Nester Family on Seabrook Island

It’s hard to believe…but it’s been TEN YEARS since the Nester Family began their annual tradition of coming to Charleston for the 4th of July!

I had the honor of photographing Suzanna & Jeffrey’s awesome wedding at Charleston Place Hotel in 2006. And each year, the whole family takes time out of their busy schedules to gather together at a beach house for the holiday week. Ā CONGRATULATIONS Suzanna & Jeffrey…it’s been a pleasure being your photographer, and your friend!

This year found the Nester’s back at a beautiful place just off the beach on Seabrook Island. Sadly, Suzanna’s brother and his family couldn’t make it this year. But they had an AWESOME excuse, as they recently welcomed a new little one into their family. Congratulations Tyler & Meghan! Another big congratulations goes out to Uncle Ron and Aunt Nancy, at the birth of their daughter Megan’s first-born! We missed you guys…but look forward to having you all back next year! For now, here are some picks to let you “absentee” family members seeĀ all the fun you missed out on this year…HA! šŸ™‚

Let’s raise a toast to ANOTHER fabulous 10 years of crazy Nester Family Portraits!!!

Muro Family on Isle of Palms

I haven’t had THIS much fun in a looong time!!!
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Many thanks to the Muro Family for another fabulous family portrait session at their beach house on Isle of Palms. SusanĀ did a great job organizing everything, and bringing pinwheels for the kids. I always love photographing this wonderful gang. They make me feel like part of the family!
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See what you missed out on, Christopher & Dana? That’s OK, you had a good excuse. We’ll see you next year with another beautiful “+1” for the group!!! Ā šŸ™‚

Stein Family on Sullivan’s Island

It’s always so much fun when our good friends, Chris & Vicki Stein, come back to Charleston for a visit! Although they’ve moved away, they are still near and dear to our hearts.

While they were in town on vacation this week, Cami & I met up with them for dinner, a fun photo shoot, and a relaxing evening on the back deck of their beach house. We were blessed with an INCREDIBLE evening of mild temperatures and a DRAMATIC sunset sky!!! Those colors are not enhanced in the slightest!

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the country…and to have such wonderful friends as the Steins.

Off-Camera Flash in Daytime

I get a lot of funny looks and silly questions when by-standers and tourists see me using my off-camera light-stand, especially when I’m on the beach, and in broad daylight!

So I decided to take a before-and-after to show what a difference it makes. I’m using four Nikon SB-800 flashes, attached to my home-made Quad-Bracket, mounted on top of a Bogen light-stand. Each is triggered by a RadioPopper Px receiver, and controlled by an SB-910 mounted to my Nikon D4. All flashes were in Group A and manually dialed in at 1/4 power. Camera settings were f5.6 at 1/250th and ISO 50. The stand is placed 30-degrees to camera right.

Many thanks to the Clark family for another AWESOME annual family photo shoot!!! šŸ™‚

Bunch Family on Folly Beach

Friends of our good friends Dan & Diane Harris, it was an honor to photograph Toni & Doug’s family gathering this weekend!
With miserable weather earlier in the week, it was amazing how we ended up with one beautiful warm day for our shoot. It was like “someone” was upstairs looking out for us! šŸ™‚
The family was gathering to honor the life of their dear departed mother, memorializing the time together with a family photo shoot, and completing the cycle by also celebrating the engagement of Adam & Karmen!
It was a pleasure being a part of this special time in this family’s life!