Headshots at Center for Birds of Prey

I may not have deep pockets. But one way I CAN support a worthy local non-profit is by donating my time and my talent. So whenever possible, I volunteer my services to photograph headshots and events for the Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw!

It was a pleasure meeting Morgan, Maggie, and Justine yesterday after a busy morning on-site. They had just finished hosting over 100 guests, doing flight demonstrations, and educating our young people on the importance of keeping our planet safe for ALL who live here!

I used a Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, and 2 SB-5000 flashes to create these environmental headshots for the newest members to the center’s team. Off to camera-right, the first SB-5000 was fired through a 24″ Godox softbox as a main light. Off to camera-left, the second flash had a CTO gel placed on it to create a warm kicker light.

If you aren’t familiar, I highly recommend checking this organization out, and scheduling a time for you and your family to visit: www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org. It truly is a magical experience to be so up close and personal with some of the most powerful (and picturesque) raptors on earth!!!

Many thanks to Mandy, Director of Operations, for organizing this photo shoot. And CONGRATULATIONS to these amazingly talented young ladies on joining a fantastic team at the Center for Birds of Prey.

Seamon Whiteside Headshots

It’s always a pleasure photographing headshots for Seamon Whiteside! They are a fantastic organization, and always hire the nicest people. Here are a few favorites from my latest session with their newest team members…

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Manfrotto tripod *

Hatfield Temple Law Firm

I had the pleasure of photographing Hood and Alec of Hatfield Temple yesterday for an upcoming article in Super Lawyers Magazine. The attorneys and staff were nothing but kind, sincere, and professional. They were an absolute pleasure to work with!

“When an unexpected tragedy turns your life upside down, the decisions you make after will spark a chain reaction, impacting the rest of your life. Of those decisions, choosing your legal team may be the most important. Our team of experienced, caring, and dedicated attorneys are prepared to advocate vigorously on your behalf.” – https://htlawsc.com/

Mounted to one wall of their conference room is the original façade to the old historic Florence Courthouse that was torn down to build the new judicial complex. What an iconic location for their portrait! I set up a “wall of light” with 4 Nikon SB-5000 flashes shooting through 2 Westcott 60″ umbrellas at camera right. The image was captured with a Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 lens at ISO 400, f4, 1/60 sec.

CONGRATULATIONS to the team at Hatfield Temple!

Publix Pharmacy

It was a pleasure photographing Rosa at the Publix Pharmacy in North Charleston this morning! Rosa is going to be a featured associate in an upcoming article by Publix Supermarkets Inc. Her family immigrated from Hong Kong. A few years ago, Rosa left the family’s restaurant business to entered Pharmacy School. She’s worked hard for 4 long hears to reach her goal of becoming a pharmacist. And I wish her all the best as she begins her new career!

To cool down the sodium-vapor lighting in the store, I wanted a warm main-light. So I attached orange CTO gels on two SB-5000 flashes (Group A), and fired them through a 60″ Westcott umbrella. For the first couple poses outside the pharmacy, I also attached a CTO gel to a bare SB-5000 flash (Group B) in the background to use as a kicker-light, highlighting her hair and shoulders. For the ones inside the pharmacy, I wanted to add a splash of color. So I attached blue gels to two SB-5000 flashes (Group C), covered them with dome diffusers, and pointed them at the ceiling. All images were captured with a Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 lens at ISO 200, f2.8, and 1/80th sec. Camera and lighting supports were provided by Manfrotto.

Please help me in congratulation Rosa on achieving her dreams!!!

Headshots for Thompson Turner Construction

Thompson Turner Construction is a major provider of new construction and renovation services throughout the Southeast. With high standards, great support, and full service, it’s no wonder they are so highly regarded in the industry!

It’s been my honor to photograph their team headshots over the last few years. Usually I set up in the hallway just outside their Mt. Pleasant office. That way, I don’t disrupt everyone diligently working away inside.

The kit I use includes a 53″ Savage studio gray backdrop, Manfrotto supports, Westcott light modifiers, Sony XQD cards, 4 SB-5000 flashes, a Z9 with a WR-R11 transmitter, and the Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8S. This was my first time using the newest model of the venerable 70-200 on shoot with Thompson Turner. I recently upgraded from the previous model. I am TRULY impressed at how much quieter, sharper, and faster focusing it is than the previous generations I’ve owned over the years!

Dorchester County Council

I’ve never been to a “swearing in” ceremony before. So when Michelle asked me to stay a few minutes at the end of our photo shoot to capture a few action shots of new Council Members taking their oath of office, I was absolutely delighted!

We had just wrapped up photographing a variety of drone shots, group photos, and headshots for various departments at the Dorchester County office building in Summerville. We had also photographed headshots, group photos, and some interior marketing shots of the Council Chambers. So to be able to stick around and see the government in action was pretty neat!

Many thanks to PIO Michelle for her hard work organizing and scheduling these photo shoots. I always enjoy working with her, and appreciate all the fun challenges she throws at me!

The Lovely Law Firm – Charleston Office

I always enjoy working with Justin, Amy, and the rest of The Lovely Law Firm team. Based out of Myrtle Beach, it’s been amazing to watch them grow and expand over the years. Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing marketing photos for the new Charleston Office!!!

Frito Lay Headshots at Wild Dunes Resort

As part of our contract to cover Frito Lay’s Atlantic Region Rollout Meeting at Wild Dunes Resort, we were asked to provide headshot stations for anyone needing an updated portrait.

Over 200 employees signed up…and we had a very short window in which to photograph them before the general session began! So I reached out to my good friend Jason of Docent Prodigy to double up with me. Jason is my Moto Photo Adventures partner-in-crime (check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/motophotoadventures), and an amazing photographer in his own right!

We set up our “double-trouble” studio in the Boardroom at the Boardwalk Inn, using a Savage Studio Gray backdrop in a diagonal pattern to allow more shooting space on each side. Each station included a Z9, Flashpoint trigger, 2 Flashpoint Speedlights in a Westcott 60″ umbrella as the main light, 1 Flashpoint Speedlight in a 43″ Westcott umbrella as the fill light, and 1 Flashpoint Speedlight in a Westcott Apollo Strip soft box as a kicker light. Everything was placed on Manfrotto supports, held down by BoaBags for safety. In one station, the Z9 was mounted with 24-120S f4 lens (set at around 105mm). In the other station, the Z9 was mounted with a 70-200G f2.8 (also set around 105mm). Everything was shot at ISO 400, f5.6, 1/200, with the flashes dialed to 1/16 power. These settings ensured fast recycle time and no risk of running out of battery power in spite of such a large group.

Even though we had calculated a window of approximately 2 minutes per person, our task was made even more challenging when we were told we also had to rename each person’s headshot to include their region, first name, and last name. This meant each camera had to be tethered to a computer. We used Lenovo Yoga laptops for the task. But since Lightroom doesn’t yet support tethering to the Z9, we used Nikon NX Tether software for the job. It’s a simple, clean, and robust program. And the best part is, it allows you to press a shortcut key to bring up a renaming dialogue box before you shoot each person. This allowed us to input each person’s region, first, and last name into NX Tether before each client. Thus, each image was being automatically renamed by the program while it was transferring to the laptop.

The system worked beautifully, everyone was so friendly, and we had a BLAST!!!

Many thanks to Kate at Destination South, Jason with Docent Prodigy, and Donna & Tracey from Frito Lay for all their help. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Headshots for Novus Architects

Sydney from the Novus Architects marketing team came up with a super fun, but challenging objective for my photoshoot at their annual Summit Meeting this week. I LOVE a good challenge!!! 🙂

We had two goals: #1…get a couple nice headshots of each person that showcases the friendly, earnest, trustworthy, authentic, and fresh culture of their company. #2…grab some goofy, laughing, silly, candid shots of each person. But the real challenge was, she wanted all that accomplished within the constraints of 1.5 minutes per person!

Arriving early, I quietly got everything set. Then the mayhem began! I owe a huge shout out to Josh and Caroline for being super organized and keeping the flow fast and efficient. Everyone was such a pleasure to work with. And we knocked the assignment out of the park!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor 70-200G f2.8, 4x SB-5000 Speedlights, WR-R11 transmitter, Manfrotto supports, Boabags sandbags, Westcott modifiers, Sony XQD cards)

First Headshots with New Nikon Z9

The Nikon D5 has been my go-to camera for headshots and corporate assignments for many years! The files from that camera have just been so clean and noise-free that I thought it would be impossible to beat.

Now that I’ve had some time to test out the Z9, I am REALLY impressed. The images are even sharper. The eye-detect auto-focus system adds a whole new level of accuracy.  And the higher resolution sensor captures even MORE detail. Nikon’s new flagship camera has definitely earned it’s place in my bag!!!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor 70-200 f2.8VRII + FTZII, Manfrotto stands, Flashpoint trigger, 4 Flashpoint flashes, Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox, Westcott Apollo strip box, BoaBags sand bags.)

Dorchester County Photo Shoot

This was a fun photo shoot! I got to see some of the inner workings of the judicial system, and meet some powerful players like Judge Jenkins. It’s always a pleasure working with Michelle at Dorchester County Government to capture headshots for their team, photograph drone photos of their facilities, and create beautiful images for their marketing program!

Seamon Whiteside Marketing Photos

I had another fun photoshoot with Seamon Whiteside yesterday! We captured several headshots for some new team members, and also created a number of “collaboration” style marketing photos for their website.

It was a beautiful morning in their courtyard.  And the Nikon Z9 was the perfect tool for the job! Although I brought some off-camera lighting, I didn’t need it. The dynamic range of that camera’s sensor is amazing!!!