Wild at Wingswood Gala

Photographing the annual Wild at Wingswood gala for the Charleston Center for Birds of Prey is one of my most anticipated events of the year!

It’s a very unique fundraiser, where live raptors, owls, and other beautiful birds soar through the air, gliding silently over guests and attendees under the big tent!
The Avian Conservation Center and the Center for Birds of Prey are doing AMAZING things for our natural world. If you’ve never been, they are open to the public on most Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You’ve GOT to check this cool place out and see for yourself why nature lovers from all over the country speak so highly of this gem, located just a few miles outside of Charleston!

Check them out at http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/.

D850 vs D500

When my good friend and AMAZING wildlife photographer, David Archer, invited me to play with his new D850, I jumped at the chance! Thanks again, David!!!

I’ve read all the reviews, and seen all the stats. But what I wanted to know was how well it would stand up in those dim conference rooms and dark churches I frequently deal with when covering corporate events and weddings. The flagship Nikon D5 is my main camera. The D500 is my secondary. My question was, would the D850 beat the D500 in low light?!?

In my opinion, for what I shoot, the “Pixel Race” ended a LOOOONG time ago! Huge enlargements from any modern camera with a 20-24MP sensor will turn out gorgeous. So the D850’s huge 47MP sensor has no appeal to me. In most situations, I would probably shoot it in the Medium RAW setting, which is approximately 25MP. The REAL challenge that remains, is dealing with shooting in low-light conditions. I have yet to see a real-world comparison in this situation between Nikon’s latest work-horses, the D5, D500, and D850.

I already knew my D5 would be superior to both the D850 and the D500 at high-iso settings. Still, I brought it along and incorporated it in the test. There wasn’t even a comparison!!! And since my goal was to determine if the D850 would be a better secondary-camera than my D500, I simplified the comparison to just those two bodies.

David and I met for lunch at the delicious Ti-Ney Bangkok Thai restaurant in Summerville. I mounted my 70-200 f2.8 to a tripod. Because the D850 is so new, I knew I couldn’t open the RAW files in Lightroom. So all cameras were set to JPG. I mounted each camera to the lens and took 3 shots…ISO 1600, ISO 3200, and ISO 6400. That was it! That’s all I cared about!

Back at the work station, I imported all the images. Next, the D850 files were normalized to be the same size as the D500 files, bringing them both to approximately 21MP. Downsizing the 47MP file to 21MP surely helped improve the grain characteristics of that camera. But again, this was a “real world” type of test. In other words, if I’m faced with a difficult lighting situation, what’s the BEST low-light performance I can get out of each camera? No adjustments were made to noise reduction or sharpness in post-processing. Next to each high-resolution image, I also outputed a 100% crop. So the images go as follows:

D850 @ 1600
D850 @1600 100% crop
D850 @ 3200
D850 @ 3200 100% crop
D850 @ 6400
D850 @ 6400 100% crop
D500 @ 1600
D500 @1600 100% crop
D500 @ 3200
D500 @ 3200 100% crop
D500 @ 6400
D500 @ 6400 100% crop

One thing I did note was that the D850 files look softer than the D500 files. That may have been partly due to the JPG settings in that camera. Unfortunately I didn’t check to make sure both JPG profiles were the same. It also might be due to the fact that my 70-200 lens is calibrated to my D500 body and not to the D850. So the focus might have been off a little. But regardless, I’m very impressed with the D850!!!

What do you think?

Maisha & Danny’s Folly Beach Wedding

Maisha and Danny were married last week on a beautiful afternoon, in front of a gorgeous beach house, on the delightful island of Folly Beach!

Because Danny is the Executive Chef at a country club in Atlanta, and normally works on weekends, they decided to have their wedding on a Wednesday. Smart! He’s been in enough of his friend’s weddings on the weekend, that he told all of them: “Guess what! I had to take off work for YOUR weddings. Now you get to take off work for mine!”  🙂

Maisha is one of the Atlanta Rollergirls. Let me tell you, these ladies are TOUGH!!! She was telling me about their workouts, and all the injuries they’ve sustained…pretty impressive stuff! But not only is she a powerful young lady…she’s also beautiful! And I mean beautiful both inside and out.

Maisha and Danny, along with their fun and fabulous wedding party, met up with me in downtown Charleston for some cool shots before the ceremony. We started at Waterfront Park, strolled around the French Quarter, and even made it up to Rainbow Row. We had a BLAST!!!  To see the rest of their photos, head over to:  http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/maishaanddanny

Eventually, we headed over to Folly Beach, where the fabulous Rachel of www.eleventsandco.com had everything beautifully decorated. I had to give Rachel a HUGE hug for recommending us to Maisha and Danny. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect couple to work with!

The ceremony was led by Rev. Barbara of One Gal and A Wedding. And the beautiful music was performed by Corinne Gooden.

CONGRATULATIONS Maisha & Danny! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

Elizabeth & Jamie’s Rock Hill Wedding

Five years ago, I had the priviledge of photographing a beautiful wedding in Rock Hill. Elizabeth was a bridesmaid in that wedding! When Elizabeth got engaged to her boyfriend Jamie last year, she reached out to her friend to get my name. I can’t thank Ashley & Brit enough for their kind referral!!!  🙂

Elizabeth loves working with young people and is a youth minister at a church in Pawley’s Island. Jamie works for US Food, keeping restaurants stocked with the best products. They met at Super Bowl Party last year, and started dating soon after.  A few months later, Jamie asked Elizabeth to be his bride. Isn’t that awesome?!?

Fast forward to LAST weekend, when it was Elizabeth & Jamie’s turn to finally tie the knot! Father Pat drove all the way up from Elizabeth & Jamie’s church in Pawley’s Island to joined Father Fabio at St. Anne Catholic Church, where they joined these two lovebirds in holy matrimony. Elizabeth grew up at St. Anne’s, where her mom has worked for 30 years. It was a very special place for them to exchange their wedding vows!

Many thanks to Steve, my good friend and amazing photographer, for helping capture all the special moments of this wonderful celebration!

After the ceremony, a joyful reception followed at the Rock Hill Country Club. Delicious food, heart-felt toasts, and lively music kept the party rocking all night long! Alas, eventually the beautiful couple was given an enthusiastic send-off with cheers and farewells echoing into the night.

CONGRATULATIONS Elizabeth & Jamie! May God bless you as you embark on your new adventure together!!!

Heather & Andrew at the The River House

Heather and I are inextricably linked!

A flight attendant from Texas, Heather happened to be in Charleston a little over a year ago. It truly was fate that drew her into the small art gallery in downtown Charleston where our wildlife photography was on display. She fell in love with one of my images of a white egret soaring overhead. Not having her size in stock, we custom ordered one for her.

After Heather and I connected over this simple picture of a bird, she met and fell madly in love with Andrew! They were a match made in heaven!!! And what better place to celebrate such love, than here in Charleston?!? After introducing Andrew to our beautiful city, he agreed, and plans began taking shape. I was deeply honored when Heather, remembering her “photographer friend from Charleston”, asked me to be their wedding photographer!!!

Fast forward to this past weekend when, on a gorgeous summer day, Heather & Andrew were married under a majestic arch of live oak trees, on a grassy hill, overlooking the Ashley River, in a beautiful section of Lowndes Grove Plantation, known as The River House. Heather was absolutely stunning! The talented Loraine of Invitations Only Charleston made sure every detail was perfect. And the eloquent Kasey King led a touching ceremony.

Later that evening, Heather & Andrew met up with me for a fun “After Shoot”.  We strolled around the old historic streets of downtown Charleston, capturing beautiful images of their love as we went! For a grand finale, we caught the setting sun over the Ashley River as sailboats bobbed in the distance.

CONGRATULATIONS Heather & Andrew! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

Hadden Family on Sullivan’s Island

Yesterday was another WONDERFUL family photo shoot with my favorite clients, Lisa & Clay! I met up with them and their adorable daughter on the picturesque Sullivan’s Island for a fun sunset beach portrait session. Emma is almost a year old now. Isn’t she adorable?  It’s hard to believe how time flies!!!

Laurie & Allen’s Charleston Elopement

Laurie & Allen are the sweetest couple in the world. Being a part of their elopement to Charleston last week was a real joy!!!

I met up with them at the Meeting Street Inn where they were staying. After a few photos, a horse-drawn carriage arrived to whisk them away to White Point Garden. Laurie & Allen were married on the bandstand gazebo in the middle of the park on a gorgeous afternoon. It was such a beautiful celebration of love and commitment!

After the ceremony, the three of us enjoyed a fun walk around some of the old historic streets near The Battery, stopping for gorgeous photos along the way. Getting to know these two, and capturing these special memories for them along the way, was a real pleasure!

CONGRATULATIONS Laurie & Allen! We wish you all the best for a beautiful new journey together!!!

Megan & Chandler’s Secret Proposal at Middleton Place

What is life without love in your heart?

When Chandler contacted me several weeks ago with his AMAZING ideas for how he wanted to propose to Megan, I knew he truly loved her. It’s always so refreshing to me when I meet REAL men, who are kind, thoughtful, and selfless! I loved his enthusiasm and his sincerity…and I knew I HAD to photograph his Secret Proposal!!!

Chandler and I planned out every detail together over the ensuing weeks. Yesterday at Middleton Place Plantation, on a grassy hill overlooking the Ashley River, surrounded by old oak trees adorned with Spanish moss swaying in the breeze, Chandler asked Megan to be his bride! It was such an honor to capture and preserve this beautiful moment between two young people in love!!!

Afterward Chandler revealed the secret that he’d had the whole affair photographed (I love Megan’s expression…HA!), we photographed their AUTHENTIC engagement photos. It was so much fun to stroll around the beautiful plantation, finding gorgeous backgrounds to shoot in, and getting to know them Chandler & Megan along the way.

We concluded our session near the Middleton Place Restaurant, where Chandler had made reservations for them to have a delightful dinner to celebrate their engagement. CONGRATULATIONS Megan & Chandler!!! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together…

2017 Eclipse

After months of planning, I was honored to be invited to join a small contingent of photographers that were given permission and granted access to photograph the 2017 eclipse from the private grounds of the Center for Birds of Prey.

Located in Awendaw, SC, this amazing organization includes an Avian Medical Center, an Oil Spill Treatment Facility, and a very active Environmental Education Department. They are only open to the public on the weekends. However, they happened to be located in a prime spot near the center of the path of Totality!!! So it was a special treat for us to be invited to photograph from their grounds that day.

In spite of all our preparations for the big day, weather happened! I had visions of capturing every stage of the process and creating a wonderful composite showing the entire sequence. But the dark, low-lying cloud cover only allowed us a few glimpses through to the dramatic events unfolding behind them. At 9 minutes before totality, we saw our last sighting of the sun and moon. We never saw Totality or any of the phases following.

At first I was disappointed. All my photography friends started sharing post after post of clear views of the eclipse from other parts of the state. But pretty soon all their shots started to look the same. Suddenly, I realized that my twist of fate had landed me with some very interesting and unique images of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  The foreboding clouds encircled the sun and moon to create these wonderfully ominous and moody images!

Here are a few of my favorites.

Guin Family on Kiawah Island

It’s been overcast, gloomy, and rainy all week. I even drove through a short downpour on the way to the shoot. But by the time the Guin family arrived for our beach portrait session on Kiawah Island last night, the skies opened up, the winds calmed down, the temperature cooled off, and the light was spectacular. We could not have asked for a more BEAUTIFUL evening!

Having become a wonderful blended family only a few years ago, the Guins have been vacationing on Kiawah Island ever since. Now that their oldest son is married and moved away from the family home in Chicago, this is the only time they all get together!

It was an honor to meet everyone and capture some wonderful images for them to commemorate this special occasion.  🙂

Vancouver, WA

We’re in Vancouver, WA, where I’ll be photographing a conference this week. Strangely enough, my oldest brother and his wife moved here last year! So we flew in a few days early to spend some time with them and do a little sight-seeing. 🙂

Charleston Rugged Maniac

I’m always intrigued by the challenge, suffering, and ultimate triumph humans seek out in competitive sports. Being a sports photographer has its own set of challenges!

This spring I had the pleasure of covering the Charleston Rugged Maniac Challenge at Boone Hall Plantation with this AMAZING team of sports photographers. I’ve photographed this event for the last 4 or 5 years, and always enjoy the experience! It’s tough on the gear…keeping the mud and water off the equipment isn’t easy. And it’s tough on the photographers…I shot over 4,000 images in five hours of non-stop action.

A special shout out goes to Richard Ellis for capturing the image of me “at work”!  And thank you to the nice EMT staff for taking our team picture!

But being a part of the excitement these athletes experience is totally worth it!!! CONGRATULATIONS to all the participants for enduring and triumphing over this fabulous challenge!