Speedlight Magic

Last week I found myself on an assignment in the dark recesses of a 911 call center. Given extremely limited time to work with, I channeled my inner Joe McNally, placed a single SB5000 with a blue gel on it in the background, and hid a single SB5000 with a CTO gel behind the bank of monitors. Click…click…click…and I was escorted back out so as not to distract them any further from their high-stress jobs!

(Before and after with Nikon Z9, 24-70 f2.8 S, ISO 1600, f2.8, 1/40s, WR-R11 transmitter, 2x SB5000 flashes)

Dorchester County Marketing Photos

I always enjoy getting out and meeting people. It’s one of the best parts about my job!!!
 
Last week I had an assignment to photograph a variety of faces and different departs for the Dorchester County Government. Michelle was so organized, and so fun to work with! We traveled all over the county, getting to know interesting individuals, and creating a variety of images for their newsletter, website, social media outlets, and marketing material. Plus I got to have a glimpse behind the scenes of some unique places like the 911 dispatch center! It was SO COOL!!!
 
(Nikon Z9, 14-30 f4 S, 24-70 f2.8 S, SB-5000 Speedlights, DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone)

Dorchester County Headshots

Michelle at Dorchester County has been an absolute pleasure to work with the last couple of weeks.

We’ve been photographing lots of department photos, team group shots, and various properties around the county for use in their marketing and promotional material. Yesterday we photographed headshots for a number of key staff members, as well as group shots of their board of directors.

Wanting the photos to have a cheerful “outdoorsy” feel, we elected to set up at The Pavilion inside the new Ashley River Park. It’s a GEORGEOUS park with tons to offer. And The Pavilion is definitely an architectural highlight! Everyone was so much fun to work with and we had a great time!

(Nikon D5, Sony XQD Cards, Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII, 3 Speedlights in a Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox for main light, 1 bare bulb Speedlight as a kicker, Manfrotto tripod and stands, BoaBags to hold everything in place during wind gusts.)

Berkeley County Headshots

I always appreciate it when new clients find us through a personal connection. Jena at Berkeley County reached out to us after good my friend and amazing videographer, Thomas, recommended us. (Check him out at www.malphrusvideo.com.) I had so much fun photographing headshots for Jena and her team last week!
Setting up in the auditorium, I used a Nikon D5 with 70-200 f2.8 VRII tethered to a Lenovo Yoga laptop using Adobe Lightroom software. Lighting was provided by 5 Flashpoint Zoom speedlights, using two Westcott 60″ umbrellas. The background was also by Westcott. Stands and supports were by Manfrotto.

Berkeley County Headshots

After capturing some new marketing photos for Berkeley County last week (https://chrisandcami.com/berkeley-county-marketing-photos/), this week I got to photograph new headshots!

My general rule of thumb for on-location head-shots is, if I can’t carry everything in one trip, I don’t NEED it!  🙂  So here’s how my portable kit packs up:
– Westcott Collapsible background
– ThinkTank Airport Take-Off camera bag
– ThinkTank 2nd Brain laptop bag
– Foldable posing stool
– Manfrotto tripod
– Manfrotto lightstand bag

It was a lot of fun meeting and photographing everyone! I think some of the nicest people in Charleston work there. And Jenna, the coordinator for the photo shoot, was fantastic to work with! I’m already looking forward to my next follow-up assignment with Berkeley County later this summer.

Berkeley County Marketing Photos

Last week I had the pleasure of working with Jenna at the Berkeley County offices in Goose Creek to capture some new marketing and promotional material. It was an absolute pleasure working with her and her team! Everyone we photographed was so kind and accommodating. I’m already looking forward to our next session!!!

Nikon Z9 + Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 S + SB5000 Speedlight (as needed)

Headshots for Weeks & Irvine

It was a dull and dreary morning outside, but a bright and cheerful one inside. I had so much fun photographing headshots for two new attorneys at Weeks & Irvine law firm!

The only place I could set up was in the “children’s room”, where kids get to color with crayons and play with doll-houses while the adults sign paperwork and do all that boring legal stuff. Pushing a few things to the side, I angled my background so that I could shoot diagonally, giving me the greatest working distance possible. I set up an SB-5000 background light 3 feed in front of the background. I fired two SB-5000 flashes through a 60″ Westcott umbrella for a main light. And I bounced another SB-5000 off the adjoining wall as a fill light.

All images were captured with the Nikon D5 + Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII at ISO 400, f5.6, 1/200 sec, tethered to a Lenovo Yoga laptop. After each individual’s session, they got to review the images to make sure they were happy with them, and to pick out their favorite for the website. Naturally, I also shot a few silly ones for the fun of it! 🙂

Early Morning Headshots for East Cooper Medical Center

After a wet and dreary couple days, it sure was great to have beautiful early morning sunlight for my photo session this Friday!

Tenet Physician Resources coordinated with me to set up at the Dodds Durst House to photograph a new team member for the East Cooper Medical Center. Rachel was a lot of fun to work with! She’s from Tennessee and joins the team as a nurse practitioner. She loves the doctor she’s working for.  And the staff has made her feel right at home.

Using the warm early morning rays as a hair light, I augmented the natural sunlight with 4 speedlights. I attached a CTO gel on one Flashpoint, and placed it behind Rachel as a rim light to help even out the sun. The other three were mounted inside a Neewer octobox and placed on the opposite side from the sun to act as fill light and create a nice catch-light in the eyes. All images were shot on the new Nikon Z9 with 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens (using the FTZII adapter). Camera and lighting supports were provided by Manfrotto.  ISO 250, f4.0, 1/160 sec.

CONGRATULATIONS to Rachel on joining a fantastic team!!!

McMillan Pazden Smith Architects

McMillan Pazdan Smith is a regional, studio-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm whose mission is to help clients create environments that embody their vision, enrich their brand, and enhance the quality of their communities: https://mcmillanpazdansmith.com/.

I previously had the pleasure of photographing headshots and team portraits for the Charleston office, which you can find here:  https://chrisandcami.com/environmental-portraits-for-mcmillan-pazden-smith-architecture/.  A couple weeks ago, I was honored to be asked to also photograph the team in their Columbia office!

Many thanks to Kathryn and Abbie for all their hard work coordinating schedules and working out the details for this photo shoot. It was an absolute BLAST and I really enjoyed getting to know this incredible group of human beings!

Weeks & Irvine is Expanding

I truly enjoy working with the fabulous team at the Weeks & Irvine Law Firm! Not only do I shoot for them, I use them for my personal real estate transactions. If you’re looking for an excellent firm to handle your closing, look no further than www.weekslawfirm.net.

My relationship with them began over a decade ago when I had the pleasure of photographing Robbie’s wedding. I also photograph a number of events for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors (CTAR), which are sponsored by Weeks & Irvine. And of course I get to meet and photograph all their attorney’s headshots for the website.

Last week I got to travel to Greenville to photograph their newest office, which is in a really neat restored brick building. Carson was great to work with and we captured a variety of different expressions for him to choose from. Many thanks to Nicole for all her hard work organizing these photo shoots.

Headshots for Seamon Whiteside

There’s a little courtyard, between the two main buildings where Seamon Whiteside has their office. Many of the employees use this peaceful, beautifully landscaped area for their coffee or lunch break. I use it to photograph their company headshots!

The light this morning in that courtyard was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! It was soft, yet directional at the same time, with a nice warm glow. It was such a pleasure to work with as I captured all the fun personalities and friendly new faces of this wonderful team.

Many thanks to Lia for organizing everyone. And CONGRATULATIONS to all the new hires!!!

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Sheally Insurance – Marketing Photos

Sheally Insurance is all about finding the right coverage for the best rate possible:  www.sheallyinsurance.com

I recently became their new photographer and have really enjoyed getting to know this company and the fantastic team that works there! A couple days ago I had the opportunity to photograph Patrick. No newcomer to the industry, Patrick actually owned the previous agency that worked out of this office. But after retiring, he found he still had things he wanted to accomplish. So he joined the Sheally team on a part-time basis. His experience and expertise will be a welcome addition to this excellent team!!!

Many thanks to Elizabeth for helping orchestrate and provide creative direction for the photo shoot!