Yesterday I had a real treat, catching up with my old tennis friend Steve Ward, and photographing some new marketing photos for his thriving wealth management firm, Aletheia Financial.
If you need a financial planner who TRULY cares about his clients, give Steve a call at 843-224-1802!!!
Last evening was some of the prettiest fall weather we’ve had all year. It was absolutely perfect for the Scott Family’s portrait session at Christ Our King Catholic Church!
I met up with The Scott’s at their church, just as the sun was starting to turn that perfect warm golden color. Taking advantage of the picturesque gardens behind the church, we found tons of great backdrops, and photographed a wonderful variety of fun portraits for them. Their three girls were absolutely ADORABLE!!! And the addition of their grandparents, who were down here visiting from Connecticut, made it even more special.
Many thanks to Beth for all her hard work in coordinating everyone’s busy schedules! 🙂
A few days ago I had the privilege of photographing a second round of headshots for Atlas Consulting. Everyone I have met at this organization has just been AWESOME to work with!!!
Last week I had the honor and privilege of photographing new headshots for the Atlas Executive Consulting location in Charleston. They had a very specific high-key lighting style, which they wanted me to match from what they were doing at the corporate office in San Diego. Everything came out perfect. We all had great fun working together. And corporate was very pleased with the results!
Julia & Woods tied the knot yesterday. That means that I can FINALLY share a few favorites from Julia’s gorgeous bridal session!!! 🙂
Several months ago, Julia, her sister, her mom, and her grandmother all met up with me at Middleton Place, where we had received approval to photograph her bridal shoot. It was a beautiful summer evening. And Julia was absolutely STUNNING!!! We had so much fun exploring the picturesque grounds, and photographing a variety of portraits for Julia in her elegant wedding gown. Many thanks to the amazing staff at Middleton Place for allowing us this privilege.
Congratulations Julia & Woods! Rachel…you are next!!! 😉
I had a fantastic time photographing James yesterday!
Hailing from Tennessee, he joins the fantastic team at First Citizens Bank in downtown Charleston. He was such a great guy, with a fantastic sense of humor. Plus he served in the Army!
Thank you for your service, James! And welcome to the team!!!
One of the best parts of my job is meeting new, interesting, and FUN people!!!
This weekend, I had such a great time photographing this wonderful group of life-long friends, who all get together one weekend every year to catch up on each other’s lives, build new memories, and invest in the beautiful relationships they build over the years. For this year’s theme, they each decided to dress up as a different “month” of the year. Then everyone changed and we did a few patriotic themes. Last but not least, everyone just jumped in the pool for something really fun!
I love it when grown-ups choose to remember the value of being a kid at heart again! 🙂
I had so much fun with the Allman/Musser family during their photo shoot on Kiawah Island last night! (The two sisters coined the “Allman Joy” thing, which I thought was too cute not to use.)
Part of the reason for the trip was because the grandparents were celebrating their Anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS Brian & Kathy! You have the most adorable grand-kids in the world!!! Thanks for letting me be a part of this special time in your lives. 🙂
Alex used to work in TV. But her life has taken a different path! She is the newest attorney to join the incredible team at the Clawson & Staubes Law Firm. It was a pleasure meeting Alex and photographing her new headshots. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
After arriving early, carefully picking out “the spot”, and settling in to wait for Jeff’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Sarah, a group of a dozen middle-aged men in khaki shorts and Hawaiian shirts came walking down to the beach with beers in hand and a cooler in tow. I got REALLY nervous since Jeff had just texted that they were in the parking lot! Luckily, they were great guys and after hearing about the exciting moment that was about to transpire, they happily moved down the beach so as not to obstruct our beautiful backdrop. 🙂
Jeff, his father, and I have been secretly planning for this surprise proposal for a long time! After careful deliberation, we settled on the picturesque beach and grounds of the historic Ocean Course. It was so much fun working with them to pick out the PERFECT location for this very special moment in Jeff & Sarah’s lives.
Arriving right on cue after the group of kind gentleman had moved off, Jeff launched into a touching speech he had prepared for Sarah. I have no idea what was said, but he took his time and did it right. I could tell by the AMAZING reactions from Sarah afterwards!
Following the proposal, we had a great time photographing some fun engagement photos together around this gorgeous area on the far reaches of Kiawah Island. It was really neat getting to know these two. I loved how they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other…and how Sarah couldn’t stop smiling!
The excitement continued as we all zipped over to The Sanctuary for yet another surprise. There, waiting with applause and champagne, were both their families, exchanging hugs and high-fives to the new “celebrity couple”. Moving over to the Grand Staircase, we photographed a wide variety of family portraits, the first moments of Jeff & Sarah being welcomed into each other’s families!
It was truly an honor and a pleasure to be a part of beautiful afternoon in Jeff & Sarah’s lives! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Hailing from Florida, Kyle and I have been secretly corresponding over the last few months about his PERFECT plan to surprise Brittany by proposing to her on the famous white bridge at Magnolia Plantation! 🙂
Kyle & Brittany have known each other since high-school. But life’s twists and turns found them heading in separate directions. Then a couple years ago, fate brought them back together again! Kyle knew she was THE ONE and decided to ask for her hand in marriage during this special long-weekend get-away to Charleston!
With every detail worked out, Kyle’s carefully laid out plans went into motion this morning. I arrived early at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and got set up with a beautiful view of the historic white bridge. Right on cue, Kyle and Brittany arrived for him to expertly guide her out into the picturesque overlook, surrounded by cypress trees draped in billowy Spanish moss. They were the FIRST ones on the bridge this morning. So it was quite funny when Brittany ran smack into a spider web. The distraction gave Kyle the perfect opportunity to drop to his knee and surprise her with the ring! It was an absolutely magical moment!!!
For my setup, I used the venerable Nikon D5, and his younger brother the D500. I had the D500 on the Nikkor 200-400 f4 VR, effectively making it a 300-600mm lens. This gave me the tight angle I wanted for capturing their expressions. The D5 was fitted with the 70-200 f2.8 VRII, setting the stage by revealing the entire scene. Each camera had a WR-R10 controller plugged in. The controllers were synchronized so that each time I took a picture with the D500…the D5 instantly fired at the same time. This allowed me to capture two different perspectives at the same exact time.
After Brittany said “YES”, I came out of hiding and met up with them. We had a BLAST photographing tons of beautiful engagement photos for them, while wandering the gorgeous plantation together! Couples who don’t hire a photographer to capture their actual proposal have to “stage” an engagement shoot later on. But Kyle & Brittany were able to have an “authentic” engagement shoot on the actual day of their engagement!!! How cool is that?
CONGRATULATIONS Kyle & Brittany! You guys are so perfect together. We wish you all the best as you begin this new and exciting journey together!!!
I thought it was so sweet when Kelly called to book a photo session as a surprise to her mom and her sisters!!!
Apparently “The Girls” try to take a trip somewhere interesting every year. Since they live in Michigan, they usually pick somewhere warm. This year, they picked Charleston. And I’m SO GLAD they did! We had so much fun exploring Waterfront Park and the surrounding French Quarter together. Since I spent some of my college years in Michigan, it was great to catch up on familiar names and places. But most importantly, I just loved the “connection” these three sisters had with each other, and with their mother.
What an honor it was for me to preserve these beautiful family memories for them!!!
