Johnstone Supply Awards Banquet at Charleston Marriott

Johnstone Supply is a wholesale distributor serving professional HVACR contractors throughout the state. They offer the largest selection of equipment and genuine OEM parts in the industry. Plus they have replacements for nearly every major brand and an extensive cross reference system that makes sourcing hard-to-find parts easy!

It was my pleasure to photograph their Dealer Networking Party and Awards Banquet at the Charleston Marriott this year. It was a fantastic evening, including cocktails, silent auction, live music, dinner, an awards presentation, a networking hour with top suppliers, games, dancing, and more!

Many thanks to Somer for all her hard work coordinating every detail, and to my friend Jeff for helping cover some of the program. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event!!!

Seamon Whiteside Christmas Party at Hibernian Hall

Seamon Whiteside is such a fun company to work with. They have a culture that exudes positive energy and enthusiasm. The management team really cares about it’s people. The friendships and work relationships within their staff are genuine and true. All this becomes self-evident at their Holiday Party each year!

This year’s gala was a fabulous Hawaii-themed event at the Hibernian Hall. Cindy from Eventfully Yours Charleston had completely decked the place out with palm trees and pineapples. And TruSol from East Coast Entertainment absolutely rocked the night away!

CONGRATULATIONS to all our friends at Seamon Whiteside for another successful year!!! Here’s looking forward to many more good times in 2023…

Frito Lay Headshots at Wild Dunes Resort

As part of our contract to cover Frito Lay’s Atlantic Region Rollout Meeting at Wild Dunes Resort, we were asked to provide headshot stations for anyone needing an updated portrait.

Over 200 employees signed up…and we had a very short window in which to photograph them before the general session began! So I reached out to my good friend Jason of Docent Prodigy to double up with me. Jason is my Moto Photo Adventures partner-in-crime (check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/motophotoadventures), and an amazing photographer in his own right!

We set up our “double-trouble” studio in the Boardroom at the Boardwalk Inn, using a Savage Studio Gray backdrop in a diagonal pattern to allow more shooting space on each side. Each station included a Z9, Flashpoint trigger, 2 Flashpoint Speedlights in a Westcott 60″ umbrella as the main light, 1 Flashpoint Speedlight in a 43″ Westcott umbrella as the fill light, and 1 Flashpoint Speedlight in a Westcott Apollo Strip soft box as a kicker light. Everything was placed on Manfrotto supports, held down by BoaBags for safety. In one station, the Z9 was mounted with 24-120S f4 lens (set at around 105mm). In the other station, the Z9 was mounted with a 70-200G f2.8 (also set around 105mm). Everything was shot at ISO 400, f5.6, 1/200, with the flashes dialed to 1/16 power. These settings ensured fast recycle time and no risk of running out of battery power in spite of such a large group.

Even though we had calculated a window of approximately 2 minutes per person, our task was made even more challenging when we were told we also had to rename each person’s headshot to include their region, first name, and last name. This meant each camera had to be tethered to a computer. We used Lenovo Yoga laptops for the task. But since Lightroom doesn’t yet support tethering to the Z9, we used Nikon NX Tether software for the job. It’s a simple, clean, and robust program. And the best part is, it allows you to press a shortcut key to bring up a renaming dialogue box before you shoot each person. This allowed us to input each person’s region, first, and last name into NX Tether before each client. Thus, each image was being automatically renamed by the program while it was transferring to the laptop.

The system worked beautifully, everyone was so friendly, and we had a BLAST!!!

Many thanks to Kate at Destination South, Jason with Docent Prodigy, and Donna & Tracey from Frito Lay for all their help. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Frito Lay Conference at Wild Dunes Resort

Photographing the annual Frito Lay Conference last week was an absolute pleasure!

During this Atlantic Region Rollout Meeting, we photographed everyone’s headshots, their meetings, keynote speakers, awards ceremonies, team-building activities, and the fabulous Oyster Roast to celebrate the conclusion of this awesome event.

Many thanks to Kate at Destination South, Jason with Docent Prodigy, and Donna & Tracey from Frito Lay for all their help. I couldn’t have done it without you!!!

* Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor 14-30S f4, Nikkor 24-70S f2.8, Nikkor 24-120S f4, Nikkor 70-200G f2.8 + FTZ, DJI Mini 3 Pro, Flashpoint speedlights, ThinkTank Speedbelt, Spider Holster

Another Awesome Wild Dunes Event

I always enjoy working with my good friend and amazing photographer, Gary at Coleman Photography!

This was the second event I shot for him out at Wild Dunes Resort this weekend…and it was absolutely AWESOME!!! We had covered this awards conference for many years up until the pandemic put things on hold. But this year it was back…and bigger than ever! It was so much fun catching up with their amazing staff that we haven’t seen in a couple years.  🙂

My kit for covering the event included the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Nikon Z9 (x2), 14-30S f4, 24-70S f2.8, 105G f2.8 Micro, Flashpoint flashes, Manfrotto stands, and Westcott modifiers.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!!!

Dart Container for Gary Coleman

I always enjoy working with my good friend and amazing photographer, Gary at Coleman Photography!

This week we tag-teamed to cover several events for the Dart Container Summit. Gary had me cover the rooftop reception and awards banquet at the new Sweetgrass Inn on Isle of Palms. This new property is part of the beautiful Wild Dunes Resort.  The views from the rooftop deck outside the Indigo Ballroom are AMAZING!!!

It was a fantastic evening of fellowship and fun, which I covered with the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Nikon Z9 (x2), 14-30S f4, 24-70S f2.8, 105G f2.8 Micro + FTZII, and Flashpoint flashes.

Trident Literacy Association 50th Anniversary Gala

What a milestone event!!!

I had the pleasure of photographing the Trident Literacy Association’s 50th Anniversary Gala this weekend. The evening was full of music, keynote speakers, awards presentations, a fundraiser, and a live auction!

The incomparable Carolyn Murray served as Mistress of Ceremonies. The keynote address was delivered by the eloquent British Robinson from the Barbara Bush Foundation. And the lively Tom Crawford served as auctioneer when the bidding began.

Many thanks to Lee & Taylor from Experience Holy City for helping make sure everything ran perfectly. And a huge “thank you” to Joanne and Judianne from the Trident Literacy Association for bringing me in to cover The Golden Gala!

Shot with Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor 14-30 f4, 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, Godox flashes (x8)

CTAR Market Forecast Conference at The Gaillard

It’s been a pleasure to work with the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors over the years. They are a wonderful organization, and their members are always so friendly and fun to work with!

This year their annual Commercial Real Estate Market Forecast Conference was held at The Gaillard Auditorium. With top notch speakers, and high-profile sponsors, it’s no wonder the room was packed to the brim! It was neat to hear positive messages about how the housing economy is doing, what the work force is looking like, and other insider tips from those who are “in the know”.

Many thanks to CTAR for inviting me back to photograph their event again this year!

Glenda & Larry’s Rehearsal Dinner

Glenda & Larry’s private room at The Season’s, located at The Highland Lake Inn & Resort, was filled with gales of laughter, tears of joy, stories of love, and sentiments of lives filled with blessings.

We were celebrating Glenda & Larry’s Rehearsal Dinner Party! Friends and family were gathered together to fellowship, and to bless the lives of this amazing couple as they prepared for their wedding day. A short rehearsal was followed by a delicious meal, then a time of sharing and showering Larry & Glenda with stories that exemplified their undying love, kindness, and faithfulness.

The evening closed with a GORGEOUS sunset as we all parted ways with great anticipation for the special day ahead!

Retirement Reception at William Aiken House

Sweeping ballrooms, lush private grounds, and open-air piazzas make this historic 1807 mansion one of Charleston’s most sought-after venues for weddings and events. Tucked behind it’s ornate black iron gates on King Street, the William Aiken House is a peaceful retreat that carries guests back in time to the 19th century. The formal dining rooms, museum caliber artwork, and giant 200 year old magnolia tree are highlights of the many wonders of this beautiful property!

I always enjoy working events and weddings at this venue. And this recent corporate event in honor of the retirement of one of it’s esteemed members was no exception! The evening actually started down the block with cocktails on the rooftop bar at Stars. As dusk fell, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll down King Street to enter those beautiful gates for the main event. Everyone paused on the lawn for a few shots of the whole group which I captured from the 2nd floor piazza. Drinks and hors-d’oeuvres continued as historians shared interesting anecdotes about Charleston and details about the William Aiken House. Dinner was upstairs in the main dining hall. Finally wonderful words were shared, and a fine gift was unveiled for the guest of honor!

It was a beautiful evening and a delightful celebration I was delighted to be a part of.

First Event with the Nikon Z9

Prior to the deliver of my Z9 from NPS, I had a chance to borrow my friend Gary’s for an event. It was a chilly evening, with extremely low-light conditions. So I figured it would be the PERFECT test for this new flagship camera from Nikon!

The event was held at the beautiful yet rustic Hart Meadows Ranch on John’s Island. I arrived early to get a couple shots with the drone as the sun set over the horizon. I had about 30 minutes of twilight after that to get some establishing shots during “blue hour” before guests arrived. It was a new moon. So after that it was completely dark except for the string lights, up-lighting, and bonfires dotted around the property.

I slung my tried-and-true D5 on one hip, and Gary’s Z9 on the other. That way I could do a real-world comparison between the two models, switching back and forth as needed. I carried the 14-24 f2.8, 24-70 f2.8, and 105 f2.8 Micro.  These were all Nikkor F-mount lenses to keep things consistent, using the FTZ adapter to mount them on the Z9.

It was a fantastic evening! The Z9 was AMAZING. For example, the shots of Tiera Kennedy, who is an incredibly talented up-and-coming country artist from Nashville, were shot at ISO 8000!!!  Yet the files look incredibly sharp and noise-free.  When there was enough light, the new Eye-detect Auto Focus was pretty awesome.  However, it did struggle to acquire focus in pitch black conditions where I had to use flash. I don’t know why mirrorless cameras don’t “see” the Infrared Auto Focus Assist beam from our flashes! Can anyone answer this? That is my ONLY wish for the Z9 is that it could see that AF Assist beam when things are pitch black.  Maybe I needed to switch to a different auto-focus mode.  But I usually ended up just pulling out the trusty D5 for those conditions.

Other than that, the Z9 performed flawlessly! I didn’t want to give it back to Gary that night on my way home. HA!!! And I’m excited to finally have received mine from NPS last week. 🙂

Awards Ceremony at The Ocean Course

Kiawah Island is such an amazing paradise! Whenever I have an assignment out there, I can feel my blood pressure dropping as I drive the scenic road out to the island. Then once I’m on the island, I love slowing down and looking for alligators, egrets, and osprey, which hang out in the many ponds and marshes.

A few weeks ago I had a fantastic time photographing a very special awards banquet at The Ocean Course. Cocktails took place on the back porch, overlooking the historic 18th hole where so many Ryder Cup and PGA moments have taken place. As the beautiful sunset faded into blue hour, everyone moved inside for dinner. Heartfelt speeches were made about each incredibly deserving award recipient. The room was truly filled with warmth and appreciation for their dedication and service!

For smaller events like this, I choose to wield my Nikon D5 + 24-70 f2.8, Nikon D500 + 105 f2.8, and Nikon SB-5000 Speedlights.  Of course the DJI Mavic Pro 2 comes in handy for those hard-to-reach angles!