Russell Family at The Ocean Course

I did a little “rain dance” in my car on my way out to Kiawah Island last night. I was under a clearing in the sky. But all around me dark storm clouds threatened!

It must have worked because the rains held off just long enough for The Russell’s and I to squeeze in an AMAZING family portrait session at The Ocean Course! We may have had to dance around a few raindrops here and there. But the empty beach, the dramatic light, and the SPECTACULAR sunset was so worth it.

I had so much fun with the Russell Family! Their positive energy and adventurous spirit truly paid off. Lots of families would have walked away at the sight of those clouds. But they decided to go for it…and I’m so glad they did! We had an absolute BLAST and came away with some incredibly beautiful images to commemorate their time together this summer. 🙂

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Cripe Family on Kiawah Island

It rained all day…gray and dreary. But just before it was time to meet up with the Cripe Family for their family portrait session on Kiawah Island, the rain moved off and the skies cleared up!  🙂

Now living in Indianapolis, James had done his residency in Charleston at the Medical University of South Carolina years ago. So when they decided to take a little vacation, they decided to try Charleston!  The whole family had a great time relaxing on Kiawah Island, where little Caden absolutely fell in love with the ocean. We could hardly keep him out of it!

I had so much fun hanging our with this beautiful family, and capturing these fond memories of their time together. I think we’ll be seeing more of the Cripes in the future!!!

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Evans Family on Kiawah Island

Last year was the first year we had missed our annual “Evans Family Sunrise Shoot” on Kiawah Island for half a decade. It’s been so much fun watching their kids grow into young adults over the years! Having that gap last year made me realize how quickly they grow. I could hardly believe how big Quinn had gotten!!!

In the wee predawn hours, a pocket of rain rolled up the coast. But luckily the storm moved on just in time for us to enjoy a really peaceful morning! Temperatures were mild, having been cooled off by the rain. And there was a quiet calmness on the beach I hadn’t experienced in a while…almost no wind at all!

As usual, Geraldine had everyone dressed in coordinating outfits, all lined up and ready to go on schedule! From blue-hour till breakfast, we had so much fun clowning around and capturing fun images of their amazing family.  It was wonderful to experience another sunrise together!

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Nikkor 500mm f5.6E PF ED VR

My good friend and AMAZING photographer, David Archer (www.davidarcherimages.com), was kind enough to loan me his new Nikon Nikkor 500mm f5.6 PF ED VR lens for evaluation!

Unfortunately it was during a busy time of year. So I didn’t get to do a full review or a comparison video against it’s younger sibling, the 300mm f4.0E PF ED VR. Hopefully I’ll have time to get back and do that with David.

But for now, let me just say that I am VERY impressed!!! In fact, I’m probably even more impressed with this lens than when I bought the 300mm PF, which I thought was absolutely ground-breaking! This new technology Nikon is throwing into their ultra compact and light-weight Phase Fresnel series of lenses is just magnificent!!!

I really enjoyed shooting with this super lightweight, wickedly sharp, and extremely portable telephoto lens. Most of the time I used it on the Nikon D500, giving me an effective focal length of 750mm. I even tried some with the TC14eIII 1.4x converter, giving me 1050mm of reach!

300PF
300mm f4 = 420mm f5.6 with TC14eIII
300mm f4 = 450mm f4 on DX
300mm f4 = 630mm f5.6 with TC14eIII on DX

500PF
500mm f5.6 = 700mm f8 with TC14eIII
500mm f5.6 = 750mm on DX
500mm f5.6 = 1050mm f8 with TC14eIII on DX

All total, I probably only had about 90 minutes of actual shooting time with the 500mm PF in less-than-optimal lighting conditions. Here are some of the results. I can’t imagine what I’d be able to capture if this lens somehow found a permanent place in my bag…

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Huntington Family at Ocean Park

The Huntington family is growing!!! Last year I got to photograph their family portraits when they were only three. Mason is a super happy bundle of energy. And this year they added sweet adorable little Emma! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with them and photographing some updated family portraits together. We met at the picturesque Ocean Park near The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. It was a beautiful morning with soft light, mild temperatures, and lots of wildlife activity all around us.

CONGRATULATIONS to Will & Rebecca on their new addition!!!

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Conaghan Family at The Ocean Course

Oddly enough, none of the Conaghan’s, nor myself, are big golf fans. With a family history from Scotland, you’d think that was kind of strange. But guess what! We all shared a passion for “The Beautiful Game” of soccer…or “true” football as it’s known overseas. 🙂

Still, the famous Ocean Course was close to their summer vacation home on Kiawah Island. And it has one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the Charleston area! So we met there and had a FANTASTIC evening of fun and fellowship while photographing a variety of family portraits together!!!

Many thanks to the Conaghan Family for being such a kind and delightful group to work with.

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Zach’s Surprise Proposal to Starr on Kiawah Island

Even hurricane Isaias couldn’t stop Zach’s AMAZING Secret Proposal to Starr from happening!

I had so much fun working with Zach in the weeks leading up to the big day as we planned every detail of his proposal.  He and Starr had been together for 5 years…the timing just seemed right. He was going to do it on the beach in front of their Shipwatch Villa on Kiawah Island on Monday evening, the night of the full moon. But just days before their trip began, Hurricane Isaias decided it was going to make Monday a very wet and windy day!

Zach was bound and determined to make his proposal to Starr a truly special one! So we pivoted to Sunday afternoon instead. And it worked out PERFECT!!! We had a nice “calm before the storm” evening, with gorgeous clouds and beautiful light to work with. Starr was super surprised! And Zach said he was actually glad we’d moved it up a day because keeping that gorgeous ring hidden for another day would have made him a nervous wreck!  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Zach and Starr!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Guin Family at The Sanctuary

I had so much fun photographing the Guin Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island again this year. They have easily become one of my favorite repeat-families to work with!!! Everyone’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and positive energy is so refreshing! 🙂

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Allyson & Ron’s Surprise Proposal on Kiawah Island

I was struck by the strength and sincerity in Ron’s voice when he called a few weeks ago to ask if I could photograph his secret proposal to Allyson. I could tell he was a good guy.  And he clearly wanted to make sure everything was absolutely PERFECT for his beautiful girlfriend!

We had a great scheming together and hashing out a plan for this special moment. But when Friday arrived, afternoon storms threatened our chances. Things just didn’t seem to be falling into place as planned. We quickly pivoted to the following day. And I’m so glad we did. It was an absolutely SPECTACULAR evening for Ron’s proposal!

Arriving early, I set everything up on the beach in front of The Ocean Course Clubhouse on Kiawah Island. Ron had told her they were going to the Ryder Cub Bar for drinks, but wanted to go out and take a few “selfies” on the beach before going in.  Allyson was stunning in her colorful summer dress.  She had her phone out and was ready to go. What a COMPLETE surprised when instead of getting in the “selfie” with her, he dropped to one knee, and asked her to be his wife!!!  It was an absolutely magical moment.  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Allyson & Ron! You two are so perfect for each other. We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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The Glahn Family at The Sanctuary

With only a few more weeks before school starts back, I’ve been having so much fun photographing all our repeat family beach sessions this summer. Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a brand new family…and they turned out to be such a delight to work with!!!
 
I met up with the Glahn Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, where they were enjoying a fun family get-away before their girls go back to school. With McKenna involved in dance, and Ryleigh into gymnastics, you can imagine how hectic this family’s life is back home! It was wonderful to see them decompressing from daily life, and truly enjoying their time together.
 
I couldn’t have asked for a prettier day. And I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful family to spend the evening with! Many thanks to Jimmy & Jen for selecting me to be their photographer. I hope they become one of our many fabulous “boomerangs” as they return each year to create new memories together!!!
 
P.S.  As an added bonus, I got to stop and photograph Comet Neowise again on my way home.  🙂

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Riley & Tommy’s Surprise Proposal at The Ocean Course

Being a part of some of the most special moments in a family’s life always makes me feel so humbled and so blessed!!!

This weekend I had the honor of photographing Tommy’s surprise wedding proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Riley! He had made special arrangements for cocktails and dinner in The Atlantic Room at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. After Riley got settled and had a drink in hand, Tommy excused himself for a minute. He had stashed a gorgeous bouquet of flowers with a note inside. Returning with the bouquet, he have Riley a kiss and told her to read the note, which instructed her to meet him outside by the famous Rolex clock-tower in 5 minutes.

Tommy had picked the iconic clock-tower as the backdrop for this special moment. For many golfers, a photograph with the famous clock tower is a “bucket-list” item. It’s one of the most photographed landmarks on Kiawah Island! Who can forget that iconic 1991 Ryder Cup battle when The United States team won the competition by 14½ to 13½ points, with a last-minute clincher on the 18th hole of the final match?!? With the nation glued to their televisions, it was the first win for the U.S. since 1983!!!

But more importantly to Tommy, it would serve as a reminder for Riley of the exact minute when he took to his knee and asked her to be his wife. 🙂 After Riley said “YES”, Tommy had another surprise for her. Turning around, she saw her parents and his parents coming around the corner to congratulate them. Running over to exchange hugs with everyone, the excitement and energy of the moment was truly palpable!

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day for Tommy & Riley. It was an absolutely gorgeous summer evening. But the icing on the cake came when I was driving home and saw the amazing Neowise Comet descending on the horizon!!! Major comets, like Haley’s Comet in 1986, don’t come around but once every 25-40 years. This particular one has such a huge trajectory that it won’t be back in earth’s atmosphere for some 6,800 years!

CONGRATULATIONS to Riley & Tommy! How special is that to know your engagement took place during a celestial show that won’t happen again for thousands of years?!? We wish you all the best as you begin your own journey around the earth together.

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Grace’s Senior Portraits on Kiawah Island

When she called, Marianne sounded a bit flustered. She had nothing to wear.

Vacationing on Kiawah Island for the week, Marianne and her family hadn’t planned for family portraits. They realized what a great opportunity this was to get some beautiful and unique Senior Portraits for their daughter Grace. And I had suggested we throw in a few fun family portraits while we were at it!  So suddenly Marianne was scrambling to find outfits for everyone.

Fortunately this gave her a good excuse to do a little shopping. And everything worked out PERFECT!!! 🙂 In spite of an afternoon thunderstorm, the weather was beautiful. Selecting three outfits for her session, Grace was absolutely stunning in each one. And the family outfits Marianne had selected were awesome.  We all had a fantastic time together…even their 11-year old golden doodle, Bella.

CONGRATULATIONS Grace! You rocked it!!!

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