Shackel Family at Wild Dunes Resort

After missing our last session due to the pandemic, I was so excited to finally catch up with the Shackel Family again this year! They are such a beautiful and fun-loving group of human beings. And they always make me feel like part of the family!!!

This year we met up at their villa in Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms. After all the rain we’ve had, what a relief to have clear skies and a gentle breeze. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier evening! We had an absolute BLAST!!!

Many thanks to Mary and Beth for all their help in scheduling and organizing this year’s photo shoot. I can’t wait to see what they plan for the next one… šŸ™‚

Callahan Family on Kiawah Island

Last night was one of the prettiest evenings we’ve had in a long time! And I got to work with one of the nicest families you could ever hope to meet!!!
The Callahans have been vacationing on Kiawah Island for several years. Before this trip, Julie reached out to me about having some updated portraits made now that the kids are older. I arrived at their villa just as “Golden Hour” was beginning to cast it’s magical light on our corner of this amazing planet. The kids were in great spirits. And we all had a BLAST, capturing a variety of fun images together!
I’m so glad Julie & Mike contacted me. It was an absolute pleasure working with their wonderful family!!!

Evans Family on Kiawah Island

10 Years!!! That’s how long I’ve been photographing the Evans Family during their annual summer vacation on Kiawah Island. Their youngest daughter just turned 10, and their oldes son is heading off to Duke University! What a joy it has been to watch this beautiful family grow.

As usual, we met for a sunrise session at their home, right on a beautiful stretch of beach. After rescheduling from a few days ago when the skies were gloomy and gray, it was so uplifting to see the sun rise out of the horizon and punch through the clouds!

We had so much fun, and captured a variety of wonderful photos. I can’t wait to see what the NEXT 10 years will have in store for the Evans Family!!!

The Muro Family on Isle of Palms

The Muro Family is like my second family! I’ve been photographing their summer beach vacations for many years. It’s been so much fun watching new members arrive, and young members grow strong and tall! All the while, Greg and Susan haven’t changed a bit!!! I just can’t imagine the wonderful stories and beautiful memories all these kids will have as they grow into adults and start having families of their own.

Hassen Family on Kiawah Island

It always warms my heart to see families getting together for the holidays! With the grandparents flying in from California, and “the kids” driving down from Tennessee, the pandemic keeping them apart for most of last year, I had so much fun capturing these beautiful memories for the Hassen family on the morning of our nation’s birthday!!!

Stein Family at Waterfront Park

One of the highlights of our summer is “Dinner & Photo” night with our good friends, Chris & Vicki Taylor Stein when they come to visit! Last night we had a delicious dinner at Coast, followed by a fun photo shoot as we meandered through Waterfront Park and the old French Quarter. We love these guys!!!

Nikon Z6II First Impressions

I’ve been extremely happy with my “Holy Trinity” of Nikon cameras…the D5, D850, and D500. In my opinion, these are 3 of the most formidable DSLR cameras on the market. They have similar menus, focusing systems, and ergonomics…allowing me to seamlessly switch from one to another. Yet they each have their unique strengths! D5 = fast and durable with extreme high-iso performance. D850 = high resolution with fantastic dynamic range. D500 = light and nimble with extra reach from the crop sensor.

Until recently, mirrorless cameras have been lacking. But with new strides in mirrorless technology, I thought I should get out and play with one! So I called my friend David Archer, who recently purchased a Nikon Z6II. And I called my friend Gary Coleman, who is also considering adding a Z6II to his lineup as well. My friend Valerie Weeks brought her beautiful daughter, Bethany. And my friend Sarah Hairell brought Brian, an exchange student from Tanzania who is staying with them. Bethany and Brian were fantastic models and we had so much fun working with them!Ā  Gary was hilarious to work with, as usual!Ā  And David was so kind and generous to let us play with his camera and answer questions for us.

So what do I think of the Z6II after about an hour of real-world experience? It’s a pretty cool little camera!!! It doesn’t seem to have the same “robustness” as my DSLR bodies. But it is smaller and lighter. It doesn’t have the same speed and responsiveness that I’m used to. But it certainly is quieter. It will take a little getting used to the EVF. But being able to “see” the exposure through the electronic viewfinder is pretty cool. There will be a small learning curve to get acquainted with the new menu items. But ergonomically it still feels as “at home” as any other Nikon in my hands. There are definitely a couple things I truly wish Nikon had included, such as the 10-pin terminal for use with their wireless flash transmitter. But there are certain things that I absolutely loved, such as the eye-detect autofocus system!

The Z6II is a beautiful little camera! I’m sure one will find it’s way into my bag soon. In the meantime, I can’t wait to see what the next generation of mirrorless cameras will bring!!!

Lawrimore Family along the Ashley River

I owe a HUGE thank you to my friends Bobby & Jennifer Lauman for referring me to the Lawrimore Family.
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This was a particularly special photo shoot because we were also commemorating amazing achievements in the Boy Scouts for these two young men! Well done, guys!!! While we were at it, they changed outfits and we captured some fun family portraits as well. šŸ™‚
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What was particularly unique for me was the beautiful location they had picked for the photos. Their family often comes down this path behind their neighborhood to fish or go kayaking in the Ashley River. We had so much fun! Plus we ended up with a beautiful day with gorgeous light to work with!!!

Hogg Family at Hampton Park

Cited as the location of the very first Memorial Day celebration, Hampton Park was originally part of Orange Grove Plantation, and later bought by the South Carolina Jockey Club on which to build stables and host a popular horse race. Today it’s the largest park on the Charleston peninsula and one of my favorite locations for portrait sessions!

I had so much fun Friday photographing the Hogg Family at this beautiful park. The flowers were in bloom, the summer foliage was full, the huge oaks were as mighty as ever! Now living in Nevada, James is originally from England, and Jacquiline’s heritage comes from the Netherlands. I always enjoy meeting such unique families who have traveled the world!

It was an honor and a pleasure getting to know them and their amazing kids as we enjoyed this wonderful summer evening together in Charleston!!!

Kurcsak Family Reunion on Kiawah Island

I had so much fun photographing the Kurcsak Family Reunion at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island the other day! I’d photographed Stephanie and her family before. So I was delighted when she called and asked if I would photograph this crazy gang. šŸ™‚ We had a beautiful evening with great light to work with…and had so much fun creating tons of great memories for them to remember this special time together.











































Savannah’s Senior Portraits

We’ve known Savannah and her family for years!!! It’s been such a pleasure watching Savannah grow from this adorable little girls into the beautiful young ladies she’s become. So it was with great honor that I got to photograph her Senior Portraits last evening! We are so proud of Savannah and all that she’s accomplished. Clemson is lucky to have her!!! šŸ™‚





















Whitmer Family at Shem Creek Park

Photographing the Whitmer Family over the years has been such a blessing. They are the nicest, kindest, neatest humans you could ever hope to meet! Plus of course it’s so cool watching all the little ones grow from tiny tots into beautiful young people.

The morning of our shoot all our weather apps were threatening 30% chance of rain. But we decided to go for it…and it worked out BEAUTIFULLY!!! The sun was out, with soft diffusion from a layer of clouds. As a bonus, we even got to stop and watch some manatees swimming in the creek!!! Then right as we got back to our cars, it started to rain…what perfect timing. šŸ™‚

We had so much fun exploring Shem Creek Park together and coming up with these beautiful images to commemorate their annual vacation together!