The Cape on Kiawah Island for Trident Construction

Today was a beautiful fall day to be outside in the sunshine, photographing landscapes on Kiawah Island. But it wasn’t THAT kind of landscape photography!

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of photographing The Cape, a beautiful new condo complex on Kiawah Island, for Trident Construction. At the time, building was still under way. I was there primarily to photograph the interiors and amenities that had been completed in building 600. But there was still a ton of construction debris everywhere. And the landscaping hadn’t had a chance to fill in yet. So on this trip, the client asked me to focus on getting some exterior “beauty shots” now that construction is complete and the landscaping is looking lush. Fall flowers were in bloom, birds and butterflies were everywhere, and the sweetgrass was on full display!

Many thanks to Gracie and the team at Trident Construction for all their help on this project!!!

High-Key Headshots for Bridge Commercial

I photograph high-key headshots for a lot of firms in Charleston. That clean, modern, all-white background just seems to be a popular choice for many companies. Plus it’s also an easy background to knock out in Photoshop if your marketing team wants to change the background to something else. I know the Rosen Hagood law firm does that with all the high-key portraits I shoot for them.

Periodically, companies will switch up their marketing or change their web-design, and ask me for a different background to go with their new “look”. But I’ve been working with Bridge Commercial for probably over a decade and they just continue to love the simple and elegant look of the high-key background. What’s not to like?!?

The key to lighting a high-key portrait is the background light. If you don’t light the background separately from the subject, even the whitest background will still come out looking dull. That’s because of the inverse square law of light. As you can see in my setup, I’ve got two speedlights on the left-side stand as my main light, which is Group A. I’ve got one speedlight on the right-side stand as my fill light, which is Group B. The power ratios in both groups are about the same. But having one speedlight instead of two naturally gives me half the amount of light, providing a pleasing ratio between the highlights and the shadows on my subject. Finally, I’ve got one speedlight on the stand behind the subject, aimed at the center of the background. The ratio on this light is double the others because I want the background to be nice and bright.

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Godox/Flashpoint transmitter and speedlights, Manfrotto supports, Westcott 60″ umbrellas, and a twist-flex white background)

Spartanburg Trails and other Commercial Development Projects

After photographing headshots and marketing photos for the Seamon Whiteside team in Spartanburg, I had the pleasure of capturing a number of their engineering projects for them around town. From all the new trails they’ve added to the city’s vast rails-to-trails Daniel Morgan Trail System, to multifamily apartment complexes, from healthcare centers to municipal buildings, from commercial restoration projects to multi-use facilities…it was really neat to see all the rejuvination they are bringing to Spartanburg. Plus it was a great way to get to know this beautiful South Carolina City that, which up until this point I had known very little about!

Seamon Whiteside – Spartanburg Team

It’s been my pleasure to work with the Seamon Whiteside engineering firm over many years. Last week I had the pleasure of photographing their team at the Spartanburg office!!!  I really enjoyed exploring this beautiful South Carolina town.

Industrial Construction Projects for Seamon Whiteside

Seamon Whiteside has been the engineering firm behind a number of large-scale industrial and commercial projects around the Summerville, Ladson, and Goose Creek areas in recent months. It was a pleasure spending the day visiting these locations to get shots of several of them in various stages of completion!
(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-24, Nikkor Z 24-120, DJI Mavic 3 Pro)

Charlotte Assignment for Seamon Whiteside

Saturday was a LOOOONG day!!!

I left the house at 6:00 am and didn’t get home until 11:00 pm. Why you ask? I drove to Charlotte to photograph 8 major projects for the engineering firm of Seamon Whiteside. It was an ambitious goal. And I probably should have broken it up into 2 days. But the weather was great. And I wanted to knock it out to help keep them on budget. I mapped out an efficient route from one project to the next. The locations included everything from industrial warehouse complexes, to large scale multi-family units. And I just went at it non-stop from 9:00 am to 7:30 pm, with just one quick break at a Chick-fil-A to wolf down a sandwich.

It was an exhausting day! But it was also very rewarding. I’m pleased with the wide variety and creativity I was able to capture, even under pressure. As a photographer, it’s good to push your limits and challenge your skills from time to time. This assignment DEFINITELY did that!!! 🙂

Charleston County School District Office

The Charleston County School District had their office at 75 Calhoun Street pressure washed and professionally cleaned this week. It was looking so good that they asked me to come down and photograph some drone shots and detail photos of it for them. Using The Photographers Ephemeris, I calculated the optimal time when the beautiful late afternoon sunlight would hit the building and make it shine. Then I headed down and captured a variety of shots to showcase the building!

(DJI Mavic 3 Pro, Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4)

South Carolina Aquarium Boeing Learning Lab for Trident Construction

Last year I had the pleasure of photographing the International African American Museum for Seamon Whiteside. This year I got to photograph the beautifully renovated property right next to it for Trident Construction!

The multimillion-dollar renovation of the Charleston Maritime Center will usher in a new chapter for the building, part of which will serve as a waterfront marine-life educational hub, sponsored by Boeing, and managed by The S.C. Aquarium. The project broke ground in July 2023. Now, it’s complete and gearing up to welcome students. But Trident Construction had me scheduled to photograph the finished building today before students arrived.

Since the property has a prime view of Charleston Harbor and the rising sun, I arrived at dawn to catch the warm glow of early morning light skimming across the water. It was a beatiful, misty sunrise. I captured a variety of aerial angles with my DJI Mavic 3 drone. Then I switched to the Nikon Z9 for the remaining shots. About the time I was wrapping up the exterior photos, Sarah, Mariah, and the rest of the staff from the SC Aquarium arrived to show me around the interior. And Grace arrived from Trident Construction to guide me to some of the key elements of the design that they wanted to feature in the photos.

It was an absolute pleasure being a part of this amazing new project!!!

Industrial Warehouses for Seamon Whiteside

Seamon Whiteside not only does the engineering for large apartment complexes, family communities, and multi-use facilities…they also provide their services for industrial warehouse spaces. It was so cool to photograph some of these MASSIVE buildings this weekend!!!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30, Nikkor Z 24-120, DJI Mavic 3 Pro)

The Beckett Apartments for Seamon Whiteside

It was a beautiful morning to photograph The Beckett for the engineering firm of Seamon Whiteside.

“Nestled in the heart of Bees Ferry, we invite you to find your hive – where community and comfort are built into every moment. Our luxury one and two bedroom apartments boast stunning features that make home feel like a retreat, from private balconies to quartz countertops. Our location combines the tranquility of its serene setting with the convenience of West Ashley. Experience the celebration of community at The Beckett – where each day goes smoothly and every moment is sweet.”

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30, Nikkor Z 24-120, DJI Mavic 3 Pro)

River Landing Condos for Glick Boehm Architecture

It’s always sad to hear when families are having to sue the companies that built their home. On April 29, 2019, only one week before the trial of a lawsuit against the builders of River Landing Condos, The Post and Courier published an extensive article titled, “40 Charleston Area Condo and Apartment Buildings Involved in Lawsuits Over Defects”. The article by David Slade discusses alleged construction defects with multi-family buildings and lawsuits related to these alleged defects.

Fortunately, the team at Glick Boem Architecture knows how to do things right! And they have a ton of experience with fixing other’s mistakes. GBA was founded in 1981 as a multi-disciplinary firm specializing in Architecture, Planning and Interior Design. Providing professional services throughout the Southeast, the firm has received major national and local design awards, as well as extensive coverage in professional publications.

GBA wase brought in to fix the water damage, insulation deficiencies, and mold issues at the River Landing Apartments on Daniel Island. They in turn brought me in to photograph some before/after photos mid-way through the renovation process.  The difference is absolutely remarkable!!! Hopefully this massive undertaking makes these families whole again, allowing them to live the peaceful lives they dreamed their move to Daniel Island would be…

Tideline CPA Group for Rush Dixon Architects

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing projects for Rush Dixon Architects for several years now. Rush and Judy are the nicest people in the world. And they are always super organized…which makes my job easy! Their designs are always incredibly practical, unique, and interesting. I was particularly impressed with the way they worked the layout of the new building for Tideline around the beautiful giant live oak tree on the property!!!

Once Rush & Judy have reviewed the proofs, we’ll send their favorites off to our retouching team to remove those ugly powerlines!  🙂

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor 14-24Z, Nikkor 24-120Z, DJI Mavic 3 Pro)