Shelby & Jim at the I’On Creek Club

Last weekend, Jim & Shelby hosted one big CRAZY PARTY at the I’On Creek Club!!!  Oh, and they also got married.  J  The amazing Stacey at Red Letter Events coordinated everything.  Fred & Rob filled the air with soulfull sounds during the ceremony.  DJ Rob Duren rocked the house at the reception.  Granvilles Catering served the masses in style.  Paula from Buy The Bunch infused a gorgeous pallete of color.  And Ashley Bakery created a work of art for desert.  Check out the fun Music Video of Jim & Shelby’s day at www.chrisandcami.com/blog.  Then head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of the “evidence” of their beautiful event. 

 



Isle of Palms Family Beach Portrait

The Blalocks are spread out all over the country…Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania.  So it was very special for them to be able to come together for a family vacation here in the Charleston area.  I was honored that they contacted us about photographing their family portrait on the beach across from the house they had rented on IOP.  We laughed, got wet, and had a great time creating some fun memories.  J

Mollie & Vincent’s Wadmallaw Island E-Session

A couple days ago I met with Mollie & Vincent, who were in town on break from Furman University, to see if we’d be the right fit for them to photograph their wedding.  Not only are they the coolest couple on the planet, but we hit it off so well that they decided they wanted me to go shoot their Engagement Portraits right away!  So we zipped over to Mollie’s parent’s house, where they got changed.  The property is this beautiful red barn-style house on the marsh way out on Wadmallaw Island.  With the sun setting and sifting through the trees, the creek running through the marsh, the boardwalk, and that peaceful night sky…I was in heaven.  We got some AMAZING photos and had a blast traipsing all around her parent’s property.  We probably didn’t even get to HALF of it!  But Mollie could tell I was loving the place, discovering all kinds of neat spots to shoot in.  So she said she might let me do her Bridal Portraits out there too…WOOHOO!  J  I’m SO EXCITED for Mollie & Vincent!  I hope you guys have fun back at Furman…and we’ll see you guys next time you’re in town!!!

 

Surprise Sunrise Proposal on Kiawah Island

Just before I left for Romania I got a call from Corbin, who was secretly planning to propose to his girlfriend.  They are from Augusta, but were moving to Charleston that weekend.  He’d already convinced her that they should make their first morning in town a special one by watching the sunrise together and going to breakfast afterwards.  He even bought her a special beach dress to wear and made arrangements with The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island.  He’d seen my pictures of  Allison & Damon’s Proposal (https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2010/07/07/allison-says-yes-to-damon-on-kiawah-island/) and really wanted me to be there to capture theirs. 

Well, 5:00 A.M. came awfully early as I dragged myself out of bed to drive out to Kiawah.  But to experience such a beautiful moment between two people in love, within the stillness and calm of a deserted beach before dawn, and accentuated with the glorious rising of the sun…well, I have chills just writing about it.  Needless to say, the comfort of my bed didn’t hold a stick to the gravity of such a moment!  I felt truly blessed to be there.

After shooting his proposal incognito, Corbin brought Sarah over to meet me.  We laughed and I shared some of the pictures from the back of the camera with them.  Then as the sun rose into place, I shot a few “true” Engagement Portraits for them.  We had such a great time together.  Corbin & Sarah were so much fun to work with…even letting me talk them into getting a little wet.  J  CONGRATULATIONS to you both!

High-Key Headshots

Earlier this week I got to work with some of my favorite corporate clients at Colliers Keenan.  They’re doing some re-branding and decided to make all new headshots using a high-key white background.  I lit them with a single giant softbox and placed a reflector on the oposite side to open up the shadows.  The background was placed about 8 feet behind my subject and lit separately with an umbrella on each side.  I’ve found that when shooting high-key, it’s very important to light the background separately from the subject to really keep those whites clean and bright!

50th Anniversary on Kiawah Island

A few days ago I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Jim & Pat, who were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a vacation to Kiawah Island along with their extended family.  Having recently returned from my own family reunion in Ohio, it was neat to witness the bonds and connections that were shared by all.  Next month marks 15 years for Cami & I.  Only 35 more to go and we’ll reach Jim & Pat’s status!!!  J

Caldwell Commercial

Though I mostly post my Wedding and Portrait work on here, I shoot a good bit of Corporate/Commercial photography as well.  One of my favorite corporate clients to work with is Caldwell Commercial.  They are a great group of folks, always fun and entertaining to be around.  Plus, Bob (the owner) used to do a bit of professional photography himself back in the film days.  So he and I always have lots in common to talk about.  Here’s a shot I did a few days ago of Cindy, the latest member on their team.

Ken Sklute Seminar

Last weekend I attended Ken Sklute’s photography seminar for the annual Lamarr School of Photography in Columbia.  He’s an amazing photographer and fantastic speaker.  After the seminar, we had a short photo-shoot-out where the attendees could break out their gear.  It was overcast, meaning the light was nice and soft.  So everyone else just started shooting with available light.  But when I saw our model and the custom chopper, I knew I wanted something a little more EDGY!  Soft natural light just wasn’t going to do her justice.  So I lit her up with three SB-800 strobes and further enhanced that with a high-contrast selective-color filter in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  Let me know what you think…

Jessica & Keith’s Family Beach Portraits

A few days ago I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Jessica & Keith’s family portraits on Isle of Palms.  I photographed the usual shots on their rental property, then offered to shoot some of them on the beach at no charge.  It was a beautiful evening, cooler weather than last week, and an absolutely GORGEOUS sunset to work with.  As a bonus, the tide was going out and left all kinds of interesting tidal pools in the soft sand.  I asked if everyone was crazy enough to get a little wet, and they were all for it!  I LOVE the shots at the end with the reflections from the tidal pool they are sitting in.  J  Such a neat family…so much fun to hang out with these guys.  Enjoy…

Allison says “YES” to Damon on Kiawah Island!

A few days ago I had the great privilege of documenting Damon’s TOP SECRET Proposal to Allison on the beach in front of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island!  He and his Mom & Dad, along with his girlfriend, Allison, and her beautiful daughter, were all vacationing there for the summer.  Little did Allison know that Damon & his Mom were secretly scheming behind her back.  They had contacted me to be there “incognito” when they arrived on the beach so that I could capture all the momentous occasion.  It was SO AWESOME!  She said YES!  And we had a beautiful photo shoot afterwards.  Congratulations to Allison & Damon!!!

Downtown Charleston Bridal Shoot

Lisa & Clay were finally married last weekend.  So it’s safe for me to finally reveal some of Lisa’s gorgeous Bridal Portraits from her shoot in charming downtown Charleston.  J  I posted some of their really cool Engagement Portraits here:  https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2010/03/29/lisa-clay-rock-bowens-island/.  But I just couldn’t post any with Lisa’s dress until now for fear of Clay “snooping” around to get a peek at her dress!  Just kidding…Clay would never do that.

Heather & Marcus in Fernandina Beach

Last week Cami & I had a really cool eSession with Heather & Marcus in Fernandina Beach, FL!!!  They are such a great couple…young, gorgeous, and full of energy!  They’ve been dating a couple years now and last September Marcus popped “The Question”.  J  They are from the Jacksonville area and selected Fernandina Beach as the backdrop for their portraits.  It’s such a cute little historic town with lots of texture and ambiance, plus a great view of the sunset!  Here are a few of my favorites…