Dilella Family on Kiawah Island

As the summer comes to an end, and schools start back up, I am critically aware that there are only a few “perfect” summer evenings left in the season. One of those was yesterday!

I met up with the Dilella Family on Kiawah Island on an absolutely perfect evening! The sun, which had baked the earth just hours before, had slipped into “Golden Hour”. And a gentle breeze was blowing off the ocean to drop the temps to “just right”.

The Dilella family was an absolute joy to work with! The grandkids were delightful and full of energy. It was such a pleasure capturing these beautiful family memories before their children head back to Cleveland.  To top it all off, as I was driving away I noticed these amazing crepuscular rays from the settings sun in the west, extending their fingers all the way to the rising moon in the east.  What a sight!!!   🙂

The Ocean Course Rainbow

Something truly magical happened at this family portrait session I had with the Cyrus Family at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island!!!

Nester Family on Seabrook Island

We had a smaller crowd this year. Some of the Nester clan couldn’t make it. Even though they were missed, we still had a BLAST!!!

I had so much fun catching up with Jeff & Suzanna, who’s beautiful wedding I had the honor of photographing all those years ago. Their kids are growing like weeds and starting to show off their personalities. And in spite of a couple health-hiccups this year, their parents are doing great!

We met up at our usual spot on Seabrook Island. The landscape out there has changed quite a bit from their vacation last year…various storms and tides have shifted the sand and dunes considerably. In spite of the usual summer afternoon thunder-storms, it turned out to be a GORGEOUS evening!  We got some awesome shots!!!

Many thanks to the Nesters for all the years of fond memories together! We love you guys!!!

Sweigart Family Senior Portraits

It’s been five or six years since I last photographed the Sweigart Family. But I recognized them instantly…in spite of how much the kids have grown!

Back on Kiawah Island for vacation this summer, we met up at The Sanctuary to update their family portraits. Plus since their middle daughter, Kara, is going to be a senior in high-school, we thought it would be fun to capture some unique senior portraits for her. Being from Pennsylvania, this would give her some beautiful lowcountry scenery in her portfolio of images that none of her friends back home will have! 🙂

We lucked out with a GORGEOUS evening! Everyone was so much fun and so into the shoot! We came away with a wonderful set of photos to memorialize this special time in their family’s life!!!

Mary Beth & Bryant’s Darlington Wedding

Mary Beth & Bryant are SUCH an amazing couple!!! I owe my good friend and amazing photographer, Steve, a huge “Thank You” for recommending me to these two!

I’ve had so much fun getting to know Mary Beth & Bryant in the months leading up to their special day. A few months back, they even made a special trip to Charleston, where we had a BLAST capturing some killer engagement photos for them. You can check those out at: https://chrisandcami.com/mary-beth-bryant-at-brittlebank-park/.

Last weekend the Big Day finally made it! Arriving at their house where Bryant and the guys were getting ready, everyone was laughing and joking and having a great time.  That’s the way a wedding day SHOULD be, right?  I then met up with Mary Beth and the girls at Norman Cosmetics where they were getting ready. The excitement and energy in the salon was fabulous. I could tell we were in for quite a celebration!

Mary Beth looked absolutely STUNNING in her gorgeous wedding gown! I must say, Bryant looked quite dashing, himself. The two of them enjoyed a fun First Look underneath the huge arches of the Darlington Courthouse. We also went on a creative little mini-shoot around the town square, eventually meeting up with the rest of the wedding party for some group shots. After a grand-finale in front of the famous mural, everyone headed over to the church for the main event!

Mary Beth and Bryant had chosen St. Matthews Episcopal Church to exchange their wedding vows. I absolutely love the church’s amazing stained glass windows and rich wooden interior. The wedding was simply beautiful!

Following the ceremony, everyone headed over to South of Pearl for the real celebration!!! South of Pearl is an excellent reception venue in town, a remodeled old historic home with lots of amazing architecture, and a beautifully manicured lawn in the back. There was eating, dancing, cake, cookies…you name it!  Everyone had an AMAZING time! And the dark threatening clouds even parted ways just in time for some dramatic portraits of this sweet couple at sunset.  🙂

To check out all the photos from their Big Day, visit https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/p522914086.

CONGRATULATIONS Mary Beth & Bryant!!! We wish you all the best as you begin this beautiful new journey together…

Field Trip to Bulls Island

If you like birding, pristine hiking, beach combing, and a chance to get away from the mainland, then Bulls Island just might be for you!

On behalf of the Center for Birds of Prey, and in association with Coastal Expeditions, earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing a fun field trip with a group of students from Cainhoy Elementary School. In spite of living in the Lowcountry, some of these kids had never seen the ocean. So, imagine the wonder and amazement in their eyes as we explored Bulls Island together, the crown jewel of the Cape Romain National Wildlife System!!!

Many thanks to Daniel at the Avian Conservation Center for getting me on this project, and Captain Nick from Coastal Expeditions who was our amazing tour guide for the day.

Siemon Whiteside Development Projects

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. That’s one of the reasons why I choose NOT to be pigeon-holed into one particular genre of photography. Instead of doing the same thing over and over again, day after day…for me each day is full of unique assignments and new challenges!

Recently I have really enjoyed working with Siemon Whiteside, photographing a number of their projects. SW is a leader of environmentally conscious, low-impact advancements in engineering and site design. They are known for how they blend civil engineering civil engineering and landscape architecture to create beautiful yet functional holistic environments.

From wide sweeping landscape shots, to tiny detail images, to aerial drone photos…capturing the essence of these projects always pushes the limits of my dexterity and creativity. I absolutely LOVE that!!!

Home on the Marsh

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing this delightful home on the marsh, tucked away in the back of Brickyard Plantation, for our good friend and amazing real estate agent, Pat Broghammer.

Indeed, Pat isn’t just a friend, she’s also OUR agent! She helped us sell our previous home, and helped us find our current one. Plus we had the honor of photographing her daughter’s wedding! Check her out at www.iwanttoliveincharleston.com. We highly recommend her!!!

Lancaster Christian Services

Yesterday found me traveling to Lancaster, SC for another shoot with the South Carolina Community Loan Fund.

The assignment was to tell the “story” of the Lancaster Christian Services Center. The SCCLF had helped this organization secure the financing to purchase a bowling alley to house a number of their community outreach programs, including two churches, a food pantry, meeting rooms for education programs, and of course a fun place for youth to hang out.

Images were captured with the DJI Mavic Pro and Nikon D850 with either the 14-24 f2.8 or 24-70 f2.8 and as many as three SB-5000 off-camera flashes, depending on the scene.

Charleston Photographers Lunch Group

The Charleston Photographers Lunch Group is a fun, friendly, casual group of fellow photographers who share a common passion and enjoy getting together to exchange ideas, talk about the latest toys and techniques, build community, and develop friendships with others of like mind and spirit.

We meet for lunch once a month, on different days of the week, at different restaurants all over town. Throughout the year, different members take turns volunteering to organize and host each month’s lunch.

This is not a formal “organization”. There are no crazy fees or silly rules. It’s just a bunch of friends getting together who happen to LOVE photography. We check our egos at the door and come prepared to share openly, encourage graciously, and connect positively with one another. The range of folks that attend are everywhere from Pulitzer Prize nominated photojournalists to part-timers and hobbyists.

Like most things in life, what you get out of the group is directly proportional to what you put into it. I hope you enjoy this video and find many lasting friendships within the group!

GEAR FOR THIS VIDEO:
Sandisk Extreme 32GB MicroSD – https://amzn.to/2CkeGDs
Sena 10c Pro – https://amzn.to/2MeHemo
Sandisk Extreme 64GB MicroSD – https://amzn.to/2SWX4o8
GoPro Session 5 – https://amzn.to/2RP7Jnv
GoPro Suction Cup Mount by Smatree – https://amzn.to/2D8StcT
Samsung S7 – https://amzn.to/2AMr3rU
Joby Gorillapod for Smartphones – https://amzn.to/2CkcLie
Rode VideoMic ME – https://amzn.to/2W80Mgw
HJC RPHA Max Helmet – https://amzn.to/2SW1eMT

FULL GEAR BOX:
https://chrisandcami.com/events/gear/

STAY CONNECTED:
www.chrisandcami.com
www.facebook.com/chrisandcami
www.instagram.com/chrisandcami
www.twitter.com/chrisncami

MUSIC:
Half Day by Bad Snacks
Licensed under YouTube Audio Library

Nexton Development for Seimon Whiteside

Seimon Whiteside is a leader of environmentally conscious, low-impact advancements in engineering and site design. They blend civil engineering and landscape architecture to create holistic environments. They were the creative team behind the new Nexton Development near Charleston.

It was our privilege to be called in to photograph this project for their portfolio. We covered the assignment with a combination of high-resolution still images using the venerable Nikon D850, as well as aerial drone images with the incredible DJI Mavic Pro quadcopter.

Here are just a few of the results…