Withit Professional Women’s Conference

Retool. Restyle. Recharge. These were the themes at the Withit Professional Women’t Conference I photographed earlier this week.

The two-day event was held at the beautiful Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston. The conference offered industry professionals at all stages of their careers the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, develop leadership skills, and connect with industry peers.  This was also my first event incorporating the new Nikon D500 into the mix.

It was an honor and a pleasure to photograph this outstanding event!

Hotel Room Head-shots

While photographing the Withit Women’s Conference at the historic Francis Marion Hotel this week, part of my assignment included creating head-shots for the professional ladies attending the program.

The motivational conference was held in the elegant Gold Ballroom. So as not to distract from the speakers, and to give each lady the time and privacy they deserved for their photo session, I was asked to setup in one of the hotel rooms down the hall. The point of this post is to show that with a little knowledge, a smart selection of compact lighting tools, and some beautiful subjects to work with, professional portraits can be created just about anywhere!!!

My entire portable studio setup included 6 Nikon SB-800 speedlights, 4 Manfrotto light stands, 2 60″ Westcott shoot-through umbrellas, and a white pop-up style background. Utilizing the given space to suite my purpose, I arranged everything around using the white doors as a reflector for extra fill. A couple of the flashes were used as background lights to create the modern high-key look I wanted. A couple flashes were used to evenly disperse light through one umbrella as the main light source. And the last two were used similarly through the other umbrella as a fill light. This entire lighting kit fits into a large Manfrotto tripod bag for compact portability!

All the flashes were triggered through RadioPoppers, using a Nikon SB910 as the Master flash. The images were photographed with a Nikon D4, and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII, tethered to my laptop. After each client’s portrait session, we reviewed the images together to make sure there was something in there that they LOVED!!!  🙂

AM Conservation Group National Sales Meeting

Last week the AM Conservation Group held their annual National Sales Meeting at Palmetto Hall in Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms.

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with this amazing company for the last few years. The AM Conservation Group is a world leader in Water Conservation Products, Energy Efficient Products, Energy Efficient Lighting, Weatherization Products, and more.

I arrived early at the event and set up a portable studio where attendees could get their head-shots and business portraits made during the various breaks. When I wasn’t photographing those, I covered the president’s address, keynote speakers, experts in their field, and panel discussions to document the entire event.

Photographing such corporate events, company meetings, and awards ceremonies is one of our specialties. But doing so for companies like the AM Conservation Group who are doing their best to help our planet, makes it even more enjoyable!

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors at Edmunds Oast

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a fantastic corporate event at Edmunds Oast for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors! They are a great client, and we ALWAYS enjoy working with Claire and all the fabulous Charleston area realtors!!!

Volvo Car Open – VIP Welcome Reception at The Cedar Room

As the Official Photographer of the Volvo Car Open, my job isn’t just to cover on-court action! Here are a few scenes from this year’s amazing VIP Welcome Reception.

This was the first year it was held at the Cedar Room. I must say, this venue at the beautifully restored old Cigar Factory is absolutely incredible! Many thanks to Graham, Lauren, and all the talented folks that made this year’s event such a huge success!

Of course the usual VIP’s from Meredith came out in full force. This year also saw all the incredible folks from Volvo, as well as other great sponsors like Lisette, in attendance. Tennis celebrities like Pam Shriver, Cliff Drysdale, Rennae Stubbs, and Lisa Raymond were there. Even the one and only Martha Stewart made an appearance!

There are many behind-the-scenes parties and events that I have the pleasure of photographing…but the VIP Welcome Reception is always one of my favorites!

AM Conservation Group at The Riviera Theater

I always enjoy photographing corporate events…especially the holiday gala’s that are so fun and festive. One of my favorites each year is the AM Conservation Group’s Christmas Party!!! 🙂

As each couple arrives, I photograph a nice Christmas portrait of them. Using our state-of-the-art dye sublimation photo printers, we instantly print them a beautiful 5×7 photo, delivered to their table in an elegant folio for them to take home as a memento of the evening. The instant gratification of this print-on-site service is always a HUGE HIT!!!

Once everyone has arrived and had a cocktail or two, I cover the president’s address. His message is always poignant, and always made memorable with a magic trick or two! Everyone then gathers for a fun group shot before dinner. The remainder of the evening is filled with merriment as everyone enjoys dinner, dancing, and the always-popular gift exchange!

I’ve been photographing this event for 3 years now. Already I’m looking forward to NEXT YEAR’s big party!!!

T-Mobile “In Crowd” Awards Banquet

Last night was the annual T-Mobile Awards Banquet in Charleston. It’s always one of my favorite corporate events of the year!

While I photographed the banquet, award recipients, and general event coverage, Gary and Cami handle the setup and operation of the print-on-site “Fashion Booth”. Gary is a MACHINE when it comes to print-on-site service. By the time the award ceremony was over, he and Cami already had beautiful 5×7 prints, nicely matted in elegant folios, ready for the winners to pick up. They printed and delivered 430 photos to this lively and fun-loving bunch!!!

Congratulations to all the top performers and award winners! We’ll see you all again next year!!! 🙂

Toyota Southeast Comtrollers’ Conference

I drive a Toyota Highlander. So it was quite fitting that my good friend and crazy-cool photographer, Gary Coleman, asked me to cover this really fun event for Toyota!
The 2015 Southeast Toyota Comtrollers’ Conference was held at the Charleston Marriott. But their main corporate event was held at the Cotton Dock at Boone Hall Plantation. The fine folks at Absolutely Charleston made sure everything for the event was “absolutely” perfect.  And The Bushels brought fine tunes and merriment to the occasion. 
It was a pleasure being a part of another fantastic gala at this beautiful and historic venue!

Trident Healthcare Service Awards

Trident Healthcare is celebrating 40 Years of service to the Lowcountry!!!

Each year they honor their top employees from all around the lowcountry, at the Trident Healthcare Service Awards Banquet. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this corporate event for the last few years. This year’s gala was the best one yet!

The coolest part, was meeting and photographing the 4 ladies who have been with the hospital system since the very beginning. Putting in 40 years shows real dedication, and a love for what you do!

Congratulations to all the award winners, and thank you for your service!!!

US Grains Council in Costa Rica

We are blessed with the most AMAZING corporate clients!

Working with the US Grains Council over the last few years has been a real pleasure. They are always on their game, always fun to work with, and always treat me like one of their team! So when they asked if I’d be willing to to travel to Costa Rica to photograph their 12th International Marketing Conference, I did a little “happy dance” in my office!!! 🙂

This was my 3rd trip to Costa Rica. It’s such a beautiful country, with such friendly people. The 3-day conference was held at the gorgeous Costa Rica Marriott Hotel. The agenda included dynamic key-note speakers, breakout sessions full of animated discussions, intense staff planning meetings, excursions to coffee & chocolate plantations, amazing meals, the freshest coffee you’ve ever tasted, and a fantastic fiesta to cap it all off! It was such a thrill to be a part of this vibrant event!

I can’t thank everyone at the US Grains Council enough!!!

The Family Circle Cup Begins

By Sunday most of the players competing in the Family Circle Cup had swooped into Charleston.  Saturday and Sunday had seen plenty of great tennis in the pre-tournament qualifying rounds.  But the MAIN event kicks off on Monday.  In celebrating all these elite women’s tennis players, the tournament puts on a great Player Party.  Held at Sacs Fifth Avenue downtown, it’s a chance for players, coaches, sponsors, and other VIP guests to just hang out, have dinner, and enjoy a good time!  Being an exclusive tournament event, it’s nice to be the ONLY media photographer there.  I don’t have to jostle for a position or vie for a player’s attention.  Plus everyone is relaxed, quick to smile, and primed for photo ops.  J  Here are a few from the party…