Caleb’s Senior Portraits

When was the last time you reconnected with an old friend? As the saying goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old. Some are silver, some are gold.”

Cami and I had the pleasure of reconnecting with our good friends, Jim & Re, this week. The last time we had seen them was when we photographed their daughter McKenzie’s senior portraits in March of 2023. So it was with great excitement that we met up with them to photograph their son Caleb’s senior portraits!!!

Caleb has grown into a handsome young man with a booming voice and an infectious smile! He works and hangs out in downtown Summerville a lot. So that’s the location he picked for his session. It’s a really cool area with lots of great backgrounds. Plus we ended up with beautiful golden-hour light that evening. We all had so much fun and came away with a ton of great shots for Caleb!

CONGRATULATIONS on completing this huge milestone in your life, Caleb! We wish you all the best for an exciting and successful career with the military!!!

NAEGA Reception at the Embassy of Mexico, Washington D.C.

As a professional photographer, I thrive on the energy of events that celebrate industry, culture, and collaboration. Recently, I had the honor of photographing the North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA) Reception held at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington D.C. This event was a remarkable blend of networking, diplomacy, and a celebration of agricultural trade.

The evening was set against the stunning backdrop of the historic embassy building, one of a set of row houses known as the “The Seven Buildings”. At one point, the Declaration of Indipendance was held in this location. And during the aftermath of the War of 1812, President Andrew Jackson and his wife lived here while the White House was being rebuilt!

As guests arrived, the air was filled with lively conversations, laughter, and the clinking of glasses, reflecting the networking among industry leaders and stakeholders from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. My focus was to capture the essence of the event – the connections being forged, the exchange of ideas, and the shared commitment to strengthening trade relations. I moved through the crowd, photographing candid moments of discussions, smiles, and handshakes that highlighted the evening’s spirit. The formal speeches provided another layer of storytelling, with dignitaries emphasizing the importance of collaboration in the agricultural trade sector.

A warm welcome was made by Carlos Ochoa, Minister for Agricultural Affairs. Excellent presentations were made by Ambassador Fajer, as well as Alejandra Castillo, president of NAEGA. The attentive expressions of the guests and rounds of aplause made for powerful images, encapsulating the night’s theme of unity, understanding, and progress.

The NAEGA Reception was not just another event; it was a celebration of shared values and aspirations. I’m excited to share these images, capturing the spirit of partnership that will shape the future of North American grain exports.

Wailin’ Wayne Weekend

When I travel with the Moto Photo Adventures team, we stumble onto some pretty interesting sights. Whether it’s the town of Mt. Airy, Andy Griffith’s home town, and where the town of Mayberry is based on…the abandoned Athens Lunatic Asylum…or the ghost town of Thurnton where a once booming coal industry has long since dried up…there’s always something interesting to photograph along the way.

I carry a pocket-sized Nikon Coolpix A, that has been converted by Kolari Vision Infrared to “see” infrared light. Plus I always bring my trusty Nikon Zf, a retro-styled full-frame mirrorless camera with impecable image qualtiy. For aerial shots, I carry a compact DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. And of course I’m always grabbing snapshots with my phone when neither of those are handy. 🙂

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our latest trip to the Wailin Wayne Weekend in Ohio. We had an AMAZING time, catching up with old friends, and making new ones along the way…

Professional Portraits for Frank & Theresa

I first met Theresa and Frank when they hired me to photograph their big Birthday Bash! Theresa was turning 70, and frank was turning 80. It was such a beautiful celebration with family and friends gathering from all over the country!!!

Frank has had an amazing entreprenuerial career, and has written several books about it. As he approaches completion of his latest book, he needed a professional portrait to go on the back…as authors often do. Lucky for me, they asked me to photograph it for them! Arriving at their home, I set up my wireless studio in their home, with the low-key look they wanted. Then we went outside for some environmental portraits during the golden-hour light. When we were done, they invited me to sit with them for a chat…hanging out and soaking up all their business-knowledge and life-wisdom was truly special!

It was such an honor and a pleasure working with Frank & Theresa once again!

McLeod Law Group

One of the best parts of my job is meeting new and interesting people!

The other day I got to meet an amazing team of attorneys at the McLeod Law Group. I was there photographing them for a profile article being written in Super Lawyers Magazine. Cooper Wilson was my main contact, who was super helpful with logistics, scheduling, and organizing their team. Mullins McLeod was the principal attorney, and had so many crazy stories from his time practicing law. Everyone was such a pleasure to work with and we came away with a variety of great shots for them to choose from.

Ultimately, they selected the one with the reflection in the conference room desk as their favorite! The images was captured on a Nikon Z9 with 24-120 f4 S lens placed just above the surface of the table using a Manfrotto tripod. To expose for the sky, I shot at ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec. To create a wall of artificial light that would balance out that daylight, I added 4 SB-5000 speedlights firing through 2 Westcott 60″ umbrellas at camera left.

It was an absolute pleasure working with this fantastic team of attorneys! They have an impeccable record and a ton of 5-star reviews. Check them out at: https://mcleod-lawgroup.com/?utm_source=GMB&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=charleston.

Boone Hall Plantation

I had the privilege of being at Boone Hall Plantation after hours this weekend. It was neat to basically have the place to myself…so peaceful and beauituful without all the tourists running around. 🙂

(Nikon Z9 + Nikkor 24-120 f4 S)

Charleston Charm in Infrared

After shooting a small wedding at White Point Garden yesterday, I decided it was too nice an afternoon not to go for a walk around charming downtown Charleston.
We put away the “heavy stuff” and I grabbed my lightweight Coolpix A that I had converted to see infrared light by Kolari Vision. I did a video about this camera and what I had done to it if anyone is interested in converting an old camera to infrared: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FsuIRK90wY&t=21s.

Being the last day of the South Eastern Wildlife Expo, there were a lot of tourists along The Battery. So I threaded my way through Stolls Alley, up to Tradd Street, and down the less-traveled parts of the old historic district.

Magnolia Plantation in Infrared

Work is good. Busy is good. But occasionally when I shoot too many assignments in a row and don’t have enough room to “breathe”, I feel my creativity getting stifled. It’s during those times that taking an afternoon off for a hike around Magnolia Plantation with nothing but my infrared camera can feel like a brilliant breath of fresh air!!!

Exploring Yemassee in Infrared

Had an AMAZING shoot this morning at Cotton Hall Plantation with the incomperable Thomas Malphrus!

I brought my Honda CB500X, named Trinity, with me to the assignment. After I was done, we took the long way home…exploring the southern charm, deep history, and whimsical beauty of that area. Some of our stops included: Cotton Hall Plantation, Tomotley Plantation, Old Sheldon Church, Brewton Plantation, and Bluff Plantation (also known as Forest Gump Drive).

All images shot with Nikon Coolpix A, converted to 720nm infrared by Kolari Vision.