Last weekend I had the distinguished honor of photographing The Skirmish at Gamble’s Hotel Civil War Reenactment in Florence, SC. It was hosted by the 23rd SC Infantry. A friend of mine is a member of a local troop and was able to loan me a period outfit. By being in costume, and concealing my camera in a rucksack, I was allowed to be the only photographer actually out IN the battlefield! What an exhilarating experience!!!
The Skirmish At Gamble’s Hotel depicts an encounter that occurred on March 5, 1865 when 500 federal soldiers, under the command of Colonel Reuben Williams of the 12th Indiana Infantry, marched into the Florence area to destroy the railroad depot. These federal troops were met by a group of Confederate soldiers who drove them away with the help of 400 reinforcements from the area home guard.
The Columns is a popular name for The Harwell House at Rankin Plantation, a beautiful antebellum home that dates back over 100 years. The name refers to the 22 Greek style, Doric columns that surround the home on three sides. The house was placed on the National Register of historic places in 1974, and was the location of the reenactment.
I love it when I talk to someone on the phone and can tell they are just super excited about their photo shoot!
Maricela is the kindest sweetheart, bubbly, and just fun to be around. I met up with her and her handsome man, Pete, yesterday at White Point Gardens. It’s been seven years since they first got together. So it was super cute when their adorable daughter, Miraya, brought out a sign that said “Finally”! 🙂
I loved the vintage outfits they had selected, which set the tone of some of the shots. At the beginning of the shoot, Pete confided “You know, I can’t stand having my picture made”. But by the end, he was volunteering “If you ever need a GQ model to pose for you, let me know”! As you can tell, we all had an AWESOME time hanging out and creating these images together.
CONGRATULATIONS Maricela & Pete…and you too, Miraya.
I remember Lisa & Clay’s beautiful wedding like it was yesterday! They were so much fun to work with on their wedding day…imagine my excitement when they called to let me know they had brought a new miracle into the world, and wanted me to photograph him. 🙂
Denver was absolutely adorable…just a super happy baby. Of course it helped that I had grandparents there who could really get him giggling with their silliness! We all had a great time in spite of the chill in the air. And the backdrops at Boone Hall were gorgeous as always. Welcome to the world, Denver!!!
Johnson & Wales University used to have a huge presence in Charleston! Many say they are part of the reason why we have so many amazing chefs and delicious restaurants in town!
Fortunately JWU takes really great care of their Alumni, staying in touch and hosting fun events for them. And of course they have thriving campuses all over the country, including one in Charlotte.
I had the privilege of photographing their annual Alumni Appreciation corporate event at the new Holiday Inn Historic District earlier this week. Everyone had a great time at this wonderful new venue…which of course was catered by a graduate of JWU!
I recently had the honor of photographing the U.S. Grains Council Annual Corporate Meeting. It was held at the Charleston Marriott, along the banks of the beautiful Ashley River.
Founded in 1960, the U.S. Grains Council is a private, non-profit corporation with nine international offices and programs in more than 50 countries. The Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, grain sorghum and related products.
The group had very productive meetings, presentations, and break-out sessions…as well as a fantastic time here in Charleston! For their final night, everyone enjoyed a private tour and catered event at Boone Hall Plantation.
Cheryl is an amazing yoga instructor here in town. So when she asked me to photograph some new promo shots for her website and marketing material, I was delighted. We ended up with beautiful light that afternoon! And we had a ball zipping around to various locations near her home to get a variety of great images!!!
Brittainy & Nate are two of my favorite people in the whole wide world! 🙂 Yesterday they brought their adorable son, Mason, over for a fun photo shoot. What a happy kid!!! We had a great time “playing” in the studio, and came away with some really cute shots.
Last year I received deliver of my first Nikon D4 shortly before the tournament. I was blown away by the refinements in the new camera over my previous D3 bodies. In particular I was amazed to see that Nikon had pushed the high-iso envelope into the stratosphere!!!
It’s always such an honor to have one of my images grace the stadium walls. But as living proof to the new camera’s capabilities, this image was shot at ISO 3200 during one of Serena’s night matches! It’s just astounding to see that they picked this photo, enlarged it to 40 x 47 feet, and you STILL don’t see any negative effects from noise or grain! The shot was made with my favorite Nikkor 200-400 f4 VR lens from the upper tier.
Serena has entered the WTA Tournament again this year to defend her title. I’ll be there all week, covering the action as usual! I hope everyone is planning to attend…say “Hi” when you walk by!!! 🙂
Marri & I got to know each other during the big US Grains Council convention, which I photographed last week. She was in charge of the event that week. So it was really neat when she told me her family was coming down to join her for some R&R on the weekend, and they wanted to do a family portrait session!
We had gorgeous weather that morning, when we all gathered at the pinapple fountain in Waterfront Park. Her whole family was so kind and thoughtful. And Marri’s niece & nephew, Madelyn & Jackson, were just wonderful. We all had a BLAST and got some great shots in the process.
Many thanks to Marri & her family for allowing me to be a part of their special weekend!
The giant of a man could barely fit through the isle down the center of the old dilapidated American school bus. But he navigated between the bench seats, carrying his large beat up tupperware container of delights with the deft of one who had been doing so every day since he was a boy. His booming voice filled the packed cabin: “Coconut tarts…lemon tarts…get your sweets…get your treats”. The bus had stopped for a few minutes at the Belmopan station before the next leg. A long dusty ride on the uncomfortable plastic seats of a bus designed to fit children, but packed full of adults, certainly makes one crave a nice juicy sweet pastry…and the man knew it!
I’ve spent the last couple days at the Belize Zoo, staying in a rustic cabana in the jungle at the Tropical Education Center. The TEC, as it’s known, is affiliated with the zoo, and a place for students and scientists to stay when studying the animals. There are two ladies, practically permanent residents here, who are studying the behaviors of the Howler Monkey. Otherwise, I had the entire place to myself. A large group had just left and no other guests were expected until Monday. Quiet and serene, with many trails through the forest, it was a perfect spot for a lone traveler to collect his thoughts from the hectic pace of the previous days since arriving in this beautiful country!
The Belize Zoo is nothing like what we Americans think of a “zoo”. It’s more of a rehabilitation and education center for all creatures indigenous to Belize. They don’t import elephants from India. They just find abandoned and injured animals that need a home where they can return to good health and live out their days in some semblance of dignity. The enclosures are spacious and designed for each occupant with its natural habitat in mind.
The large man, finishing his sales, worked his way back off the tight fit of the bus. Kirsten, the kind and quiet-spoken 10th-grader sitting next to me that had befriended me on the first leg, and I, sat back and enjoyed the coconut tarts I had bought for us as the bus pulled away from the station. It was a welcome treat!
“So is the sun going to come out tomorrow?”, I asked the elderly gentleman standing by his porch along the muddy path I was hiking to catch the 6:00 AM birding boat tour. His thick-accented, guttural, grunting response was probably the only two words he knew in the language I had addressed him in: “Yes-No”. You can be CERTAIN you’re off the beaten path when a man who has lived his entire life in a country that used to be a British colony, where the Queen adorns the currency, and where English is an official language…doesn’t speak a lick of it. Now that’s cool!
My second day in Crooked Tree found me running into all kinds of adventures. The early morning boat trip up into the lagoon where we saw all kinds of rare and elusive birds was absolutely AMAZING.  Some 275 species of birds live or migrate through this lush marshy region of Central America.  Ruby, a Mayan descendant, our captain and guide, was absolutely astonishing…pointing out critters I wouldn’t have noticed if my life depended on it. His knowledge was even more impressive, as he called out names and peppered us with fascinating facts about each species. The other three with me, an Idahoan and two Bostonians, were “real” birders who frantically checked targets off their life-lists. Meanwhile, I’d quietly whisper to Ruby requests such as “Can we drift left to get that dead tree out of the background?”. His gentle smile and a knowing nod assured me it was OK to make requests, so I continued, while trying not to overstep my bounds.  To me, knowing what a Bare Necked Tiger Egret is, doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if I can’t get a clean shot!
Other highlights of the day included walking “home” to Tillett’s Village Lodge, just as a bubbly group of school girls rounded the corner. After shy smiles and inquisitive questions about who I was and what I was doing in their village, they came back out of their shells. Next came introductions, including dramatic statements as only tweens can deliver: “I’m Alisha and I want to be a singer like Rihana!”. Well…it doesn’t take much to incite me into an impromptu fashion shoot for superstars like that! We had a ball capturing the cover photos for their debut albums.
That evening a traveler from Canada, a lady from Augusta (my part of the world), and a pair of Kiwis arrived looking for a place for the night. They joined me for dinner, which turned into story-time…each sharing tales of adventures past and present, punctuated with gales of laughter. I gleaned several recommendations from Agata, the Canadian who turned out to originally be from Poland, and who had just come from the direction I was headed!
Tomorrow brings a new day, new friends to find, and new stories to tell…
CHARLESTON, SC – January 22, 2013 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that Chris & Cami Photography has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2013 for photography. This marks the 5th consecutive year that Chris & Cami Photography have received this distinction!
The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Chris & Cam Photography’s selection as a Bride’s Choice Award 2013 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Chris & Cami Photography.
The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2013 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Chris & Cami Photography is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.
“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth year, the Bride’s Choice Awards® program continues to recognize the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize Chris & Cami Photography for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”
Chris & Cami are thrilled to be one of the top Photography teams in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business online and share their experiences with others. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® for 2013.
For more information about Chris & Cami Photography, please visit us at www.chrisandcami.com.
