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!!!

Seabrook Island Club for SMHa Architects

It was an honot to photograph a few updated features that SMHa Architects made to the Seabrook Island Club last week. We ended up with a beautiful day, and had fun capturing the fresh landscaping, new bar features, and re-designed ADA entrance. Many thanks to Marie for all her hard work coordinating everyone’s schedules!

Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early

It’s been a real privilege to work with the law firm of Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early over the years. I first worked with them while photographing an article for Super Lawyers Magazine that they were featured in. We hit it off and I’ve enjoyed creating headshots and team photos for their attorneys ever since!

This morning I captured some new group shots for them with the Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, and Sony XQD cards. The color and clarity of this new camera system just amazes me. And the high-resolution sensor will ensure they get a beautiful print of it, regardless of how big they enlarge it!

Lupus Clinical Investigators Network Conference

Lupus is debilitating. It affects each person differently. Which, for doctors and researchers, makes the disease very challenging. Lupus is one of the more complex autoimmune diseases known to science. And for years, the world’s best minds have worked tirelessly to find a cure.

“The Lupus Research Alliance is going to take the very thing that infuriates us about the disease and make it the one thing that becomes its cure. Decades of pioneering research has brought us to this moment. We’ve advanced science to the point that will allow us to look at each patient as a single case, to study their individual immune system and analyze the complexities of the disease as it exists within them. In the future, this will allow us to better treat that patient with precision medicine — giving the right treatment for the right person. The root of the problem has become the pathway to the cure.”

It was my pleasure to photograph the annual LuCIN Meeting (Lupus Clinical Investigators Network) at the Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms this week. The conference was held at the beautiful new Sweetgrass Inn. The program was brought to fruition by Lupus Therapeutics and the Lupus Research Alliance. You can find out more about this awful disease, and the passionate men and women who are striving to find a cure, at https://www.lupusresearch.org/.

* Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, DJI Mini 3 Pro, ThinkTank cases, Flashpoint flashes, Manfrotto supports, and Sony XQD cards *

CTAR Women’s Council Spring Social

What a beautiful day for a Spring Social!!!

The Women’s Council from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors held their annual Spring Social at The Ritual Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge yesterday. This beautiful venue has great views of downtown, overlooking Marion Square. The weather was perfect. The food was terrific.  And everyone had an AMAZING time!!!

Many thanks to Clair and Jessie for all their hard work putting this great event together!

* DJI Mini 3 Pro, Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4 *

Headshots for Tenet Physician Resources

It was a pleasure photographing Haley for Tenet Physician Resources this week. I love how crisp and clear the Z9 renders images!!! I met up with Haley at the Dodds Durst House across from the East Cooper Medical Center. It’s a beautiful property with gorgeous oak trees.  She was a lot of fun to work with!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Flashpoint flash in Godox Glow softbox, Manfrotto supports, Sony XQD cards *

Bird Songs at the Avian Conservation Center

Last night I had the honor of photographing the annual Bird Songs event at the Center for Birds of Prey!

The evening known as Bird Songs, now in its eighth year, has become one of our most anticipated social events in Charleston.  Featuring some of Nashville’s most talented singer/songwriters, it’s an intimate experience combining cocktails and dinner with music and stories.  This year’s headliners were Matt Alderman, Aaron Goodvin, Phillip Lammonds, and Nicole Croteau.  But of course the REAL stars of the show are the owls, hawks, and other beautiful birds of prey that mingle among guests, soar overhead, and coo softly in harmony with the music!

A particularly special feature at this year’s program was the releasing of a Bald Eagle that had been injured and brought to the Avian Conservation Center for surgery and rehabilitation.  It was so moving to watch Jim Elliott, the center’s Founder and Executive Director, release this majestic creature back into the wild!

Presented in the round, in a relaxed and comfortable setting in the Owl Woods area of the campus, this event has sold out every year!  Make sure to check their website early to get a seat for next year’s performance:  https://thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/events_calendar/.

Park West Recreation Complex

It was another fun day to be outside, flying the drone, and capturing photos of a fantastic Mt. Pleasant park!

Seamon Whiteside did an AMAZING job, engineering this space to incorporate so many different sports fields. The Park West Recreation Complex has been around for a few years. But they just resurfaced the track and made a few additions. So I was asked to get some updated drone shots and still photos of the facility.  It was fun to see people out enjoying the sunshine!!!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, DJI Mavic 2 Pro

The Battery Soccer Stadium

Soccer holds a special place in my heart! I grew up playing soccer in Zaire (DRC), played midfield for the TASOK team that won the Kinshasa championships, and went on to receive a scholarship to play at Spring Arbor University.

So it was with great excitement that I received the request to photograph the new Charleston Battery Soccer Stadium for Seamon Whiteside!!!  While I was there, I got to meat Christian, the head coach of the College of Charleston women’s team.  So that was pretty cool. But other than him, I had the place to myself!

If you haven’t been to a game at the new facility, it’s pretty awesome.

The Hawks Nest – A New Public Park in Hannahan!

What a GORGEOUS spring day!!! The sun was out. The sky was blue with giant puffy clouds floating through. And the new public park in Hanahan was my “playground” for the day!

I had the honor of spending the day photographing The Hawks Nest, which is a new sports complex and public park in Berkeley County, SC. Seamon Whiteside is the engineering firm behind this picturesque park. They were responsible for designing the park and all it’s amazing amenities.

I got to photograph a wide variety of shots to showcase the many aspects of this beautiful property, as well as showcase how much the public is loving it!