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The Premiere of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner was broadcast live in 9 different languages. It connected all the major manufacturing plants simultaneously via satellite, including Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Canada, and…you guessed it…Charleston. My friend, Gary Coleman, and I were THERE to photograph the event at the Vought manufacturing facility here in town!

With pre-orders of over 600 of the new airplane, this is the MOST SUCCESSFUL launch of a commercial aircraft IN HISTORY! Boeing has incorporated ergonomic concepts in designing the interior with aesthetics and extra creature comforts, including the largest windows of any commercial airplane. They’ve also used radical new designs that include increased use of lightweight composites and advanced aluminium alloys, making the aircraft more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. It will be able to fly up to 16,000km at speeds up to Mach 0.85, yet still be able to land at smaller airports on their shorter runways.

In the first photo, you’ll see the two largest sections of the fuselage, which are the main components manufactured at the plant here in Charleston. The second image is the “money shot” that was seen around the world with all the employees holding their “Building the Dream” cards. I was standing on a 40-foot lift, right next to the TV Camera Operator who was shooting for the live broadcast. About 60-seconds before he went live, he leaned over and whispers to me “don’t breathe”. I included the third image just to give you some perspective on the precarious nature of our location! 🙂

Anyway, you’ve probably seen plenty of hype on TV and in the press about this amazing new breakthrough in aviation. For me it was just a pleasure to be there in person, knowing that I was witnessing and preserving a part of aviation history!

Erika & Robbie’s wedding last weekend was such a DELIGHT to photograph! I also photographed Erika’s Bridal Session as well as Erika and Robbie’s Engagement Session. So it’s been really neat to get to know these two over time…both as the unique individuals they are…and as the combined persona they exhibit as a couple. I thought it particularly touching that Erika had her mother’s bridal gown modified for her to wear on HER wedding day. And of course Robbie’s tux was SOOO “Him”! Robbie, only a REAL man could pull that off the way you did!!! 🙂

The wedding was held at the Rutledge Chapel on the USC campus in downtown Columbia. It’s in what’s known as the “Horseshoe”. And that whole area is just incredibly PICTURESQUE! On top of THAT, the historical significance of this part of our state really made for a fitting location for these two to celebrate their wedding since they are both intellectually in tune with the our world, appreciative of it’s history, and aware of the value of our heritage there in. (Erika’s chosen vocation is in Archeology.)

Robbie & Erika, thank you SO MUCH for letting me be a part of your BIG DAY! As you begin building your NEW life together, may these images be a happy reminder of this special day in YOUR history…

Visit their Online Gallery to see the rest of the images…

For his poignant article about Chrissie Zartman, Dominic Bonvissuto of Sports Illustrated writes: Among the forest of professional beach volleyball players waiting to check in at the AVP Crocs Tour stop in Huntington Beach, Calif., a freckle-faced girl with sandy blonde hair shuffled through the entrance marked, “Players Registration.” Standing 5-foot-3, it would have been easy for her to get lost in the crowd of tall, tanned athletes. One tournament official did notice her, however, and approached. “I’m sorry,” he said, “this area is for players only.”
“When I told him I was a player, he smiled,” Chrissie Zartman said. “I think he thought I was just some kid who played volleyball.”

His article, uses three images I photographed of Chrissie while she competed in the AVP Charleston Open last month. This is the FIRST TIME we’ve been published with SPORT’S ILLUSTRATED! So I’m extremely excited to share this article with you. Audra Silverman, representative for AVP writes: “Three of your photos are predominantly featured and the story is the most popular story on the site right now. It came out great!”

Check out the rest of the story on SI’s website here…

There were SO MANY cool images from Kim & JD’s wedding that I didn’t know HOW TO CHOOSE which ones to post on the blog. That’s a GOOD dilemma to be in! 🙂 Anyway, here are just a few of those favorites. As always, you can see the rest of the images in their Online Gallery.

I had been looking forward to Kim & JD’s wedding for a long time. Ever since our initial meeting way back when, Kim and I have just “clicked”. As a photographer, I always strive to see the world through my client’s eyes and get a feel for who they are. Through studying their personalities and paying attention to how they react to situations and interact with one another, I can better serve them by creating images that reflect who they are. Of course this task is made so much more intuitive IF my client’s personalities are already in tune with my own! This is how it was with Kim & JD.

The first image was taken while Kim & the girls were getting ready. As she checked her make up in the hand-held mirror, I caught her eye in the reflection. For extra punch I left the mirror in color and changed the rest of the image to black-and-white. The second image was taken after the ceremony. The wind swirled Kim’s veil as the newlyweds kissed. The third image was taken right after Kim finished dancing with her Dad. She went and sat down with two of her bridesmaids to watch as they took snapshots of JD dancing with his Mom. The last image is a clean, simple, and pure representation of the energy, excitement, and emotion at their reception. I call it “Happy Feet”. 🙂

Kim & JD…it was an honor and a privilege to be there for you guys as you celebrated this landmark in your lives. May you have happy feet FOREVER!

After I finished photographing the finals of the AVP Charleston Open this Sunday, I was standing on the court talking to Stein Metzger when Mike Saia (Communications Director of the Family Circle Cup) grabbed this photo. Stein and his partner, Mike Lambert had just won the tournament, their 7th title together.

Today, Stein and Mike fly to Europe to compete in the FIVB tour and begin the qualifying process for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

See our photos on the official AVP website…

Stein Metzger just couldn’t contain himself any longer. When he and his partner, Mike Lambert won the AVP Charleston Open Sunday afternoon, he absolutely EXPLODED with excitement! As the underdogs going into the finals, this was a strong win for these two.

“We’ve been struggling to win at times, and when you’re not getting as many wins as you expect, it makes it that much better when you battle and fight and turn over every stone to find a win. Now, it’s time to enjoy this.”

Happy Father’s Day, guys!
See more of our photos on the official AVP website…

Misty Mae-Treanor has totally DOMINATED the women’s pro beach volleyball tour for the past 7 years! In fact, she recently surpassed Holly McPeak (also at this tournament) for the all-time victory leader. Add to THAT a victory at the inaugural AVP Charleston Open! Misty and her partner, Kerri Walsh, ran away with the final, making it their 8th tournament victory in 2007. In fact, except for the season opener, they’ve won EVERY tournament they’ve entered so far this year! Talk about dominating the field!!!

See more of our photos on the official AVP website…

As part of our assignment to photograph the AVP Charleston Open this past week, Cami and I got to photograph the view from ABOVE! Mike Saia is the Director of Communications at the Family Circle Cup, where the tournament was being held. He had arranged for four of these world-class athletes to play an exhibition match on the deck of the USS Yorktown…and for us to photograph it from a small Cessna airplane. Having done some aerial photography before, we knew what to expect and had a great time photographing from this unique perspective. On the flight back to the airport, we also flew over the stadium to get this shot of the tennis court that had been converted for this week’s professional beach volleyball competition. We had used Jim Ellison of Flying High Over Charleston the last time we did aerial photos. So it was great to work with him again. He’s such a southern gentleman and provides a first class experience!

I’m on assignment at the AVP Charleston Open this week. It’s the inaugural year for this professional beach volleyball tournament on the tour. So I’m honored and excited that the AVP contacted me to cover it for them. Of significance is the fact that this year is also the last year for one of the greatest volleyball athletes of our time. With three Olympic Gold Medals, at 46 years old Karch Kiraly is retiring at the end of this season. Here he is with his famous pink hat spiking the ball for a clean winner.

See more of our photos on the official AVP website…

The last few wedding’s I’ve photographed have included the presence of strong colors that caught my attention. At Lindsey & Brannon’s wedding, I found myself drawn to some really strong Black & White images! Sure, there were TONS of beautiful colors with flowers everywhere and stained glass windows glowing in the warm colors of the setting sun. You’re welcome to see all of those in their Online Gallery. But I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity and strength of a good Black & White. So I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you from their wedding. Black & White images hold their strength in lines, textures, emotions, and contrasts. I think these qualities come through in each of these moments. If you just pause for a second at each image, you’ll see that you will truly find yourself “in the moment” because each one tells it’s own story.

Linsey & Brannon, I am SO EXCITED for you guys. You two are PERFECT for each other! 🙂 Thank you for allowing me to be there for you and for giving me the opportunity to capture each precious moment. God Bless…

I’ve enjoyed watching the French Open this week and following some of the exciting stories. I was sad to see Roger Federer miss another opportunity to win the “Federer Slam”. But at the same time I’m always impressed with how tenacious Rafael Nadal is on clay. The Women’s Final wasn’t all that great a match. But it was between two of my favorite players on the women’s tour! I’ve always been a huge fan of Justine Henin because her style is built around an all-court game that includes power, precision, and finesse. After having photographed Anna Ivanovic at both the Bausch & Lomb Championships and at the Family Circle Cup, I knew she was “rising star” in the making. And her strong run to the finals at the French Open proves that she has what it takes. I think we’ll see a lot more of this young lady in the years to come…

After I recovered from the sugar-overload I got at Leslie & Zac’s wedding, we met the following morning for a Trash-the-Dress session. Trashing the dress is ALL THE RAGE with brides and grooms out on the west coast. It hasn’t quite caught on in our quietly conservative state. But it’s coming. 🙂 And I was EXCITED that Leslie & Zac were up for it.

Trashing the dress may at first appear to go against reason. But in actuality, it’s the ultimate gesture of love and commitment. In essence, the bride is saying “you are my FOREVER love…and I will never need this dress again”. We had an AWESOME time together that morning. And I was able to capture some beautiful images that will preserve this moment for them forever.

See the rest of the images in their Online Gallery…