I had so much fun with the Allman/Musser family during their photo shoot on Kiawah Island last night!Ā (The two sisters coined the “Allman Joy” thing, which I thought was too cute not to use.)
Part of the reason for the trip was because the grandparents were celebrating their Anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS Brian & Kathy!Ā You have the most adorable grand-kids in the world!!!Ā Thanks for letting me be a part of this special time in your lives.Ā š
After arriving early, carefully picking out “the spot”, and settling in to wait for Jeff’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Sarah, a group of a dozen middle-aged men in khaki shorts and Hawaiian shirts came walking down to the beach with beers in hand and a cooler in tow. I got REALLY nervous since Jeff had just texted that they were in the parking lot! Luckily, they were great guys and after hearing about the exciting moment that was about to transpire, they happily moved down the beach so as not to obstruct our beautiful backdrop. š
Jeff, his father, and I have been secretly planning for this surprise proposal for a long time! After careful deliberation, we settled on the picturesque beach and grounds of the historic Ocean Course. It was so much fun working with them to pick out the PERFECT location for this very special moment in Jeff & Sarah’s lives.
Arriving right on cue after the group of kind gentleman had moved off, Jeff launched into a touching speech he had prepared for Sarah. I have no idea what was said, but he took his time and did it right. I could tell by the AMAZING reactions from Sarah afterwards!
Following the proposal, we had a great time photographing some fun engagement photos together around this gorgeous area on the far reaches of Kiawah Island. It was really neat getting to know these two. I loved how they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other…and how Sarah couldn’t stop smiling!
The excitement continued as we all zipped over to The Sanctuary for yet another surprise. There, waiting with applause and champagne, were both their families, exchanging hugs and high-fives to the new “celebrity couple”. Moving over to the Grand Staircase, we photographed a wide variety of family portraits, the first moments of Jeff & Sarah being welcomed into each other’s families!
It was truly an honor and a pleasure to be a part of beautiful afternoon in Jeff & Sarah’s lives!Ā CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I thought it was so sweet when Kelly called to book a photo session as a surprise to her mom and her sisters!!!
Apparently “The Girls” try to take a trip somewhere interesting every year. Since they live in Michigan, they usually pick somewhere warm. This year, they picked Charleston. And I’m SO GLAD they did!Ā We had so much fun exploring Waterfront Park and the surrounding French Quarter together. Since I spent some of my college years in Michigan, it was great to catch up on familiar names and places. But most importantly, I just loved the “connection” these three sisters had with each other, and with their mother.
What an honor it was for me to preserve these beautiful family memories for them!!!
It was one of the most beautiful days we’ve had this summer!
Instead of being overcast and gray, as so many afternoons have been lately, the sun was bouncing off beautiful cloud formations in the sky. Yet it was surprisingly cool compared to previous weeksĀ A gentle breeze was sweeping in off the ocean as the waves lapped the shore.
I met up with the MacNaught Family at their rental house just off the beach. Their three adorable children were excited for our shoot and ready to go! From the first family shots on the boardwalk as we made our way to the beach, to the candids of them playing in the sand as the sun slipped away…the entire session was so much fun!!!
Here are a few favorites from the evening…
I first got to know the Scharstein Family last year when I photographed their daughter Lauren’s beautiful wedding to Dan at Tanglewood Plantation: https://chrisandcami.com/lauren-dans-wedding-at-tanglewood-plantation/. They are such an AMAZING family and I had so much fun capturing their celebration!!!
After the wedding , Lauren & Dan moved back to Nairobi, Kenya. So when they told me they were coming back to the states this summer, and that the whole family would be together for a family reunion, I jumped at the opportunity to photograph some updated portraits for them at their rental house in DeBordieu Colony!
Because various family members were coming and going on different schedules, there was only one single afternoon that worked for everyone. As the storm clouds moved in that afternoon, I got super worried. But literally 2 minutes after I arrived, the rain stopped just long enough for us to get our photo shoot in. We had so much fun catching up, and capturing all these beautiful memories together! After everyone was worn out from pictures, Dan made sure I had a nice mug of authentic African chai tea before my long drive home. š
Eventually I got back on the road. Not 5 minutes after I left, it started to drizzle again! All I can say is, the Big Man upstairs must have been watching over this wonderful loving family!!! š
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.Ā 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.Ā What a sight!!!Ā Ā š
A few days ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting the Parikshak family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island to photograph their family reunion.
We had a beautiful afternoon with gorgeous light. With half the family coming in from North Carolina, and the other half from Indiana, it was great to see all of them together, renewing family bonds, and building new memories together!
The best part was, the night of the photo shoot was also Rita’s birthday. So after the photo shoot all the kids got to go have cake! Happy Birthday, Rita!!! š
Something truly magical happened at this family portrait session I had with the Cyrus Family at The Ocean Course on Kiawah 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!Ā We got some awesome shots!!!
Many thanks to the Nesters for all the years of fond memories together! We love you guys!!!
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! š
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!!!
I was so bummed last year when the Gilligans called to see if I could photograph their family portraits again, and I wasn’t available. I’d photographed their family the year before, and they were so much fun to work with! So this year when they called, I made sure to find a spot on the schedule for them! š
We met at The Sanctuary, near the villa they had rented for the week. Although it had rained that afternoon, the skies cleared up just in time for us to have some beautiful light at the end of the day.
We had an absolute BLAST, and came away with so many fun memories from our time together!!!
Adorable kids make me smile. Last night I had the joy of smiling A LOT!!! š
It was so much fun photographing the Morrison family during their inaugural family vacation on Kiawah Island. They normally vacation a little further south at one of the islands off the Georgia coast. I’m so glad they decided to try Kiawah this year. And I’m so glad they picked me as their photographer!
Hopefully this was the first of many more years of fond family memories (and photo shoots) on Kiawah!!!
