Abby’s Fashion Shoot

Currently signed with Elite Model Management in New York, I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Abby Meeker last week! Check out her portfolio at https://www.elitemodel.com/newyork/women/abby-meeker/portfolio/ and contact the agency if you’re looking for an amazing young lady to work with!

This was my second shoot with Abby. If you’d like to see images from our outdoor session at an old abandoned hospital, visit: https://chrisandcami.com/abbys-model-portfolio/.

Congratulations to Abby on her rising stardom!!! And many thanks to LeRoy at Pixel Studios!

Roberts Family at Pepper Plantation

The soggy December rains kept ruining our plans for another annual Rogers Family Christmas Portrait.

But Dr. Lori of Belle Hall Eye Care is such a wonderful, easy-going, and understanding human being! She kept rolling with the punches. And on the 3rd day of the New Year, we FINALLY captured her family portraits at Pepper Plantation!  With ponies, puppies, and even a chicken, the session was a real treat.  Plus, at one point Ellie got a hold of my remote control and started taking their own photos.  So of course I HAD to jump in!  😉  We had so much fun!!!

We absolutely love this beautiful family to pieces!

Portrait in a Construction Trailer

As a professional photographer, I am sometimes required to deal with some interesting situations. But this one was a FIRST!!!

Several weeks ago, my good friend Jay hired me to photograph an updated head-shot for his business profile. I drove to the address he gave me…and this is what I found. Jay is a foreman with a large construction company. He was on-site, supervising a huge project on Daniel Island. So I got to make his portrait in the construction trailer that served as his mobile office!

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box…and work with what you’ve got! 🙂

AnnMarie & Mark’s Mountain Top Wedding

Earlier this year, Mark proposed to AnnMarie at the bottom of the ocean on a scuba diving expedition. How fitting it was that they decided to tie the knot at the top of a mountain during a snow-boarding expedition!!!

AnnMarie & Mark are close friends of Molly & Justin, who’s beautiful destination wedding we photographed several years ago in Charleston. We can’t thank them enough for the kind referral!

To make things even more interesting, AnnMarie & Mark planned their wedding for New Year’s Eve. So on the last day of the year, Cami and I met up with everyone at their rented cabin on the tip top of Beech Mountain, NC. Bringing just a core group of their closest family and friends, we could tell everyone was having a BLAST!!! The boys had already been out snowboarding that morning. The girls had been shopping and primping. Spirits were high, and excitement was in the air!

With a glowing fire in the fireplace, the intimate wedding took place under a beautifully decorated arbor in the great room. AnnMarie was absolutely STUNNING in her wedding gown. You could see the depths of the love between these two as Mark’s emotions poured out during the service, which AnnMarie’s sister conducted beautifully.

Following the ceremony, this crazy, adventurous couple, braved the bitter winds and heavy fog for some epic photo ops. At 5500 feet, their cabin was perched above Avery, the highest town east of the Rockies! The rugged landscape, biting winds, and dramatic fog made it feel like we were on the set of Game of Thrones!!!

It was an experience Cami and I will never forget! To see the rest of the photos, visit: https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/annmarieandmark.

CONGRATULATIONS AnnMarie & Mark! You two are so perfect for each other. We wish you all the best as you begin this new amazing adventure together!!!

Reviere Family at Hampton Park

For my last family portrait session before Christmas, what a pleasure it was to be with the Reviere Family!

Their son is a recruiter for a financial firm in New York. And their daughter just started medical school at MUSC. So they all congregated in Charleston to be together as a family for the holidays!

As part of his wife’s Christmas gift, Dee contacted me to photograph some updated portraits for their family…and yes, the dogs are definitely part of the family! 🙂 We met at Hampton Park for a beautiful morning session. I had so much fun with this amazing and loving family!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

CTAR Leadership Conference at Founder’s Hall

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors has served as the “Voice of Real Estate” in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina for more than 100 years, issuing statistical analysis of market conditions, offering legislative support to its members, and serving as the premier resource for all things real estate. This slideshow is a vignette into the story of the CTAR Leadership Conference, held at Founder’s Hall, located in Charles Towne Landing

eBay Exhaust: Best $100 Ever Spent?!?

I bought a cheap Chinese-manufactured exhaust off of eBay. IT WAS THE BEST $100 I’ve spent on my bike!

The slip-on exhaust muffler looks like a knock-off of a popular high-end Akrapovič brand. Akrapovič is a market-leading manufacturer of premium exhaust systems for motorcycles and performance cars. Their products were WAY out of my price range.

I had resigned my fate to keeping my OEM exhaust muffler…until I found this cheap clone. I knew there was a chance it could be a useless piece of junk. But for less than $100, I figured it was worth testing out. I was pleasantly surprised!

The product I purchased was this “CBR500 CB500X CB500F Slip on Mid Pipe Link Exhaust Muffler Pipe with DB Killer” from an eBay seller named mgod_motor: https://www.ebay.com/itm/123452619440.

Part of my decision to order from this seller was because, unlike others selling similar “look-alike” products from China, he is located in and distributes his items out of Kentucky! Thus, shipping was fast and free. Plus, there was no chance of the items getting held up in customs, or me having to pay a duty tax on them.

Before the sale, I had several questions that Jason at mgod_motor was very helpful and responsive with. I also appreciated that this item included the two key parts that I would have to order separately from other retailers, the Middle Pipe and the Exhaust. I was very pleased with the transaction. And the product arrived very well packaged.

Removal of the old, and installation of the new, was relatively simple. The hanging hardware on the new one was a bit tight. Luckily, my good friend, Mike, who is much more mechanically inclined than I am, helped me with the install. We got it all put together in about an hour, and were out riding with goofy grins on our faces shortly there-after.

I’ve made quite a few upgrades and additions to my Honda CB500X, especially with regards to carrying my camera gear to photo shoots. Now that I’ve been riding with the Ebay Exhaust for about a month, I can honestly say it was one of the best $100 I’ve spent on my bike! The deep, throaty growl has completely transformed this compact motorcycle’s personality. Yet at the same time, it’s not so loud that it’s offensive to my friends and neighbors.

I absolutely love it!!!

Lofton & Lofton Law Firm

As a full-time professional photographer, I have the honor of meeting and working with a lot of different law firms and attorneys. The team at Lofton & Lofton were very responsive, personable, and knowledgeable. They were an absolute delight to work! I would highly recommend them!!!

Trident Healthcare Holiday Party

It’s been our pleasure to photograph the Trident Healthcare Christmas Party for the last several years. They are such a great group. And the couples really seem to appreciate having a nice portrait of themselves, all dressed up in their festive attire!

Aside from setup shots of the banquet hall, and candids of the party, for most of the guests the highlight is our print-on-site Portrait Station! I’ve included a few behind-the-scenes shots of my setup. But basically, I create a mini-portrait studio, using wireless Nikon SB-800 flashes, Manfrotto light-stands, and Westcott umbrellas. I photograph each couple with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 24-70, while it’s tethered to my Lenovo Yoga laptop via Adobe Lightroom. After shooting a few test shots before guests arrive, I create a custom preset in Lightroom (including parameters such as white balance, exposure, and contrast) so that every shot comes out perfect and consistent. After capturing two or three quick shots of each couple, I bring them over to the laptop, where they get to immediately see the images and pick out their favorite. I then print out a beautiful 5×7 portrait of that image using the high-speed DNP DS-40 Dye Sublimation Printer, slip it into an elegant black folio, and hand it to them. Couples LOVE the instant gratification of being able to walk away with their portrait in hand!!!

We always enjoy working with the amazing team at Trident. I can’t wait to do it again next year!!!

Behind-the-Scenes Fashion Shoot

Today’s photo shoot finds me at Pixel Studios, where I’m photographing a high-key fashion shoot for an upcoming style book called Thirty Classic Garments.

Follow along on this behind-the-scenes video. Created with the help of studio owner and fellow photographer, LeRoy, we discuss the high-key lighting setup, using gels to color the background, and switching to neutral gray for a different look. We also go through how to shoot tethered to a laptop. And of course we talk about Nikon vs Canon vs Sony vs Panasonic vs Olympus vs Everybody Else!

Look for Sarah & Julie’s new book, Thirty Classic Garments, in stores soon. In the meantime, check out their previous book, The Tunic Bible at: https://goo.gl/Dj4ahm.

Visit out Pixel Studios at: https://goo.gl/CAo4Sm.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments. I always respond. If you like this video, please give us a Thumbs Up, Subscribe to the channel, and Share with all your friends and family!

GEAR FOR THIS SHOOT: Nikon D850 (http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/…) Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 (https://goo.gl/HFXUgF) Alien Bee Strobes (http://www.alienbees.com/flash.html) Lenove Yoga 900 (https://goo.gl/YKyVN1).

Fashion Designs for Classic Sewing

My good friends and ingenious designers, Julie Starr and Sarah Gunn, are back with another beautiful sewing project!!! After an overwhelming response from their first publication, the Tunic Bible, they have teamed up again to produce a book called Thirty Classic Garments.

I was honored that they would ask me back to photograph some of their fashion pieces for the new publication. We rented Pixel Studios, which was the perfect location for the assignment. LeRoy, the owner of the studio, was so helpful and such fun to work with. In spite of the dreary rainy day, we were warm and dry inside as we captured some great images of their beautiful fashion designs!

Look for their new book in stores soon…

Giving Thanks

At Chris & Cami Photography, we like to pause this time of year to give thanks to all our amazing clients!

It’s been an honor and a privilege to photograph your weddings, events, headshots, business photos, family portraits, maternity sessions, boudoir shoots, high-school seniors, promotional images, aerial drone photos, sporting events, interior/architecture photos, engagement sessions, corporate conferences, and more.

We value your business, and your friendship. We look forward to working with you again soon!!!