Studio Portrait for SCFCU

When we’re not shooting weddings and events on weekends, we photograph lots of head shots and executive portraits throughout the week.  South Carolina Federal Credit Union has been sending their employees over to us for a couple years now.  Jessica just joined their team and needed photos for a press release.  This image was shot with a giant 6-foot LiteDome softbox to her left as the main light, a medium softbox behind and on her right as a kicker light, a small softbox on a boom above her for a hair light, and an SB-800 right behind her as a background light.  I like using small wireless strobes as my background light since it’s wireless and I don’t have to worry about cables showing in the photo if I do a full-length shot.  The rest of the light sources were Alien Bees, which are triggered with the RadioPopper Jr (Studio Version) radio triggers.  The image was shot with a Nikon D2x (which I use exclusively in the studio), and the 70-200 f2.8. 

Anchor Commercial

My “Double Your Pleasure” post about the team photos I did for ESPN got such a big response!  So I thought I’d share this group photo I did last weak using the same technique.  Anchor Commercial has been a client of ours for many years.  One of the things they have me photograph for them each November is a group shot they put in a Christmas Card to send all their clients.  Rather than setting up on the South East side of their building where they’d be squinting in to the morning sun, we decided to set up on the North West side.  This provided a nice rim/back light.  However, their faces were in extreme shadow.  So I set up my double-flash technique with two SB-800s on each of two light stand, firing them through my favorite Westcott 43” Collapsible Umbrellas, and triggering them with my trusty RadioPoppers.  Here’s the scene before everyone arrived, and the final image they selected for their card. 

Family Portrait on Sullivan’s Island

Last week I shot this fun family portrait session for our good friends, the McKelveys.  They used to live on Sullivan’s Island near Fort Moultrie.  Their kids used to play down there all the time.  Since they had such fond memories from that area, we decided to do their family’s photo shoot there. 

A Kiss of Light

I am, and always will be, a student of light!  Most days I can find absolutely gorgeous natural light to work with.  But sometimes a shot needs a little extra “something”.  During this fun shoot with James & Ashleigh and their beautiful daughter, I started photographing this story-telling scene with all natural light.  But the exposure value on Larkin was the same as James & Ashleigh’s.  Even though the shallow depth of field made it clear that Larkin was my main subject, James & Ashleigh were competing for my attention.  So to make them recede even more into the background and make Larkin really pop, I used a single SB-800 on my light stand off to my left to give her that extra lift.  I didn’t pump it up too high…just enough to give her a little extra kiss of light and make her the true centerpiece of the shot.  As always, the remote flash was triggered with a RadioPopper Px remote.  Next time you’re out shooting, try adding a kiss of light to add extra depth to your shot!

Five Year Follow-Up

It’s been about five years since I photographed James & Ashleigh’s wedding.  What a joy it was to bump into them as guests at Ashley & Sherrod’s wedding just a few weeks ago.  And even MORE exciting was the honor of meeting their beautiful daughter and getting to photograph yet another chapter in their lives.  J

Hilton Family at Folly Beach

Before Cami & I left for Maine last week, I had a really fun shoot with the Hilton Family on Folly Beach.  Dr. Hilton is our dentist and we LOVE the great care they give our smiles!  J  (Check out www.hiltondental.net.)   

Kathy & Rusty’s family at Folly Beach

I had a really fun time photographing Shelley, Chris, and their son Logan last year.  So I was ecstatic when her Mom called to ask me to photograph the WHOLE family.  J  It was so beautiful, peaceful, and un-crowded out on my favorite stretch of Folly Beach.  One of the joys of my job is getting to know folks as we walk to and from the beach…hearing about all the interesting things they do, their amazing accomplishments, their passions, and what’s important in their lives.  I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do!

Alison & Kevin at Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian

Alison & Kevin had a GORGEOUS ceremony last Saturday!  The sky was blue, the temperature was perfect, and Alison & Kevin were a BLAST to hang out with!!!

I met up with them at Alhambra Hall where the wedding party was getting ready.  Kevin & Alison shared their “First Glance” shortly after that, giving us time to get some fun wedding party photos before heading to the church.  Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian has a beautiful historic sanctuary that I love photographing in.  We always obey each church’s protocol, even if it means no photography inside the sanctuary during the worship service.  But I was kindly allowed to polish the glass windows at the back to shoot through them from the foyer, and also mount my fisheye remote camera on the balcony for some unique shots.

After the ceremony, Alison & Kevin burst from the church to an excited gathering of friends and family clapping and blowing bubbles as they rode off on their horse-drawn carriage.  The reception followed at the always-popular Alhambra Hall.  It was an EXCITING party with lots of laughter, emotional toasts, crazy dancing, and a beautiful sunset for some of my favorite shots of the day.  Later, a full moon rose in time for me to grab a couple dramatic images before Alison & Kevin made their grand escape among waving multi-colored glow sticks.  What a FANTASTIC day!   To see the rest of their photos, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.

Alison & Kevin, may the joyous glow of your love for each other never fade…


Belle Hall Eye Care

I first got to know Dr. Lori Donovan when I photographed her wedding seven years ago.  Hard to believe it’s been that long…she’s just as beautiful as the day she wore her wedding gown!  Now Lori, with the help of her super sweet Mom, Maxine, and indeed the whole family, has become an instant success in the field of eye care.  After out-growing their original building in just a few short years, I got to do a photo shoot for them to showcase their brand new state-of-the-art facility!  Check them out at www.bellehalleyecare.com

Patricia & Michael at Summerall Chapel

Last weekend Tricia & Mike tied the knot at Summerall Chapel on The Citadel!  Their reception followed at the Carolina Yacht Club in downtown Charleston.

Tricia is a 1st Grade teacher…and we all know I have a big heart for teachers since my parents were educational missionaries and still teach even now that they are retired!  Mike traveled a lot since his Dad was a contractor for the Army… Guam, Puerto Rico, and all over the US.  So we had a lot in common too.  But what really struck me about these two is just how much IN LOVE they are!  J   I could tell they were close during their engagement session.  But even on their wedding day, with all the secret letters and gifts going back and forth…Tricia & Mike are soul mates indeed!  I love the story of how Mike proposed.  After picking out her ring all on his own, he planned a really amazing proposal at Waterfront Park as they watched their first sunrise together, then arranged to meet ALL their family and friends that he had secretly invited to join them for breakfast afterwards.  Isn’t that cool?!?

Check out their fun Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog.  Then head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their Online Gallery.

Tricia & Mike, I absolutely LOVED being a part of your special day.  Remember to CHOOSE to make each new day special for each other!!!

 

Product Photography

Although I primarily showcase our wedding/portrait work on here, we photograph a wide variety of subjects and genres.  So I thought I’d write a post about a fun shoot I did for healer Ayal Hurst the other day.  She’s a long-time client of ours and so full of positive energy.  It’s always a pleasure working with her.  Plus she’s a fellow artist, designing and creating beautiful jewelry and truly unique paintings with depth and dimension like you’ve never seen before!  Her and her husband also run a very peaceful Bed No Breakfast downtown.

When photographing Products and art, it’s important to use feathering techniques to prevent hotspots.  Feathering the light means not pointing it directly at your subject, but aiming it such that just the softer “edge” of the light source illuminates the product.  Here I used a soft-box with 2 SB-800 strobes coming in from the right.  Feathering gave me “almost” even illumination across the camera plane.  But I added an umbrella with a single SB-800 from the left to fill in and further even out the exposure.  All strobes were triggered by an SB-900 Commander on my D3, pointed backwards AWAY from the painting so as not to create any glare, and controlled via RadioPoppers.

Light Bending 411 Encore

I’ve been getting such WONDERFUL feedback from the Wireless Lighting Workshops I’ve been teaching.  THANK YOU to everyone that has participated and made it such a success.  I’ll be teaching my “Light Bending 411” course again on November 6th!  I’ve been asked by The Aroostook F-Stops, an extremely active photography club in northern Maine, to come do a full-day program for them.  The club’s fearless leader, Tom, has been so organized and fun to work with.  His wife is a fellow alumni from The American School of Kinshasa (TASOK)…so we’ll have lots of catching up to do!  Since Cami spent several summers in Maine and has many fond memories from this beautiful part of the country, we’ll be going up early and taking some much anticipated R&R.  We’ll fly into Portland and wind our way up to Aroostook, hiking and sightseeing in places like Acadia National Park, and staying in quaint B&B’s along the way.  I’m truly excited and look forward to sharing my enthusiasm with these wonderfully talented photographers in Maine!!!