Muro Family on Isle of Palms

It has been such an honor to photograph the Muro Family’s annual reunion on IOP for over a decade! This year, afternoon storms threatened to ruin our photo shoot. But Susan said we should “go for it”…and I’m so glad she did. It was AMAZING to see how big the kids have grown, and to catch up with this beautiful bunch of friendly faces. They always make me feel like part of the family!!! 🙂

Fitzpatrick Family on Isle of Palms

Traveling from Ohio, Judy & Colin planned a fun trip to the beach to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary!

I had the pleasure of catching up with the Fitzpatrick Family during their vacation at Wild Dunes Resort on IOP. Their kids and their spouses had also joined them. It was fantastic to see the whole family together laughing and having fun. They made me feel so welcome as we explored the beach capturing beautiful images for them to remember this special time. It reminded me of fond memories from our own family gatherings!

CONGRATULATIONS Judy & Colin!!!

Brown Family at The Citadel Beach Club

The Brown Family is growing!!! Little Charlie joined the family nine months ago. It was a pleasure to finally meet this beautiful young lady, and to catch up with the rest of the crew! 🙂

We picked a beautiful summer evening to meet at The Citadel Beach Club on Isle of Palms. A gentle breeze kept us cool, and kept the no-see-ums away. A receding tide left us with some picturesque tidal pools to splash and play in.  Just as the sunset splashed it’s colorful rays across the sky, a full moon rose from the ocean.  It was an absolutely perfect evening!

We had a BLAST and captured a wide variety of wonderful images to commemorate this year’s Wild Dunes family vacation!!!

Sessions Family on Isle of Palms

I had so much fun with the Sessions Family during their family vacation this year! Kathleen had rented the bright yellow “Banana House” on Isle of Palms for the week. Her three kids, and all the grandkids came in to town to enjoy a wonderful time of catching up and bonding together.  The adults looked a little worn out.  But the kids all looked like they were having a BLAST!!!  🙂

Muro Family on IOP

Last night was another awesome beach session with the Muro Family. I’ve been photographing their portraits on Isle of Palms every summer for 10 years! They have taken me in and made me feel like family. It is always such a pleasure re-connecting this special group of kind, generous, and amazing people!!!

Holder Family on Isle of Palms

I had so much fun photographing Amanda & Eli’s first official family portraits with their newest addition, Oscar!

Their family was in town vacationing this week at the Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms. So I met up with them outside their condo. With the gorgeous natural scenery, and the beautiful soft evening light, everything was perfect. But to top it all off, everyone was an absolute DELIGHT to work with!!! Ada was so cute and full of life. And at only 2 months old, Oscar was a real trooper!

Many thanks to Amanda & Eli’s grandmothers, who joined us to help out with holding Oscar and getting Ada to smile.

Johnson Family on Isle of Palms

Remember a little while back when I shared Hunter & Sydney’s AMAZING surprise proposal?!?  https://chrisandcami.com/hunter-sydneys-surprise-proposal-at-white-point-garden/.

Well, Hunter got is papers and was deployed to a submarine based on the west coast. He’s been hard at work, preserving our freedom and serving his country with honor! Now his ship is returning to port and it’s time for Sydney to join him.

Before Sydney and her mom embark on a big cross-country trip to get her moved to California, they wanted to get one last family portrait session together! We met at The Citadel Beach Club on Isle of Palms on a beautiful blue-sky day. Everyone looked amazing! We had so much fun capturing a variety of shots of Sydney and her sisters, the family together, and of course their adorable grandson, Tanner!

Sydney, we wish you all the best for a safe journey and a joyful reunion with your best friend and the love of your life, Hunter!

Lucas Surprises Callie with a Secret Proposal

I got a call over a month ago from Jamey who was interested in booking a family photo session…with a twist! Jamey and her family were going to be vacationing on Isle of Palms. She wanted me to photograph their family portraits on the beach. At the same time, her oldest son, Lucas, was going to be proposing to his longtime girlfriend. She wanted to know if that could even be done, and how we might work it out so that Callie didn’t suspect anything. After sharing some ideas with Jamie, and talking it over with Lucas, a doubly-devious plan was hatched! 🙂

Lucas invited Callie to join his family on their beach vacation. Jamie booked the family portrait session with me, and told everyone (including Callie) what day and time they were all expected to be dressed and ready for photos. Arriving for the shoot that afternoon, I rang the bell at their beautiful beach house, and went inside to meet everyone. As introductions were being made, Jamey explained that she wasn’t ready yet and to go ahead and start with a few couple’s photo of Lucas & Callie. Callie & Lucas had just bought a house together, and had talked about getting a few photos of them made during the family session that they could hang in their new home. So this all seemed totally natural to Callie.

After photographing a nice variety of couple’s shots for them, I suggested some casual candids of them holding hands and walking down the beach. We picked a spot where they would turn around. This was Lucas’ cue. He and I had pre-arranged which side he would walk on, which way he would turn, and how to drop to one knee at the turning point to completely catch Callie off guard.

It worked like MAGIC!!! Lucas did a fabulous job of hitting his mark. Callie was completely surprised by the whole thing!  And I just fired away, catching every moment of the excitement!  After she said “YES”, Callie & Lucas came back down the beach towards me. At this point, Luca’s parents and his younger brother, who were all hiding back at the boardwalk, came running out to join them and congratulate them!

We still had plenty of light left to photograph a variety of family portraits. And we capped off the session with some gorgeous shots of Lucas & Callie (with a sparkly new diamond on her finger) in the dramatic setting sun. BUT WAIT!!! The surprise wasn’t over yet!

After we got back to the beach house, Lucas told Callie she should go ahead and call her parents to let them know the good news. Little did Callie know, her parents had secretly arrived in town the day before. While I was out photographing the “couples photos”, Jamey called them to say the coast was clear. They then snuck into the house while we were doing the family photos, and hid upstairs. When Callie face-timed her Mom, she answered and pretended she didn’t have a clue. Thinking her parents were miles away in Georgia, Callie excitedly began sharing the “big news” of how Lucas had asked her to marry him.  While she was mid-sentence, Callie’s parents magically appeared on the staircase coming down towards her!!! The look of utter disbelief on her face was simply priceless!

What an AMAZING honor it was to capture Lucas’ Surprise Proposal to Callie!!!  Congratulations to Jamey and Lucas for pulling off a massive DOUBLE surprise!  And CONGRATULATIONS to Callie & Lucas!!! They are an absolutely adorable couple! We wish them all the happiness in the world as they begin this new journey together…

McCue Family on Isle of Palms

I had so much fun with Aimee, Chad, and their adorable kids on last year’s family portrait session! So when Aimee told me her sister’s family was joining us this year, I knew it was going to be a hoot!!! 🙂

It was a beautiful fall evening when we all met up at a beach access on IOP. The summer heat had finally cooled off, and the lighting was magical! The chemistry between the two families was hilarious. We laughed A LOT, goofed off even more, and came away with a ton of beautiful images!!!

Many thanks to Aimee for all her hard work coordinating schedules and outfits. 🙂

Celebrating Donna’s 60th Birthday on IOP

When Lisa called to secretly arrange for me to photograph portraits at her friend Donna’s 60th Birthday party, I was struck by what a kind and thoughtful gift that was!

Donna and her family had rented a beach house on Isle of Palms for the week. The night of the big celebration, they had a chef coming out to cook a delicious meal for all their friends and family. But before dinner, I arrived and took everyone out for some photos in the beautiful evening light!

We all had a wonderful time capturing these memories of a beutiful birthday celebration for Donna!!! 🙂

Murray Family on Isle of Palms

I’d like to say a HUGE Thank You to my friend Kristin Whitney for referring the Murray family to me. They were such a fun family! I had an AMAZING time getting to know their two adorable kids. It was an absolute pleasure to be with them on this beautiful evening and capture these special moments for them!

Brown Family on Isle of Palms

After the storms passed through yesterday afternoon, a glimmer of sunshine slipped through the clouds to give us a gorgeous evening!

I had the absolute honor of meeting and photographing the delightful Brown Family during their annual vacation to Isle of Palms with that amazing light. They are SUCH a fun family and the nicest people you could ever hope to meet! Plus, their children are absolutely ADORABLE!!! 🙂

I had so much fun chasing the kids and capturing these beautiful images of their special time together…