Jordan & Matt came down for vacation on Kiawah Island last week. So I met up with them at The Sanctuary for a really fun Engagement Session. They are such a fun-loving couple, full of energy, and easy-going smiles. We had a BLAST!!! We also had amazing light, including a glorious rainbow and a dramatic sunset! They are from Washington DC. They will be tying the knot up there this April, during the beautiful cherry blossom season. CONGRATULATIONS, Jordan & Matt!
CHARLESTON, S.C. (September 15, 2012) –The Washington Kastles extended their win streak to 31 matches and moved one step closer to another undefeated season with a 19-15 win over the New York Sportimes at the WTT Eastern Conference Championship presented by GEICO on Saturday at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, S.C.
Washington will face the Western Conference Champion Sacramento Capitals on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in the WTT Finals. The Kastles are the defending WTT champions, winning the 2011 WTT title with an undefeated 16-0 season.
With the score tied at 14-14 heading into the final set of women’s singles, Ashley Harkleroad gave New York the overall lead with a break of Venus Williams’ serve in the opening game. Williams immediately broke back and ran out the set and the match 5-1. “I enjoy the pressure and there was so much pressure today to keep the streak going and get into the Finals,” said Williams.
It didn’t take long for the Washington Kastles to take early control of the match, with 2012 WTT Male MVP Bobby Reynolds and Leander Paes teaming up for a 5-2 win over John McEnroe and Robert Kendrick.
The Sportimes battled back in mixed doubles to even the match after two sets with a 5-2 win. Kveta Peschke started with McEnroe and ended the set with Robert Kendrick for the victory over Venus Williams and Leander Paes.
In men’s singles, the steady play of Reynolds was too much for New York’s Jesse Witten as Reynolds won the set 5-2, giving the Kastles a 12-9 halftime lead.
Peschke and Ashley Harkleroad upended Williams and Anastasia Rodionova in women’s doubles 5-2 to even the match at 14-all heading into the final set.
The key to the Kastles victory was playing the big points better than New York. Washington won seven of ten 3-all points throughout the five sets. “We had to play hard,” said Paes. “Hats off to New York, they threw everything at us. I am so happy to be on this Kastles team. This is what we do, we fight together as a team. Tomorrow’s final will be a real highlight of the season.”
Billie Jean King, World TeamTennis co-founder, will be in Charleston for the WTT Finals Weekend presented by GEICO, featuring four teams from the WTT Pro League – Orange County Breakers, Sacramento Capitals, New York Sportimes and Washington Kastles.
The WTT Finals Weekend presented by GEICO brings together the top teams from the WTT Pro League to compete for the World TeamTennis Championship and the King Trophy.
“We’re very big on being fan friendly” says King. So plan on coming out and having fun this weekend!!! All matches held at the Family Circle Stadium. I’ll see everyone out there…
Friday, Sept. 14 – Western Conference Championship:
Sacramento Capitals vs. Orange County Breakers (6:30pm ET)
Saturday, Sept. 15 – Eastern Conference Championship:
New York Sportimes vs. Washington Kastles (6:30pm ET)
Sunday, Sept. 16 – WTT Finals (3:30pm ET)
Corporate Events, Company Awards Banquets, and Team Incentives are a big part of what we do. We love being a part of these celebrations. I’ve been told I have the gift of exhortation, and I’m an encourager at heart. So giving employees and team leaders the congratulations they are due for a job well done is particularly enjoyable for me!
Last week, we covered the T-Mobile Awards Banquet at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center for the second year in a row. Our “A-Team” included my friend Gary Coleman (who setup and ran the Print-on-Site Fashion Booth), my friend Chrissy Janes (who did all the printing and helped with lighting), and myself (covering candids and awards photos).
CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners, their team leaders and team mates, and their families who support and encourage them to be the best they can be!!!
Christi & Dave brought their family down from Greenville for a late summer vacation this week. During their stay at a gorgeous beach house on Isle of Palms, I met up with them to get capture some beautiful family portraits on the beach. We ended up with the PERFECT day…gorgeous light, mild temperatures, low tide…and of course an amazing sunset. Their two children were just adorable. It was a pleasure being a part of their family for an evening!!!
I had been looking forward to Allana & JP’s wedding for a long time! Allana was in Lauren & Tom’s wedding in 2009. Lauren was one of my favorite brides that year! So I KNEW Allana’s wedding was going to be a ton of fun!!! Turns out I was right…and Allana’s sure to be one of my favorite brides of 2012! 🙂
Allana & JP were married at Central United Methodist Church in Florence, SC. It was a gorgeous service in a beautiful sanctuary. Their reception was held at the Florence Country Club. We got there just in time to get some really cool shots of Allana & JP in the glow of the setting sun. The reception was just full of amazing energy!
Fred Salley, my friend from Florence and great photographer in his own right, came out to join me. We had a BLAST working together, capturing all the special moments of Allana & JP’s Big Day! Thanks, Fred.
CONGRATULATIONS Allana & JP!!! You guys are THE BEST! May God bless you as you begin your new journey together…
This morning I had a really fun shoot at the T-Mobile Call Center on Daniel Island. The home office needed new head-shots of some of their executives, some high-energy shots of some of their top achievers for a promotional piece, and some “live” shots out on the floor with all their technicians hard at work.
When I was setting up, my friend and fellow photographer, John Summers, walked in and surprised me! He was a huge help…giving me a hand with the backgrounds, standing in for light-checks…plus of course just catching up and having fun.
Everyone was super fun and great to work with. We got some awesome shots and had a BLAST doing it! That’s my favorite kind of shoot!!! 🙂
It’s been a while, but I’ve finally found a little time to process more of my images from my annual Florida Birding Adventure last spring.
The last installment included images from Harris Neck NWR: https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2012/05/02/harris-neck-national-wildlife-refuge/. And here are a few from last year’s trip: https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2012/01/23/2nd-annual-florida-birding-adventure/.
After Harris Neck, I continued south to St. Augustine. That’s one of my favorite cities on the east coast. And the St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a real hot spot for birds. I shot a few there, but was eager to get out into the open…as opposed to being in the confined space of their bird rookery.
The next morning I pushed on south to Merritt Island NWR, which is where the majority of these images are from. It really was an amazing location with lots of oportunities to drive through back roads and wilderness areas hunting for beautiful avian images. I’d say this area has easily taken over as one of my all-time favorite spots to photograph wildlife!
Stay tuned, I’ll have more soon from my next stop! 🙂
The Evans Family is full of characters! 🙂 I just LOVE their energy, their personality, and their joie de vivre!!! This was our second annual adventure together. So it was really neat to see how each of the kids had grown and become their own unique individuals. We had so much fun! I can’t wait to catch up with them again next year…
Last weekend Cami & I took a break and headed to the mountains to Celebrate our 17th Anniversary. 🙂
We stayed at a truly fabulous Acorn B&B, just outside of Asheville, NC. There were two other couples celebrating their Anniversaries within about a 2-week window. We had a great time getting to know each other over Gene’s fabulous breakfasts!
Each day we out on a new adventure in a different direction. We hiked to famous waterfalls in DuPont State Forest, toured downtown Asheville, went sight-seeing along the Blue Ridge Parkway, ate dinner at the Pisgah Inn overlooking the valleys of Pisgah National Forest, climbed to the overlook at Carl Sandburg’s home in Flat Rock, shopped in historic Hendersonville, and visited an apple orchard in Brevard.
But most of all, we rested and relaxed…and enjoyed spending time together!!!
The other day, I got a phone call. The happy and excited voice on the other end of the line said “Hi Chris…it’s Nicole…you shot our wedding in 2009…and we just had a beautiful baby girl!!!” 🙂
That call made my day! Nicole & Vince were one of my all-time FAVORITE couples! So even though we already had a full shooting schedule, I MADE time to get over there and meet little Miss Summer! Isn’t she ADORABLE???
Congratulations Nicole & Vince!!! You guys are going to be an AWESOME Mommy & Daddy!
What a small world!!!
I had the pleasure of photographing the McMurry Family the other day. And it turns out they are vacationing here from our old stomping grounds in the Troy/Dayton/Springfield area of central Ohio! 🙂 I loved playing with their kids. And we all had a BLAST!
Can’t wait to do it again next time, and see how much the boys have grown…
