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!!! š
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.
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! š
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!
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!
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! š
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. š
CONGRATULATIONS Sarah & Cody! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new family together.
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! š
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!Ā And I just fired away, catching every moment of the excitement!Ā 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.Ā 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!!!Ā Congratulations to Jamey and Lucas for pulling off a massive DOUBLE surprise! Ā 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…
It was only been 55-degrees outside that day…BRRRR!!! But the Molnar Family were on vacation from Michigan. Joy said “this is like Summer to us”! That put things into perspective. š So we met up at Folly Beach County Park for their family portrait session as planned.
While they were dressed in their shorts and summer dress, I was bundled up in my jeans and sweater. But the instant we met each other, the temperature simply didn’t matter. The Molnar family are the kindest, warmest people you could ever hope to meet! We hit it off immediately!!! With me going to college in Michigan, and Cami’s love for dogs, meeting this beautiful family was like re-connecting with old family friends.
We had a BLAST photographing some beautiful portraits for them to commemorate this special Christmas get-away! What a warm and wonderful family!!!
I am so blessed to work with some of the neatest families here in Charleston! But every now and then, a family comes along that I just “click” with. The Gehrig’s were absolutely AMAZING!!! Their girls were truly adorable. And we all had so much fun, photographing a variety of great images while we strolled around the beautiful streets and alleys along Rainbow Row.
Cami’s friend, Christie, is also one of the trainers at her gym. Yesterday afternoon we met up with her and Shaun and their adorable kids for a fun family portrait session!
We started out at the pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park, exploring all the surrounding alleys and backdrops as we went. Then we zipped down to Liberty Square to capture a final shot in front of the “Joy” sign with the glowing pineapple fountain inside.
It was indeed a real joy hanging out with this amazing family and capturing these beautiful photos for them!!!
Last year I had so much fun photographing Kellie, Nicolas, and their adorable little 1-year old at Azalea Park. So I was super excited when they asked me to photograph their family again this year at Rainbow Row!!! š
We met up at Waterfront Park and had a fun little “walk-about”, strolling up one street and down another, looking for cute little vignettes of Charlston’s charm. But of course the highlight was the colorful homes along E. Bay Street known as Rainbow Row!
Brooks was all grown up into an adorable 2-year old. Her infectious smile, and the gleeful clapping of her tiny hands when she was amused, totally made my day!
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I had so much fun with Aimee, Chad, and their adorable kids on last year’s family portrait session! So when Aimee told me her sister’s family was joining us this year, I knew it was going to be a hoot!!! š
It was a beautiful fall evening when we all met up at a beach access on IOP. The summer heat had finally cooled off, and the lighting was magical! The chemistry between the two families was hilarious. We laughed A LOT, goofed off even more, and came away with a ton of beautiful images!!!
Many thanks to Aimee for all her hard work coordinating schedules and outfits. š
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