Boone Hall Family Shoot

I met Holly while shooting assignments for her at the Charleston Regional Business Journal.  We’ve been friends ever since and I’ve had the pleasure of photographing her and Clint’s family for several years.  Originally it was just their 4-legged kids, now they have a beautiful 2-legged one too.  J  We met at the historic Boone Hall Plantation just down the road from their house.  The early morning light was just perfect and we had a great time roaming the grounds and stopping for different shots.  At one point, when I had everyone set, including 2-dogs and a 1-year old girl, this huge (think grayhound) bus slowly wanders down the famous Avenue of Oaks that was my backdrop…and proceeded to stop right behind us to let it’s FULL contents of elderly tourists out behind us!!!  How inconsiderate was that?  They could have just as easily pulled up 15 feet closer to the mansion and been out of our shot!  But that’s the fun of working in a public environment.  We rolled with the punches, moved on to a new spot, and came back to that one after everyone had dispersed. 

Tamarae & David at Fort Johnson Baptist

Tamarae & David finally tied the knot last weekend after about 6 years together.  They met freshman year at George Mason, where Tamarae may or may not have stalked David until he made her his girlfriend.  J  She is such a bubbly, fun-loving extrovert, has a flare for the dramatic, and enjoys drama and art.  While he is quiet and reserved…that is until you get to REALLY know him.  He sings, writes music, and plays in a band.  In fact, he recorded and sang the song they did their first dance to.  They complement each other so well.  Which made their wedding day a true joy for me to be a part of!  

The wedding was held at the gorgeous Fort Johnson Baptist Church.  Afterwards we went downtown for a fun photo shoot, where they were picked up by Palmetto Carriage for a quiet ride to the historic Francis Marion Hotel for their reception.  I got to work with some of my favorite vendors, including Jeff Bradt Video, Cakes by Kasarda, Jay Maxwell’s Music by Request, the Mike Wolk Jazz Group, Seithel’s Florist, and of course the fabulous Caroline Bean from the Francis Marion.  Tamarae’s dress came from Blush, the bridesmaids dresses were from the amazing LulaKate, and the gentleman were outfitted at Berlin’s Tuxedos.  Everything went as smooth as could be.  After watching the fun Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their photos.

Tamarae & David, it was such an honor and a pleasure being part of your special day!!!


 

Folly Beach Family Portrait

Tasha & Joe took a little R&R last week and rented a place on Folly Beach.  They’re expecting TWINS!  J  So to celebrate, their growing family, they brought their “other” family member, Titan, out for a fun Family Portrait Session on the beach.

Robbin & Leighanne at Folly Beach

Yesterday Cami & I did a fun “Dual Photo Shoot” with our good friends Robbin & Leighanne of Robbin Knight Photography!  We went out to Folly Beach where we took turns photographing each other for our respective Christmas Card photos.  First Robbin & Leighanne would set Cami & I up with our golden retriever, Marley, and photograph us.  Then we’d do the same for their family.  It was a BLAST and we had a lot of fun trading who was shooting, who was watching “the kids”, and who was playing with the squeaky toy.  Afterwards we took the dogs, the kids, and our tired selves to a dog-friendly restaurant on the island and had a great time relaxing on the patio with the cool evening breeze and wonderful conversation.  Here’s a couple of my favorites of the Knight gang.  You’ll have to wait until Christmas to see ours!!!  J

Jessie & Phil at DeBordieu Colony

It was a peaceful, sunny drive to Pawley’s Island last weekend to photograph Jessie & Phil’s wedding.   I first met Jessie & Phil at Julie & Howie’s wedding last year where they were guests.  We hit it off right away partly because Jessie is the owner of Pawley Paws Grooming & Supplies and loves animals as much as Cami & I do.   

They met each other through Howie and mutual friends.  After dating for a while, Jessie took Phil with her on an annual trip to visit her friends in New Jersey.  They all knew she was serious about him when she did that.  But they had no idea Phil had plans of his own…he asked her to marry him that weekend!  J  As they say, the rest is history.  The amazing pair were married at the picturesque Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church.  And their reception was held at the gorgeous DeBordieu Colony Beach Club.  Blossoms Events provided the beautiful bouquets and floral arrangements.  Incredible Edibles created a fabulous wedding cake.  Cape Fear Photo Booth company brought lots of fun entertainment.  And the Triple Lindy Band, one of my favorite for sure, filled the air with foot-stompin’ tunes all night long!  After watching their Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their Online Gallery. 

CONGRATULATIONS Jessie & Phil!  You guys inspire me to be a better person and a better husband.  YOU ROCK!


Moody Air Force Base

Monday I had a really neat opportunity to use my Creative Lighting System.  The amazing folks at TranSystems, who I’d done a similar shoot for at Shaw AFB, called to ask if I’d be willing to drive to Moody AFB in Valdosta, GA for this one.  Turns out they are up for an incredible award due to the efficiency and “green” design of this new dorm building.  I was honored and jumped at the opportunity.  I photographed all day, doing lots of Interior/Architectural images in and around the property.  But of course the “money shot” was going to be at dusk.  This was the last frame of the night.  I had a total of 8 – SB800/SB900 flashes blazing.  Each had a ½ CTO filter on it.  Most were triggered by my trusty RadioPoppers (though the closer ones just used regular old line-of-sight CLS).  I shot this about 20 minutes after sunset with a Nikon D3 and 14-24 f2.8 at 14mm.  By the time I’d packed up and headed home, it was a very long but rewarding day! 

Mihaela & Vicintiu’s Romania Wedding

Yesterday I had the pleasant surprise of a wonderful phone call from Mihaela, who’s wedding to Vicintiu I photographed in Romania back in July.  She was in the US visiting friends and family.  I was so honored that she would take the time to reach out and thank me again for being a part of their wedding!  What a sweetheart!!!

So I thought I’d post a few photos from their gorgeous day.  I have to say, this was by far the most surreal wedding I have ever had the privilege of photographing!  It was on a beautiful, pristine, mountainside near Campulung.  A light afternoon shower had cleansed the landscape and brought a crisp freshness to the air.  A dreamy mist was rising from the valley below.  And we weren’t alone…wild horses had also discovered the picturesque meadow we were in.  They pranced and played in the background throughout the service.  Then just as magically as they appeared…wandered off to an adjoining hill side just before we left.  It was one of those serendipitous experiences I’ll never forget for as long as I live.

Congratulations again to “Miha & Vic”.  Always remember the magic moments of your life!!!

Charleston Photographers Lunch Group

I always enjoy organizing the monthly get-togethers for the Charleston Photographers Lunch Group.  For September, we met at Iacofonos Deli in Mt. Pleasant.  This is also where JLI Catering is located.  The beautiful Meredith from JLI Catering brought out several AMAZING appetizers for everyone to sample.  I highly recommend checking them out to cater your next event!  My new friend and fellow photographer, Bob Mule, took this image of one of the tables.  We had a great time!!!

Kelly & Christopher at First Baptist Church

As the doors slowly opened, a hushed reverence fell over the sanctuary where everyone had gathered to share in the uniting of Kelly & Christopher.  Their eyes locked.  And as I quietly captured each of their expressions, I knew in my heart that I was witnessing a public profession of true love this day!  Kelly & Christopher were married at the First Baptist Church.  Between the beautiful colors of the bridesmaids dresses and the bouquets, the intimate moments between father and daughter, mother and son, husband and wife, all the rich historic backdrops of downtown Charleston, and the burst of drama while photographing these two in their first sunset as a married couple, I felt like I was being handed beautiful image after beautiful image.  I had waaay too many favorites to fit in this blog post.  J  So enjoy the music video with even more favorites at www.chrisandcami.com.  Then head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see even more.

 Kelly & Christopher, I was truly blessed during my time with you on your wedding day.  May God bless you as you seek His will through your new life together! 



Jim & Re’s Family

Jim & Re befriended us back when we all attended Ashley River Baptist together.  Jim and I are big geeks, so we have lots in common.  Re is quite the artist and a big photo buff.  Plus we have several mutual friends in common…like the amazing Nathan Bell, and wonderfully talented James Riley.  A few days ago we did a little walk-about at Waterfront Park and I photograph some shots of their handsome son and beautiful daughter.  We had an AWESOME time catching up and creating images of their kids. J

 

Best Tennis Town in America

“As announced live at the US Open in New York, Charleston has WON the 2010 Best Tennis Town in America contest, ahead of second-place finisher Atlanta, GA and third-place finisher Richmond, VA.   Along with the incredible the honor (and bragging rights), the lowcountry area will receive a $100,000 award to be used for tennis programming and facility enhancements.”

As an active player in the Charleston tennis community, and the official photographer of the Family Circle Cup professional WTA Tour tennis tournament, I’m excited to share this video with everyone.  Look for me in the blue shirt (hint: I’m the one with all the camera gear!) at the 2:46 minute mark while photographing a player appearance during the Family Circle Cup several years ago!!!  🙂

Ashley & Sherrod at Trinity UMC

The hot, sticky, summer heat gave way to a gentle respite last weekend…just in time for Ashley & Sherrod’s Big Day!  J  I met up with Ashley at the historic Wentworth Mansion, where Sherrod had proposed to her in early November.  Fittingly, we had also photographed their Engagement Portraits in this picturesque B&B.  Sherrod met up with us there the two of them exchanged their First Glance before the mayhem of the wedding day began.  Then it was off to Trinity United Methodist Church, the oldest in South Carolina, where they were married in a beautiful service.  Their reception was held at the South Carolina Society Hall, a venue with great character that I always love working in! 

To see the fun slideshow of their day, visit www.chrisandcami.com/blog.  And to see the rest of their Online Gallery, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.  

CONGRATULATIONS Ashley & Sherrod!  May you forever stick to each other like glue…