Day two of the Family Circle Cup brought a ton of action. Here’s a variety from throughout the day. Head over to www.familycirclecup.com and www.wtatour.com to see even more. Enjoy! 🙂
Let the Tournament Begin
Day one at the Family Circle Cup has come and gone! With lots of off-court player appearances by the top 8 seeds, I didn’t see a ton of action. But here are a few shots from all over campus and throughout the first day…
The Family Circle Cup Begins
By Sunday most of the players competing in the Family Circle Cup had swooped into Charleston. Saturday and Sunday had seen plenty of great tennis in the pre-tournament qualifying rounds. But the MAIN event kicks off on Monday. In celebrating all these elite women’s tennis players, the tournament puts on a great Player Party. Held at Sacs Fifth Avenue downtown, it’s a chance for players, coaches, sponsors, and other VIP guests to just hang out, have dinner, and enjoy a good time! Being an exclusive tournament event, it’s nice to be the ONLY media photographer there. I don’t have to jostle for a position or vie for a player’s attention. Plus everyone is relaxed, quick to smile, and primed for photo ops. J Here are a few from the party…
Josh & Ashley’s “Destin” Destination Wedding
Ashley & Josh were married last weekend in a beautiful Destination Wedding on the pure white sands of Destin, Florida. (Check out their Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog.) I went for a walk on the beach the morning of their wedding and the turquiose waters of the Gulf of Mexico stretching as far as the eye could see! They had rented a gorgeous Spanish mansion across from the beach which was transformed into the perfect reception site. Between the dramatic architecture of the mansion, the amazing scenery on the beach, and how beatiful Ashley looked in her flowing white wedding gown…the whole day was like visual candy to my camera! Top that off with how genuine, friendly, and full of life all their friends and family were…well…let’s just say I had a BLAST!!! J
I first met Ashley at Whitney & Ryan’s wedding on Seabrook Island last year. So a HUGE “thank you” goes to Whitney for introducing me to Ashley! Whitney was also a bridesmaid in Ashley’s wedding, so it was great to see her again and catch up. (After watching the Music Video, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their Online Gallery.)
Ashley & Josh honeymooned in The Bahamas before returning home to Dallas, Georgia. I tip my hat to Ashley as she is a 4th grade teacher there…I have the utmost respect for teachers and think they should get paid what lawyers get paid! CONGRATULATIONS to Ashley & Josh…you guys ROCK!!!
Jody & Gerald at St. Mark’s UMC
Several years ago I photographed Jody’s sister’s wedding. So I was truly honored when Jody and her Mom decided to hire us to photograph HER wedding too! If you’ve been following the blog, you’ve already seen Jody’s beautiful Bridal Shoot and Jody & Gerald’s fun Engagement Shoot. So I knew before their wedding day arrived that THIS was going to be an awesome wedding!!! J Enjoy the slideshow below and then head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their images.
Jody & Gerald have been together for about 3 years. They actually met at a NASCAR race…how cool is that?!? They were married at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. Debbie at Country and Lace did a great job on the bouquets and flower arrangements. Their reception was held at the picturesque Charleston Yacht Club where Claire did a wonderful job keeping everything organized. Believe it or not, Jody’s dad actually handed Gerald the keys to his new red Dodge Charger so they could drive to the reception in STYLE! Dale must like his new son-in-law an awful lot! The reception was full of energy and excitement. Eddie “L” from Pro Wedding Entertainment did an amazing job as always. And the folks at Beyond Expectations kept the food stations fresh and tasty.
Some of my favorite images came at dusk when Jody & Gerald joined me for a little walk out on the docks to create some dramatic images with the sunset and the sailboat masts in the background. After the sun went down and we turned to head back in, a gorgeous moon was rising in the east! Serendipity is a beautiful thing! CONGRATULATIONS Jody & Gerald. You guys are THE BEST!!!
Lisa & Clay Rock Bowen’s Island
Lizzie & Charlotte are the unwitting masterminds behind “THE PERFECT COUPLE” that is Lisa & Clay! J They are the ones that invited Lisa to St. Michael’s when she moved here and introduced them. When he proposed, Clay planned this huge, fun, elaborate deal. He got permission to get the key to the bell-tower at the church, took Lisa to the top right at sunset, and proposed up there overlooking all of Charleston! She was very surprised. They went out to dinner afterwards and Lisa says he acted like a nut, telling everyone he passed “SHE SAID YES!!!”. Believe it or not, Clay actually picked out her ring on his own. I love that! And I LOVE the ring too. It’s so classy yet unique…just like Lisa. These two are absolutely perfect for each other and I am so honored that they have asked me to be a part of this special time in their lives.
Brittainy & Nate Explore Charleston’s Hidden Alleys
Last August I received this wonderful email from a beautiful young lady named Brittainy:
“I am very interested in using you as a photographer. I know two people that have referred you to me. I was at the Whitney and Ryan Kalinsky wedding on Seabrook and I know Amy and Seth Zeigler. They both say you are great and I was very impressed with you at Whitney’s wedding, working all alone yet you were there for every shot! I did photography in high school and have done some friends weddings myself so photography is a big deal for me on my wedding day!!!”
There is NOTHING that gets an artist more energized than hearing something like this. Needless to say, I was truly excited when they hired me and was REALLY looking forward to Brittainy & Nate’s Engagement Shoot last week. I loved the location they picked for their shoot…loved getting to know them, laugh with them, listen to them…and loved how their images came out. These two have something very special…a connection with each other that is hard to find these days! I can’t WAIT to be there for them on their wedding day…
Kathryn & Mack at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club
Kathryn & Mack flew all the way from Texas to tie the knot at the gorgeous Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach. Mack is originally from here, so it was a joyful homecoming for him! I had the pleasure of working with the always AMAZING Elizabeth of Grand Occasions, as well as my favorite florist in the world, Mark Gladden of M Gladden Designs. It was the most beautiful day you could imagine. I had gorgeous light to work with. And Mack & Kathryn were so IN LOVE and IN THE MOMENT!!! It was such an honor capturing all the excitement of their day for them. Go to www.chrisandcami.com/blog to check out their fun Music Video. Then visit www.chrisandcami.com/zenfolio to check out the rest of their photos!
Karina’s Getting Married!
Karina & her “entourage” met me over at Boone Hall Plantation earlier this week. I’m not actually photographing her wedding, but was SO HONORED when she asked if I would do her Bridal Shoot. Karina is a beautiful, spirit-filled young lady…so full of life and love! It was a joy just being with her and sharing this special time in her life with her. I love how elegant she looks, even when she’s leaning on her fiance’s guitar!!! J
Jennifer & Robert
Jennifer & Robert were a BLAST to work with! J They really opened up to me. And we had a great time together on our “walk-about” downtown. We came away with some fantastic images that I think capture their personalities to a “T”!
Brittany’s Modeling Portfolio
Brittany & Mitch are two of my favorite clients-turned-friends! J I’ve photographed their family, ther wedding, their maternity, their daughter…and now Brittany’s new Modeling Portfolio! That’s right, this beautiful young lady is a newlywed AND a new Mom, AND she’s decided to go back into modeling!!! I just think that is so cool. I can’t wait for her to turn up on the big screen so I can say “I knew Brittany when…”
RadioPoppers & PocketWizards, Oh My!
My good friend and fellow photographer, Robbin Knight, was covering Lisa & Justin’s wedding with me last weekend. (www.chrisandcami.com/blog). Like me, he’s another big fan of using every trick of the trade, including wireless technology, to cover all the angles and get our clients something unique and different. So between us we had as many as 8 remote Nikon SB-800 strobes AND a remote Nikon D300 firing at the SAME TIME!!! The strobes were being fired via RadioPoppers and the D300 was being fired via PocketWizards.
For our bird’s eye view of Lisa & Justin’s Horah, Robbin used his 96” ShureLine pole, normally used to hold a remote flash, but that we had modified to hold my D300 with a 10.5mm fisheye. He triggered the camera with a PocketWizard, which fired the on-camera SB-800, which told the RadioPopper to fire all the remote SB-800s. Meanwhile, there I am in the crowd getting the “inside” view with my Nikon D3/14-24mm combo, triggering the same remote flashes via a RadioPopper mounted on my SB-900.
It’s always so much fun working with Robbin. We had a BLAST!!! Plus Lisa & Justin couldn’t have been more fun to work with…
