Crowder/Stockham Three-Generation Shoot

One of the highlights of my week was photographing a beautiful three-generation family session for the Crowder/Stockham family!

I share a special connection with this family, since I grew up in the Congo (DRC) and attended The American School of Kinshasa (TASOK) with Sarah. And Sarah’s mother, who I call Aunt Elaine, was the MPH Hostel Parent at the time. Us MKs often refer to our friend’s parents as “aunt” and “uncle” because we feel like family, even though there are no legitimate blood ties.

While I was visiting my parents in Claremont, California, Aunt Elaine was visiting her daughter and grand-daughter, Morgan. Sarah was kind enough to ask if I’d be willing to photograph a 3-generation shoot for them. Would I?!? I told her I’d be DELIGHTED!!!

We started at their house in the hills, which has a beautiful back yard that is teaming with flowers and wildlife. Then we headed over to Pomona College, where Morgan is a senior. It’s a picturesque campus with great locations for portraits. We had a great time and came away with some fabulous photos!

It was such an honor being a part of this special family for the morning, re-connecting with our fond memories of days gone bye, and finally meeting Morgan!!!

Colorado

The Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Water Polo team has its sights set on a three-peat for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship in 2019.

The Sagehens are coming off of a historic season in which they repeated as SCIAC Champions and went a perfect 14-0 in conference play. The Sagehens went 22-11 overall and had impressive regular season wins over the Chinese national team and Brown before falling in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to UC Irvine.

Many of the experienced players from The Sagehens return from seasons past with a total of eight seniors to lead the team, including star goalie Morgan Stockham. This season, Morgan appeared in 29 games with an 18-8 record and 125 saves.

I had the distinct honor of photographing Morgan at the team’s training center in Claremont, CA. Many thanks to her amazing mother, Sarah, for inviting me on this shoot, and capturing the behind-the-scenes shots as I worked!

Roberts Family at Pepper Plantation

The soggy December rains kept ruining our plans for another annual Rogers Family Christmas Portrait.

But Dr. Lori of Belle Hall Eye Care is such a wonderful, easy-going, and understanding human being! She kept rolling with the punches. And on the 3rd day of the New Year, we FINALLY captured her family portraits at Pepper Plantation!  With ponies, puppies, and even a chicken, the session was a real treat.  Plus, at one point Ellie got a hold of my remote control and started taking their own photos.  So of course I HAD to jump in!  😉  We had so much fun!!!

We absolutely love this beautiful family to pieces!

Portrait in a Construction Trailer

As a professional photographer, I am sometimes required to deal with some interesting situations. But this one was a FIRST!!!

Several weeks ago, my good friend Jay hired me to photograph an updated head-shot for his business profile. I drove to the address he gave me…and this is what I found. Jay is a foreman with a large construction company. He was on-site, supervising a huge project on Daniel Island. So I got to make his portrait in the construction trailer that served as his mobile office!

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box…and work with what you’ve got! 🙂

AnnMarie & Mark’s Mountain Top Wedding

Earlier this year, Mark proposed to AnnMarie at the bottom of the ocean on a scuba diving expedition. How fitting it was that they decided to tie the knot at the top of a mountain during a snow-boarding expedition!!!

AnnMarie & Mark are close friends of Molly & Justin, who’s beautiful destination wedding we photographed several years ago in Charleston. We can’t thank them enough for the kind referral!

To make things even more interesting, AnnMarie & Mark planned their wedding for New Year’s Eve. So on the last day of the year, Cami and I met up with everyone at their rented cabin on the tip top of Beech Mountain, NC. Bringing just a core group of their closest family and friends, we could tell everyone was having a BLAST!!! The boys had already been out snowboarding that morning. The girls had been shopping and primping. Spirits were high, and excitement was in the air!

With a glowing fire in the fireplace, the intimate wedding took place under a beautifully decorated arbor in the great room. AnnMarie was absolutely STUNNING in her wedding gown. You could see the depths of the love between these two as Mark’s emotions poured out during the service, which AnnMarie’s sister conducted beautifully.

Following the ceremony, this crazy, adventurous couple, braved the bitter winds and heavy fog for some epic photo ops. At 5500 feet, their cabin was perched above Avery, the highest town east of the Rockies! The rugged landscape, biting winds, and dramatic fog made it feel like we were on the set of Game of Thrones!!!

It was an experience Cami and I will never forget! To see the rest of the photos, visit: https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/annmarieandmark.

CONGRATULATIONS AnnMarie & Mark! You two are so perfect for each other. We wish you all the best as you begin this new amazing adventure together!!!

Reviere Family at Hampton Park

For my last family portrait session before Christmas, what a pleasure it was to be with the Reviere Family!

Their son is a recruiter for a financial firm in New York. And their daughter just started medical school at MUSC. So they all congregated in Charleston to be together as a family for the holidays!

As part of his wife’s Christmas gift, Dee contacted me to photograph some updated portraits for their family…and yes, the dogs are definitely part of the family! 🙂 We met at Hampton Park for a beautiful morning session. I had so much fun with this amazing and loving family!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

CTAR Leadership Conference at Founder’s Hall

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors has served as the “Voice of Real Estate” in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina for more than 100 years, issuing statistical analysis of market conditions, offering legislative support to its members, and serving as the premier resource for all things real estate. This slideshow is a vignette into the story of the CTAR Leadership Conference, held at Founder’s Hall, located in Charles Towne Landing

Portraits of the Sevier Boys

It’s been a real joy for Cami and I to know Kevin and Nikki Sevier since they were just a young newlywed couple. Watching their relationship blossom, and their family grow, has been very special for us. All grown up now, I had the distinct honor of photographing their two handsome young men at their grandparent’s beautiful home overlooking the Stono River last evening.  Even though boys don’t exactly love having their portrait made, these guys did great and we had a blast!  🙂

Natalie’s Senior Portraits

Natalie is a bright, beautiful, and bubbly young lady!

It’s hard to believe that Scott & Sheri’s little girl is all grown up. Where does the time go!?! But we had a BLAST this weekend, photographing some wonderful Senior Portraits for this amazing girl with a big heart and a bright personality!

CONGRATULATIONS Natalie! We wish you all the joy in the world as you complete your senior year of high-school, and embark on whatever wonderful journey lies ahead!!!

Stephanie & Eric at Deep Water Vineyard

Last night I had the best time ever!

Stephanie & Eric met up with me at Deep Water Vineyard, which is where the Firefly Distillery is located on Wadmalaw Island. They had called ahead to get permission to have their engagement session on this beautiful property. What a unique and interesting location for a photo shoot!

I had SUCH A BLAST getting to know these two…hearing about Eric’s INCREDIBLE proposal in Iceland…learning about all the wonderful countries Stephanie has traveled to…and talking about all the big plans for their wedding! Along the way, we captured some beautiful images in the gorgeous late afternoon light.

It was an absolutely perfect evening. I am so excited about photographing Stephanie & Eric’s wedding celebration!!!

Blandford Family at Waterfront Park

Some days the work of a photographer is a real challenge…fighting the light…fighting the wind…fighting the heat…struggling to make a connection with your client. But last night’s fun shoot with the Blandford Family was the EXACT OPPOSITE!!!

I met up with everyone at Waterfront Park just as the warm glow of “Golden Hour” started to wrap it’s pretty light over our beautiful world. The mid-day heat had dropped to a pleasant and cozy temperature. And there was a wonderful coastal breeze blowing off the water.

I had so much fun getting to know the Blandfords as we walked around the park and explored the old French Quarter. They are such a great family…full of energy and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed getting to know them as they shared about their lives. We came away with some delightful images for them to commemorate their trip to Charleston! 🙂

The Trifecta

Being a full-time professional photographer often requires wearing many hats. Usually those hats don’t come into play at the same shoot!

One day might find you photographing professional head-shots for a client’s website. The next day, you might be creating product photography for a retail storefront. Then on your day off, maybe you capture some amazing wildlife encounter.

This week at the Center for Birds of Prey, I had the pleasure of photographing all three in one day!!!