Mindy & Eric are Married!

Mindy & Eric came to us as referrals from Kelly & Aaron, who’s wedding we shot a few years ago. Apparently Mindy told Kelly “I’ve just GOT to have your photographer and your band!” šŸ˜‰

Even though they live in Atlanta, Mindy & Eric came back for a really fun e-Session on the beach last year. I had a great time getting to know them and just hangin’ out that afternoon with the beautiful evening sunlight.

The wedding day started out at Charleston Place Hotel where Mindy and the girls were getting ready. I love shooting there with it’s history, charm, and beautiful scenery. We even snuck into an open conference room I noticed was unlocked and got some dramatic pictures in the open window! The ceremony was at the historic St. Mary’s Catholic Church. If memory servers correctly, it was the first Catholic Church in South Carolina! The sanctuary is just GORGEOUS! The reception was held at the Harbor Club…another beautiful venue. I love how they kept all the original brick walls, giving it a unique ambiance. Click Here to see the rest of their photos.

Mindy was STUNNING in her cathedral-length gown, Eric was clearly on top of the world, and everyone was so pleasant and fun to be around. I had so much fun at their wedding. CONGRATULATIONS Mindy & Eric!

State Farm is There

There’s a new State Farm office just outside of Hilton Head Island. The Agent’s name is Kevin Sevier. If you live down that way, make sure you go see him. He’s got to be the nicest, kindest, most honest and strait-shooting insurance agent I know! I’ve photographed his kids. And I’ve photographed his entire staff. Trust me, do yourself a favor and go see him if you need advice on insurance!

One thing that our corporate clients like about us is that for the initial assignment we will come to THEIR OFFICE to photograph all the staff head-shots. That saves productivity since each person just has to step out of their office and stroll to the conference room (or wherever I’m set up). Sure beats each person driving to the studio on their lunch break, right?!? As I photograph each person, the images wirelessly fly across to my laptop where they can see the images immediately afterwards to make sure they’re happy with them before returning to work.

But the real beauty is, several months down the road when a new person is hired, they can simply stop by the studio to have their head-shot taken on the same background with the same lighting as the others. That way even years down the road every team member has professional portraits that match and create an overall professional image for the entire company. John stopped by last week to have his picture added to the others we did for Kevin’s office last month.

If you work for a company that doesn’t have professional head-shots on their website, please let them know about our service!

MaryBeth & Brad

MaryBeth called me a couple weeks ago from Kentucky. She is the SWEETEST little Southern Lady you could ever meet! Her and Brad were coming down to Charleston to visit family and had seen some of our work. Since they were recently engaged, she wanted to do their e-Session with me while they were down here. They wanted ther Engagement Portraits to be TOTALLY different from all their friend’s portraits. Since Kentucky isn’t a coastal state…what better place than a beach session, right!?! šŸ™‚

Kerri & Wes are Married

I first met up with Kerri & Wes when I was in their hometown of Columbia shooting a wedding. Kerri is an AMAZING athlete and gymnastics instructor. Wes is a very creative and GIFTED musician! They had their wedding here at Alhambra Hall overlooking Charleston Harbor. Many thanks to Erin, Wes’ sister-in-law, for being a guest at another wedding I’d photographed here a few years ago and recommending us to Kerri & Wes. šŸ™‚ The ceremony was beautiful out under the Oak Tree on the Grand Lawn. And the Reception was one ROCKIN’ good time, highlighted by Wes and the old gang taking over for the band and jamming to every one’s delight! Click Here to check out their gallery of images. CONGRATULATIONS Kerri & Wes!!!

Remote Cameras Part II

In case you missed my earlier post about how much I enjoy using Remote Cameras to get IMPOSSIBLE shots, here’s another cool application of that concept from last weekend.

Before the ceremony started, I used a Bogen Super Clamp and a Bogen Medium Tripod Head to attach my Nikon D2x and 10.5mm fisheye lens on top of the arbor. (You can barely see it in the shot, hidden against the branches.) Having checked with the officiate, I knew where Kerri & Wes would be standing and pre-focused.

A Pocket Wizard with special trigger cable is connected to the receiving camera. And another PW is attached to my D3 with the 70-200 since I know that’s the camera I’ll be hand-holding in the isle when they kiss. With this setup, as I fire the D3, it relays a message to the Remote Camera to fire a shot simultaneously on the D2x…and voila, you get the second image below. How fun is THAT?!?


Folly Beach Family Portrait

Jean & Dutch’s family are all originally from the Dayton area of Ohio. As most of you know, that’s where Cami grew up and where we met when I lived there after college. So it was GREAT talking about old stomping grounds and getting to know their family! They were vacationing on Isle Of Palms, but elected to make the trek to Folly Beach for their session. They LOVED the diversity and uniqueness of the beach compared to the more tame landscape on IOP. So they were pleased about their decision. But the best part was, they stopped at the famous Ye Ole Fashioned Icecream, a Charleston icon on this side of town that “happens” to be right on the way back to IOP. šŸ˜‰

Photography on IOP Beach is Illegal

Since Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island have passed ordinances making it illegal to have professional photographs taken on their beaches, we’ve had to find alternative locations for our vacationing clients. I know…it’s hard to believe that ANY town would put a ban on creating beautiful family photos that show the bonds of love, and preserve such special times in a family’s history. But that’s EXACTLY what they’re doing. Here’s a link: http://www.iop.net/FAQs.aspx.

Many of these families are made up of multiple generations, all coming from different areas of the country, who rarely see each other all together like this. And when an older matriarch or patriarch is involved, who knows when the NEXT time will happen that they’ll all be together again?!? So a portrait to commemorate the occasion holds a great deal of weight.

Fortunately for the Henley family, the beach house they rented sat on a beautiful property with lots of nice landscaping. So we were able to photograph their session without them leaving. Here’s a fun one of all the grand kids goofing off. šŸ˜‰ Still, they didn’t get any images on the beach…kind of the whole idea behind renting a beach house! Other families are forced to make the choice to drive all the way to Folly Beach…the nearest town without such a ban on it’s beaches.

Rachel & Adam are Married

I’ve been eagerly waiting for Rachel & Adam’s wedding for quite some time. These two are such kind, loving, and down-to-earth people! Their mutual connection and strong bond is self-evident. And they both have such a positive outlook on life. I LOVE THAT about them!!!

One of my favorite parts about their wedding was Rachel’s gown. When I photographed her Bridal Portraits at Cypress Gardens a while back, I just marveled at how unique it was and how much it totally complimented her personality.

Their wedding was held at Oak Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church. And their reception was held at Somerset, which was beautifully decorated. I absolutely LOVED the way the lawn backs right up onto Lake Moultrie…beautiful scenery! Rachel & Adam were as excited as I was about sneaking out and doing a few dramatic images out there while the party roared on inside. Check out their Online Gallery at www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.

CONGRATULATIONS Rachel & Adam! I’m SO LUCKY to have been able to share in your day with you!!!