Category: Portrait

Allyson & Ron’s Kiawah Island Maternity Session

Last July, I had the incredible honor of photographing Ron’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Allyson!

Fast forward one year, and THIS July I was overjoyed when Ron & Allyson told me they were expecting their first child! We had so much fun photographing their maternity shoot at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, where it all started. Ron was so proud and couldn’t stop smiling. Allyson was beautiful in her elegant maternity gown with that radiant “new mom” glow about her. We had so much fun capturing this special moment in their lives!!!

Due to the pandemic, Allyson & Ron couldn’t have a big wedding this year. Hopefully next year when things settle down in their lives (I think getting married, having a baby, and building a house all in one year is enough), they’ll be able to plan a fun 1-year anniversary celebration. But in the meantime, help me shower these two amazing people with love and lots of CONTRATULATIONS!!! 🙂

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Jillian & Jard’s California Wedding

It was such a privilege to be a part of Jillian and Jard’s beautiful wedding celebration in Anaheim, CA!!!

When they got engaged a couple years ago, their amazing Aunt Nancy asked me to be their photographer as her gift to them. Nancy and Jillian’s mom, Margie, grew up in the Congo and went to TASOK, as did my brothers and I. Being in a foreign country together, the bond between missionary families is strong! So much so, that we referred to our friend’s parents as “Aunt” and “Uncle”, even when there was no real relation. And that bond of being missionary kids together stays on long after leaving the country our parents served in. This is one of my favorite parts of being a “Third Culture Kid”! So it was with great honor that I gladly accepted the opportunity to photograph this joyful occasion for their family!!!

The wedding was originally planned for last year. But as we all know, last year came to a screeching halt! Jillian and Jard were still able to become man and wife on their original wedding date, albeit in a very small intimate ceremony. But fortunately, the venue, and all their vendors, were still available for June 13th of 2021, which was EXACTLY 1 year from their original date. So their wedding celebration was also their 1-year Anniversary!!! How cool is that?!?

It was such a pleasure to catch up with the Allans, the Chapmans, the Sharps, and others of the “Congo Community” at Jillian and Jard’s amazing wedding! And it was such an honor to be there for this AMAZING couple to capture this special time in their lives! CONGRATULATIONS to you both!!! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

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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! Gary was hilarious to work with, as usual! 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!!!

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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.

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. 🙂

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!!!

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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!!!

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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. 🙂 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.
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Charleston Children Photographer Charleston Family Photographer Charleston Portrait Photographer Chris & Cami Photography D5 D850 Kiawah Children Photographer Kiawah Couples Photographer Kiawah Event Photographer Kiawah Family Photographer Kiawah Family Reunion Kiawah Island Photographer Kiawah Photographer Kiawah Senior Photographer Nikkor Nikon Nikon Love Nikon Pro Nikon USA OCF Off Camera Flash SB-5000 Speedlight The Sanctuary

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!!! 🙂
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High-Key Headshots for Atlas Executive Consulting

I had another great round of headshots with my friends at Atlas Executive Consulting last week. They are always so much fun to work with!!! Here are a few favorites from the day…
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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. 🙂

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

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Morris Family on Kiawah Island

I had so much fun last evening photographing the Morris Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island! Noah and Luke were absolutely ADORABLE!!! And we had some of the most beautiful “golden hour” light to work with. 🙂

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Mollie & Vincent’s Wadmallaw Island E-Session

A couple days ago I met with Mollie & Vincent, who were in town on break from Furman University, to see if we’d be the right fit for them to photograph their wedding. Not only are they the coolest couple on the planet, but we hit it off so well that they decided they wanted me to go shoot their Engagement Portraits right away! So we zipped over to Mollie’s parent’s house, where they got changed. The property is this beautiful red barn-style house on the marsh way out on Wadmallaw Island. With the sun setting and sifting through the trees, the creek running through the marsh, the boardwalk, and that peaceful night sky…I was in heaven. We got some AMAZING photos and had a blast traipsing all around her parent’s property. We probably didn’t even get to HALF of it! But Mollie could tell I was loving the place, discovering all kinds of neat spots to shoot in. So she said she might let me do her Bridal Portraits out there too…WOOHOO! J I’m SO EXCITED for Mollie & Vincent! I hope you guys have fun back at Furman…and we’ll see you guys next time you’re in town!!!

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Surprise Sunrise Proposal on Kiawah Island

Just before I left for Romania I got a call from Corbin, who was secretly planning to propose to his girlfriend. They are from Augusta, but were moving to Charleston that weekend. He’d already convinced her that they should make their first morning in town a special one by watching the sunrise together and going to breakfast afterwards. He even bought her a special beach dress to wear and made arrangements with The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. He’d seen my pictures of Allison & Damon’s Proposal (https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2010/07/07/allison-says-yes-to-damon-on-kiawah-island/) and really wanted me to be there to capture theirs.

Well, 5:00 A.M. came awfully early as I dragged myself out of bed to drive out to Kiawah. But to experience such a beautiful moment between two people in love, within the stillness and calm of a deserted beach before dawn, and accentuated with the glorious rising of the sun…well, I have chills just writing about it. Needless to say, the comfort of my bed didn’t hold a stick to the gravity of such a moment! I felt truly blessed to be there.

After shooting his proposal incognito, Corbin brought Sarah over to meet me. We laughed and I shared some of the pictures from the back of the camera with them. Then as the sun rose into place, I shot a few “true” Engagement Portraits for them. We had such a great time together. Corbin & Sarah were so much fun to work with…even letting me talk them into getting a little wet. J CONGRATULATIONS to you both!