Jessica & Dan’s Surprise Proposal at The Ocean Course

Dan contacted me almost 2 months ago about photographing his Secret Proposal to his girlfriend, Jessica. They are both from Madison, WI, and have been dating for a year and a half now. Dan knew she was the girl of his dreams…and knew that it was time to pop the question!

Dan told me that The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island was a special place for Jessica. So we hashed out the perfect plan for him to surprise her there during an upcoming vacation they had to Charleston. However, when the big day arrived, a huge storm blew through the area, almost derailing our entire plan! With Dan keeping Jessica occupied, his sister-in-law, Brielle, frantically called to try and work out a “Plan B” with me. I was already driving out to Kiawah when the storm hit. It was INTENSE!!! But soon after I arrived at The Ocean Course Clubhouse, it began to subside. And Dan was still game for giving it a try!

I am SO GLAD he persevered…because the skies parted, and the storm moved off-shore just as they pulled into the parking lot. Dan NAILED his part of the deal…leading Jessica to the “X”, which marked the spot, then turning to her to ask if she would be his bride! Brielle and his brother then ran out to congratulate them. And we spent the rest of the evening on a super fun, authentic engagement session. The best part was, the skies opened up beautifully for a gorgeous sunset! WOW!!!

As the sun slipped behind the horizon, everyone headed into The Atlantic Room for a celebratory dinner. CONGRATULATIONS Dan & Jessica! We wish you all the happiness in the world!!!

Hill Family on Hilton Head Island

With Tropical Storm Debby barreling down on us, we weren’t sure we’d be able to get our beach session in. But the Hill Family is an adventurous group!

I had photographed their portraits 4 years ago when they vacationed on Folly Beach. So I was super excited when Dave emailed to ask if I would consider coming to Hilton Head to photograph this year’s updates? It was so cool to see how much the kids had grown! Some of them, I hadn’t even met yet because they weren’t even born then. 🙂

We had an absolute BLAST, catching up, braving the storm (until it sent us scurrying inside), and capturing some fun family memories to commemorate this new chapter in their lives.

Mackenzie Family on Kiawah Island

The last time I photographed the Mackenzie Family was in 2020. Back then, the girls were only knee-high to a grasshopper! I was super excited when they called to let me know they were coming back to Kiawah Island this year and wanted updated family portraits!!!

We met up at The Sanctuary and captured some shots in the Butterfly Garden, which was one of their favorite locations from the last time. We also got a few fun ones in the Enchanted Forest out front of the hotel. Then it was off to the beach, following the winding wooded path. There had been some storm clounds in the area earlier in the afternoon. But our timing worked out perfectly with beautiful skies and gorgeous light from the late afternoon sun!

It was an absolute pleasure to catch up with the Mackenzie family, see how much the girls have grown, and capture these beautiful images for them…

Felder Family on Isle of Palms

Amidst a week of dodgy thunderstorms and opressive heat waves, we lucked out with a GORGEOUS evening for the Felder Family’s annual summer beach portrait session!!!

I have truly enjoyed getting to know this beautiful family. This year, we had a new addition with adorable Anna joining the ranks. She is such a sweetheart! And I loved how she had just dicovered the existance of her tongue…and was happy to show it off to everyone! 🙂 Plus it was a joy to see how much the other kids had grown and developed their own individual personalities.

We had a blast and came away with so many wonderful images to commemorate this year’s fun family reunion.

Massey Family on Kiawah Island

With 29 souls, the Massey Family was a big group. But they were all so much fun to work with!!!

Cindy and Wayne got the whole family together to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island this week. It was an absolute honor to photograph their family portraits to commemorate this special gathering for them. We started in the “enchanted forest” area in front of the resort, then progressed to the beach as the golden light of the setting sun arrived. From the posed portraits to the candids of kids having fun…I had an absolute BLAST with the Massey Family!!!

Many thanks to Cindy for organizing everything and making sure everyone stayed in line.  🙂

Muro Family 50th Anniversary Celebration on Isle of Palms

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Muro Family over the last decade or so. They truly are the nicest and kindest people on the planet!  I was together with them when they celebrated their 40th Anniversary. So it was super cool to join them for another fun family reunion in celebration of their 50th this week!!!

Glenn Family on Kiawah Island

It was such a pleasure photographing the Glenn Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island last evening. We had beautiful weather and came away with some wonderful images to commemorate their time together!!!

Kent Family on Isle of Palms

What a beautiful evening for family portraits on Isle of Palms!!!

I had so much fun meeting and photographing the Kent family at their beach house on IOP last evening! Although they were a little worried about how windy it was, there was no cause for concern. The deck behind their house was sheltered from the wind. So I took advantage of the soft open shade and photographed some “safety shots” there before we headed to the beach. That way all the ladies had a few shots with perfect hair before the wind did its thing. 🙂

I also grabbed a cool drone shot of them on their boardwalk. Then we hit the beach! We had beautiful warm “golden hour” light, a nice high tide, and interesting clouds in the sky for a gorgeous backdrop. Since the wind was blowing in a westerly direction, I faced them into the wind, letting the sun become a “rim” light, and used my off-camera speedlights as the main light. We laughed and joked and came away with a nice variety of great shots to commemorate their time together!

With their kids spread out from New York to Nashville, Al and Kay have made a fun family tradition of getting everyone together each summer to reconnect with one another. I love that!!!

Durham Family Edisto Island Beach Shoot

It’s almost time for summer vacation! That means it’s almost “beach portrait season”. I always look forward to this time of year when I get to wear flip-flops and shorts, meeting fun families enjoying their beach vacation together, and capturing beautiful portraits of them to celebrate their time together.

Kicking off this season, I met up with the Durham family on Edisto Island. They had rented a beach house to celebrate their daughter’s 40th birthday, and to kick off their summer vacation. I met up with them at beach access #29. It was a beautiful evening and we had a blast capturing a variety of fun portraits!

If you’re interested in booking us for your family beach portraits, call or email now to get on the calendar! Summer flies by and we book up fast!!!

Gracie’s Senior Portraits

I’ve been photographing Gracie’s family for over a decade. Every year they vacation down here on Seabrook Island, during which we pick a fun spot around town to meet up for a fun photo session.  I just photographed their family earilier this summer.  But this weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of photographing an entire session just for Gracie!

It’s been such a joy documenting Gracie’s life from when I first met her as a shy little girl! Watching her grow into this beautiful, confident, inteligent and independant young lady makes me so honored that her family welcomed me into their lives and allowed me to preserve all her life-stages along the way.

I know Grace’s parents are so proud of her! And I am SUPER EXCITED for what the future holds for her. Keep an eye out for this young lady…great things lie ahead. And please help me congratulate her on achieving this fantastic milestone!!!

Luke’s Senior Portraits

When Nikkole contacted me about photographing their son’s senior portraits, I was super excited!
Their family is from Indiana. But Nikkole and Luke’s dad, Larry, have instilled a valuable trait in Luke’s life. He prioritizes “experiences” over “things”. And since Nikkole and her husband, Chad, were going to bring Luke to the Lowcountry for some college visits, they thought it would be neat to have his senior portraits taken in a brand new environment, completely different from where all his friends back home were having theirs done!
We had a BLAST and came away with so many fun portraits to commemorate this special time in his life. CONGRATULATIONS, Luke!!!