Nick & Sarah’s Kiawah Island Engagement

Nick & Sarah are ENGAGED!!!

Early yesterday morning in a secluded stretch of beach, without another soul around, Nick asked Sarah to be his wife. She said YES!!! šŸ™‚ Although they drifted apart after high-school, the two of them have known each other since grade-school. So when they re-connected several years later, it didn’t take long for the spark to re-ignite!

After his surprise proposal, Nick had another secret in his bag of tricks. When he and Sarah returned to the condo, Sarah’s family was there waiting!!! Nick had arranged for his family and her family to fly in to surprise Sarah and help them celebrate the exciting news!

After spending a fun day together as one big family, I met up with them at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island to commemorate the occasion with some authentic engagement photos and a few family portraits! With permanent smiles on their faces from the day’s big events, Sarah & Nick were so much fun to work with!!!

Please help me CONGRATULATE this beautiful young couple as they begin their new journey together…
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Dr. Usher for Mark Young

Mark Young is a well known portrait painter! His work is AMAZING!!! Check out his beautiful art at www.markyoung.com. Several years ago I was lucky enough to collaborate with him on a project. So I was incredibly honored when he asked me to work with him on a project for a painting of Dr. Usher!

As director of MUSC’s Clinical Cardiology Fellowship Program, Bruce W. Usher, M.D., has trained 115 fellows and recently was honored at a banquet for the rare milestone he reached in passing the 100 mark. You can read about his amazing accomplishments here: https://depthtml.musc.edu/catalyst/2010/co7-2fellows.html.

Since Dr. Usher just retired, the board sought out Mark to paint a portrait of him. And it was my great honor to capture a few “reference photos” by which Mark would create his masterpiece! šŸ™‚

The Muro Family on Isle of Palms

The Muro Family is like my second family! I’ve been photographing their summer beach vacations for many years. It’s been so much fun watching new members arrive, and young members grow strong and tall! All the while, Greg and Susan haven’t changed a bit!!! I just can’t imagine the wonderful stories and beautiful memories all these kids will have as they grow into adults and start having families of their own.

Hassen Family on Kiawah Island

It always warms my heart to see families getting together for the holidays! With the grandparents flying in from California, and “the kids” driving down from Tennessee, the pandemic keeping them apart for most of last year, I had so much fun capturing these beautiful memories for the Hassen family on the morning of our nation’s birthday!!!

Stein Family at Waterfront Park

One of the highlights of our summer is “Dinner & Photo” night with our good friends, Chris & Vicki Taylor Stein when they come to visit! Last night we had a delicious dinner at Coast, followed by a fun photo shoot as we meandered through Waterfront Park and the old French Quarter. We love these guys!!!

Allyson & Ron’s Kiawah Island Maternity Session

Last July, I had the incredible honor of photographing Ron’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Allyson!

Fast forward one year, and THIS July I was overjoyed when Ron & Allyson told me they were expecting their first child! We had so much fun photographing their maternity shoot at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, where it all started. Ron was so proud and couldn’t stop smiling. Allyson was beautiful in her elegant maternity gown with that radiant “new mom” glow about her. We had so much fun capturing this special moment in their lives!!!

Due to the pandemic, Allyson & Ron couldn’t have a big wedding this year. Hopefully next year when things settle down in their lives (I think getting married, having a baby, and building a house all in one year is enough), they’ll be able to plan a fun 1-year anniversary celebration. But in the meantime, help me shower these two amazing people with love and lots of CONTRATULATIONS!!! šŸ™‚

Nikon Z6II First Impressions

I’ve been extremely happy with my “Holy Trinity” of Nikon cameras…the D5, D850, and D500. In my opinion, these are 3 of the most formidable DSLR cameras on the market. They have similar menus, focusing systems, and ergonomics…allowing me to seamlessly switch from one to another. Yet they each have their unique strengths! D5 = fast and durable with extreme high-iso performance. D850 = high resolution with fantastic dynamic range. D500 = light and nimble with extra reach from the crop sensor.

Until recently, mirrorless cameras have been lacking. But with new strides in mirrorless technology, I thought I should get out and play with one! So I called my friend David Archer, who recently purchased a Nikon Z6II. And I called my friend Gary Coleman, who is also considering adding a Z6II to his lineup as well. My friend Valerie Weeks brought her beautiful daughter, Bethany. And my friend Sarah Hairell brought Brian, an exchange student from Tanzania who is staying with them. Bethany and Brian were fantastic models and we had so much fun working with them!Ā  Gary was hilarious to work with, as usual!Ā  And David was so kind and generous to let us play with his camera and answer questions for us.

So what do I think of the Z6II after about an hour of real-world experience? It’s a pretty cool little camera!!! It doesn’t seem to have the same “robustness” as my DSLR bodies. But it is smaller and lighter. It doesn’t have the same speed and responsiveness that I’m used to. But it certainly is quieter. It will take a little getting used to the EVF. But being able to “see” the exposure through the electronic viewfinder is pretty cool. There will be a small learning curve to get acquainted with the new menu items. But ergonomically it still feels as “at home” as any other Nikon in my hands. There are definitely a couple things I truly wish Nikon had included, such as the 10-pin terminal for use with their wireless flash transmitter. But there are certain things that I absolutely loved, such as the eye-detect autofocus system!

The Z6II is a beautiful little camera! I’m sure one will find it’s way into my bag soon. In the meantime, I can’t wait to see what the next generation of mirrorless cameras will bring!!!

Lawrimore Family along the Ashley River

I owe a HUGE thank you to my friends Bobby & Jennifer Lauman for referring me to the Lawrimore Family.
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This was a particularly special photo shoot because we were also commemorating amazing achievements in the Boy Scouts for these two young men! Well done, guys!!! While we were at it, they changed outfits and we captured some fun family portraits as well. šŸ™‚
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What was particularly unique for me was the beautiful location they had picked for the photos. Their family often comes down this path behind their neighborhood to fish or go kayaking in the Ashley River. We had so much fun! Plus we ended up with a beautiful day with gorgeous light to work with!!!

Hogg Family at Hampton Park

Cited as the location of the very first Memorial Day celebration, Hampton Park was originally part of Orange Grove Plantation, and later bought by the South Carolina Jockey Club on which to build stables and host a popular horse race. Today it’s the largest park on the Charleston peninsula and one of my favorite locations for portrait sessions!

I had so much fun Friday photographing the Hogg Family at this beautiful park. The flowers were in bloom, the summer foliage was full, the huge oaks were as mighty as ever! Now living in Nevada, James is originally from England, and Jacquiline’s heritage comes from the Netherlands. I always enjoy meeting such unique families who have traveled the world!

It was an honor and a pleasure getting to know them and their amazing kids as we enjoyed this wonderful summer evening together in Charleston!!!

Whitney Family on Seabrook Island

What a joy it was to hang out with Kristin, Rich, and their adorable kids last evening. It was unseasonably mild for this time of year. So we enjoyed being outside at their rental house and on the golf course…laughing, joking, and making beautiful images for them to remember this special time together! 🙂 Many thanks to my friend, Mic, for referring the Whitney Family to me. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know them!!!

Kurcsak Family Reunion on Kiawah Island

I had so much fun photographing the Kurcsak Family Reunion at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island the other day! I’d photographed Stephanie and her family before. So I was delighted when she called and asked if I would photograph this crazy gang. šŸ™‚ We had a beautiful evening with great light to work with…and had so much fun creating tons of great memories for them to remember this special time together.











































Savannah’s Senior Portraits

We’ve known Savannah and her family for years!!! It’s been such a pleasure watching Savannah grow from this adorable little girls into the beautiful young ladies she’s become. So it was with great honor that I got to photograph her Senior Portraits last evening! We are so proud of Savannah and all that she’s accomplished. Clemson is lucky to have her!!! šŸ™‚