Ben & Kyle’s Secret Garden Proposal

Ben was referred to me by my good friend and amazing photographer, Roxy. He was planning a fun get-away to Charleston, and was so excited about proposing to his boyfriend, Kyle!

Ben & Kyle love historic Charleston, they love the beach, and they love all the secret gardens and hidden alleys around downtown. Ben particularly enjoys the Gateway Walk, a walking trail through some of the most iconic gardens and graveyards which was designed by The Garden Club of Charleston back in 1930:  https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/the-gateway-walk-an-other-worldly-journey-through-the-heart-of-charleston.  So we picked a particularly fitting location in the beautiful Unitarian Church garden. This place is so striking because the garden is allowed to flow and blossom in and around the ancient gravestones.

Arriving at our designated spot that morning, it was fun to meet some of the Garden Club members who were there doing some light pruning. The ones I talked to were so excited about the upcoming proposal in their garden, and were kind enough to keep our preferred spot clear for us. They even offered to unlock some of the gates for us to use in our photo shoot afterwards.

Upon entering the garden, Ben led the unsuspecting Kyle to a beautiful cross-section in the very center, surrounded by a rustic old black-iron railing, underneath a giant crape-myrtle tree that was draped from head to toe in Spanish moss.  After sharing what was on his heart, Ben dropped to one knee and asked Kyle to marry him.  It was such a touching and emotional moment!

After the surprise proposal, I had so much fun getting to know Ben & Kyle on a fun Engagement Shoot. We enjoyed exploring the garden and surrounding streets, finding beautiful backdrops and creative ways to showcase their love for one another and preserve this special moment for them!

CONGRATULATIONS Ben & Kyle!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Grace’s Senior Portraits on Kiawah Island

When she called, Marianne sounded a bit flustered. She had nothing to wear.

Vacationing on Kiawah Island for the week, Marianne and her family hadn’t planned for family portraits. They realized what a great opportunity this was to get some beautiful and unique Senior Portraits for their daughter Grace. And I had suggested we throw in a few fun family portraits while we were at it!  So suddenly Marianne was scrambling to find outfits for everyone.

Fortunately this gave her a good excuse to do a little shopping. And everything worked out PERFECT!!! 🙂 In spite of an afternoon thunderstorm, the weather was beautiful. Selecting three outfits for her session, Grace was absolutely stunning in each one. And the family outfits Marianne had selected were awesome.  We all had a fantastic time together…even their 11-year old golden doodle, Bella.

CONGRATULATIONS Grace! You rocked it!!!

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Nester Family on Seabrook Island

I have been photographing the Nester family so long that I feel like I’m that silly Uncle every family has…you know, the one that’s always acting silly and getting the kids riled up right before bedtime!  🙂

It’s been quite a few years. But I still remember Jeff & Suzanna’s 2006 wedding like it was yesterday. Each year their family returns for summer vacation, always with something fun and new and interesting going on in their lives. This year I was sad that Suzanna’s brother, Tyler, and his family couldn’t make it due to travel constraints from the corona-virus. But hopefully next year we’ll all be back together again!

It’s only been 24 hours since their photo shoot. And I’m already looking forward to seeing the Nester’s next year! They are easily one of my all-time favorite families other than my own!!!

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Muro Family on Isle of Palms

Every year I look forward with great anticipation to hanging out with and photographing the amazing Muro clan during their vacation to Isle of Palms!

We got rained out the night before, but quickly pivoted to this morning. It turned out to be a glorious day! The kids were all excited and full of energy. The sun finally peaked out from between the thunderclouds.  We all had so much fun!  🙂

Many thanks to Susan for all her hard work corralling and organizing this crazy crew!!!

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Johnston Family on Isle of Palms

Originally from the Greenville area, like most extended families these days the Johnstons are now all spread out. Individuals are following their dreams, from a Physical Therapist in Bristow to a dentist in Spartanburg, from a computer engineer in San Antonio to an attorney in Greenville. But they all come together once a year to re-connect those family ties!

I had the pleasure of meeting up with them at their beach house on IOP yesterday to capture some fun family memories. In addition to the usual family photos, we also celebrated Brook and her friends graduating college. Congratulations to them as they embark on a new journey following THEIR dreams!

It was a beautiful evening and I had a great time getting to know the three sisters and their families. Thanks for allowing me to be part of this year’s reunion, Susan, Stacey, and Cara!!!

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Porch Portraits with the Schiff Family

I had so much fun capturing some porch portraits, or what we call “porchaits”, for the Schiff Family on Kiawah Island this morning!

Every year the Schiffs schedule this special photo shoot exclusively for the grandparents and their grand-kids. Parents can help prep the young ones, but aren’t allowed in the photos…HA! 🙂 This year because of the resurgence of corona-virus, we elected to do the photos on the porch and pool deck of their rental home instead of at the beach. It was a gorgeous setting. And the kids did great!  I can’t believe how much they’ve grown since last year.

Thank you so much to Debbie & Russell for their kindness and continued patronage! We appreciate you more than you know!!!

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Brittny & Chuck at Folly Beach Pier

With just over a year to go until their wedding, I met up with Brittny & Chuck this morning for some sunrise engagement photos at the Folly Beach Pier!
 
We didn’t get to see the sunrise. But it turned out to be a REALLY cool morning with a deserted beach, a thick fog, and an eerie silence all about. It was almost like the beach was totally reserved for us!
 
Brittny & Chuck were absolutely ADORABLE!!! In spite of getting up at 3:00 AM, they were full of energy, laughing and flirting with each other throughout the shoot. We had so much fun together. And I can’t WAIT to capture all the beautiful moments of their wedding day!  🙂

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Aerial Drone Shoot for Docent Prodigy

I always love working and collaborating with my friends!

Earlier this week, Jason at Docent Prodigy, asked me to join him on a photo shoot for one of his clients in the solar power sector. We drove up to Orangeburg and had an AMAZING time working together. Jason photographed head-shots and team photos for the company.  (I grabbed a behind-the-scenes drone-shot of him in action when I brought the aircraft in to swap out batteries.) Meanwhile, I captured aerial photos and video footage for Jason to use in creating a promotional video for his client. It was an incredible spectacle to witness all those thousands of solar panels! Jason and I commented on the way home how lucky we are to have such cool opportunities in our line of work!

Many thanks to Jason for letting me be his wing-man.  🙂

If you need an amazing photographer, videographer, or video editor, I highly recommend Jason at http://docentprodigy.com/.  And if you’re a photographer in need of an FAA Certified drone-pilot to add an extra dimension to what you’re offering your clients, I’d love to work with you!

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Rice Family in Carolina Bay

Cami and I have known Ben & Daphne Rice for years! They are such an AMAZING couple. And it’s been an absolute joy to watch their family grow.

I can’t even believe their oldest daughter is graduating this year!!!  Before Samantha heads off to college next year, they thought it would be a good idea to get one last family photo in. You know how it is when kids go off to college and start spreading their wings…there’s no telling when you’ll be able to catch up with them next! 🙂

We met over at the marsh scene in Carolina Bay on a beautiful summer evening. It was surprisingly mild since the rain earlier in the week had cooled things off.  The late afternoon light was perfect. And we just had a BLAST hanging out together and capturing a variety of images for them!

CONGRATULATIONS to Samantha! We wish you all the best as you follow your dreams!!!

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Headshots during COVID-19

These are strange times we live in! But in order to keep our friends and loved ones safe, it’s important that we change with them.

Here at Chris & Cami Photography, we’ve taken steps to make sure that we are in-line with all CDC safety recommendations while on photography assignments. From cleansing hands with sanitizer before meeting clients, to wearing mouth and nose covers, to maintaining safe social-distancing with the use of telephoto lenses, we are still able to provide the high-level of quality and creativity our customers have come to expect, without being an accessory to spreading the corona virus.

If you have any special needs or requests for your photo shoot, just ask. We are back to business-as-usual and look forward to serving you!!!

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Stein Family on Isle of Palms

Another summer is finally here! And with it came our good friends and wonderful clients, Chris & Vicki Stein, for their annual vacation on IOP. We had so much fun catching up with them and their three adorable girls…capturing some fun memories along the way. 🙂

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Headshots for Commonwealth Financial Group

As Commonwealth Financial Group continues to grown and expand, it’s always a pleasure returning each year to photograph headshots for new team members and updates for existing ones!

This morning I had some beautiful soft light to work with. So I set up outside their office to use the nice leading lines of the building as the backdrop. I used Nikon SB-5000 speedlights, shooting through Westcott Apollo soft-boxes, mounted on Manfrotto light-stands. All images were shot with the Nikon D5 and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8.

As you can tell, we had fun goofing off in between the “official photos”.  🙂  CONGRATULATIONS to Samantha, Heather, James, and Billy!

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