Credit One Charleston Open 2025 – Player Party

At the end of Qualifying Rounds, all the players are invited to a fun Player Party! It’s the tournement’s way of saying welcome back to Charleston!!! This year, I had the honor of photographing the official “Purple Carpet” photos as players and VIP’s arrived. Purple being the tournament’s color, we use a purple carpet instead of a red one. 🙂 This year’s Player Party was held at The Peacock.

Being a former collegiate tennis player, one of my favorite assignments to photograph each year is the Credit One Charleston Open (formerly Volvo Car Open, and Family Circle Cup before that). I don’t follow basketball, football, or baseball. I sometimes keep up with soccer, since I also had a soccer scholarship. But I DO have a subscription to Tennis Channel! So it’s always exciting to be “in the trenches” at this amazing tennis tournament, among the incredible athletes that I follow throughout the year.

Having said that, it is also by far the HARDEST assignment I photograph each year! From the start of qualifying rounds, to the final photoshoot with the champion, I work a total of 9 12-hour days in a row. For my photographer friends who shoot weddings, imagine photographing 9 12-hour weddings in a row?!? Every day is a constant hussle…bouncing back and forth between covering multiple matches, vip appearances, autograph sessions, suite visits, national anthem singers, practice sessions, media appearances, press conferences, and so much more. Plus in between all that, I’m rushing back to the media center to download, cull, and transmit selects for the media team to use in press releases and on social media. But, I’ve been one of the official tournament photographers for almost 20 years now. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t absolutely love it!!!

This year the Credit One Charleston Open celebrates 25 years of award-winning tennis on Daniel Island, where for a quarter century, the world’s best players and finest fans have gathered for nine days of tennis excellence. As the largest women’s only professional tennis tournament in North America, the tournament welcomes nearly 90,000 tennis enthusiasts to the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. A WTA 500 event on the Hologic WTA Tour, the tournament features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. Voted the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the Credit One Charleston Open is recognized for excellence in staff and organization, passionate fan engagement, and its commitment to tennis and its athletes. This prestigious award, voted on by WTA players, highlights the event’s impact both on and off the court.

Credit One Charleston Open 2025 – Day 2

There are 2 days of Qualifying Rounds at the Credit One Charleston Open. Those who qualify, join the other higher-ranked players who are already eligible for the Main Draw. What’s fun about these first two days is that while the competition among the qualifiers is intense, the overall atmosphere is more relaxed. Higher ranked players are just arriving into town, getting their first practice sessions on the green clay, and catching up with their friends on tour. Plus it’s Family Weekend, with tons of fun activities for kids of all ages!

Being a former collegiate tennis player, one of my favorite assignments to photograph each year is the Credit One Charleston Open (formerly Volvo Car Open, and Family Circle Cup before that). I don’t follow basketball, football, or baseball. I sometimes keep up with soccer, since I also had a soccer scholarship. But I DO have a subscription to Tennis Channel! So it’s always exciting to be “in the trenches” at this amazing tennis tournament, among the incredible athletes that I follow throughout the year.

Having said that, it is also by far the HARDEST assignment I photograph each year! From the start of qualifying rounds, to the final photoshoot with the champion, I work a total of 9 12-hour days in a row. For my photographer friends who shoot weddings, imagine photographing 9 12-hour weddings in a row?!? Every day is a constant hussle…bouncing back and forth between covering multiple matches, vip appearances, autograph sessions, suite visits, national anthem singers, practice sessions, media appearances, press conferences, and so much more. Plus in between all that, I’m rushing back to the media center to download, cull, and transmit selects for the media team to use in press releases and on social media. But, I’ve been one of the official tournament photographers for almost 20 years now. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t absolutely love it!!!

This year the Credit One Charleston Open celebrates 25 years of award-winning tennis on Daniel Island, where for a quarter century, the world’s best players and finest fans have gathered for nine days of tennis excellence. As the largest women’s only professional tennis tournament in North America, the tournament welcomes nearly 90,000 tennis enthusiasts to the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. A WTA 500 event on the Hologic WTA Tour, the tournament features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. Voted the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the Credit One Charleston Open is recognized for excellence in staff and organization, passionate fan engagement, and its commitment to tennis and its athletes. This prestigious award, voted on by WTA players, highlights the event’s impact both on and off the court.

Credit One Charleston Open 2025 – Day 1

There are 2 days of Qualifying Rounds at the Credit One Charleston Open. Those who qualify, join the other higher-ranked players who are already eligible for the Main Draw. What’s fun about these first two days is that while the competition among the qualifiers is intense, the overall atmosphere is more relaxed. Higher ranked players are just arriving into town, getting their first practice sessions on the green clay, and catching up with their friends on tour. Plus it’s Family Weekend, with tons of fun activities for kids of all ages!

Being a former collegiate tennis player, one of my favorite assignments to photograph each year is the Credit One Charleston Open (formerly Volvo Car Open, and Family Circle Cup before that). I don’t follow basketball, football, or baseball. I sometimes keep up with soccer, since I also had a soccer scholarship. But I DO have a subscription to Tennis Channel! So it’s always exciting to be “in the trenches” at this amazing tennis tournament, among the incredible athletes that I follow throughout the year.

Having said that, it is also by far the HARDEST assignment I photograph each year! From the start of qualifying rounds, to the final photoshoot with the champion, I work a total of 9 12-hour days in a row. For my photographer friends who shoot weddings, imagine photographing 9 12-hour weddings in a row?!? Every day is a constant hussle…bouncing back and forth between covering multiple matches, vip appearances, autograph sessions, suite visits, national anthem singers, practice sessions, media appearances, press conferences, and so much more. Plus in between all that, I’m rushing back to the media center to download, cull, and transmit selects for the media team to use in press releases and on social media. But, I’ve been one of the official tournament photographers for almost 20 years now. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t absolutely love it!!!

This year the Credit One Charleston Open celebrates 25 years of award-winning tennis on Daniel Island, where for a quarter century, the world’s best players and finest fans have gathered for nine days of tennis excellence. As the largest women’s only professional tennis tournament in North America, the tournament welcomes nearly 90,000 tennis enthusiasts to the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. A WTA 500 event on the Hologic WTA Tour, the tournament features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. Voted the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the Credit One Charleston Open is recognized for excellence in staff and organization, passionate fan engagement, and its commitment to tennis and its athletes. This prestigious award, voted on by WTA players, highlights the event’s impact both on and off the court.

Credit One Charleston Open 2025 – Iconic Photo Shoot

At the start of this year’s Credit One Charlesto Open, I had the pleasure of photographing the annual Iconic Photo Shoot. This year, the team selected several downtown locations, featuring a beautiful blooming Wisteria bush, a cool historic corner off Water Street, and of course The Battery. Our featured players were Charleston’s own Emma Navarro and new “mom” Belinda Bencic!

Being a former collegiate tennis player, one of my favorite assignments to photograph each year is the Credit One Charleston Open (formerly Volvo Car Open, and Family Circle Cup before that). I don’t follow basketball, football, or baseball. I sometimes keep up with soccer, since I also had a soccer scholarship. But I DO have a subscription to Tennis Channel! So it’s always exciting to be “in the trenches” at this amazing tennis tournament, among the incredible athletes that I follow throughout the year.

Having said that, it is also by far the HARDEST assignment I photograph each year! From the start of qualifying rounds, to the final photoshoot with the champion, I work a total of 9 12-hour days in a row. For my photographer friends who shoot weddings, imagine photographing 9 12-hour weddings in a row?!? Every day is a constant hussle…bouncing back and forth between covering multiple matches, vip appearances, autograph sessions, suite visits, national anthem singers, practice sessions, media appearances, press conferences, and so much more. Plus in between all that, I’m rushing back to the media center to download, cull, and transmit selects for the media team to use in press releases and on social media. But, I’ve been one of the official tournament photographers for almost 20 years now. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I didn’t absolutely love it!!!

This year the Credit One Charleston Open celebrates 25 years of award-winning tennis on Daniel Island, where for a quarter century, the world’s best players and finest fans have gathered for nine days of tennis excellence. As the largest women’s only professional tennis tournament in North America, the tournament welcomes nearly 90,000 tennis enthusiasts to the state-of-the-art Credit One Stadium. A WTA 500 event on the Hologic WTA Tour, the tournament features a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 24 players and a doubles draw of 16 players. Voted the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, the Credit One Charleston Open is recognized for excellence in staff and organization, passionate fan engagement, and its commitment to tennis and its athletes. This prestigious award, voted on by WTA players, highlights the event’s impact both on and off the court.

NAEGA Conference at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, CA

The NAEGA Mission is to promote and sustain the reliability of commercial agricultural exports.

It was my pleasure to photograph the NAEGA Annual Meeting in Carlsbad, CA this year. The conference was held at the beautiful Omni La Costa Resort. From executive meetings, to networking lunches…from to keynote speakers like Ted McKinney of NASDA, to a group photo and headshots for the new Board of Directors…I had a fantastic experience!

The North American Export Grains Association is the global leader in shaping commercial solutions rooted in contractual expertise, commercial knowledge and industry innovation. The organization prioritizes the exchange of trade information to pinpoint and establish feasible pre-competitive market solutions. And it maintains a steadfast commitment to outcomes that are risk proportionate and science based.

Many thanks to Alejandra Castillo for bringing me on board for this important event, and to Rebecca Cain for keeping everything organized and on track!

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Nationals Park Reception

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to represent their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washington Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Day 2

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to represent their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washington Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!

Owls by Moonlight at the Center for Birds of Prey

Let’s see…what’s the hardest challenge we could throw at a photographer?
Hmmm…how about having a fun reception called “Owls by Moonlight”? We’ll ask the photographer to try and capture shots of owls, silently swooping over the heads of attendees, in the pitch black of night!!!
YUP…challenge accepted.

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Day 1

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to representative their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agirculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washingtin Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!

MUSC Cares Clinic 20th Anniversary Reception at Palmetto Brewing Company

This weekend, I had the honor of photographing a wonderful reception at the Palmetto Brewing Company, celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the MUSC Cares Clinic!

“The CARES Medical Clinic is committed to providing quality healthcare at no cost to the underserved populations of South Carolina while educating future healthcare professionals through our service to these patients. We aim to: (1) Offer primary care, preventive services, and referral options at no charge to uninsured adults. (2) Expose students, early in their training, to the nuances of providing patient care to a population with diverse and ever-changing healthcare needs. (3) Foster interprofessional cooperation of students, healthcare professionals, and members of the community in addressing healthcare disparities. (4) Understand community healthcare needs through service to the underserved.”

I was photographing this assignment on behalf of my good friend and amazing photographer, Gary Colemen. Gary and I work a lot of events together that are too big for one individual to cover. He was working a different reception for MUSC at the same time. We both shoot with Nikon Z9 cameras, and a diverse host of Nikkor lenses. Which makes working together not only fun, but seamless in terms of mixing equipment and editing files.

The Citadel Foundation Scholarship Donor Dinner

Last night I had the pleasure of photographing The Citadel Foundation’s annual Scholarship Donor Dinner at The Gaillard Center. It’s been my honor to photograph this event for several years now. And it’s one evening I always look forward to!

The Citadel Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, was established with the primary purpose of providing financial assistance and support exclusively for The Citadel. Founded in 1961 as The Citadel Development Foundation, the organization was initially tasked with raising money exclusively for educational purposes through the academic endowment fund. Donations to The Citadel Foundation, as it is known today, go to a variety of programs including academic scholarships, faculty support, athletic facilities, individual academic schools, program funds, and vital expenses not covered by tuition or fees. The vision of this program is to build a preeminent foundation at The Citadel for tomorrow’s principled leaders.

Many thanks to Riviere, who does an AMAZING job of organizing this incredible event!!!

National Ethanol Conference in Nashville – Day 3

What an honor it was for me to be invited back to photograph another National Ethanol Conference!!! This year’s NEC was held in Nashville, TN. As a destination event photographer, it’s always fun to explore new cities!

Day 3 was a half-day. But it had no breaks in the schedule. From the networking breakfast right through to the final presentation in the Grand Hall, it was a very full day! After wrapping up the final panel discussion, I backed up all the remaining images, packed up my gear, and headed to the airport. Once I was safely at my gate, I had time to edit the final batch of images and get them safely uploaded to the cloud. It was a long but rewarding three days of shooting!

The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has built this annual event into the premier ethanol conference to attend for the latest, timely information on marketing, legislative and regulatory issues facing the industry. The RFA is the leading national trade association for America’s ethanol industry, driving growth in sustainable renewable fuels and bioproducts for a better future.