Apryl & Ben at The French Huguenot Church

Apryl & Ben were a kind referral from my friend and wonderful fellow photographer, Karyn Iserman. We originally met on Valentines Day last year. As much “in love” as these two are, I thought that rather fitting. šŸ™‚ Since then I’ve enjoyed getting to know them through their fun Engagement Session and Apryl’s gorgeous Bridal Shoot. We photographed the Bridal Shoot on historic Church Street since that’s where Ben proposed to Apryl. Awww….

Apryl grew up in Charleston. Ben’s family moved around a bit, but finally settled here. The two met in high school. But they didn’t really start dating until they re-connected at a football game during her senior year of high school when he was home visiting from college. How romantic!

Their wedding day was absolutely perfect. After a rainy week, the weather was beautiful! They were married at the very photogenic French Huguenot Church downtown. The fabulous Melissa of Charleston Celebrations kept everything running smoothly. And the reception was at the Society Hall, just a few blocks away, where the Mighty Kicks rocked the house!

Apryl & Ben were so much fun to work with and so photogenic in front of the camera! Click Here after watching the slide show to see the rest of their photos. CONGRATULATIONS, Apryl & Ben!!!

Rindy & Josh at Blessed Sacrament

Last Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day! What better place to be than at Josh & Rindy’s wedding! I’ve had so much fun getting to know them over the last year through our get-togethers, phone conversations, engagement session, Rindy’s bridal shoot.

Josh proposed at Disney World by having the divers in the big tank at dinner hold up a sign asking Rindy to marry him! Isn’t that AWESOME!?! He and Rindy’s brothers are really in to motorcycles. Since I used to be a motorcycle fanatic myself (owned a half-dozen or so in my life) we had an instant connection. Plus Rindy’s Dad is a big photo buff…how cool is that?!? On top of all the mayhem of planning a wedding, Rindy was studying for her MCATS….now THAT’s impressive!

Josh and Rindy have been dating since middle school. They truly are a match made in heaven. After the slideshow, CLICK HERE to check out the rest of their pictures. CONGRATULATIONS you guys!!!



Adrienne & Corey’s eSession

Adrienne & Corey are getting married December 12th. So the other day we hooked up downtown to do their Engagement Shoot! It was a FANTASTIC afternoon with the sunlight sifting through the trees and buildings with a magical glow. Adrienne & Corey were fun, easy going, and a gorgeous couple. I CAN’T WAIT to photograph their wedding!!!

School Portraits

Something I LOVE about my profession is that no two weeks are alike. One week I might be shooting a beautiful wedding, the next I might be shooting Serena Williams at the Family Circle Cup. This week, I was photographing the school pictures for the Child Development Center at Ashley River Baptist Church. Since I’m truly just a kid at heart anyway, I felt right at home. šŸ™‚

Many of you have asked me how I set up for assignments like these. So here’s a couple shots of this year’s set up. We decided to do an all-white high-key setup this year. To properly do high-key, it’s CRITICAL that you light the background separate from the subject. This allows you to over-expose the background by a stop or so to give it that angelic glow. I have two Alien Bees with umbrellas lighting the white seamless background, and one AB in a large soft box lighting the kids.

Another great tip when working with kids is to always use a remote triggering device. Children are just TOO FAST to try and jump back to the camera to get the shot. Their smiles light up their face for an instant, the next they’re digging for gold or admiring the ceiling tiles. I use a Pocket Wizard, attached to a PW Caddy, strapped to my belt. When I get the reaction I want, a quick tap to my hip transmits the signal to my receiver, which is picked up by the receiving Pocket Wizard, instantly firing the camera.

Strobist Gathering

Recently a bunch of us Charleston photographers, David Hobby followers, and Strobist aficionados got together for a little “Strobist Gathering”. My good friend Charlie Thiel did a great job organizing it and helping the Canon folks with their questions about E-TTL. My buddy Robbin Knight set up an outdoor location-type shoot and helped show off what Radio Poppers can do. My friend Mahmood Fazal helped folks with Pocket Wizards. And finally, I set up a completely wirelss studio and helped answer questions about Nikon’s CLS system. It was a total BLAST and we all had a great time…especially once we hit the pizza joint at the corner after we were done. šŸ™‚ Part of the purpose of the gathering was to raise awareness and support for http://www.charlestonkidswithcameras.org/.

Here’s a “before” shot while I was setting up, taken by my friend Kip Bulwinkle.

Here are a couple shots I took with my lighting setup.

I used my Nikon D2x with the WT-2a attached. This allowed the images to magically pop up on my laptop, allowing everyone to see exactly what I was getting.

Here’s a crude (HA…understatement!) diagram of my setup.

Here’s a quick grab-shot of the scene outside with some of the location shooters.

Flash Freeze

I created this image at Erin & Jason’s wedding last week. Everyone was marveling at how dramatic the moon was that night. It didn’t take much prodding to get Erin & Jason to join me for a daring adventure to capture that drama in an image of them! šŸ™‚

Working with a minimalist amount of gear, I had my two Nikon D3’s, each fitted with a Nikon SB-900, plus one remote SB-800 on a Bogen 3333 stand I had used earlier for group photos.
I set the SB-800 off on camera right, zoomed to 70mm to concentrate the beam of light on them. I took the SB-900 off one camera and flipped it to remote mode (I LOVE how quickly you can switch modes on the 900 vs. the 800). This one was placed behind the couple for a rim light. I positioned Erin & Jason so that the street light in the distance was behind her veil. And there’s some landscape lighting on the famous Pineapple Fountain I liked.
To pick up the ambient light of the moon, street lamp, and landscape lighting, I used ISO 1600, f2.8. Even so, I was at 1/30th of a second. I was using the D3 with the 70-200. I had no tripod with me. So you’re probably thinking at that slow a shutter speed, this image is going to be blurry, right? Well, by carefully placing Erin & Jason so that all the ambient light was behind them, the couple was pretty much pitch black at this point. The only light hitting them from the camera side was the off-camera SB-800. This is VERY IMPORTANT! By doing this, I am essentially using the high-speed burst of light from the strobe to FREEZE them in place. At this point, the shutter speed of the camera is only affecting the ambient light, it has nothing to do with the exposure of the main subject. So even hand-holding that long lens at such a slow shutter speed, Erin & Jason are as sharp as a tack!
And that’s how you use Flash Freeze to save your behind when you don’t have a tripod with you! šŸ™‚

Erin & Jason at Harbor Club

Erin & Jason are friends of ours from St. Andrew’s Family Fitness Center where we work out. So it was extra special for me to be able to celebrate their wedding day with them AND capture all the joy of their Big Day!

It started at the Harborview Hotel with preparation photos of Erin, followed by their “First Glance” on the grand staircase. After that we spent some time in and around Waterfront Park creating some beautiful images. It was a gorgeous day, Jason was looking SHARP, and of course Erin was STUNNING in her wedding gown! We circled back around, ending up at the Harbor Club, where the wedding took place on the Pavilion as the sun was setting over the cityscape.

Later we noticed how dramatic the moon was that night. Erin & Josh were so adventurous and gladly slipped out with me to create an amazing image of them beside the Pineapple Fountain with the moon overhead! Click Here to check out the rest of their images. CONGRATULATIONS Erin & Jason!!!

Robin & Leif

Here’s a few of my favorites from Robin & Leif’s fun family session. They have the most ADORABLE kids, don’t they?!? It was a little stormy that day. But they decided to take a chance and were WELL rewarded. This is PROOF that days you don’t “think” will be good for portraits are often the BEST days for portraits. The drama of that sky just ads so much dimension to the images! šŸ™‚

Corporate Head Shots

I had a fun shoot for the folks at the David Gilston Insurance Agency the other day. This was my second time out to their office. I know, it looks like this was photographed in some expensive studio somewhere. But we have an AMAZING portable studio setup we take on location to provide studio-quality portraits to our corporate clients IN THEIR OFFICE! They love it because there’s no “down time” for their employees. Instead of each employee trucking over to our studio and wasting an hour of their time, we set everything up there and they simply walk down the hall when it’s their turn. It’s so cool because while I’m shooting, the images are wirelessly flying over to my laptop. So each person can review their images to make sure they’re happy with the results before going back to their desk!

If you work in an office environment, or know of any companies that would benefit by having professional, executive-style head-shots, please let me know. We are accepting new corporate clients!

Nicole & J.B. at Legend Oaks

I had the pleasure of being a part of something really special last weekend! Nicole & JB were referrals to us from Brittany & Mitch, two of my FAVORITE clients in the whole world! And I’m sure Nicole & JB will become the same. šŸ™‚

They are both so fun and full of energy. Nicole was absolutely beautiful on her wedding day. She had this radiant smile that is either indicative of a wonderful day at the salon…or true love! (I don’t think she spent the day at the salon…HA!) JB is such a great guy. We had an absolute BLAST together. Though he’s been in the US many year, he’s originally from France. And since I’d grown up in the Congo, where once upon a time I was pretty fluent in French…I had a great time slipping into his mother tongue every now and then.

Their ceremony was held at the scenic Legend Oaks Golf Club. And we all went to historic Middleton Place for pictures before heading to her parent’s fantastic spread for the reception. Though his family couldn’t make the journey, his Host Parents were absolutely wonderful…as were Nicole’s parents and brothers. I specifically selected the song for their slideshow to lend a European flare to their images. So enjoy the show! Then head over to http://www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/ to see the rest of their pictures. Alors, FELICITATION Nicole & J.B. !!!

Our Hearts are Sad

Abby & Dan were married at Alhambra Hall on July 28th, 2007. I remember their wedding like it was YESTERDAY! They were such a beautiful couple with so much joy in their hearts and a real connection with each other. I recently received the sad news that Abby just lost her battle with cancer. You can read her story here: www.mylifeline.org/abbadoo. Cami & I were shocked when we heard the news. Our hearts and prayers go out to Dan and her family during this difficult time.

It was an honor to have been a part of this special day in Abby’s life many years ago. Her passing is a powerful reminder to me that what I do is not just a job. Creating beautiful images that tell the story of special people, bonds of love, and the gift that is LIFE is something that I am humbled to be a part of!!!