Michael’s Secret Proposal at the Barnett Family Christmas Party

It’s been so much fun planning and covertly strategizing with Michael over the last few weeks!

Last night I had the pleasure of photographing the Barnett Family Christmas Party. This fantastic event was held at the gorgeous Governor Thomas Bennett House. But the highlight of the evening was when Michael came up to me and gave me “the nod”.

Knowing exactly what that meant, I snuck out into the courtyard and hid behind a big crape myrtle tree. As soon as I was hidden, Michael secretly brought his beautiful girlfriend, Anne Louise, into the courtyard. While Anne Louise was distracted by his sister (all part of the elaborate scheme), Michael dropped to bended knee and asked Anne Louise to be his bride! 🙂

Of course the whole balcony of on-lookers broke out in applause! MUCH excitement arose upon their return upstairs. And the holiday festivities climbed to a whole new level as everyone celebrated this wonderful profession of love and commitment between these two!

CONGRATULATIONS to Michael and Anne Louise, and to the entire Barnett & Cotterill families! This is a HAPPY HOLIDAY indeed!!!

Volvo Car Open – VIP Welcome Reception at The Cedar Room

As the Official Photographer of the Volvo Car Open, my job isn’t just to cover on-court action! Here are a few scenes from this year’s amazing VIP Welcome Reception.

This was the first year it was held at the Cedar Room. I must say, this venue at the beautifully restored old Cigar Factory is absolutely incredible! Many thanks to Graham, Lauren, and all the talented folks that made this year’s event such a huge success!

Of course the usual VIP’s from Meredith came out in full force. This year also saw all the incredible folks from Volvo, as well as other great sponsors like Lisette, in attendance. Tennis celebrities like Pam Shriver, Cliff Drysdale, Rennae Stubbs, and Lisa Raymond were there. Even the one and only Martha Stewart made an appearance!

There are many behind-the-scenes parties and events that I have the pleasure of photographing…but the VIP Welcome Reception is always one of my favorites!

Jeb Bush SC Presidential Campaign

I was sad to hear Jeb Bush suspended his campaign yesterday. After cris-crossing the state, covering his South Carolina town hall meetings for his Campaign, he seemed like a kind, sincere, humble, hard-working, and decent candidate.

“I’m proud of the campaign that we’ve run to unify our country,” Mr. Bush said, his eyes moist, in an emotional speech Saturday night after his third straight disappointing finish in the early voting states. “The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision.”

Here are a few shots from one of his stops in our beautiful state…

AM Conservation Group at The Riviera Theater

I always enjoy photographing corporate events…especially the holiday gala’s that are so fun and festive. One of my favorites each year is the AM Conservation Group’s Christmas Party!!! 🙂

As each couple arrives, I photograph a nice Christmas portrait of them. Using our state-of-the-art dye sublimation photo printers, we instantly print them a beautiful 5×7 photo, delivered to their table in an elegant folio for them to take home as a memento of the evening. The instant gratification of this print-on-site service is always a HUGE HIT!!!

Once everyone has arrived and had a cocktail or two, I cover the president’s address. His message is always poignant, and always made memorable with a magic trick or two! Everyone then gathers for a fun group shot before dinner. The remainder of the evening is filled with merriment as everyone enjoys dinner, dancing, and the always-popular gift exchange!

I’ve been photographing this event for 3 years now. Already I’m looking forward to NEXT YEAR’s big party!!!

Double Your Pleasure

I used to love those Wrigley’s commercials…”Double your pleasure with double-mint gum”.  J 

At my workshops, one of the questions I get a lot is “how do you get enough power out of those little flashes for big groups”?  Well, I double (or even triple) them up.  I have a couple home-modified umbrella brackets that can hold 1, 2, or 3 flashes.  Basically, a flash like an SB-800 puts out around 50 watt-seconds of power.  So if you need more power, putting two together gives you 100ws, putting three together gives you 150.  Another reason for ganging flashes together is so that you can use a lower power setting on each, thus increasing your recycle time AND extending how long you can go before replacing batteries.

This is my 3rd year photographing the ESPN Charleston Classic.  The event is kicked off with a huge Welcome Dinner on the hanger deck of The Yorktown, a decommissioned aircraft carrier.  At the event, I have to photograph a group shot of each team.  The first year, I brought my big AlienBee studio strobes.  Well guess what I didn’t think of…wall outlets are EXTREMELY rare and hard to find on an aircraft carrier!  The last two years, I’ve made life so much easier by using my wireless lighting system; no hunting for outlets…no McGyvering several extension chords together…no taping down cables. 

I simply set up my light stands with two flashes in each, firing into a shoot-through umbrella for soft, even illumination.  Each flash is set to around ¼ power and triggered via a RadioPopper.  I’m using my D3 at iso 640, f5.6 for plenty depth of field, and 1/30 of a second for ambient light in the background.  If you’re still using studio lights on location, I recommend doubling up your flashes.  You’ll love the freedom of going wireless!