I always enjoy meeting new people as part of my job. This morning I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing a new member of the Joye Law Firm!
* Nikon Z9, Nikkor 70-200 Z f2.8, SB-5000 speedlights, Westcott modifiers, Manfrotto supports, Sony XQD cards, and Lenovo laptop *
I had fun photographing photographing headshots at the Joye Law Firm today! We started out with some traditional “Rembrandt Lighting” on the white background. Then we switched to one of the earth-done walls in the lobby, where I used some “Butterfly Lighting” for a more glamorous look.
* Nikon Z9, Nikkor 70-200 Z f2.8, SB-5000 speedlights, Westcott modifiers, Manfrotto supports, Sony XQD cards, and Lenovo laptop *
It was a pleasure photographing Haley for Tenet Physician Resources this week. I love how crisp and clear the Z9 renders images!!! I met up with Haley at the Dodds Durst House across from the East Cooper Medical Center. It’s a beautiful property with gorgeous oak trees. She was a lot of fun to work with!
* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Flashpoint flash in Godox Glow softbox, Manfrotto supports, Sony XQD cards *
It was a pleasure photographing headshots for the group at the Fifth Third Bank yesterday!
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.
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 *
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!
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!!!
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!
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!
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!!!
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!
