm f4 = 630mm f5.6 with TC14eIII on DX

500PF
500mm f5.6 = 700mm f8 with TC14eIII
500mm f5.6 = 750mm on DX
500mm f5.6 = 1050mm f8 with TC14eIII on DX

All total, I probably only had about 90 minutes of actual shooting time with the 500mm PF in less-than-optimal lighting conditions. Here are some of the results. I can’t imagine what I’d be able to capture if this lens somehow found a permanent place in my bag…

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Huntington Family at Ocean Park

The Huntington family is growing!!! Last year I got to photograph their family portraits when they were only three. Mason is a super happy bundle of energy. And this year they added sweet adorable little Emma! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with them and photographing some updated family portraits together. We met at the picturesque Ocean Park near The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. It was a beautiful morning with soft light, mild temperatures, and lots of wildlife activity all around us.

CONGRATULATIONS to Will & Rebecca on their new addition!!!

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Shem Creek Infrare & Aerial Photography

By commission of a client of mine looking for artwork to go in her new home, I went out to photograph some images of Shem Creek a few weeks ago.

The original request was for some of my fineart infrared photos. For those I use a special camera. It’s a Nikon Coolpix A, which is a compact rangefinder camera with a large DSLR sensor in it! The camera has been converted to see IR light by a company called Kolari Vision. It was a beautiful day and I got some great Infrared shots, which the client ended up hanging as 40×50 Acrylic prints in her home.

If you have an old digital camera you don’t use much and would like to convert it to Infrared, here’s the link:  https://kolarivision.com/?ref=74.  For a $10 OFF discount, use Coupon Code “chrissmith” at checkout.

While I was there, it was just too perfect a day not to fly the drone. I just couldn’t resist!!! 🙂

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Sunrise on Bulls Island

Sunrise at the boneyard beach on Bulls Island turned out to be meh. But Jamie Clark and I salvaged it with a fun impromptu modeling shoot for her beautiful daughter, Katie! Many thanks to my friends and amazing photogrpahers Kim McManus, Mary Wessner, and Cary McDonald for making it a fun morning. And a HUGE shout out to #coastalexpeditions for this incredible opportunity. This is the second-to-last sunrise expedition the company will be offering to Bulls Island. I feel lucky to have been able to experience this protected barrier island’s wild majesty one last time!

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Kati & Brett in Beaufort, SC

Returning to the “scene of the crime” was so much fun!

While serving his country, stationed in Beaufort, Brett proposed to Kati near one of the park swings downtown at Waterfront Park. Although they now live in Ohio, they thought it would be so much fun to have their Engagement Photos made in the same park where they got engaged! 🙂

Cami and I met up with Kati, Brett, and their adorable girl, Leah, near the old historic district.  Kati looked so cool in her cowboy boots.  And Brett even got his hair cut for the big occasion…HA! We had so much fun walking around this charming southern town, capturing fun images of them as we went. We lived listening to them relive their time in Beaufort, and having them show us the spot where they got engaged. The icing on the cake happened when the skies opened up for a brilliant and dramatic sunset over the harbor!

CONGRATULATIONS Kati & Brett! We are so excited for you two, and can’t wait to be there for your wedding next year!!!

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Conaghan Family at The Ocean Course

Oddly enough, none of the Conaghan’s, nor myself, are big golf fans. With a family history from Scotland, you’d think that was kind of strange. But guess what! We all shared a passion for “The Beautiful Game” of soccer…or “true” football as it’s known overseas. 🙂

Still, the famous Ocean Course was close to their summer vacation home on Kiawah Island. And it has one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the Charleston area! So we met there and had a FANTASTIC evening of fun and fellowship while photographing a variety of family portraits together!!!

Many thanks to the Conaghan Family for being such a kind and delightful group to work with.

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Sutton Family on Seabrook Island

I’d like to say a HUGE “Thank You” to my friend and amazing photographer, Michael Cyra, for recommending me to the Sutton Family! They were SO MUCH FUN to work with!!! 🙂

From Arden, NC, The Suttons gathered the whole family together and decided to wrap up their year of celebrating 40 years together with a beach vacation. This was their first time at Seabrook Island…and I don’t think it will be their last…everyone seemed to be having a BLAST!

Originally, Rene’ had planned for the family shoot to be a big surprise. She was going to tell the kids they would just set up a camera on a tripod and take their own picture. Then I would come swooping in to save the day…HA! But her daughter started asking about hiring a professional to do it. So Rene’ had to let the cat out of the bag. 😉

I arrived on a beautiful evening, the day after Hurricane Isaias had rolled through. Everyone was so organized, and dressed so perfectly for our beach shoot. All the kids were absolutely adorable. They couldn’t have been a nicer family to work with!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Rene’ and Kenny!!!

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Old Abandoned Stono Church in IR

I went for a ride with my friends and fellow photographers, Mark, Daniel, and Kraig last weekend.

I brought my Nikon Coolpix A, which has been converted to see Infrared light by Kolari Vision. It’s an amazing little camera with a super sharp 28mm f2.8 lens and a large 16MP DX sensor.

Here are a few shots from the old abandoned Stono Church off Hwy 165…

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Zach’s Surprise Proposal to Starr on Kiawah Island

Even hurricane Isaias couldn’t stop Zach’s AMAZING Secret Proposal to Starr from happening!

I had so much fun working with Zach in the weeks leading up to the big day as we planned every detail of his proposal.  He and Starr had been together for 5 years…the timing just seemed right. He was going to do it on the beach in front of their Shipwatch Villa on Kiawah Island on Monday evening, the night of the full moon. But just days before their trip began, Hurricane Isaias decided it was going to make Monday a very wet and windy day!

Zach was bound and determined to make his proposal to Starr a truly special one! So we pivoted to Sunday afternoon instead. And it worked out PERFECT!!! We had a nice “calm before the storm” evening, with gorgeous clouds and beautiful light to work with. Starr was super surprised! And Zach said he was actually glad we’d moved it up a day because keeping that gorgeous ring hidden for another day would have made him a nervous wreck!  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Zach and Starr!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Guin Family at The Sanctuary

I had so much fun photographing the Guin Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island again this year. They have easily become one of my favorite repeat-families to work with!!! Everyone’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and positive energy is so refreshing! 🙂

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Firefly Distillery for Trident Construction

What a fun coincidence!!! Cami joined some friends for a fun night of music during the Safe Sounds Concert Series at the Firefly Distillery Saturday night. They enjoyed “20 Ride: A Tribute to Zac Brown Band and Natty Grass”. Check it out at www.fireflydistillery.com.

I was bummed that I had a photo shoot and couldn’t join them that evening. But then on Monday morning, I got to photograph the very same new Firefly Distillery for Trident Construction! How cool is that?!? For more information on this awesome team, visit www.tridentconstruction.com.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for all her hard work organizing everything!

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