Powell Family on Kiawah Island

I think it’s simply fantastic when extended families, who now live in different parts of the country, travel long distances to spend time catching up with one another. When Courtney called to say they were celebrating their mother’s birthday with a trip to Kiawah Island and wanted to schedule a family session for her, I was delighted to be a part of it! 🙂
Meeting up with The Powells at The Sanctuary last evening, we had so much fun capturing tons of fun images together!!!
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Stein Family at Hampton Park

We always look forward with great anticipation to photographing the annual Stein Family portrait session! Chris & Vicki were some of our very first friends when we moved to Charleston many many years ago. Now that they’ve moved to Pittsburg, it’s always so much fun to catch up with them and their three adorable girls when they come back to visit!!! 🙂

This year we all met at Hampton Park.  The giant trees were a big hit!  I can’t believe how tall the girls have grown!!!  But they sure enjoyed climbing all the trees.  Afterwards, we all went out for dinner at the Rutledge Cab Company to hang out.

Many thanks to Chris & Vicki for being such great friends. We love you guys!

Baby Christening on Seabrook Island

What an amazing treat it was to be a part of April’s Baby Christening at the beach on Seabrook Island!

April looked angelic in her delicate christening gown. Her parents, brother (Oscar the dog), uncle, and both sets of grandparents were all there to bear witness. Father Karl performed a beautiful ceremony in a peaceful setting, surrounded by nature, with the waves gently lapping at the shore behind us.
It truly was a special moment!!!

Many thanks to Julie & Ryan for allowing me to capture this joyous occasion.

Amelia’s Graduation Celebration

Maybe it was that night we “slumber partied” on the living room floor at Byron & Kathleen‘s house when our plans to go camping fell through? Maybe it was that week of paddling canoes through the mosquito-infested Okefenokee Swamp together? Or maybe it’s that Africa-Connection that Kathleen and I share, having both been raised as MK’s in the Heart of Darkness? Regardless, The Whites and The Smiths have become more than just friends…they are family. And thus, Byron & Kathleen’s daughter, Amelia, has been like the daughter Cami and I never had!
 
So it was with great joy that we received an invitation to Amelia‘s Graduation Celebration at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC!!! This beautiful, loving, intelligent young lady graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies (minor in Business Administration), and already has a great job working in her field with a company based in Denver, CO.
 
Another neat part of the weekend was that Amelia’s person, Kellie, also graduated in the same class. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology (minors in Psychology and Anthropology). Amelia and Kellie have known each other their entire time at Winthrop. It’s been wonderful to watch their friendship grow and their relationship blossom!
 
Amelia is an AMAZING young lady! And we can’t wait to see what incredible opportunities lay ahead for her as she begins this new chapter in her life…

Hagedorn Family at Huntington Beach State Park

It’s been 10 years since I photographed Danielle & Matt’s beautiful wedding at the Grand Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach: https://chrisandcami.com/danielle-matt-at-the-grande-dunes-ocean-club/. So I was SUPER EXCITED when they called from Ohio to let me know they were returning to Myrtle Beach for a vacation, and asked if I would help them commemorate the occasion with a family portrait session? How could I say not to THAT?!?

Before their wedding, I had photographed Danielle & Matt’s engagement session at the historic Atalaya Castle ruins inside Huntington Beach State Park: https://chrisandcami.com/danielle-matts-engagement-session-at-atalaya-castle-ruins/. So we decided to bring things full circle by re-visiting this gorgeous park for their family session.

The threatening weather from earlier in the day made us nervous, but passed out of the area in time to leave us a delightful evening of soft warm light to work with. I had so much fun meeting and playing with their two adorable children! Both sets of proud “grand-parents” joined us as well, which made it even more special. But the best part was catching up with Danielle and Matt! They hadn’t changed a bit since their wedding day. It was like no time had past. It felt like we had just seen each other a week ago!

Congratulations on your beautiful family, Danielle & Matt! You guys were one of my FAVORITE couples to photograph!!! And now I can say you’re one of my favorite “families” as well.  I can’t wait to see what amazing humans Charlie and William grow up to be.  🙂

Holder Family on Isle of Palms

I had so much fun photographing Amanda & Eli’s first official family portraits with their newest addition, Oscar!

Their family was in town vacationing this week at the Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms. So I met up with them outside their condo. With the gorgeous natural scenery, and the beautiful soft evening light, everything was perfect. But to top it all off, everyone was an absolute DELIGHT to work with!!! Ada was so cute and full of life. And at only 2 months old, Oscar was a real trooper!

Many thanks to Amanda & Eli’s grandmothers, who joined us to help out with holding Oscar and getting Ada to smile.

Nina & Brendan are Expecting!!!

It has been such a joy for me to capture Brendan’s surprise proposal to Nina (https://chrisandcami.com/brendans-surprises-nina-with-a-proposal/), photograph their beautiful wedding (https://chrisandcami.com/nina-brendan-at-holy-trinity-greek-orthodox-church/), and now preserve this truly miraculous time in their journey as they prepare to bring a new life into this amazing world.

CONGRATULATIONS Nina & Brendan! You two are going to be the most amazing parents ever!!! 🙂

Prapas Family at Rainbow Row

I had so much fun photographing Alex & Anastasia’s beautiful Greek wedding several years ago: https://chrisandcami.com/anastasia-alex-are-married-at-the-greek-orthodox-church/. So I was SUPER excited when Anastasia called to ask if I would photograph their first family portraits!

Adorable Elora came into their lives just over 7 months ago. She is the sweetest girl with the most captivating smile. We literally had other families and tourists walking by that would stop to watch and grin (and even jump in to make goofy faces and silly baby sounds)…all because of Elora’s incredible cuteness!!!

Strolling around the colorful Rainbow Row, the cobblestone streets by Waterfront Park, and the old historic alleys gave us tons of great backdrops.

It was so much fun catching up with Alex & Anastasia…and getting to know their beautiful daughter! They are going to be the most amazing parents ever!!! And I can’t wait to watch Elora grow up to be another wonderful human like her parents.

Cohen Family on Kiawah Island

I’ve had so much fun communicating with The Cohens to plan the perfect family portrait session for them.

Marilyn and Steve love their kids to pieces, and are so excited to have this wonderful reunion with them on Kiawah Island. But honestly, I think they are even more excited to have some special bonding time with their adorable grandson! 🙂

We met up at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, near where they are staying for Spring Break. It was a beautiful evening. Little Ryan was adorable. We all had a BLAST!!! And we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset!

Murray Family on IOP

I absolutely LOVE photographing repeat family sessions each year. It’s so much fun to watch the kids grow, see them come out of their shell, and experience their personalities blossoming!

Last night I met up with the Murray family once again at a beach house on Isle of Palms. I couldn’t believe how tall Parker had gotten in just one year!!! I also got to meet Anne’s sister and their family, which was awesome. It’s always fun to see families vacationing together and see the grandparents glowing with love for their grandkids!

We had a beautiful evening with gorgeous light to work with. Everyone had a great time as we captured a variety of fond memories together!

Sarah & Cody’s Maternity Session at Hampton Park

Maaany years ago in another lifetime, one of our bestest friends at High-Purity Standards was an adorable young lady named Andrea. Although we don’t see her as much anymore, we’ve never lost touch with the fond memories of our time together. So it was SUPER excited when Cody told me he’d gotten our name from Andrea! 🙂

Cody was calling to schedule a maternity portrait session for his beautiful wife, Sarah! She had broken her foot recently. They weren’t sure how it would work. But they really wanted to capture this special time in their lives! We picked Hampton Park as a beautiful backdrop with easy access to get Sarah around in a wheelchair since she still wasn’t allowed to put weight on her foot.

It turned out to be a GORGEOUS day!!! Sarah was absolutely stunning in her flowing hunter-green maternity gown, which really brought out her beautiful green eyes. Cody was awesome and clearly so proud to be a first-time Dad. I can just tell these two are going to be the most incredible parents to this wonderful child when it arrives next month. 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Sarah & Cody! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new family together.

Lucas Surprises Callie with a Secret Proposal

I got a call over a month ago from Jamey who was interested in booking a family photo session…with a twist! Jamey and her family were going to be vacationing on Isle of Palms. She wanted me to photograph their family portraits on the beach. At the same time, her oldest son, Lucas, was going to be proposing to his longtime girlfriend. She wanted to know if that could even be done, and how we might work it out so that Callie didn’t suspect anything. After sharing some ideas with Jamie, and talking it over with Lucas, a doubly-devious plan was hatched! 🙂

Lucas invited Callie to join his family on their beach vacation. Jamie booked the family portrait session with me, and told everyone (including Callie) what day and time they were all expected to be dressed and ready for photos. Arriving for the shoot that afternoon, I rang the bell at their beautiful beach house, and went inside to meet everyone. As introductions were being made, Jamey explained that she wasn’t ready yet and to go ahead and start with a few couple’s photo of Lucas & Callie. Callie & Lucas had just bought a house together, and had talked about getting a few photos of them made during the family session that they could hang in their new home. So this all seemed totally natural to Callie.

After photographing a nice variety of couple’s shots for them, I suggested some casual candids of them holding hands and walking down the beach. We picked a spot where they would turn around. This was Lucas’ cue. He and I had pre-arranged which side he would walk on, which way he would turn, and how to drop to one knee at the turning point to completely catch Callie off guard.

It worked like MAGIC!!! Lucas did a fabulous job of hitting his mark. Callie was completely surprised by the whole thing!  And I just fired away, catching every moment of the excitement!  After she said “YES”, Callie & Lucas came back down the beach towards me. At this point, Luca’s parents and his younger brother, who were all hiding back at the boardwalk, came running out to join them and congratulate them!

We still had plenty of light left to photograph a variety of family portraits. And we capped off the session with some gorgeous shots of Lucas & Callie (with a sparkly new diamond on her finger) in the dramatic setting sun. BUT WAIT!!! The surprise wasn’t over yet!

After we got back to the beach house, Lucas told Callie she should go ahead and call her parents to let them know the good news. Little did Callie know, her parents had secretly arrived in town the day before. While I was out photographing the “couples photos”, Jamey called them to say the coast was clear. They then snuck into the house while we were doing the family photos, and hid upstairs. When Callie face-timed her Mom, she answered and pretended she didn’t have a clue. Thinking her parents were miles away in Georgia, Callie excitedly began sharing the “big news” of how Lucas had asked her to marry him.  While she was mid-sentence, Callie’s parents magically appeared on the staircase coming down towards her!!! The look of utter disbelief on her face was simply priceless!

What an AMAZING honor it was to capture Lucas’ Surprise Proposal to Callie!!!  Congratulations to Jamey and Lucas for pulling off a massive DOUBLE surprise!  And CONGRATULATIONS to Callie & Lucas!!! They are an absolutely adorable couple! We wish them all the happiness in the world as they begin this new journey together…