Zaw Family at Hampton Park

The Zaw Family has been in Charleston for 15 years. But they are originally from Myanmar (Burma). In the next few months, they will be traveling back to their home country to introduce Bennett to the rest of their extended family. Before they left, they wanted to capture some fun family portraits in their NEW home of Charleston!  How cool is that?  I had so much fun working with Bennett.  He is still in his oh-so-adorable age! Is he not the CUTEST KID EVER?!?  🙂  It was an honor and a pleasure to meet his parents, his grandmother, and his three amazing uncles!

The Lovely Law Firm

It was my pleasure last week, to photograph the Lovely Law Firm for Super Lawyers Magazine!

Based out of Myrtle Beach, the Lovely Law Firm specializes in personal injury and criminal defense. If you’re in need of legal representation, I highly recommend checking them out: www.justiceislovely.com.

All the attorneys were great to work with! We staged the shoot at an old historic train depot, located across from their offices. It made for a unique and interesting backdrop. I really enjoyed working with the talented team at the Lovely Law Firm!

Katie & Tom’s Secret Proposal at White Point Gardens

Under adverse conditions, with dreary weather, LOVE PERSEVERED!!!

It was such a pleasure to photograph Tom’s Secret Proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Katie. The two of them have been inseparable for 4 years now, having met each other for the for the first time under a Christmas Tree.  At least that’s the story, and they’re sticking to it!  😉  They currently live and work in Washington D.C., where they raise the most adorable warm and fuzzy rabbits!

Tom initially connected with me about a month ago. We had so much fun covertly planning every detail of the moment when he would ask Katie to be his wife. When the Big Day finally arrived, and the weather moved in, I think I was JUST as nervous as he was!!!  We went back and forth by text, and came up with a “Plan B”.

By the time our meeting point had arrived, the showers eased up, the gazebo emptied out, and everything came together perfectly. KATIE SAID YES!!! 🙂

Congratulations to Katie & Tom. May your new life together be full and free!!!

Turner Family in Australia

Cami and I have had so much fun hanging out with the Turner Family in Australia!!!

Cami and Kylie became instant life-long friends when they met at a CISV exchange program in their formative years. They stayed in touch, visiting each other whenever they could, even though they lived half-way around the world. Cami came back to stay with Kylie’s family in Australia over Christmas break one year. Kylie came to stay with Cami’s family in Ohio for a semester of high-school another year. And Kylie even came back to the US to be the maid of honor in our wedding!

It’s been some 25 years! But we finally made it to Australia so Cami and Kylie could be reunited, and so I could meet Kylie’s family. 🙂

While we were together, I took the opportunity to photograph some fun family portraits! Kylie’s daughter, Hayley, is an absolutely GORGEOUS young lady, both inside and out. As she said during the family shoot “we know who the REAL talent is in this family”…HA! It was a funny moment, but so very true. Hayley took to the camera like the superstar that she is!

Cami and I had a BLAST in Australia and can’t wait to come back for more!!!

New Zealand Travels

We had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL time in New Zealand.

Thank you so much Laura and Kevin for your generous hospitality. It was so much fun catching up with you, and experiencing this amazing island you now call home!

Here are a few favorite images from our week together…

New Zealand Harness Racing

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing New Zealand Harness Racing at the Nelson Harness Racing Club! It was so cool to capture these magestic animals in fierce competition, the pomp and circumstance surrounding this age-old sporting event, as well as the “best dressed” fashion contest. Many thanks to Laura and the Wild Tomato publication for this rare opportunity!!!

The Australian Open

It was a true thrill to be able to photograph the action at the Australian Open this week! I’m not only a tennis and sports photographer, but also a longtime fan and avid player of the sport. This has been a “bucket list” item for me to check off the list!!!

Congratulations to all the athletes, coaches, volunteers, organizers, sponsors, ball kids, media, and everyone else who helped make this awesome event possible.

The Lawn Tennis Association of Australasia was formulated in 1904 in order for Australasia to be eligible to contest the Davis Cup competition and for Australia to host the region’s Championships. 1926 saw a name change to Lawn Tennis Association of Australia and Sir Norman Brookes became President for 29 years. It became the Australian Championships in 1927 and the Australian Open in 1969.​​

Fast Facts:

  • The Australian Open was first played at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in St Kilda Road, Melbourne in 1905 as The Australasian Championships
  • Since 1905, the Australian Open has been staged in five different cities: Melbourne (62 times), Sydney (17 times), Adelaide (14 times), Brisbane (8 times), Perth (three times), as well as in New Zealand (two times)
  • In 1972 Ko​oyong Lawn Tennis Club became the permanent home of the Australian Open due to Melbourne attracting the biggest patronage
  • In 1984, the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia became a company, and then in 1986 began to trade as Tennis Australia (TA)
  • TA is the governing body for the sport of tennis in Australia. The organisation exists to promote tennis and conduct domestic and international tournaments on behalf of Australia, including the Australian Open, Davis Cup and Federation Cup
  • TA and the Australian Open moved to its new, permanent home at Flinders Park (now Melbourne Park) in 1988
  • The tournament was not held between 1916 and 1918, or 1940 and 1945, due to international conflicts happening at the time

AO Women’s Doubles Final

Congratulations to Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic on capturing the Australian Open Women’s Doubles crown!!!

“Of course it’s an incredible feeling to share this moment together on court. We really enjoy playing together. We improved overall I think every single match,” said Babos.

The accomplishment is made even sweeter by the formidable team they beat in the finals. Makarova and Vesnina were shooting for their first Australian Open title which would have landed them a career Golden Slam, having previously won the French (2013), Wimbledon (2014), US (2017) and Olympic (2016) titles.

As the official photographer of the Volvo Car Open, it was a real honor for me to be credentialed for this match. Hopefully we’ll see these four ladies vying for the title in Charleston a few months from now!!!

Loghry Family in New Zealand

Cami and I had an AMAZING time photographing the Loghry Family in their spactacular new home of New Zealand!

From artistic photos of their girls on a picturesque dock at Nelson Lake to modeling photos on famous Wharariki Beach, from aerial drone photos outside their adorable home to family shots at Queens Court park…it was an absolute pleasure capturing these wonderful memories for this beautiful family.

Kevin and Laura are such good friends that took us in and treated us like family. Their adorable daughters are so fun and full of life. Thank you all for such an INCREDIBLE time in your gorgeous new home of New Zealand!!!

The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort hosted the 2007 Senior PGA and the 2012 PGA Championships. It will also host the 2021 PGA Championships. The Ocean Course is only the fourth course to have hosted each of the PGA of America’s major championships.

The Ocean Course gained instant notoriety as the host of the dramatic “War by the Shore,” a battle decided literally by the final putt of Sunday’s final match in 1991’s Ryder Cup Matches. In 1997, The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf, with the world’s finest golfers from 32 countries competing in the stroke play tournament. The inaugural UBS Cup took place on the course in 2001, and in 2003 the course hosted the World Golf Championships World Cup. The PGA Professional National Championship was played in June 2005.

Golf Digest named The Ocean Course “#3 Public Golf Course in U.S.”, #20 among “America’s Greatest Courses” and “America’s Toughest Resort Course.” It is one of only 17 “5-star” courses in North America in Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” reader’s poll. GOLF Magazine has rated it #4 in its “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” list. The Ocean Course has achieved the designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Sanctuary System, and has recently been named “Golf Course of the Year” by the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The Ocean Course made its big screen debut in November 2000 when the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance”, directed by Robert Redford, narrated by Jack Lemon, and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron, opened at theatres nation-wide.

Charleston Winter Wonderland

During the recent Charleston Winter Story, schools were closed, businesses shut down, and law enforcement asked everyone to stay off the streets!

Having lived through the brutal winters of Michigan and Ohio, I’m quite comfortable driving in snow. But I wasn’t about to place my life in the hands of other drivers on the road, some of whome may have NEVER seen so much of the fluffy white stuff in their lives!

I obediently stayed at home. But I had lots of beauty to observe and enjoy out of my office window! It may have been cold outside. But the fluttering and flirting of the wide variety of beautiful birds in my back yard warmed my heart! 🙂

Old Sheldon Church Ruins

Known also as Old Sheldon Church, these ruins are all that remain of what was originally Prince William’s Parish Church.

The church was built as a chapel of ease in the English Georgian style, using the Roman Tuscan or Doric order, between 1745 and 1753. The traditional understanding is that Prince William’s was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War, rebuilt in 1826, and then burned again in 1865 during the Civil War.

As a trusted Charleston aerial photography team, we had the pleasure of capturing this unique view of the old ruins with our high-definition drone, preserving this part of history before it deteriorates any farther.  The effects of weather, erosion, and human traffic continues to have negative long-term effects on the failing structure.  Enjoy it while you can!