Christina & Matt’s Wedding at Indian Hills Golf Club

As most folks know, I had a very unique childhood…spending my formative years overseas in Africa. Christina’s mom did as well! We share the unique bond of having attended The American School of Kinshasa (TASOK), we speak the same dialect of Kituba, and we fought the same strains of malaria! 🙂 So when Linda asked if I would fly to California and photograph her daughter’s wedding, I jumped at the chance!!!

The story I heard was that Christina’s grandmother, Mary, was responsible for this special occasion taking place. 😉 Christina & Matt have been together for 10 years, but never made things official. When asked if she would be coming to visit them in California for Christmas, Mary said something to the effect of, “I might…if I get to finally see my granddaughter get married!” That was all it took for Christina & Matt to say “You know what…we SHOULD!” Before anyone knew it, the planning of the party-of-the-decade was in full swing!!! 🙂

Although predictions of rain were in the air, the day of the wedding dawned absolutely spectacular! We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day. And I certainly couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful bride to photograph! Christina was absolutely radiant in her gorgous gown!!! Matt was looking pretty snappy with his red tie. Their son, Grant, was stylin’ in his matching black outfit. But the best part was the wedding party’s awesome shoes!!!

With such beautiful scenery to work with, and such a fun-loving group, we all had a BLAST creating tons of photographs, ranging from silly and fun to dramatic and timeless! Afterwards, their ceremony was held at the scenic Wedgewood club house at the Indian Hills Golf Club. Like the photo shoot, the ceremony had an up-beat joie-de-vivre persona, which I loved! A gentle pitter-patter on the roof began during the “I-Do’s”. So after the ceremony Christina & Matt agreed to sneak outside for a few epic shots among the gentle raindrops. After all, rain on your wedding day is good luck, right?!? (And trust me, it doesn’t rain very often in L.A.)

It was so great to be there for this AMAZING couple, and to spend time with my extended Congolese family! CONGRATULATIONS Christina & Matt!!! Remember…

“Where there is love there is no darkness.”
– Burundi Wedding Blessing

AM Conservation Group at The Riviera Theater

I always enjoy photographing corporate events…especially the holiday gala’s that are so fun and festive. One of my favorites each year is the AM Conservation Group’s Christmas Party!!! 🙂

As each couple arrives, I photograph a nice Christmas portrait of them. Using our state-of-the-art dye sublimation photo printers, we instantly print them a beautiful 5×7 photo, delivered to their table in an elegant folio for them to take home as a memento of the evening. The instant gratification of this print-on-site service is always a HUGE HIT!!!

Once everyone has arrived and had a cocktail or two, I cover the president’s address. His message is always poignant, and always made memorable with a magic trick or two! Everyone then gathers for a fun group shot before dinner. The remainder of the evening is filled with merriment as everyone enjoys dinner, dancing, and the always-popular gift exchange!

I’ve been photographing this event for 3 years now. Already I’m looking forward to NEXT YEAR’s big party!!!

Elizabeth & Tricia in the French Quarter

Cami & I were so blessed to have Elizabeth Hayes help us with all the financing and paperwork when we closed on our new house two years ago. We can’t recommend her enough to anyone buying a new home! You can find her at Carolina One Mortgage.

It was an honor and a pleasure to meet Elizabeth’s daughter, Tricia, and photograph some mother/daughter portraits for these two. We had a BLAST, exploring all the nooks and crannies of the old historic French Quarter.  We started at Waterfront Park and explored the surrounding area, photographing their fun personalities along the way.

Many thanks to Elizabeth and Tricia for making it such a fun shoot!!! 🙂

Jessica & Joseph’s Secret Proposal at Charlestowne Landing

I have a confession. Joseph and I have been in cahoots for several weeks! We’ve been sneaking around behind Jessica’s back, sending cryptic messages and false emails to throw her off our trail. Why? Well, we’ve been planning this AMAZING secret proposal for the love of his life!!! 🙂

This morning, the big day FINALLY arrived! It was so cool to watch Joseph lead his beautiful girlfriend down the elegant avenue of oaks at Charlestowne Landing, where he asked her to marry him on bended knee under a cathedral of giant trees.

To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has captured a proposal this magical place. Many thanks to Courtney and the fine folks at Charlestowne Landing for all their help in making this happen!

CONGRATULATIONS to Jessica & Joseph! You guys are amazing together! eHarmony should be VERY proud!!! 🙂

Jennifer & Rob at Harborside East

An advanced photographer in his own right, I’ve known Rob for a little while now. As much as I respect his work, to be selected by him to photograph his wedding is a true honor! We had so much fun capturing all the beautiful moments of Rob & Jennifer’s wedding at Harborside East two weeks ago today!!!

While on a mission trip together in Guatemala, Rob carefully selected a special ring, hand-woven by locals from native grasses, to use as a symbolic engagement band. Later in the trip, during a quiet, romantic moment, he asked Jennifer to be his wife! Isn’t that an awesome story?!?

Fast forward to two weeks and we find these two soul-mates exchanged their vows overlooking Charleston Harbor from the beautiful deck at Harborside East. Surrounded by close friends and family, cloaked in God’s love, this time they exchanged gold rings, and pledged eternal commitment to one another.

CONGRATULATIONS Jennifer & Rob! In the words of Solomom, “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Song of Songs 2:16

Clark Family on Folly Beach

It’s always such a joy to photograph annual photo sessions for families year after year! I get to watch how much the kids have grown, catch up with everyone’s lives, and get a more intimate sense of each person’s personality.

This week I had the pleasure of catching up with the Clark Family!  Plus I got to meet some of their extended family who joined us on this beautiful, sunny, morning-before-Thanksgiving on Folly Beach!!! 🙂

Off-Camera Flash in Daytime

I get a lot of funny looks and silly questions when by-standers and tourists see me using my off-camera light-stand, especially when I’m on the beach, and in broad daylight!

So I decided to take a before-and-after to show what a difference it makes. I’m using four Nikon SB-800 flashes, attached to my home-made Quad-Bracket, mounted on top of a Bogen light-stand. Each is triggered by a RadioPopper Px receiver, and controlled by an SB-910 mounted to my Nikon D4. All flashes were in Group A and manually dialed in at 1/4 power. Camera settings were f5.6 at 1/250th and ISO 50. The stand is placed 30-degrees to camera right.

Many thanks to the Clark family for another AWESOME annual family photo shoot!!! 🙂

Roberts Family Christmas Photos at Palmetto Islands County Park

It was such a pleasure to “play” with little Ellie again this year, and photograph her family’s Holiday Portraits. 🙂

We only have a VERY FEW spots left for Family Christmas Photos this year. If you’re interested in booking a session with me, call 843-324-8900 or email chris@chrisandcami.com ASAP!

Once the last few dates are gone…they’re GONE!!!

Hannah’s Senior Portraits

It was an honor and a pleasure to photograph Hannah’s Senior Portraits for her this week!

Hannah is a beautiful young lady and star volleyball player. Her family is from Texas, vacationing in Beaufort for the holidays. Being the free-spirit she is, and marching to the beat of her own drum, Hannah decided not to do the “usual” senior portraits that all her friends were getting done back home. She wanted something UNIQUE!!! So we hashed out a plan to do all kinds of cool portraits of her in historic downtown Charleston, picturesque White Point Garden, and gorgeous Folly Beach!

We had an awesome time and captured some killer shots! Congratulations Hannah!!! And best wishes for whatever dreams lie ahead…

Lindsay & Tracy at Hampton Park

It’s been such an honor and a joy photographing Lindsay & and her beautiful daughter, Hannah, over the years. This year, they took it to the next level by sharing their new EXPANDED family with me!!! 🙂

It was a pleasure meeting Tracy and his girls, Hannah (#2) and Catelynn. I love that they picked Hampton Park for their photo shoot. It’s one of my favorite places in town!

We all had so much fun together! CONGRATULATIONS Lindsay & Tracy…you guys ROCK!!! 🙂

Grace Under Pressure

I’ve been working on a big project for an up-coming publication. We had a few last-minute photos the client needed before wrapping up the shooting. And we knew that the beautiful and “graceful” Grace would be the PERFECT model for it!

It’s hard to believe Grace is still in high school. She has elegance and poise far beyond her years! We had a great time and got exactly the shots we needed on this fun fashion shoot. 🙂

Catie & Justin at Boone Hall Plantation

What a blessing in my life, to be able to share in the happiest day of other’s lives!!!

Catie & Justin are one of my favorite couples EVER!!! It’s been such a joy getting to know them over this past year on the many photo shoots we’ve shared, leading up to their beautiful wedding last weekend. They are such a unique couple, with a genuine love for each other that is pure and true!

I have to send a HUGE shout out to another one of my favorite couples, Jay & Erin, for introducing us. I had the distinct honor of photographing their wedding four years ago, in which Justin was Jay’s Best Man. Last weekend the roles were reversed, with Jay returning the favor…quite enthusiastically I might add!

The ceremony was held at the historic Boone Hall Plantation, on the rustic Cotton Dock, overlooking the tranquil marsh.  With such a beautiful backdrop, an awesome wedding party, and such an incredible couple, Laura & I were able to capture so many wonderful images of their special day!  Many thanks to Christy Loftin for making sure everything ran perfectly throughout the day, to DJ Wade for spinning those amazing tunes, and to all the other vendors that made this celebration so special.  To view their entire collection of images, visit:  http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/p336963658.

Originally from Delaware, Catie us a nurse. Justin is an IT engineer. There is an amazing story about how Justin & Catie had their first blind date whem they went out with Jay & Erin for an afternoon on their boat. It was the first time Erin had met Catie.  The two became instant friends! Naturally, Erin went to put Catie’s number in her phone. And when she did, she added her contact as: “The Future Mrs. Boucher”!!! 🙂

Well, Catie, you are no longer the “Future” Mrs. Boucher! You are THE Mrs. Boucher!!! CONGRATULATIONS to both of you…may your love go stronger day by day!

“In as much as love grows in you, so in you beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”
            – St. Augustine