Plastics Industry Association Conference

I had never heard of the Plastics Industry Association. But when my good friend and amazing event planner, Kristyn Norton, contacted me about photographing their annual conference, and told me the big kick-off was at a local park where attendees would be volunteering their time to pick up plastic trash I was hooked!

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) is a purpose-driven organization that supports the entire plastics supply chain. This Fall Conference is an annual event that brings the industry together to discuss, learn, and grow. This year’s conference was held at the Charleston Marriott. The program was designed to help participants network with other industry leaders and gain insights into the plastics industry’s future, how it may impact their business, and how to make plastic products more sustainable and recycleable. From receptions to meals and offsite excursions – the conference also encourages participants to meet other leaders from different sectors and backgrounds, build relationships, find mentors, and learn about new opportunities.

It was a real pleasure photographing this conference and working work with this fun, friendly, and knowledgeable group!

Jacqueline’s Portraits for Carolina One Real Estate

It was a pleasure meeting and photographing Jacqueline for her new position at Carolina One Real Estate! She and her husband are originally from Puerto Rico. They have 4 adorable kids. And she loves her new tattoo. Please help me welcome her to the team!!!

Iowa Corn Grassroots Summit

I’ve discovered that farmers are the nicest people on the planet!!! So it was with great pleasure that I accepted Shannon’s request to come to Des Moines to photograph the annual Grassroots Summit for the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

Shannon and I met at one of the US Grains Council events that I’ve photographed over the years. She worked with her team in arranging all the details to get me to their event at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeney, just north of Des Moines, Iowa. So I owe her a HUGE Thank You!

Most of the delegates and guests at the event are local farmers. So they were able to drive to the event. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces from photographing other conferences involving the farming and grains communities. To be honest, I’ve begun to think of many of these folks as my friends!

Luckily the weather was absolutely gorgeous, which allowed me to start my coverage with a few drone shots of the venue. When covering such conferences, I like to tell the “story” of the day from start to finish. A few cool establishing shots from the DJI Mini 3 Pro are a great way to do this. Next I switched to a pair of Nikon Z9 bodies, rotating between the Nikkor 14-30 f4 Z, 24-70 f2.8 Z, and 70-200 f2.8 Z as needed. For additional lighting, I brought 6 Flashpoint Zoom Li-On II strobes.

After getting registered, everyone had time to mingle and catch up with one another. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, kicked things off with a fantastic keynote address. There was a delicious luncheon before delagates began debating and discussing various topics. Then Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg raised some fantastic points during his keynote address. After more discussions it was time for dinner. And finally we transitioned into the highlight of the program, the Awards Banquet!

It was a long day, but super fun and rewarding! I hope I get asked back to photograph it again next year!!!

Park, Fire Department, and Library

It was awesome working with Dorchester County PIO, Michelle, again this week!

We photographed updated photos of Ashley River Park, the new Ladson Fire Station, and the soon-to-open North Charleston Library. Everything was captured with Nikon Z9 camera, Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8 lenses, and DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone.

Sanja for State Farm

I’d like you to meet Sanja! She is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovena, that beautiful country in the Balkans, along the Adriatic Sea.

Sanja’s family moved to the US when she was still young. And she has taken the world by storm ever since! She’s won all kinds of fitness and body-building competitions…meeting her handsome husband at the gym along the way. 🙂 And she’s been very successful in her business ventures. Her most recent move is opening a new State Farm insurance agency off Orleans Rd!
It was a pleasure meeting Sanja today, photographing some new headshots and marketing photos. I look forward to following her story as she builds her new business in West Ashley. Let’s show her some encouragement and well-wishes!!!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church for Trident Construction

It was an absolute honor to photograph the new Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church on Daniel Island for Trident Construction the other day!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the statewide Diocese of Charleston. Established on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, the parish primarily serves Daniel Island and the Cainhoy peninsula, although it’s members come from all over the metro Charleston area. Father West presides over Saint Clare of Assisi. He was born in Charleston during the eye of a hurricane and was raised on Sullivan’s Island, where his family had been members of Stella Maris Parish for five generations.

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8, 400 f4.5, DJI Mavic 2 Pro *

Teddy E. Pryor Social Services Building for DWG

Built for the community, named for a public servant and Council Chairman. The Teddie E. Pryor Social Services building is now open and will house a number of Charleston County’s vital health services. The new 175,000 square foot facility is easily accessible and it houses all the services under one roof, making it easier for community members to get the care and help they need without having to visit multiple sites. Agencies represented in the new building include South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Services, Dept. of Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Services, Tricounty Crisis Stabilization Center, SC Dept. of Social Services, South Carolina Connections Medicaid.

DWG Consulting Engineers had done a fantastic job on this project! And I was excited to be selected to photograph it for them. Many thanks to Cate Smolinsky for all her hard work coordinating everyone’s schedules, and arranging for someone to to get me unfettered access!

Keith Summey Library for DWG

The Keith Summey North Charleston Library was opened in 2023 to replace a smaller facility erected more than seventy years earlier. The original structure was conceived in 1946, and dedicated to the “memory of the men and women of Cooper River District who died in service during World War II.” Use of the building was initially limited to White citizens. This and other branches of the CCPL system were opened to African Americans in 1963.

It took a bit of planning. But finally we were able to arrange a day and time to photograph the new Keith Summey Library outside of opening hours so that we had complete access without interfering with patrons!

DWG Consulting Engineers had done a fantastic job on this project! And I was excited to be selected to photograph it for them. Many thanks to Cate Smolinsky for all her hard work coordinating everyone’s schedules, and arranging for someone to to get me unfettered access!

SCRA 40th Anniversary Headshots

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing updated headshots, a team photo, and other marketing images to help SCRA celebrate their 40th Anniversary!!!

The South Carolina Research Authority is a public, non-profit corporation chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina. Their mission is to fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy by accelerating technology-enabled growth of academia, entrepreneurship, and industry.

Many thanks to Yolanda for helping organize everyone’s schedules!!!

Anniversary Model Shoot

18 months ago, I had the honor of photographing Frank’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Then a year ago I had the pleasure of capturing all the wonderful moments of their amazing wedding. Fast forward to this week and Frank booked a fun Anniversary Shoot for Lea!!! He had purchased a gift certificate from us and given it to her on their anniversary. What a great gift idea, right?!?

We scheduled the photo shoot at Pixel Studios, which has a wonderfully creative vibe to it. LeRoy, the owner, is a longtime friend. He made sure everything was all set up and ready to go. Lea arrived early so that the amazingly talented hair and make-up artist, Erika Paola could do her magic. Then it was time to get in front of the lights and camera!

We had a blast transforming Lea into a model for the day…capturing a wide variety of studio portraits for her. She looked AMAZING!!!

A Day in the Beauty of Dorchester County

Dorchester county is rich in history and filled with unbelievable beauty!

Last week I was assigned the task of taking a single day to explore and capture as much of the county’s diverse nature, scenic beauty, and significant history as possible. I covered everything from the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest, the Rosenwald School in St. George, Indian Field and Shady Grove campgrounds, Givhans Ferry State Park and the Edisto River that runs through it, Colonial Dorchester County Park, Middleton Place Plantation, and several stops in between.

It was a tough challenge, since I could have easily spent an entire day at each location! But I successfully completed the task and came away with a wonderfully diverse collection of images that showcase a day in the beauty of Dorchester County!

Dorchester County Marketing Photos

This has been a busy year for Dorchester County! With the new fire station, new ems vehicles, new mobile command station, all kinds of new streets and road repairs going in, and of course new employees constantly joining their growing team…I’ve been busy! It’s been a pleasure working with Michelle, the county’s Public Information Officer, to come up with new marketing photos to help promote transparency and keep their constituents informed of what’s been going on. A highlight of this week’s assignment included headshots of the Command Staff at the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office! Michelle works really hard and does an amazing job. I’m honored to be part of her team!!!