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Jim & Linda McLain are long time clients and owners of Signature Kitchens & Baths. They needed a new photo for an upcoming add. So we decided to do a shot of this corner of their beautiful showroom. They’ve won all kinds of accolades and awards from Wolfe, Sub-Zero, and other top manufacturers in the industry for their designs. I’m honored that my images have been instrumental in showcasing their talent. I’m always excited to get a call from Linda because that means they’ve completed another project and I get to go photograph it!

Recently I’ve been doing a lot more Destination Weddings. Since Charleston is such a huge destination location, I guess it was only a matter of time. What we see happening is that brides who come to Charleston to get married often have young & single friends, family members, and bridal attendants who come from all over the country to attend the wedding. A few years later when THEY become engaged, they remember what a great job we did at their friend’s wedding and call to ask if we travel. Since Cami & I both enjoy traveling, the answer of course is always a resounding “YES”! Ryan & Sarah held their wedding at a famous vineyard in the northern hills of Georgia. Ryan’s brother, Stan, and his beautiful fiance, Holly, got married here in Charleston last year. Both Ryan & Sarah and Stan & Holly were so much FUN! I feel like I’ve gotten to know their family and become a friend instead of just “the photographer”. It’s always a pleasure working with such WONDERFUL people. And it’s so INSPIRING to work in new and exciting locations. I’ve shot weddings as far as Phoenix, Dayton, and Norfolk…and all over North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Now I’m just waiting for that call from the couple getting married in Barbados!!! 🙂

WOW! What an adrenaline rush! The local tennis team I play on, the Maybank Monsters, FINALLY won the State Championships in our division. We’ve made it to the State Playoffs several times before. But never won it. Can you tell we’re pretty excited about the accomplishment?!? We all play at the USTA 4.0 level. That’s me kneeling down on the right. That’s Chuck DeLorme, our team captain, standing on the far right. And the guy in the red cap standing behind me is my long-time doubles partner, Dan Harris. Dan and I actually won the final deciding match by a difference of only TWO POINTS in a tiebreaker! James Beck, the sports writer for the Charleston Post & Courier, even had a little blurb about Dan & I clinching that cliff-hanger match. So now it’s on to the Sectional Championships…wish us luck…

Mel, the editor from Charleston Magazine sent me an email the other day saying: “I do have another house we need to shoot on May 4th. Very Colorful, a little funky. And I’d very much like to shoot it with the bright, open feeling you shot the VanDyke house with. Are you in?????” What a silly question! If the words “colorful” and “funky” fall in the same sentence describing a subject…I’m DEFINITELY IN! 🙂 The house was totally unique. And Susan Simons, the owner, was such an eloquent, artistic, and well traveled individual. We had a great time working together and talking about the different countries and cultures we’d visited. Just to give you a taste, this shot is the master bedroom. The huge door to the left leads out onto a wrap-around deck that’s literally built around the tree trunks that grow up that side of the house. The fresh sea breeze comes from beyond the branches where the view of Sullivan’s Island and the ocean beyond that is spectacular. Make sure you pick up the next issue of Charleston Magazine to see the rest of the images!

I know a lot of photographers call this “Popcorn” photography or “Cruise Ship” photography, as if it’s of a lesser class than “real” photography. Sure, I agree it may not be the most artistic or creative expression of one’s imagination. But you know what, even within those precious few minutes I’m given with each couple, there is always room to provide a BETTER experience for them…and create a portrait that EXCEEDS their expectations! It doesn’t matter that the session is over in the blink of an eye. I can find out their names, ask where they’re from, and make a little joke to loosen them up. Sometimes, taking that personal interest in them is all it takes to make their experience a positive one. By knowing what I’m doing, paying attention to the details, and anticipating that moment of peek expression, their portrait can turn out better than they ever imagined. This was just one of HUNDREDS of images created at an Awards Banquet I shot at The Sanctuary for all the top General Motors dealerships in Canada. They loved their portraits and were amazed that we had them ready for them that evening!

As much as I enjoy working with people, every now and then the quiet solitude and more meticulous pace of a large architectural assignment can be a welcome change. Having built a reputation for the diversity of subjects we cover, I frequently get calls for architectural and interior photography. I covered the Hilton Garden Inn earlier this year and the Francis Marion Hotel last year. We have numerous other clients who are architects, interior designers, home theater installers, cabinet designers, etc. But this project was particularly personal to me because my old friend, Dan Blumenstock, was now the GM at this hotel! I had done an exterior shot at sunrise of the Hampton Inn & Suites for him when he was the GM over there many years ago. It was great to work with Dan again. And I admire what he’s done with this new facility…truly 1st class! Check out tons of other photos from the shoot on their website here.

What can I say…10 hours a day…10 days straight…10,000 images! I just get such an adrenaline rush out of covering the Family Circle Cup each year. I don’t know if it would be as exciting if I wasn’t a tennis player. But I relish the opportunity to challenge myself and stretch my photographic capabilities. As the final Tier 1 event played on clay before the French Open, all the top players are there. In like fashion, all the top sports photographers are drawn like bees to a beehive. The media tent is a constant buzz of activity. Photographers and writers are rushing from one match to the next, trying to stay on the edge of the latest developments…an upset of a big star, a rising new talent, an emotional meltdown, a fist-pumping moment of triumph. As the Official Photographer of the tournament, it’s my job to provide the most comprehensive coverage possible. On top of all the court action, I get to cover exclusive, behind-the-scenes events that most of the media doesn’t even know about…the player’s ice-cream social…the baby shower for Jennifer Russell (one of the players who just found out she’s pregnant and will be retiring after this tournament)…the Meredith Inspiration Award with Mary Pierce…the Lacoste fashion show with Natalie Dechy and Luke Jensen…the Player’s Party at Saks Fifth Avenue where the players trade in their sports clothes for fashion outfits and their competitive spirits for camaraderie and friendship. All in all, it’s a CRAZY hectic week, but I love it! You can see more of my photos and purchase your tickets for next year’s tournament at www.familycirclecup.com.

I got a call early this month from my friends at Charleston Magazine (http://www.charlestonmag.com/), asking me to photograph the spring color at Middleton Place for an up-coming article about Sidney Frazier, the head gardner. Well, as you know, peak season is almost over by then! And with a full spring schedule already on the books, I was a little worried that we’d miss it. But when I finally got out there about a week later, my worries went away. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Sidney was fantastic to work with. He’s from Africa. So we had that in common and were able to discuss some African history and politics. He’s also been at Middleton Place (http://www.middletonplace.org/) a very long time and was able to share all kinds of neat information with me about the plantation. If you haven’t been, go visit there next spring!

I recently had the privaledge of photographing Channing Proctor, champion of The Charleston Miracle League (www.charlestonmiracleleague.org) for a supplemental issue of the Charleston Regional Business Journal. The Charleston Miracle League is an organization whose mission is to offer accessible recreational opportunities for all children with physical and mental challenges so they can participate firsthand, as team members, in an organized baseball league. Their spring season had just kicked off and Channing was very excited about how well things were going. In the article, he was being honored as one of the “40 Under 40”, which is a pretty big deal hear in town. It honors the 40 top business men & women under 40 years of age. Each of them was asked to bring to their portrait session something that was representative of an activity, value, or past-time that was important to them. Of course Channing brought an old baseball bat. I also photographed the other 39 winners and really got a kick out of all the props they brought in. I saw everything from rock-climbing shoes to german shephards!

Corporate Events are always a lot of fun! These are usually Awards Presentations or Banquets to honor employees for a job well done. So, naturally everybody’s in a good mood! And as long as their photographer is fast, friendly, and professional…they STAY in that good mood. This event was no different. The Daimler Crysler Corporation had flown all these over-acheivers into town for a huge banquet at the prestigious Charleston Place Hotel. We had been asked to take portraits of each of the decked-out couples, print the photo on site, put them in nice waterford crystal frames, and have them on display for them to take home that evening. No problem, right? Well…come to find out there were 120 couples and Chrysler had given us less than an hour to do it in! Needless to say, I have never photographed so fast. But the portraits came out great….we had them on display in time…the guests loved them, and everybody was AMAZED that we had them finished so quickly!!! You gotta love it when a plan comes together…

I’ve been photographing the Family Circle Cup woman’s professional tennis tournament for the last five years in a row for various publications. In 2005 I was asked to be on that esteemed crew of “Official Photographers” for the tournament. That was an honor in itself! So imagine how elated I was when Robin Reynolds, the Tournament Director, called to tell me that one of my images had been selected for this year’s BANNER!!! The Banner is a 4-story tall display of the previous year’s champion that hangs from the top of the stands outside Center Court Stadium. It’s literally 40-feet tall x 47-feet wide! As we gear up for this year’s tournament, April 8th-15th, I am humbled by this great honor. And I feel privileged to be a part of this incredible sporting event and the amazingly talented photographers who literally work around the clock during that week to capture all the excitement and bring it to the fans!