One of the BEST parts of my job is meeting new, fun, and interesting people!
I had a serendipitous opportunity to photograph the Rhone family on a beautiful Seabrook Island beach this morning. I say “serendipitous” because I originally had another assignment booked for today…which got rescheduled at the last minute. Later I get a call from Kim, hoping I might have an opening to squeeze in a family beach shoot this week. Today was my ONLY available opening. But their daughter wasn’t scheduled to fly in until late last night…and the forecast called for 70% chance of rain.
We decided to go for it! And the stars aligned for us to have a WONDERFUL family photo shoot this morning!!! In spite of very little sleep (Maddie’s flight got delayed), we arrived to clear skies and cooler temperatures as the rain passed through overnight. We all had a BLAST!!! It was an honor and a pleasure to capture these fun memories for my new-found friends. 🙂
Allie’s family has been vacationing on Kiawah Island for almost 30 years! Last year they invited Allie’s long-time boyfriend, Andrew, to join them. The beauty and serenity of the island struck him. This year, when they invited him again, he privately called Allie’s parents to let them know his intentions to ask for their daughter Allie’s hand in marriage at The Ocean Course.
Allie and Andrew have dated since before they could drive! 🙂 As often happens in life, they went their separate ways a bit during college. But neither of them ever dated anyone else…and soon enough they were back together again. It was just meant to be!!!
Gayla and Scott helped Andrew in coming up with a grand plan, and fill in all the details. They arranged for me to photograph the momentous occasion on the beach in front of the club house, where they would all hide to watch as it unfolded. Afterwards, a private celebration dinner was reserved in the Atlantic Room, overlooking the beach where they got engaged. Several close family members and friends, including Andrew’s parents, flew in to surprise them!
It was such an honor and a pleasure to capture this AMAZING moment for Allie & Andrew! CONGRATULATIONS on a perfect match made in heaven!!! 🙂
I love to travel. And I love photographing corporate assignments. So when one of my all-time-favorite corporate clients asked me to travel around the state to photograph images of all their financial centers, I jumped at the opportunity!
To catch the best light at each location, the planning and preparation had to be meticulous! I used a number of photography apps and online resources such as The Photographers Ephemeris to map out the best route so that I hit each center at the optimum time of day for which direction it was facing. I also used a number of weather apps to make sure the dates picked for each shoot would have clear blue skies.
Everything worked out perfect! And the shots came out great! Many thanks to the South Carolina Federal Credit Union for the opportunity. We’re not just their photographer, we’re also a client. If you run your own business and need an AMAZING financial institution to work with, I highly recommend www.scfederal.org!!!
Earlier this week I had the honor of photographing Frank’s Surprise Proposal to his beautiful, kind, and wonderful girlfriend, Lizzy: https://chrisandcami.com/lizzie-franks-secret-proposal/. What could top that, right?!?
Well, yesterday I got to meet the rest of their AMAZING family for a fabulous beach photo session on Isle of Palms. We had such a great time together!!! The most incredible part of the shoot was at the very end when the most SPECTACULAR anti-crepuscular rays turned the sky into a dramatic Hollywood movie set!
Since the radiant skies showed up after Frank and Lizzy stayed a little extra with me to photograph a few more engagement photos, I told them it was a sign that their marriage was meant to be! What do you all think? 🙂
WOW!!! I can’t believe I’ve been photographing the Nester Family every summer since Jeff & Suzanna’s wedding 11 years ago! They are such an adorable family. And they always make me feel like one of their own. I love these guys!!! 🙂
Here are a few favorites from our family beach shoot on Seabrook Island a few days ago…
I had so much fun yesterday, capturing Andrew’s surprise wedding proposal out on the beach in front of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island! It was an absolutely gorgeous day to get engaged. Andrew & Melissa are the sweetest, kindest, happiest couple you could ever hope to meet. We had a BLAST hanging out and creating some fun images after she said “YES”!!! 🙂 What an honor and a privilege it was to be there for these guys, preserving this special moment in their lives forever!
Many thanks to Delaney and Jacob for all their hard work planning and organizing every detail. You guys are THE BEST!!!
Our favorite clients are personal referrals from good friends and family. So when friend, neighbor, client, and collaborator, Mackenzie Citro of Just Kenzie Jewelry asked us if we could photograph her cousin’s beautiful family when they were vacationing on Hilton Head Island, we were so honored!
Celebrating their parent’s 70th birthdays, the Watkins Family rented a beautiful house in the immaculate Sea Pines Resort for the week. I met up with them on a beautiful evening, for a fun beach family photo shoot. On the boardwalk to the beach, a magical scene with the sun filtering through the trees reminded me of an enchanted forest from a distant fairy-tale. From there we continued on to the beach, where the evening light, summer breeze, and soft blue skies were a picture perfect scene every photographer hopes for!
The kids did great! And everyone was so much fun to work with! Many thanks to Emily for coordinating everything. And CONGRATULATIONS to Ron & Susan…may you have many many more!!!
A professional head-shot says a lot about an individual. If you’re still using an amateur snapshot, or worse a “selfie”, for your website, business cards, LinkedIn profile, and so on…you could be loosing business!
We live in a world where images are EVERYWHERE!!! Since the invention of digital cameras and the cell phone, this is the most photographed generation in the history of the world. So how do you make YOUR images stand out in the oceans of images that your clients are bombarded with every single day?
These same clients are making split-second decisions on whether you’re a genuine, professional, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and personable individual that they would like to meet and work with. A professional head-shot conveys all of this and more! It makes a statement about you. It grabs their attention. And it opens doors to opportunities you would otherwise miss out on!
Last week I had the distinct honor of photographing head-shots for the amazing ladies at the WithIt Professional Women’s Conference. These are the business leaders, the movers, and the shakers of their respective industries!!!
“We’re all a little weird, and life’s a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
– Dr. Seuss
I love this quote from one of my all-time favorite writers! I’m not calling Marri & Aldo “wierd”. But they are most definitely, one hundred percent, head-over-heals IN LOVE!!! 🙂
Having worked with Marri for many years (she was one of the decision-makers who hired me to photograph my first corporate event with the US Grains Council), it was such an honor when she asked me to photograph her wedding! I’ve come to think of her as not just a colleague, but as a friend…which made being a part of their celebration extra special for me.
Having grown up internationally, I was even MORE thrilled when I found out the man Marri had fallen in love with was Panamanian! Aldo runs his own business in the shipping industry in Panama City, where Marri is now based. I finally got to meet him in February when we photographed their Engagement Session in Casco Viejo, the beautiful old historic part of Panama City. We got to meet his wonderful family there as well. It was truly special to see how happy Marri is when she’s around Aldo!
Fast forward to last weekend when Marri & Aldo’s destination wedding took place at her father’s farm in Marshall, MN. Family and friends came from far and wide! Friends from grade-school, co-workers, and so many of Aldo’s family from Panama that they even hired professional translators, Chris Dimmick and Isabel Rodriguez, to translate the beautiful ceremony!
The family farm was decorated beautifully! In a natural setting surrounded by tall pines, under a rustic arbor on a carpet of lush grass, Marri & Aldo exchanged their vows. Emotions swayed the gamut…solemn words from the heart cascading into bursts of joy and laughter. I was glad I had my cameras to hide behind when tears welled up…and just as glad when they were wiped away by a spontaneous giggle.
I didn’t think anything would top that amazing ceremony! But I was warned that Panamanians KNOW HOW TO PARTY!!! The reception that followed is certainly one that will go down in my mind as the greatest one in my long career! From the amazing toasts (some of which couldn’t even be translated!!!), to the fresh-from-the-farm dinner, to the bottomless ice-cream cart, to the all-night-dance fest, to the bonfire after-party with s’mores…it truly was a night to remember. I finally hitched a ride to the hotel at 2:00am. Easily the longest I’ve ever partied at a reception…THAT is how much fun it was! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS, Marri & Aldo!
Ahora no sentirán ninguna lluvia, porque cada uno será el amparo del otro.
Ahora no tendrán frío, porque cada uno le dará calor al otro.
Ahora no habrá más soledad, porque existirán como compañeros.
Aunque sean son dos individuos, un solo destino los espera.
Vayan ahora a su hogar para continuar su vida juntos.
Y que sus días en esta tierra duren y quesean prósperos.
– Unknown Wedding Blessing
Grand children are THE BEST!!! Not only do they bring new-found love and joy into a family’s life…they also prompt NEW Family Portrait Sessions! 🙂
I’ve had the priviledge of working with Sara Gunn and her sewing partner, Julie Starr, on their amazing project, The Tunic Bible. With a new grand daughter, I was delighted when Sarah asked me to photograph some updated family portraits for them! (Thanks for the recommendation, Julie!)
The Gunns have a family beach house on Edisto Island. I’m ALWAYS up for an excuse to drive down to that beautiful part of the world…especially when they decide to do the shoot at the majestic Botany Bay Plantation! With some of the most AMAZING avenues of oaks, marsh views, and rustic backdrops in the low-country, I always love photographing family portraits in this picturesque preserve.
I can’t wait for grand-baby #2!?! Just kidding, John & Mimi…no pressure. HA! 😉 Until then, many thanks to the Gunn Family. Here are some of my favorites from their wonderful family shoot this morning…
It always blows me away, how quickly children grow!
Photographing the Haddens, starting way back at their engagement session, has been a real joy to me. Photographing their latest addition has been no different. Emma is an adorable, sweet, loving, little girl.
For her 8-month portrait session, Clay and I got to take her out for a fun play date. I even got to hold Emma while Clay was getting a few things out of the car. It was a bit like that movie, Three Men and a Baby…HA! We met at the Old Village Post House in Old Mt. Pleasant, wandering the surrounding neighborhoods for quaint backdrops.
Emma put a smile in my heart and a spring in my step that lasted throughout the day! 🙂
