Brianna & Evan’s Wedding at Historic Rice Mill

I got to know Evan & Brianna last year when he contacted me to secretly photograph his surprise proposal to the love of his life!!! It was AMAZING: https://chrisandcami.com/evan-surprises-brianna-with-his-proposal/.   So when they called to ask if I would also capture their wedding, I was elated!

Although rain threatened us for a minute, it actually ended up being the perfect weather…not too cold, not too hot, with a little bit of cloud cover.  The guys started out at Haberdash…hanging out and having fun while they got ready.  Evan was looking pretty dashing by the time they got done with him!  Then it was over to The Cottages at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.  Brianna’s “reveal” to the girls was a highlight!  She was an absolutely STUNNING bride in her elegant gown!!!  🙂  Finally we all headed back over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to The Historic Rice Mill for the main event!

The lively and humor-filled ceremony was led by Brianna’s half-brother, Seth.  At one point I think I saw a tear in Evan’s eye…which was so touching.  Then it was on to wedding party photos while guests enjoyed cocktails with views of the sailboats bobbing in the Ashley River.  I was worried that the low-lying blanket of clouds was going to ruin our plans for some gorgeous sunset photos of Brianna & Evan.  But just 15 minutes before sunset, a sliver of sky opened up on the horizon to reveal the most amazing sunset for us to work with!!!

A warm welcome by Brianna’s dad, and a delicious meal awaited everyone at the reception.  Lively chatter and fun festivities carried on throughout the night.  Cake cutting, signing the marriage license, and touching toasts also ensued.  Eventually, The Vistas band started jamming and the party kicked into high gear!  Everyone was dancing and singing and having a BLAST!!!  But finally it was time to bid Brianna & Evan a fond farewell.  We closed the night out with a big group photo featuring the entire band…before this amazing couple headed off into the night!

Many thanks to Alyssa and her team at www.stunningandbrilliantevents.com for making sure everything went off perfectly.  And a huge shout out to all the vendors who made this special day possible.

CONGRATULATIONS Brianna & Evan!!!  Having been there from the “I Will” to the “I Do”, it was an absolute honor to capture all the beautiful memories of this special day for you.  We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together.

Johnson Family at Azalea Park

Photographing Sarah & Cody’s maternity shoot last year was so much fun! So imagine my excitement when they called to ask if I could photograph family portraits with their beautiful new daughter, Emory?!?

To make it even more special, they also brought Sarah’s dad, Billy, for a 3-gerneration photo. And to top it all off, her dad brought his beautiful 14-year old dog, Fred!!! We had a wonderful time capturing a nice variety of lovely portraits in Summerville’s picturesque Azalea Park.

I owe a HUGE Thank You to our mutual friend, Andrea, for recommending us to Sarah & Cody. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know them. And I can’t wait to watch their amazing family grow!  🙂

McKenzie’s Senior Portraits

We’ve been friends with Jim & Re FOREVER!!! They are such a neat couple that we used to hang out with all the time. We were so excited for them when they started their family with the birth of their adorable daughter, McKenzie.  A couple years later, Caleb joined the crew.  It’s hard to believe, but now McKenzie all grown up and about to graduate from high-school! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with Jim & Re, and photographing McKenzie’s Senior Portraits. McKenzie and Caleb are best friends…so she invited him to be in a few photos with her, which I thought was super cool! She also requested we do her shoot in and around Joe Riley Waterfront Park, because she wanted to re-create a couple of her favorite portraits I had taken of her and Caleb during a family shoot there when they were little kids.  Isn’t that awesome?!?

McKenzie has grown up to be such a beautiful, thoughtful, and kind young lady. It was an honor and a pleasure to capture these portraits of her during this special time in her life!  Please help me in CONGRATULATING McKenzie on her up-coming graduation!!!

Emily & Halen are Engaged!!!

It was a pleasure photographing Emily & Halen’s beautiful engagement session yesterday!

We met up at The Post House in the old historic downtown Mt. Pleasant area. It was so much fun exploring the area. Plus they brought their adorable 2-year old beagle, Cooper to be in some of the shots! As an added bonus, their good friends Kelly & Chris joined us to help with Cooper. I owe them a huge “Thank You” for not only helping with Cooper, but also for recommending us to Emily & Halen!!! 🙂

After a few shots downtown, we headed over to the park at Pitt Street Pier. It was a gorgeous evening! The sun set was awesome, and the moonrise was surreal. We came away with some AMAZING photos showcasing Emily & Halen’s fun-loving personalities, and their love for each other.

I can’t wait to photograph their wonderful wedding this fall!!!

Pamela & Mike’s Wedding at The Citadel

When Pam wrote to let me know she and Mike were getting married, the first thing she told me was that her cousin had recommended us. I was elated to learn that her cousin was Jan Truesdale, a longtime friend and favorite client of mine!!! So of course I was super honored and very excited to be a part of Pam and Mike’s special day!!!

Before heading to the church for the ceremony, I met up with Pam and her best friend, Ann, who was helping her get ready. We captured some fun shots of them leaving the house. And we stopped by the reception venue for a few beautiful bridal portraits of Pam in her stunning wedding gown! While the ladies were touching up their makeup one last time, I headed over to The Citadel, where I caught up with Mike for a few portraits of him and his ushers. Guests began arriving and taking their seats inside. And I was so excited that my good friend, Jennings King, was one of them! Aside from being Mike’s niece, Jennings is a fabulous photographer in her own right!

The ceremony was absolutely perfect!!! I love the intimacy of the sanctuary inside Summerall Chapel. With 75 close family and friends, gathered closely around Pam & Mike with love and support in their hearts, it felt even more intimate than usual. The processional began with five very special ladies, each carrying a white rose. Bagpiper Jack Farrell then entered and filled the halls with his magical notes. Pam was escorted down the aisle by her two brothers, who were beaming with pride. Reverend Bland led a heartfelt ceremony. And when it was all over, Pam & Mike sealed their vows with a kiss!!! 🙂

After a few gorgeous photos of Pam & Mike inside the historic chapel, we headed over to the new Swain Boating Center for the reception. This is a new event space in the corner of campus, overlooking the Ashley River. The décor was gorgeous, the food was delicious, the Fireball dance was hilarious, and the toasts were delightful. Everyone had so much fun fellowshipping, sharing stories, and celebrating the undying love that Pam and Mike have found in each other!!!

Many thanks to Caroline at Goldbug Events for all her help keeping everything running smoothly! And Kudos to all the great vendors for making Pam & Mike’s Big Day a huge success…Magnolia Bride for Pam’s wedding gown, Sarah at Dodeline Design for the invitations and seating chart, Vanity Salon for her makeup, Azure Salon for her hair, GTC Rentals for the transportation, Michael Varnadore for the ceremony music, Lee Edwards for the reception music, Flavours of Charleston for the food, Top Shelf for the bar, and The Cake Stand for the wedding cake. Pam did her own flowers and greenery…which were beautiful!

CONGRATULATIONS Pam & Mike! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together…

Seamon Whiteside Headshots

It’s always a pleasure photographing headshots for Seamon Whiteside! They are a fantastic organization, and always hire the nicest people. Here are a few favorites from my latest session with their newest team members…

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Manfrotto tripod *

Mylo’s Puppy Portriats

Meet Mylo! He’s a super sweet 16-year old Pomeranian. He may be mostly deaf and nearly blind, but for being as old as he is Mylo is still active and in great health. I had so much fun hanging out with Mylo and his “parents”, Jocelyn and Lawrence, at Hampton Park last evening! He truly is a special pup who found a beautiful home and has had a wonderful life!!!

Hatfield Temple Law Firm

I had the pleasure of photographing Hood and Alec of Hatfield Temple yesterday for an upcoming article in Super Lawyers Magazine. The attorneys and staff were nothing but kind, sincere, and professional. They were an absolute pleasure to work with!

“When an unexpected tragedy turns your life upside down, the decisions you make after will spark a chain reaction, impacting the rest of your life. Of those decisions, choosing your legal team may be the most important. Our team of experienced, caring, and dedicated attorneys are prepared to advocate vigorously on your behalf.” – https://htlawsc.com/

Mounted to one wall of their conference room is the original façade to the old historic Florence Courthouse that was torn down to build the new judicial complex. What an iconic location for their portrait! I set up a “wall of light” with 4 Nikon SB-5000 flashes shooting through 2 Westcott 60″ umbrellas at camera right. The image was captured with a Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 lens at ISO 400, f4, 1/60 sec.

CONGRATULATIONS to the team at Hatfield Temple!

Publix Pharmacy

It was a pleasure photographing Rosa at the Publix Pharmacy in North Charleston this morning! Rosa is going to be a featured associate in an upcoming article by Publix Supermarkets Inc. Her family immigrated from Hong Kong. A few years ago, Rosa left the family’s restaurant business to entered Pharmacy School. She’s worked hard for 4 long hears to reach her goal of becoming a pharmacist. And I wish her all the best as she begins her new career!

To cool down the sodium-vapor lighting in the store, I wanted a warm main-light. So I attached orange CTO gels on two SB-5000 flashes (Group A), and fired them through a 60″ Westcott umbrella. For the first couple poses outside the pharmacy, I also attached a CTO gel to a bare SB-5000 flash (Group B) in the background to use as a kicker-light, highlighting her hair and shoulders. For the ones inside the pharmacy, I wanted to add a splash of color. So I attached blue gels to two SB-5000 flashes (Group C), covered them with dome diffusers, and pointed them at the ceiling. All images were captured with a Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 lens at ISO 200, f2.8, and 1/80th sec. Camera and lighting supports were provided by Manfrotto.

Please help me in congratulation Rosa on achieving her dreams!!!

McLeod Law Group

One of the best parts of my job is meeting new and interesting people!

The other day I got to meet an amazing team of attorneys at the McLeod Law Group. I was there photographing them for a profile article being written in Super Lawyers Magazine. Cooper Wilson was my main contact, who was super helpful with logistics, scheduling, and organizing their team. Mullins McLeod was the principal attorney, and had so many crazy stories from his time practicing law. Everyone was such a pleasure to work with and we came away with a variety of great shots for them to choose from.

Ultimately, they selected the one with the reflection in the conference room desk as their favorite! The images was captured on a Nikon Z9 with 24-120 f4 S lens placed just above the surface of the table using a Manfrotto tripod. To expose for the sky, I shot at ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec. To create a wall of artificial light that would balance out that daylight, I added 4 SB-5000 speedlights firing through 2 Westcott 60″ umbrellas at camera left.

It was an absolute pleasure working with this fantastic team of attorneys! They have an impeccable record and a ton of 5-star reviews. Check them out at: https://mcleod-lawgroup.com/?utm_source=GMB&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=charleston.

Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early

I’ve worked with the law firm of Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early for several years now. You simply couldn’t ask for a more prompt, professional, and friendly group of attorneys! They like to have fun and always make me feel welcome.

This assignment was for a profile article being written about them in Super Lawyers Magazine. I used a big soft-box on camera-right to fill in the shadows of the first image. The rest were all captured with natural “open shade” lighting. Everything was shot on the Nikon Z9 with the Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 on Sony XQD cards.

Headshots for Thompson Turner Construction

Thompson Turner Construction is a major provider of new construction and renovation services throughout the Southeast. With high standards, great support, and full service, it’s no wonder they are so highly regarded in the industry!

It’s been my honor to photograph their team headshots over the last few years. Usually I set up in the hallway just outside their Mt. Pleasant office. That way, I don’t disrupt everyone diligently working away inside.

The kit I use includes a 53″ Savage studio gray backdrop, Manfrotto supports, Westcott light modifiers, Sony XQD cards, 4 SB-5000 flashes, a Z9 with a WR-R11 transmitter, and the Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8S. This was my first time using the newest model of the venerable 70-200 on shoot with Thompson Turner. I recently upgraded from the previous model. I am TRULY impressed at how much quieter, sharper, and faster focusing it is than the previous generations I’ve owned over the years!