Allie’s family has been vacationing on Kiawah Island for almost 30 years! Last year they invited Allie’s long-time boyfriend, Andrew, to join them. The beauty and serenity of the island struck him. This year, when they invited him again, he privately called Allie’s parents to let them know his intentions to ask for their daughter Allie’s hand in marriage at The Ocean Course.
Allie and Andrew have dated since before they could drive! 🙂 As often happens in life, they went their separate ways a bit during college. But neither of them ever dated anyone else…and soon enough they were back together again. It was just meant to be!!!
Gayla and Scott helped Andrew in coming up with a grand plan, and fill in all the details. They arranged for me to photograph the momentous occasion on the beach in front of the club house, where they would all hide to watch as it unfolded. Afterwards, a private celebration dinner was reserved in the Atlantic Room, overlooking the beach where they got engaged. Several close family members and friends, including Andrew’s parents, flew in to surprise them!
It was such an honor and a pleasure to capture this AMAZING moment for Allie & Andrew! CONGRATULATIONS on a perfect match made in heaven!!! 🙂
I love photographing on overcast days. The light is soft, the colors are saturated, and the subjects don’t squint as much. But sometimes the images come out a little flat and lack impact…kinda just blah. Fortunately, I have a great little tip to keep all the benefits of the soft natural light, but add a little extra POP back into the image.
Here’s a little technique I call “Speedlight Sunset”. My preferred setup is to work with 2 or 3 speedlights mounted together on my home-made triple-threat flash bracket. Having multiple flashes ganged together provides me with extra power, directionality, and versatility when needed. But you can definitely do this with just one speedlight as well.
Instead of using your wireless off-camera flash as a fill or main light, place it far back behind your subject in the corner of the frame. For best effect, I try to have it shining through a background element like some low-hanging leaves or a clump of Spanish moss. This serves to obscure the true source of the light, and also defuse the quality of the light so that it looks more like the real thing. For best effect, you should also add a CTO gel over the flash. Also known as Color Temperature Orange, this piece of plastic changes the color of the light source to a deep warm tone, like that of a setting sun.
I prefer to trigger my wireless off-camera flashes with radio waves. Nikon’s built in Creative Lighting System is free and will do the job up to a certain distance as long as the Master flash and the Remote flash can see each other. But to place your flash further distances away, or hide it behind leaves and trees, you’ll need a radio triggering system. I sometimes use RadioPoppers to trigger my older Nikon SB-800 flashes. PocketWizard is another great solution that’s out there. But with the new Nikon D5 (as in this case) and Nikon D500 cameras, I can remotely trigger my Nikon SB-5000 flashes via the built-in AWL (Advanced Wireless Technology). I just plug in the WR-R10 Remote Controller, and away we go!
Many thanks to Kelli and Tom for being so much fun to work with on their beautiful maternity shoot. Check out more of their images and see more samples of this Speedlight Sunset at: https://chrisandcami.com/kelli-tom-at-hampton-park/.
I hope this helps open up some ideas and possibilities for taking your images to the next level. Speedlights are small, light, and portable. But they can make a HUGE difference in the quality and creativity of your images!
I just about did back-flips in my office when I got this email from Kelli, one of my all-time-favorite brides:
“Hey Chris!! Hope all is well! So… from taking family pictures when I was 12 years old… to engagement… to wedding pictures… and now I want to ask if you wouldn’t mind doing maternity pictures?” 🙂
After tons of planning and adjusting, the day of the big photo shoot finally arrived. Kelli & Tom (and little baby Peyton) met up with me at Hampton Park. We had a gorgeous morning with wonderful soft light to work with. It was so much fun catching up with these two as we wandered around the beautiful grounds, capturing gorgeous images to preserve this special time in their lives.
Kelli & Tom have big plans ahead…moving to a new city, opening a new restaurant, and now…starting their new family. We couldn’t be happier for these two. CONGRATULATIONS Kelli & Tom! You guys are going to be the best parents ever!!!
I love to travel. And I love photographing corporate assignments. So when one of my all-time-favorite corporate clients asked me to travel around the state to photograph images of all their financial centers, I jumped at the opportunity!
To catch the best light at each location, the planning and preparation had to be meticulous! I used a number of photography apps and online resources such as The Photographers Ephemeris to map out the best route so that I hit each center at the optimum time of day for which direction it was facing. I also used a number of weather apps to make sure the dates picked for each shoot would have clear blue skies.
Everything worked out perfect! And the shots came out great! Many thanks to the South Carolina Federal Credit Union for the opportunity. We’re not just their photographer, we’re also a client. If you run your own business and need an AMAZING financial institution to work with, I highly recommend www.scfederal.org!!!
Earlier this week I had the honor of photographing Frank’s Surprise Proposal to his beautiful, kind, and wonderful girlfriend, Lizzy: https://chrisandcami.com/lizzie-franks-secret-proposal/. What could top that, right?!?
Well, yesterday I got to meet the rest of their AMAZING family for a fabulous beach photo session on Isle of Palms. We had such a great time together!!! The most incredible part of the shoot was at the very end when the most SPECTACULAR anti-crepuscular rays turned the sky into a dramatic Hollywood movie set!
Since the radiant skies showed up after Frank and Lizzy stayed a little extra with me to photograph a few more engagement photos, I told them it was a sign that their marriage was meant to be! What do you all think? 🙂
No matter how many proposals I photograph, my heart races with each and every one!
Frank and I worked hard to plan out every detail of his surprise proposal to long-time girlfriend, Lizzie. But when the big day arrived, there were “issues” with the spot we had picked. With my heart pounding, I texted Frank to let him know. He was AMAZING…able to think quickly on his feet so that we could shift the location for an even more beautiful moment!
Frank asked Lizzie to be his wife underneath a gorgeous avenue of live oaks at White Point Garden. It was such an honor to capture this special moment for them! Afterwards, we had a BLAST walking around old historic downtown Charleston, photographing some authentic engagement photos for them.
It was great to get to know this kind, caring, and wonderful couple. CONGRATULATIONS Lizzie & Frank!!!
WOW!!! I can’t believe I’ve been photographing the Nester Family every summer since Jeff & Suzanna’s wedding 11 years ago! They are such an adorable family. And they always make me feel like one of their own. I love these guys!!! 🙂
Here are a few favorites from our family beach shoot on Seabrook Island a few days ago…
My eyes are pretty important to me. Without them, I couldn’t be a photographer! I don’t trust their care to just anyone. Dr. Lori at Belle Hall Eye Care has been the angel watching over the health of my eyes for a long time.
A few days ago, I had the honor of photographing some promotional images for Belle Hall Eye Care. We had so much fun, and came away with some great images. I was particularly happy to find out that my young friend, Ellie, was joining the shoot to model for us! 🙂
If you are looking for an optometrist, Dr. Lori and her AMAZING team at Belle Hall Eye Care is who I recommend!!!
I had so much fun yesterday, capturing Andrew’s surprise wedding proposal out on the beach in front of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island! It was an absolutely gorgeous day to get engaged. Andrew & Melissa are the sweetest, kindest, happiest couple you could ever hope to meet. We had a BLAST hanging out and creating some fun images after she said “YES”!!! 🙂 What an honor and a privilege it was to be there for these guys, preserving this special moment in their lives forever!
Many thanks to Delaney and Jacob for all their hard work planning and organizing every detail. You guys are THE BEST!!!
Tani and Scot were classmates at Pelham Road Elementary back in the 70’s. Scot played football for the Mustangs, and Tani was a cheerleader. It’s the classic American sweetheart story! Scot asked Tani to wear his jersey one week and Tani happily accepted. 🙂 Scot and Tani both attended Greenville Middle School as well as Eastside High School. As they got older, the bond of the “Pelham Road Mustang Jersey” faded and, as often happens in high school, their lives took different paths. After High School Graduation, Tani went on to college at USC, and then to Furman for her Masters. Scot joining the Marine Corps, and studied at Lander University and Greenville Tech. After a deployment to Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Scot went on to a 15 year career in the golf industry. Tani got married and had two wonderful children, Brooke and Garrett, while parenting a step child as well. Years later, Tani and Scot re-ignited the flame of the “Pelham Road Mustang”, and have been inseparable ever since!
It’s been an absolute pleasure to get to know Tani & Scot as we planned, prepared and finally got to photograph their beautiful wedding last weekend! The pure joy, and beautiful energy both of them put out into the world is such a breath of fresh air. The way they laugh, cry, hug, and hold each other lets you know that they are TRULY living life to the fullest. In the worries and woes of today’s crazy world, being around these two put peace in my mind and hope in my heart. The world is a better place with these two in it…ESPECIALLY now that they have found their way back to each other!!! 🙂
I met up with Tani & Scott for their First Glance in a beautiful clearing surrounded by trees near the Ripley Point Marina. What a joyful way to start off their celebration! Family and friends joined us for a fun photo shoot soon after. Then it was on to the one and only Carolina Girl. I absolutely LOVE photographing weddings and receptions on this beautiful yacht! Ashley and the rest of the staff had prepared everything down to the last detail. Breezes swayed the sweet grass back and forth as we cruised through the low-country waterscape surrounding historic downtown Charleston. Tani & Scott exchanged their vows on the upper deck as the serene scene floated by. After a perfectly timed sunset photo-opp, the party kicked into high gear with dinner, dancing, and LOTS of celebrating!
At the end of the evening, a special surprise awaited Tani. Scott had secretly arranged for an 8-man company of marines to perform the traditional Saber Arch as the two of them dis-embarked from the Carolina Girl. It was quite a site, and quite an emotional moment! To welcome her to the Marines, Tani received the customary “sword swat” on the derriere, to everyone’s applause. Hand-in-hand, Tani & Scot then made their way down the dock, lined with excited friends and family, all blowing bubbles and high-fiving the newlyweds as they made their way off into the night!
CONGRATULATIONS Tani & Scott! May your hearts forever be full and free!!!
Graduating from high-school is a HUGE accomplishment in a young person’s life.
Commemorating this achievement with a fun photo shoot is a great idea! Not only is this because of the momentous occasion, but also because after high-school things get complicated and “life” gets in the way. Not to mention that you will never be as young and as beautiful as you are at that age…something those of us who are past our prime can attest to! 🙂
The other day I had the distinct privilege of photographing Lindsey’s Senior Portraits. Lindsey was referred to us by our good friend, Amelia, and her family, who all joined in to make the shoot a fun group outing! Her boyfriend joined us as well, which was cool. Everyone helped hold lights, suggest backdrops, and tell jokes to make Lindsey smile…it was a BLAST!!!
CONGRATULATIONS, Lindsey! May all your future hopes and dreams come true!!!
