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One question I get a lot is “since photography is your profession, what do you do for a hobby?” Well…PHOTOGRPHY…what else?!? 🙂 On my day off or when I get all my work caught up and I have a couple extra hours to go “play”, I often grab my camera and find something to photograph for FUN! This particular Sunday, I heard about a Civil War Reenactment of the Battle of Secessionville being held at Boone Hall Plantation. Sounded interesting, so off I went! I sure am glad I did…these folks put on a first class show. Every detail is authentic, right down to their belt buckles and muskets. I HIGHLY encourage you to visit their website and mark next year’s event on your calendar – you won’t regret it!

The term Photography comes from the Greek words photos (light) and graphos (drawing). So we often hear this art form described as “drawing with light”. There are a number of ways to light a subject to create an image. One of my favorites is through the use of window light. This type of lighting was often used by classic painters like Rembrandt from the 1600’s. Yet even today, artists all over the world continue to light their subjects by window light because of the soft three-dimensionality it imparts. I created this image at Jennifer & Troy’s wedding this weekend in Alhambra Hall as she watched the seagulls glide in the air over Charleston Bay. They had a BEAUTIFUL service outside underneath the oak tree, followed by a wonderful reception upstairs. Congratulations Jennifer & Troy!

This weekend I had a fun time with our Greenscreen Technology at Winn’s Bar Mitzvah. Winn is the son of Larry Lipov, president of Pearlstine Distributors, Inc. So you can believe this was a “pull-out-all-the-stops” party! Held at their huge distribution center on Daniel Island, the theme of the party was “It’s Game Time”. So we used a variety of sports related computer-generated backgrounds to support this. The Wave Rider magazine cover was a HUGE HIT…that’s Larry in the front steering the surfboard. 🙂 The lovely Tara Geurard, of Soiree, did a fantastic job organizing everything. And our friends Ben & Sharon Hough of Artistic Eye Productions were there to create a memorable video of the entire event for the Lipov’s. Congratulations Winn!!! It was a PLEASURE being a part of your big day!

As many of you know, I grew up in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo). This is the large country in central Africa, which you may be aware of through such movies as “Gorillas in the Mist” and books like “The Heart of Darkness”. My parents were missionaries for International Ministries and my three brothers and I attended The American School of Kinshasa. It was such an eclectic group of international students, which I’m very thankful for. I believe the diversity gave me a keen appreciation and understanding for other cultures, races, and creeds. Anyway, periodically different students from the school organize class reunions. This month I attended one in Buffalo, TX. We had an AWESOME time catching up on each other’s lives, reminiscing about old times, and rekindling our friendships. This shot was taken around the huge bonfire we had one night. That’s Eric Lindland in the middle, one of my good friends who helped organize the event. Many thanks to him and Lora Swanson for all their work in putting this reunion together! Zaire Oye!!!

My Dad is a professor of African History and is very well informed on local and world politics. I, on the other hand, tend to shy away from such matters. So I thought it ironic that I ended up covering Senator John Kerry’s visit to Charleston in support of Randy Maata’s run for Congress. Many thanks to Yve Assad, my friend and fellow photographer, for recommending me for the assignment. It was also nice to bump into Wade Spees again, photographer for the Post and Courier.

My younger brother is a Financial Advisor and takes excellent care of all our investments. He’s always telling us to “diversify your portfolio”. So this week, Cami & I decided to do just that! We took a little break and headed to a wonderful little B&B; on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, TN. It was just about peak fall color in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and we spent the entire time hiking in the beautiful outdoors. It was fun to relax, get away from Charleston for a few days, and enjoy the time together. While we were at it, we did a little nature and wildlife photography. Oh, I know my brother’s advice was in reference to our financial planning. But I believe testing myself in other fields of photography only make me a BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER. So here’s one of my scenic images of Ramsey Cascades. What do you think – does this help diversify my portfolio?

There’s always a first time for EVERYTHING! This week I got to photograph the christening of a brand new Oil Tanker for Stena Bulk/Concordia Meritime. I have never done that before. I must say, it was a pretty cool affair. The ship had been built in Sweden and had already completed it’s maiden voyage over here to Charleston. Once in dock, the crew cleaned it up like new. Then there was a beautiful ceremony, complete with dignitaries and Honor Guard, where the ship’s “Grandmother” broke the ceremonial champagne bottle over the bow as thousands of red, white, and blue balloons were released into the sky. (I found out later that an environmentalist group called to complain about the balloons.) The lady that had been selected for the honor of Grandmother was the wife of Captain Douglas Uhles of the Hess Corporation. After the ceremony there was a wonderful luncheon at the famous Charleston Place Hotel. Of course there were a lot of big-wigs present…company CEO, captain of the ship, head of the Coast Guard, etc. Anyway, it was very exciting for me to be able to preserve this historic occasion.

Earlier this week I attended the annual Professional Photographers of South Carolina convention. It’s so much fun to be a part of all the professional associations I belong to. But more than that, it gives me an opportunity to feed that voracious appetite I have for ANYTHING dealing with my craft. Sure, you might say I’ve had a formal education on the subject, I’ve been doing it for over a decade, why bother?!? Well, I have a BURNING passion for what I do. Many of you have heard me say this before…”Being a photographer is not WHAT I DO, it’s WHO I AM!” Belonging to excellent organizations like the PPSC is one of the many ways I keep in touch with fellow photographers who I trust and admire, share new techniques and skills with others, gain insights, and garner inspiration. I don’t have any photos from the event to share with you. So here’s one of my favorites of Paige & Perry’s wedding as they did a little gig and drew gales of laughter from all their friends! 🙂 Congratulations you two!!!

As a professional photographer, I’m often faced with less than ideal lighting situations. In many of those cases, I’m not allowed to augment the existing light (what little there is) with any sort of flash. Many of these situations include indoor sporting events, like the Southern Conference basketball tournament I shot earlier this year, where the flash would distract the athletes. Others include formal church weddings where a flash would take the focus off the bride & groom. Finally, like in this corporate conference for the American Council of Engineering Companies, it would simply be in poor taste. People ask me all the time, “why do certain lenses cost so much?”. Well, some lenses are simply designed and built with larger maximum apertures and larger glass elements so they can “see” better in dim light. Often referred to as “fast glass”, these lenses allow more light into the camera the same way those huge pupils from an owl’s eyes allow it to see better at night. I carry an arsenal of fast lenses to every assignment so that when the other photographers don’t have enough light to get the shot, I switch to one of these gems and keep on shooting. Check out my gear box if you’re interested in this sort of thing.

Engagement Sessions are a wonderful opportunity for me to get to know a couple before their wedding day. It’s always fun to pick a casual setting like the beach or a local park and just go have fun! Brandon & Stacia didn’t need ANY of my usual coaxing to get them to relax. We hit it off right from the start. They are very much in love and completely comfortable being themselves in front of the camera. I had a GREAT time getting to know them and creating some beautiful images that reflect their personalities and their relationship. Here’s one of my favorites from the end of the session as the setting sun sent vibrant colors skimming across the sky behind them while the moon hung omnisciently in the distance. I CAN’T WAIT to photograph their wedding this coming spring – it’s going to be AWESOME!

Grand Ideas is another one of my favorite clients. They market promotional products, including a special line of SUPER COOL Palmetto Ideas for the true South-Carolinian in you. The owner, Grandee (how fitting), has more energy than a four year old! She’s always got a smile on her face and her bubbly personality is VERY CONTAGIOUS!!! I do all the product photography, head shots, and team photos for their website. This was a recent one I took while all her sales people from around the state were in town for one of their Grand Meetings. 🙂

Many of you know that Cami & I adopted our beloved Golden Retriever, Henry, from a wonderful organization called Pet Helpers. He’s truly become a special part of our lives. To this day we still feel grateful towards, and keep in touch with the wonderful folks we got him from! So when the opportunity arose to photograph an editorial piece about Pet Helpers, I jumped at the chance. This was another feature article for Charleston Magazine and showcased a number of wonderful pets who have found loving homes through the assistance of Pet Helpers. If your heart is ready to adopt a new family member, don’t hesitate to give these wonderful folks a call!