It was an honor and a pleasure photographing the beautiful and festive Holiday Gala for the Trident Medical Center this weekend. The event was held at the historic Francis Marion Hotel, one of my favorite old hotels in downtown Charleston! Many thanks to their staff for making everything perfect. Hats off to Deborah at Trident Medical Center for organizing everything. And a huge shout-out to Stacy Pearsall for the kind referral!
Kase just turned 6-months old!!! He joins older brother, Denver, as Lisa & Clay’s latest family addition. And an ADORABLE one he is, at that! đ
David & April Price have been good friends for many many years. But we haven’t seen them for a little while. Imagine our surprise when Cami & I arrived to photograph their “little girls” and found these four absolutely beautiful young ladies…they were all grown up!!! đ
It was so much fun photographing their portraits and catching up with everyone. Each daughter was so mature and amazing in their own special way…individual personalities coming together to form the wonderful bond of sisterhood.
Many thanks to the wonderful folks at Runnymede Plantation for letting us shoot on their beautiful plantation. It was an honor and a pleasure…we couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable evening with our good friends!
It’s been 4 years since I photographed Courtney’s father’s wedding. What an honor to receive an email from him, grateful for their beautiful wedding photos, and asking us to photograph his daughter’s wedding!!!
I finally got to meet Courtney & Will this weekend when we met downtown to photograph their engagement photos in and around the historic White Point Garden area. We “clicked” instantly! They are such a fun-loving, easy-going, down-to-earth couple…and shall I add VERY attractive. They were naturals in front of the camera and we had a BLAST!!!
CONGRATULATIONS Courtney & Will! I can’t wait to be there for you guys on your Big Day just a few short months away…
Help-Portrait is a community of photographers coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community.
This year the Charleston Center for Photography partnered with The Dream Center to combine talented photographers and volunteers, with a great venue for creating beautiful portraits for the community members.
This is an all volunteer event. It was an honor to be a part of the team this year! The families we served today would not normally have the means to affort beautiful family portraits on their own. Each family was professionally photographed, reviewed their images on a laptop, and received complimentary prints on site!
Many thanks to my friend Mahmood Fazal for inviting me to be a part of this oportunity to give back to our community during this holiday season of giving.
Cami’s friends Katie & Tim were in town while Tim’s company has him here working on a project. So we had the great pleasure of hanging out with them, meeting their beautiful girls, and creating some fun family portraits for them to share this holiday season! đ
It’s hard to believe Brittainy & Nate are coming up on their 5-year Anniversary!
It’s always such an honor when couples stay in touch after I photograph their wedding. There’s a special joy to seeing their lives blossom and their family grow. It’s been so wonderful to continue seeing Brittainy & Nate over the years. Now that “Thing 2” has joined “Thing 1” (HA!), I got to photograph some updates for Brittainy & Nate on Seabrook Island. Her family was in town visiting for Thanksgiving…so we were able to include “Auntie”, and “Grandma & Grandpa” as well. đ
Congratulations Brittainy & Nate!!!
Recently I’ve received lots of nice comments about the images I’ve been posting of marsh scenes and wildlife on the water. Most of these are done from my new kayak, which is one of the most amazing photography platforms I’ve found!
Earlier this year I sold my canoe. Great for 2-person extended-travel, Cami & I used it for week-long adventures through places like the great Okefenoke Swamp with our friends Byron & Kathleen, who also enjoy paddling. But in recent years we hadn’t used it much, and it had gotten too cumbersome for me to easily load on my own for short afternoon outings.
After much research, I ended up with the Old Town Trip 10 Angler Deluxe: http://goo.gl/BBIYis. It fit all my requirements perfectly and had excellent reviews: lighter than 50 lbs, stable on the water, compact but with enough room for all the gear I carry, and under $500. I tend to heavily modify my canoes/kayaks…and as a bonus this one had a design that lent itself to easy “Macgyvering”.
I made several paddles with it in stock condition to make sure it was the perfect ride for my intended use before starting the modifications. Since my primary purpose for the craft was to use it as a platform for nature and wildlife photography, not just a fun way to get into the great outdoors and get some exercise, I needed a means to travel farther than paddle-power alone could provide. I also find when working with wildlife, the paddling motion can spook them…so a means of maneuvering without paddling is helpful.
Thus, the biggest modification was to add a small trolling motor. I had purchased a good used one several years ago to work on my canoe, which easily swapped over to the kayak with a new mounting bracket I made. Mounting it in the back keeps it out of my way when paddling, and out of my view when shooting, but necessitates a means of steering. A simple pulley system running to levers at my feet allow me to steer with ease, while leaving my hands free for shooting. The controls mount beside my hip, providing 5-speeds forward, and 3-speeds reverse. Another pulley system allows me to raise and lower the motor when needed. Sometimes I’m in extremely shallow marsh where the motor (although having a surprisingly shallow draft) can get bogged down or caught in the reeds. Plus once I arrive near my targeted shooting grounds, as long as it doesn’t spook my subject, I prefer the “purity” of paddling.
The trolling motor is practically silent, has no fumes or emissions, and is the perfect way to add a little extra distance and “reach” to my outings. On this latest trip, I traveled over 9 miles in 4 hours. When you factor in all the sitting, waiting, and stopping for photographs, that’s pretty impressive. I probably used the motor about 60-70% of the time, and still had over 50% charge when I returned to the dock.
For the photography aspect, I typically carry my ThinkTank Streetwalker Harddrive weatherproof camera bag up under the dash. It usually has the Nikon D810, 14-24 f2.8, 24-120 f4 VR, and 200-400 f4 VR. Although I have a mounting system for a tripod with gimbal head for the long lens, lately I’ve just been shooting hand-held. I find when shooting birds, for example, they are much more comfortable with me hanging around if I slump down low in my seat, as opposed to sitting up and shooting from a tripod. In this position, I can tuck my elbows in nicely, and brace the other end of the lens on my knees for support. This keeps me in a low, non-threatening profile. And as a bonus, I like the look of the images from this low-to-the-water perspective.
Part of being a successful photographer is keeping your images fresh and unique. Is a kayak the perfect nature photography platform? I don’t know. But if most photographers are shooting from their car in a nature preserve, or on a hike in the woods, you might want to try taking your camera out on the water for something unique and different. Besides, even if you don’t get an award-winning image, it’s so peaceful and relaxing!
P.S. Make sure you have equipment insurance…just in case. đ
Yesterday was Sue & Tony’s 50th Wedding Anniversary!!! To commemorate the occasion, their whole family flew in from all corners of the country, and rented a beatiful home on Seabrook Island where they could all hang out, re-connect, and celebrate the wonderful milestone!
They had arranged with me to photograph family portraits on the beach across from the house once everyone was all dressed up for the party that night. The gray skies and spitting rain threatened to dampen our spirits and make us give up. But I knew how important preserving these memories were to Sue & Tony! And since everyone was so adventurous and willing to give it a try, we went for it!!!
Situations like this is where a photographer has to pull out all the tricks in their bag. So a little creative off-camera lighting was called on to add a nice blue tone to the boring gray skies. Since electronics and rain don’t mix well, each flash was carefully wrapped in my special high-tech rain-gear…also known as zip-loc bagies. đ With its excellent weather sealing, the Nikon D4 was selected as the right cameral for the job. And a sturdy Manfrotto tripod kept everythng sharp in spite of the low light.
I got soaked. But it just didn’t matter!!! I got caught up in the energy and excitement of Sue & Tony’s beautiful family as everyone rallied together to support them, love them, and give them their 50th Anniversary wish of updated family portraits!
One of my favorite Bridal Portrait sessions this year was with this beautiful and exhuberant young bride-to-be!!!
Brooke & Chadwick were getting married at Middleton Place Inn. Part of the provisions for getting married there, includes free access to Middleton Plantation for a Bridal Shoot. So a month before the big day, after the final fitting on her dress, Brooke and two of her “bestie” bridesmaids met with me to photogaph her Bridal Portraits.
Bridal Sessions are typically done about a month in advance. This works out great for several reasons. The final fitting for the gown is usually around this time, if the gown gets dirty there’s time to have it taken care of during the final cleaning, and it allows time for the bride to order her favorite enlargements to display at the reception or put in her Photo Guest Book.
For most Bridal Sessions, I bring my Nikon D4 or D810, Nikkor 70-200 VRII, and SB-910 (with RadioPopper Px wireless transmitter attached), all mounted on a Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod. This gets carried over one shoulder. I also bring a single Manfrotto 9-ft light stand, usually with a modified 24″ Lastolite EZYBox on top, a Boabags 10lb weight on the bottom, and a Manfrotto Justin Clamp attached along the pole somewhere. The EXYBox speedring has been modified to hold two flashes instead of one. I mount 2 SB-800 flashes (with RadioPopper Px receivers attached) into the softbox. Both are on Group A, acting as one unit. Why mount two? More power and better light dispersion. Attached to the Justin Clamp is a third SB-800, set to Group B. This rig gets carried on my other shoulder and balances out quite nicely making me mobile and self-sufficient.
When I get to a scene I want to shoot in, I set my camera where I want to frame the image. If there’s beautiful natural light, I use it! But if I feel additional front or side lighting is needed, I’ll add the Group A main light. If I feal some sort of “accent” light would ehnance the scnee, I’ll hide the Group B flash either directly behind her or over bride’s shoulder (out of frame). Sometimes a little rim or kicker light can make ALL the difference. The three remote flashes are controlled by my SB-910 Master flash, manually dialing in the power settings that I want.
Here’s the final image of one of the setups at Brook’s session. The wide shot below shows a behind-the-scenes view of the lighting setup I used to get it. The main light to her right creates a beautiful, directional main light. The rim light to her right provides extra pop on her hair and helps separate her from the background. Using the additional lighting allows me to slightly underexpose the background, while getting perfect exposure on her so that she stands out in the scene. Photographing this scene with natural light only, at this late dusk hour, would have produced a “muddy” image with muted colors and very little contrast.
Many photographers these days only use “natural light”. But all the extra effort, and gorgeous off-camera lighting, helped accentuate Brooke’s features and make this already beautiful young lady look her absolute best! It’s why we continue to go the extra mile for our clients. And it’s why Brooke LOVED the scene so much that this image ended up as one of her favorites, displayed as a 20×30 Canvas Portrait at the entrance to her reception for all her guests to enjoy!
I’ve known and worked with Amy over many years, first with her position at the Family Circle Cup, and now her new role at McCay Kiddy & Associates. Plus I photographed William’s newborn photos. Now that he’s a handsome, strapping young boy, it was an honor and a pleasure to photograph Amy & Bill’s beautiful young family during a fun mini-session at White Point Garden! It was just in time for the holidays too!!! đ
This will be my 3rd year photographing Lindsay & Hannah. It’s a shoot I look forward to every year! As you can tell, Hannah is like a mini-supermodel…alway so fun to work with. Lindsay, I think you’ve got yourself a winner!!! đ
