Workshops at Howard Heights

Yesterday I had the pleasure of capturing Bill & Julie’s vision for Workshops at Howard Heights as part of an Annual Report for the SC Community Loan Fund.  From their profile at http://sccommunityloanfund.org/blog/2017/06/06/loan-closing-workshops-at-howard-heights/ we read:

SITUATION:
Bill Hussey is a custom woodworker. Bill and his wife, Julie, wanted to serve Charleston’s craftspeople by creating a shared workspace where custom makers could gather and practice their craft. The Husseys had already purchased land in the Howard Heights neighborhood and were ready to get started on construction when they approached SCCLF.

SOLUTION
Workshops at Howard Heights is situated in a neighborhood that is experiencing a rebirth, and the Husseys are committed to creating a physical space that celebrates the neighborhood’s history. SCCLF saw an opportunity to partner with a borrower who understands the role community businesses play in community development and worked closely with Workshops to finance their construction.

IMPACT
Workshops at Howard Heights is committed to honoring their neighborhood’s history while being part of it’s revitalization. Local artisans, often microbusiness owners themselves, will have a place to practice their trades. By joining the ranks of other light industrial businesses in what they call the Craftsmanship Zone, Workshops at Howard Heights is part of a movement to renew their community while fostering economic development.

Many thanks to Victoria for all her hard work in coordinating schedules, writing profiles, and making the magic happen!

Headshots for South Carolina Federal Credit Union

It’s been my pleasure to work with the SCFCU for many years now. Everyone there is always so nice, and so much fun to work with!  But more importantly, not only are we their photographer, but we’re also their customer.  Cami and I do all our banking, both business and personal, with SC Federal Credit Union.  If you’re looking for a new bank, we HIGHLY recommend them!!!

Yesterday, I had another photo shoot with them to update old head-shots, and photograph new head-shots for new staff members. When I was done with those, we also did a fun new group photo for the marketing team!  We had a blast and came away with some great shots.

Many thanks to Rebekah for all her hard work in coordinating these photo shoots!!!

Select Health Annual Report

“First Choice serves more than 355,0001 members in all 46 counties of the state and is the top-rated Medicaid health plan in South Carolina, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA’s) Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2016 – 2017. The plan has held this distinguished position since 2010. First Choice is the first health plan in South Carolina to earn NCQA’s Multicultural Health Care Distinction, which recognizes our commitment to delivering culturally competent health care, and Select Health is the only managed Medicaid plan in the state with a five-star rating for overall customer satisfaction per the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®).”

I’m thrilled to have been able to provide most of the photography for this year’s Annual Report.  I’m particularly excited that the publication is up for an Aster Award…which is kind of like The Oscars when it comes to marketing material in the the world of health care.  But above all, I’m honored to call Select Health one of our favorite clients to partner with!!!

Aerial Assignments

More and more corporate clients are turning to us for our new Aerial Drone Photography. Why?

EXPERIENCE:
Much like buying a nice digital camera doesn’t instantly make one a great digital photographer, simply buying a drone doesn’t make one a great aerial photographer! Just because someone can fly a drone doesn’t mean they know how to capture a compelling image. Mastering the tried and true techniques of lighting, exposure, composition, color, (and the list is a mile long) takes time! Cami and I have professional photography degrees, which means we’ve truly studied the finer nuances of beautiful art and imagery. Plus we’ve been photographing professionally for over two decades! That’s a priceless amount of experience and training that you just can’t pick up in a weekend workshop. Think about the revolutions and changes that have taken place in 20+ years. From medium format to 35mm, from film to digital, from crop sensors to full-frame sensors, from megabytes to gigabytes…we’ve seen it all! Which is why our clients feel confident in our abilities to deliver more compelling images.

EQUIPMENT:
Sure, the latest drones are easy to fly and take descent photos in their dumbed-down-out-of-the-box settings. It takes a lot of studying and experimenting with the deeper nuances and internal settings to eek out that NEXT higher level of quality and detail. I wonder how many new drone pilots never even read the manual?!? Flying the latest quadcopters on the market, and setting them up to take full advantage of every pixel they offer, we’re able to deliver a superior quality product.

EDUCATION:
Everyone has seen one news story or another about crashed drones or near collisions with other aircraft. Unlike a highway where you can only go one of two directions, airspace is a wide open fronteir. For the safety of other aircraft, and the safety of people below, the Federal Aviation Administration has implimented strict rules and regulations. Unfortunately, very few UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) pilots have taken the time to study, train, and pass the FAA certification process. We are proud to have passed the exam with the highest grade in the class, on our way to obtaining the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Licesnse! This means we are legal to fly our drones commercially, and will do so with safety as a primary concern.

For more information, check out https://chrisandcami.com/gallery/aerial/.  When it’s time for YOUR aerial photography assignment, please don’t hesitate to contact us! You’ll be in good hands…and you’ll be glad you did.

Geocent

Geocent is an award winning business, providing technology and engineering solutions that help their clients improve their performance and achieve their goals. Since 1992,​ through experience, innovation, commitment, and reliability, they have steadily earned their clients’ trust. Each member of the Geocent team strives to be an invaluable part of their client’s organizations, advancing them beyond their expectations!

This morning it was my priviledge to photograph three core members of the Charleston team. Using a natural lifestyle aproach to their images, we created a number of headshots and executive portraits to be used in various marketing, social media, and promotional material. Each individual was a pleasure to work with, and their personalities really shone through!

THANK YOU Valerie, Hal, and Andie for your positive energy and friendly hospitality!!!

CresCom Bank

Photographing great aerial images with a quad-copter is tough. Photographing great aerial images with a quad-copter AT DUSK is nearly impossible!!!

With calm winds at my back, and clear skies ahead, I was able to keep the stick steady enough for the drone to capture several beautiful images of CresCom’s West Ashley location. The glowing windows and doors are representative of the banks warm customer service attitude and welcoming personality!  So the timing was critical.  And I’m very pleased with how it turned out!

CresCom Bank, a leader in community banking, is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and quality products to the communities it calls home, and prides itself on its strong knowledge of local business and economic trends. Currently, CresCom Bank has 62 branch locations throughout the Carolinas and also owns Crescent Mortgage Company.  You should check them out!

Tim Waters for SCCLF

Earlier this week I had the distinct honor of photographing visionary (and a persistent one at that I might ad) Tim Waters at the future site of his healthy food retail store. I was truly blessed to spend time with this humble hero!

Check out the excellent article at http://sccommunityloanfund.org/blog/2017/10/25/loan-closing-elijah-craig/. Here are a few excerpts to give you some context:

The North Dargan Street and Darlington Street corridor, a neighborhood in Florence, SC, is deemed “blighted” by city officials. It is also located in a food desert, meaning residents lack access to fresh and nutritious foods. Tim Waters, owner of Elijah Craig, LLC and a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, wanted to help his community by bringing a full-service grocery store to the area. However, Tim struggled to secure financing and lacked the specialized experience grocery store operators need to secure a franchise deal.

The Elijah Craig, LLC Save-A-Lot will initially create 20 new jobs for community members, 12 of which will be full time and the number of employees will increase to 30 as the store grows. Families in the North Dargan Street community will finally have the ability to purchase fresh, healthy food in their neighborhood. Further, a neighborhood currently defined by the city as blighted will have a revitalization effort led in part by a lifelong resident with a vision of community change. “I see the store as building up the community in a healthy way,” says Tim. “I want it to be a beacon for healthy change.”

Many thanks to the SC Community Loan Fund for this amazing opportunity!

Pete’s Mobile Auto and Truck Repairs

I had the honor of photographing Pet’s Mobile Auto and Truck Repairs as part of a project for the SC Community Loan Fund. Their story will be featured in the SCCLF Annual Report.

“An older repair shop in Columbia’s Percival Road community has remained an eyesore to residents after falling into disrepair and shuttering its doors over a year ago. The closing of this facility left the community without a full-service automotive repair shop. Meanwhile, Pete’s Auto & Truck Repairs, LLC, a South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) was leasing a building in the Columbia area but the owners had a dream of purchasing their own shop. Once Pete’s owners Melvin & Sandra Wells discovered the Percival Road site, they sought to leverage Mr. Wells’ 40 years of experience in the automotive repair industry to attract the financing to purchase and renovate the shop.”

Congratulations to Sandra, Melvin, and their boys, who plan to one day carry on their father’s legacy as they continue to run the family business.

Headshots for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart

It was a pleasure to meet and photograph the latest addition to the team at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart this morning.

Michelle earned her B.B.A. from Mercer University in 2005, focusing on business management and international business. In 2012, she graduated magna cum laude from Charleston School of Law. While in law school, she interned for The Honorable Tommy R. Hankinson, superior court judge of the Griffin Circuit of Georgia. Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Michelle served five years as a law clerk to the late Honorable C. Weston Houck of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Welcome to the team, Michelle!!!

Headshots at First Citizens Bank

We are so blessed to work with some of the nicest, kindest clients on the planet! Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with our friends at First Citizens Bank. It was so much fun meeting and photographing corporate head-shots for the new faces on this amazing team of professionals!

The Lovely Law Firm

It was my pleasure last week, to photograph the Lovely Law Firm for Super Lawyers Magazine!

Based out of Myrtle Beach, the Lovely Law Firm specializes in personal injury and criminal defense. If you’re in need of legal representation, I highly recommend checking them out: www.justiceislovely.com.

All the attorneys were great to work with! We staged the shoot at an old historic train depot, located across from their offices. It made for a unique and interesting backdrop. I really enjoyed working with the talented team at the Lovely Law Firm!

Hidden Cypress Golf Course

Over the holidays, I had the pleasure of photographing aireal drone photography of the Hidden Cypress Golf Course.

Hidden Cypress Golf Course, located on the way to Hilton Head Island, is Sun City’s Crown Jewel. It features 6,946 yards of unique golf challenges. Golfers love the beauty of the course, but also face a unique battery of menacing greens and fairway bunkers. No wonder it gets so many excellent reviews on Golf Advisor!

One of my favorite images was this soaring panorama from just over 100 feet in the air, a compilation of 21 images from the DJI Mavic Pro.