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!!!
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!!!
Last week I was honored to be invited back to photograph the annual conference for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. Their Market Forecast Report was held at the beautifully renovated Charleston Marriott. With an excellent panel of speakers, delightful live music, and lots of networking opportunities, the evening was a huge success. Many thanks to Claire and her team for including me in another amazing CTAR corporate event!!!
It was an absolute pleasure to be invited back to photograph Earl Klugh’s Weekend of Jazz at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island again this year. I always enjoy photographing this amazing event with my good friend Michael Cyra.
Besides the great Earl Klugh, other amazing artists on the stage included: Chris Botti, Peabo Bryson, Deniece Williams, Patti Austin, Najee, The Rippingtons, Adam Hawley, Al Turner, David Lee on the Rocks, Joe Alterman, and many more! As always, Richard Todd did a great job as Master of Ceremonies.
I’m already excited and looking forward to next year!!!
Last week I was thrilled to photograph a fundraising gala for an important cause! Aloft at the Cedar Room was this year’s annual celebration of the Center for Birds of Prey, the amazing team that works there, and the incredible work they do for our planet and the wonderful creatures we share it with!
Kara Bale from the Center for Birds of Prey writes: “What a wonderful night! Aloft at the Cedar Room was a fantastic event. The Cedar Room is a beautiful space which allowed guests to enjoy and celebrate the beauty, mystery, and wonder of wild birds while contributing to their conservation and our own future. The energy in the room was amazing! Here’s a quick snapshot of our evening for those of you who could not attend. We would like to extend another special thanks to our top sponsors including Coastal Expeditions, Benefitfirst, and The Boeing Company and to the many others that made this event possible. More photos to come from the very fabulous Chris Smith!!!”
It was an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this great evening again. I can’t wait for next year!!!
Question of the Week: “Your light test dummy photos always blow me away. Do you have a behind the scenes photo of your light placement for head shots?”
This morning I was on location photographing headshots for a company based out of Maryland called Mercury. Mercury is a fleet consulting and services firm dedicated to providing independent, unbiased technical assistance and advice to public and private organizations. Key executives from the company were in Charleston for meetings this week. So they had me come out and setup to photograph updated head-shots of everyone.
Like the query above from my friend Kathy, I often get asked about the setups I use. Each one is tailored to the requests and desires of the client. I go over the options with my contact to come up with the “look” they are going for. Then I bring the appropriate backgrounds, lights, and modifiers to create that look for them.
In this case, I’ve got 3 Nikon SB-800 flashes set as Group A firing in a 50″ Westcott Apollo Softbox as my main light source. It’s positioned to give me what’s called a Loop Lighting pattern. I’ve got 2 SB-800 flashes set as Group B firing into a 60″ Westcott shoot-through umbrella as my fill light. I’ve got a single SB-800 flash set as Group C behind the subject. It’s pointed at the background, shooting through what’s called a Grid to keep the light source tight and to keep the light pattern circular as it creates a halo behind the subject. Finally, I’ve got a single SB-5000 flash as Group D on a stand high above the background pointed back at the subjects head to create a slight Rim Light or Hair Light. Notice that the subject will be standing about 5 or 6 feet in front of the background to prevent too much of the main light from spilling onto the background.
I’m shooting with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8. It’s probably zoomed to around 135mm. Mounted on the camera is an SB-5000 flash used as the Master. The Master flash lets the others know when to fire, and at what power. It imparts no light onto the scene. I’m using Radio Poppers as a wireless radio communication method between the Master flash and all the SB-800 flashes in this Creative Lighting System (CLS). I’m using Nikon’s new WR-R10 transmitter for radio communication between the D5 and the SB-5000 flashes. Nikon calls this their new Advanced Wireless Lighting (AWL) system. Group A and B are set at 1/16th power. But note that because I’ve ganged up more flashes in the softbox and because it’s positioned closer to the subject, it’s giving twice as much light to the scene than Group B. Group C is set to 1/128th power. And Group D is set to 1/256th power.
During the shoot, my D5 is tethered to my laptop, running Adobe Lightroom CC Classic. I use the laptop as a trigger to shoot test-shots of myself, which I affectionately call my Light Test Dummy photos. Paying attention to the quality and quantity of light, I tweak the settings and placement of each component in the setup. Once I’ve fine-tuned everything on myself, I’m ready for the first client. After each client’s set, I walk them through their images to make sure they are happy with them, and help them pick out the best image for their new company head-shot. They LOVE the instant gratification of seeing the images right away!
The beauty of utilizing wireless Speedlights as apposed to Studio Strobes is their versatility. I can gang multiple flashes into one light source to allow me to shoot at lower power levels, which let me shoot fast and not have to worry about recycle time. Or I can break them up into a larger number of Groups. They are compact and easy to carry. But the best part is, I don’t have to look for outlets or worry about people tripping on any power chords! 🙂
I hope this helps! If your company is ready for some updated head-shots, give us a call. We’d love to work with you!!!
One day, about 8 years ago, Jamie was at work processing client invoices when the phone rang. A nice man on the other end of the line had called to pay his bill. But by the end of the phone call, they’d had such a nice conversation that Brian, the man on the other end of the line, told Jamie she sounded so nice on the phone that he’d love to get her number and call again! She agreed. And the rest, as they say, is history. 🙂
About 7 years ago, Jamie was the Maid of Honor in Melissa & Kevin’s beautiful wedding, which I was honored to photograph at Middleton Place Plantation. Jamie & Meilissa have been best friends since forever! As the girls continued to hang out, Brian and Kevin soon developed a lasting friendship as well. Thus I thought it was so fitting that Brian eventually asked Kevin to be his Best Man!
Jamie & Brian’s beautiful fall wedding was held at Fendley Farmstead in the foothills of Canton, GA. The cool fall weather made for such a cozy experience, as family and friends gathered to celebrate the lives of these two AMAZING people, and the love they shared. It was such a joy for Cami and I to be there to capture all the exciting moments of this wonderful day!
CONGRATULATIONS Jamie & Brian! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together!!!
It was a chilly commute, but a warm welcome at First Citizens Bank this morning! I had the pleasure of photographing updated head-shots for some of the team members in the Summerville branch today. I always enjoy working with the kind and generous people at this bank!
Last week I had a fun assignment, photographing the Holiday Inn Express at the Harbison location in Columbia. Many thanks to Dexter and Kristi at Naman Hotels for trusting me with another one of their awesome photo shoots!
This morning I had the opportunity to return to Southern Current, which is one of my favorite clients, to photograph updated head-shots for several new team members. But the best part was, I got to photograph their adorable new mascot and welcoming committee, Basil!!! 😉
Last weekend I had an awesome invitation to photograph the popular CrossFit Charleston box in Mt. Pleasant. New owners, Holly and Clint, have done an INCREDIBLE job with the place!
The workouts are tough, but scalable to anyone’s level of fitness. They have every bit of technology and equipment one needs for peak performance. But the best part is the comradery among all the participants. Everyone was so encouraging of one another…helping to motivate each other…and partnering together for extra teamwork on certain exercises.
CONGRATULATIONS Holly & Clint! You are changing lives and making Mt. Pleasant a healthier place to live!!!
I have to send a huge shout out to my good friend and amazing photographer, Leigh Webber, for kindly referring me to this client.
Each year the team at Exaqueo gather in Charleston from all parts of the country for an awesome planning retreat. I was invited to join them for a portion of their time. We photographed updated head-shots, some marketing photos, and of course a few team portraits for their website.
They were such a fun, friendly, and kind group of people to work with! THANK YOU Susan and everyone on the team for being so wonderful!!!
