The Southern Conference (www.SoConSports.com) has been providing academic and athletic excellence since 1921. This year, the SoCon Basketball Championships were held at the Charleston Coliseum! One of the sponsors for the event was the Charleston Metro Sports Council. I’ve known and worked with their wonderful Executive Director, Kathleen Cartland, for several years. So it was a pleasure to photograph these championships for her! The Sports Insider is fantastic high-gloss magazine published by the Charleston Metro Sports Council. If you enjoy sports in the lowcountry, I highly recommend picking up a copy! The tournament was full of energy…the Wildcats won it for the first time since 2002…and this shot of a gaggle of cheerleaders really captured the exuberant emotion of the moment!
A Steve Harvey Surprise
Over the years I’ve had the good fortune of being able to photograph a few celebrities. But NONE as funny as Steve Harvey! In addition to being a movie star, having his own clothing line, and appearing in his sit-com, Steve still does stand up comedy. Early this month I was asked to photography the Annual Awards Banquet for Prudential Carolina Real Estate. This is a HUGE black-tie affair, held at the Charleston Performing Arts Center, with something like 1,000 real-estate agents and their guests all being wined and dined in the most extravagant fashion possible! This is one party where there was no holding back!!! But I had no idea the extent of it until I was let in on a little “secret”. Un-announced to everyone attending, Steve Harvey had been secured as the entertainer for the evening! Can you imagine the utter surprise and disbelief on 1000 faces in the crowd when he walked out on stage!?!
Forty Weddings in One Day
“Forty Weddings in One Day…are you Crazy?!?” That was my initial response when I was asked to photograph the seventh annual “Day Of Love”. Touted as the largest mass wedding and vow-renewal ceremony in the lowcountry, this event, which is sponsored by Z-93Jamz, took place…you guessed it…on Valentines Day. It was pretty hectic getting everything set up and ready to go in time. The ceremony was a lot of fun and included live musicians and an officiate with a great sense of humor. Immediately afterwards, there was a mad rush of couples lining up to get their wedding portraits taken. I guess they all had plans to go out for dinner and celebrate afterwards. š With the camera wirelessly sending images to a pair of LIVE preview stations, the couples were able to view their photos and place their orders IMMEDIATELY after they were taken! While they were doing that, I was already photographing the next couple. By working efficiently, we were able to help provide everyone with the quality portraits they deserve for such a memorable occasion!!!
Environmental Portrait
Another publication I work a great deal with is the Charleston Regional Business Journal. One of their most heralded supplements each year is the Profiles In Business. This advertorial piece highlights a number of the most prestigious businesses and organizations in the Charleston area. I’ve worked on this project for the past three years. It’s always a privilege to meet these business owners and create the photograph that will accompany their article. One such gentleman is Jerry Bacon, a motivational speaker. As we began discussing ideas, I suggested the historic American Theater downtown. I had done some photography for Randall Goldman, the property owner, in the past. So a phone call later we had permission and private access to the theater. When I met Jerry the morning of the shoot, he had a very relaxed but confident personality. He exhibited a genuine interest in others. And his charismatic personality made it obvious why he’s become such a successful speaker! With a pertinent setting, creative use of lighting, a long telephoto lens, shallow depth of field, and a few minutes of time…we created this winning photo for his article!
The $10,000 Butcher’s Table
Although we’ve been freelancing for the Charleston Magazine group for some time now, we were pleased to have our first feature article and cover photo published in the winter issue of Charleston Home. Mel and the rest of the team at the magazine have always been wonderful to work with! And when they found out I had grown up in the Belgian Congo, had spent time in Belgium, and that my parents had studied French there – they knew I was perfectly suited for this assignment. Why? Well it turns out that the owner of this beautiful house we were covering was originally from Belgium! Needless to say, we hit it off right away when I greeted him with a properly accented “comment ca va?”. As it turned out, his grandparents spent some time in the Congo. So we shared that in common. And since he’s a gourmet chef…and I love to eat…we also had THAT in common. š At any rate, Thierry and his beautiful wife, Melinda were WONDERFUL to work with. And they’ve made a GORGEOUS home out of the house they bought near the Battery. Next time you’re at Barnes & Noble, pick up a copy and admire the antique butcher’s block that sits in their entryway. He was once offered $10,000 for it!!!