Johnson Family at Azalea Park

Photographing Sarah & Cody’s maternity shoot last year was so much fun! So imagine my excitement when they called to ask if I could photograph family portraits with their beautiful new daughter, Emory?!?

To make it even more special, they also brought Sarah’s dad, Billy, for a 3-gerneration photo. And to top it all off, her dad brought his beautiful 14-year old dog, Fred!!! We had a wonderful time capturing a nice variety of lovely portraits in Summerville’s picturesque Azalea Park.

I owe a HUGE Thank You to our mutual friend, Andrea, for recommending us to Sarah & Cody. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know them. And I can’t wait to watch their amazing family grow!  🙂

McKenzie’s Senior Portraits

We’ve been friends with Jim & Re FOREVER!!! They are such a neat couple that we used to hang out with all the time. We were so excited for them when they started their family with the birth of their adorable daughter, McKenzie.  A couple years later, Caleb joined the crew.  It’s hard to believe, but now McKenzie all grown up and about to graduate from high-school! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with Jim & Re, and photographing McKenzie’s Senior Portraits. McKenzie and Caleb are best friends…so she invited him to be in a few photos with her, which I thought was super cool! She also requested we do her shoot in and around Joe Riley Waterfront Park, because she wanted to re-create a couple of her favorite portraits I had taken of her and Caleb during a family shoot there when they were little kids.  Isn’t that awesome?!?

McKenzie has grown up to be such a beautiful, thoughtful, and kind young lady. It was an honor and a pleasure to capture these portraits of her during this special time in her life!  Please help me in CONGRATULATING McKenzie on her up-coming graduation!!!

Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah

Shabat Shalom!

In spite of the challenges of the pandemic lockdown a few years ago, Jen & Gabe managed to pull off a beautiful and unique Bar Mitzvah for their oldest son, Jason. It was a touching experience for me personally. And I’m so glad I got to connect with this amazing family during that time. So it was a great honor when Jen & Gabe asked if I would photograph their youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah!

What a contrast a few short years makes!!! Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah was a totally different, but every bit as special an experience! Matthew is a thoughtful, kind, and charismatic young man, who also happens to have a truly gifted voice. His silky smooth vocals during the reading of the Torah, and leading the congregation in worship, resonated throughout the KKBE sanctuary. It truly was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had the pleasure of photographing!

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is located in downtown Charleston. Founded in 1749, this is the first Reform synagogue, and one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States! The founding members of the KKBE were Sephardi Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent. The current 1841 synagogue, featuring an architecturally significant Greek Revival style, was built after the original synagogue was destroyed in a fire in 1838. The present structure is the second oldest synagogue building, and the oldest in continuous use, in the United States.

Later that evening, celebrations kicked into high gear at Hotel Indigo! With a “pre-party” for Matthew and his closest friends, cocktail hour for the adults, the family’s Grand Entrance to the reception, Motzi and challah, DJ Eddie cranking out tunes, Sir Andrew Larris and his dance crew keeping everyone on their feet, a wild and crazy Hora, a Party Boss photo booth, an ice cream sundae station, a glazed donut display, a candy bar, a cocoa-with-marshmallows extravaganza, and personalized sweatshirts for each of his friends…Matthew’s party was off the charts!!!

Many thanks to Rabbi Alexander and Rabbi Kanter for their leadership and guidance during Shabbat Terumah.  And a very special THANK YOU to Sha Sha at Loluma for making sure everything on the Big Day was absolutely perfect!

CONGRATULATIONS on this amazing milestone in your life, Matthew!!! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey into adulthood…

Mylo’s Puppy Portriats

Meet Mylo! He’s a super sweet 16-year old Pomeranian. He may be mostly deaf and nearly blind, but for being as old as he is Mylo is still active and in great health. I had so much fun hanging out with Mylo and his “parents”, Jocelyn and Lawrence, at Hampton Park last evening! He truly is a special pup who found a beautiful home and has had a wonderful life!!!

Branden & Kendelle’s Surprise Proposal on Kiawah Island

When Julia told me Branden & Kendelle’s story, and explained that he was going to propose to her beautiful daughter the day before Thanksgiving, I knew right away that Cami and I needed to delay our travel plans by a day so that we could capture this moment!!!

Julia and I concocted the ruse that she hired me to photograph family portraits during their visit to Kiawah Island. We all met up at The Ocean Course.  I loved the colorful outfits they had all chosen.  And we had a blast, capturing a variety of shots, including their Christmas Card photo. Then towards the end of the shoot, I suggested some candid “walking on the beach” photos of each couple. When it was Branden & Kendelle’s turn, he took her hand, led her down the beach for a little privacy, dropped to his knee, and ask her to be his wife. It was SUCH a special moment!!!

Afterwards, everyone congratulated the newly engaged couple with hugs and high-fives. The others went inside for drinks at the Ryder Cup Bar while Branden & Kendelle did some engagement photos with me before meeting up with them in the Atlantic Room for dinner. As soon as the rest of the gang left, the overcast skies cracked open a sliver of light at the horizon, allowing the AMAZING sunset to shine through for the amazing couple!

CONGRATULATIONS Branden & Kendelle!  You have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

Loesch Family at Rainbow Row

13 years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Erik & Julia’s beautiful destination wedding in St. Thomas. Earlier this week, I got to photograph some fun family portraits for them near Rainbow Row in the old historic area of downtown Charleston. It makes my heart full to see them with their two adorable girls, a loving home, and a happy ever-after…

Stith Family at Hampton Park

What a beautiful fall evening for a family portrait session!!!

A while back, I had photographed headshots for the law firm where Melanie works. So I was particularly delighted when she contacted me about also photographing some updated family portraits. She and Anthony hadn’t had a “real” family portrait done since the kids were little. So it was about time! They have such a beautiful family, with three amazing kids. We all had a blast, catching up and creating some memorable images for them just before the holiday season “rush” begins!

We settled on Hampton Park, with its beautiful trees and natural surroundings, as the backdrop for our photo session. I love exploring this old historic park with wonderful clients like the Stiths. It was their first time here…but I don’t think it’ll be their last! 🙂

Fairfax Family at Folly Beach

As Hurricane Ian barreled down on a direct path to Charleston, I have to admit I was a little worried. We called Kelly on Thursday to see what she wanted to do about her family session. To her credit, she said, “let’s wait and see.” I am SO GLAD SHE DID!!!

Ian skirted past Charleston on Friday with no major damage. And Saturday turned out to be absolutely GORGEOUS!!! So we all met up at Folly Beach County Park as planned. 🙂

I had so much fun photographing the Fairfax Family. It was a nice cool evening. The sunset was incredible. And we came away with some beautiful images for them to commemorate their family vacation!

Wilson Family at The Sanctuary

Grace & Phil must be living right! After all the gloomy, soggy days we’ve had over the last couple weeks, the afternoon of their family portrait session turned out GLORIOUS!!! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with them, and literally “chasing after” their adorable daughter last evening.  We met at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. The temperatures were cooler than usual from all the rains that came through, which was a nice change. Eliza has so many “looks” that I had a ball trying to capture each and every one of them. And she certainly LOVES the water! As you can tell, she wasn’t afraid to get her dress dirty…much to dismay of Grace & Phil’s dismay I’m sure, since they were meeting friends for dinner afterwards.  🙂

Adorable Eliza will turn 2 years old later this week. Help me wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Fitzpatrick Family on Isle of Palms

Traveling from Ohio, Judy & Colin planned a fun trip to the beach to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary!

I had the pleasure of catching up with the Fitzpatrick Family during their vacation at Wild Dunes Resort on IOP. Their kids and their spouses had also joined them. It was fantastic to see the whole family together laughing and having fun. They made me feel so welcome as we explored the beach capturing beautiful images for them to remember this special time. It reminded me of fond memories from our own family gatherings!

CONGRATULATIONS Judy & Colin!!!

Juve Family on Kiawah Island

What a roller-coaster of emotions! It poured rain off and on all day, like someone was randomly twisting a massive spigot in the sky. Talking to Sharon every few hours, we almost cancelled the shoot several times. But ultimately we decided to give it a try. And I’m SO GLAD WE DID!!!

The skies opened up just as I pulled into their beach house on Kiawah Island. The rain had cooled things off. The lingering clouds made for an interesting sky. And the glorious sunset was icing on the cake!

We all had a blast and came away with some wonderful memories for this beautiful family and their time together!!!

Angie & Andrew’s Beach Wedding on Hilton Head Island

It was an absolute pleasure photographing Angie & Andrew’s beautiful beach wedding on Hilton Head Island last week!

Ever since they started dating, Angie & Andrew have been vacationing together at Hilton Head Island. The place holds such fond memories for them! So why not get married here?!?

The couple rented a huge beach house and invited their closest family and friends to join them. The day of the wedding was gorgeous, with a nice breeze and beautiful blue skies! Angie was absolutely stunning in her antique beaded dress. Andrew was dashing in his stylish khaki & white. They were such a sweet couple to work with.  And you could just feel the love surrounding them! Indeed their entire group of friends and family were so open and welcoming, that I felt like part of the family. I ended up staying overtime, just hanging out and chatting with everyone while the young people laughed and splashed around in the pool to cool off!

CONGRATULATIONS Angie & Andrew! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…