Staff Headshots at Center for Birds of Prey

If you’ve never been (or haven’t been in a while), the Avian Conservation Center (Center for Birds of Prey), just north of Mt. Pleasant on Hwy 17, is an absolutely delightful place to visit!!!

They have a gorgeous campus, in a woodsy setting, along the lowcountry marsh. They have flight demostrations, education programs, a gift shop, walking trails, tons of large enclosures full of exotic birds of prey, a high-tech veteranarian service, an oil-spill clean-up room, and a rehabilitation center for injured birds.

Part of our commitment to give back to the cummunity includes supporting our favorite local non-profits like the Center for Birds of Prey with professional staff headshots and event photography. This week I had so much fun hanging out with their amazing team, photographing updated headshots for everyone!!!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Godox AD200 in 48″ EZ Box (main light), Godox V860II with amber gel (hair light), Manfrotto supports *

Marketing Photos for Savage Law

It’s been an absolute pleasure working with the Savage Law Firm over the years. Joseph Cannarella recently took over as managing partner and lead attorney. So we decided it was time to photograph some updated headshots and marketing photos!

The Savage Law Firm, founded by prominent attorney Andy Savage, is a highly respected Charleston law firm. It is known for taking on the most complex, high-profile criminal cases in the South Carolina Lowcountry, as well as handling catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and civil rights cases. The firm is famous for high-profile criminal cases. They represented clients in high-stakes cases like the Emanuel AME Church shooting survivors, the North Charleston police officer involved in the Walter Scott shooting, and notable federal fraud and conspiracy cases. The firm is widely respected by legal peers for intricate, difficult defense strategies, with lawyers recognized annually in Best Lawyers in America dating back to 1991. And they hold powerful entities (like police departments and businesses) accountable for negligence, cover-ups, or civil rights violations.

While Andy and Cheryl have taken on a more advisory role in the practice, their warm presense is still felt around the office. The power-couple purchased the building, which dates back to roughly 1850, and transformed it from its historical warehouse origins into today’s specialized, modern legal office. The remodel carefully preserved the structure’s iconic antebellum architecture, featuring high brick archways and large windows that overlook the French Quarter’s cobblestone streets.

CONGRATULATIONS to Joseph and his beautiful wife, Casi, as they continue the Savage legacy of providing personalized legal assistance to the greater Charleston community!!!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Godox lighting, Manfrotto supports)

Orlando Wetlands

On my way to photograph a huge conference in Orlando, I stopped to photograph some wildlife at the Orlando Wetlands. It was a beautiful evening, and the roseate spoonbill chicks were just popping their heads up out of the nests!
(All images shot with a Nikon Z9 with Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5, occasionally adding the Nikkor Z 1.4xTC for a little extra reach.)

Cyrus Family on Kiawah Island

It’s hard to believe it has been 8 years since I started photographing the Cyrus Family!!!

Each year, this beautiful family vacations on Kiawah Island, taking a break from their daily grind in Greenville to spend a week at the beach, making memories together. It has been such an honor for me to capture these memories for them year after year. Watching Mason and Emma grow into these amazing, happy, and healthy kids has truly been a joy!!!

This year we met at The Sanctuary Hotel. Between the butterfly garden, the enchanted forest, the spectacular architecture, and the gorgeous beach…this location truly offers a huge variety of great backdrops! It was a fantastic evening. And we all had so much fun together!!!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4S, Godox AD200 off-camera flash, and Manfrotto supports)

Nikon Z9 at 16,000 ISO!!!

Every time I push my Nikon Z9 to the limit, I think…that’s as far as it can go. But then it SURPRISES ME!!!

This weekend I joined my brother and his family, to celebrate their oldest daughter graduating from Beavercreek High-school near Dayton, OH. The school is so big that they used The Nutter Center, which is a Wright State University facility, for their graduation.

Knowing it would be a huge venue, with relatively tight security, I brought my trusty Nikkor Z 400 f4.5 lens. This gave me the reach I wanted! However, at f4.5, I had to crank the ISO up to freeze the action. Many of these shots, including the ones of her crossing the stage, were shot at ISO 16,000. You read that right…SIXTEEN THOUSAND!!!

While the out-of-camera images were a little noisy, they still preserved an amzaing amount of detail and dynamic range. So that after running them through Lightroom’s AI Noise Reduction, they looked INCREDIBLE!!! While pixel-peeping on the computer, they look like they were shot on ISO 400. The technology in these cameras, and in the editing workflow we have these days, truly is remarkeable.

CONGRATULATIONS to Katie on graduating with high marks! She truly is an amazing, inteligent, and talented young lady.

Park Bend at Carolina Park for Grove Property Fund

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Park Bend and several surrounding properties. This multi-building retail/office/flex project is strategically located across from Costco Wholesale within the Carolina Park Master-Planned community. It was designed by LFK Architects, built by Harbor Contracting, and is managed by the Grove Property Fund.

Grove Property Fund is a diversified private real estate company. Ed Navarro, the fund’s manager, has over 30 years of experience in real estate investment. The Fund’s property portfolio includes retail, mixed use, flex, industrial, office and land. I’ve included shots of the cleared land where the next phase of the Carolina Park expansion will take place.

Many thanks to Jenny at Gritty Gal Marketing for all her help coordinating this assignment!!!

Attorney Headshots for HSB Law

It was a pleasure welcoming Attorney Ashley to the team at HSB Law today! She was on her 3rd day of orientation. And part of the process was getting her official headshot taken for the company website!

I set up a high-key backdrop lit with a single speedlight. I added a 60″ Westcott umbrella with 2 speedlights as my main light. And I balanced that with a 60″ Westcott umbrella with 1 speedlight on the other side of the camera as fill. Last but not least, I added a strip reflector under her chin to lift the shadows and help the eyes pop. I shot with a Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II.

Ashley was wonderful to work with, and the images came out great!!!

New Construction for Harbor Contracting

This was a fun project!!!

I recently started working with Harbor Contracting. I mean, I’ve known their marketing agent, Jenny at Gritty Gal Marketing for a loooong time. I photographed her beautiful wedding to Nate 13 years ago!!!  It has been so much fun re-connecting with her, and teaming up together on these projects.

This most recent assignment was to cover 3 new commercial buildings they just completed along Slack Tide Drive on Johns Island. I know what you’re thining…Johns Island is getting over developed already. But this little patch is just off Maybank Highway and didn’t have much of an impact on the native flora and fauna, which is nice. Harbor Contracting did an amazing job! Each building is similar, but unique…with courtyards and walkways tying all of them together. The attention to detail and careful aesthetics was top notch!

I photographed the project with a Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, and DJI Mavic 3 Pro.  This versatile kit allows me to cover every angle for a variety of different shots!

Mayci & Josh – Surprise Proposal in Hampton Park

Photographing surprise proposals never gets old for me. Josh’s unforgettable proposal to his high school sweetheart, Mayci, was another reminder of why I love what I do so much. From the very beginning, this one felt extra special—not only because of the thought Josh put into it, but also because of a wonderful connection to past clients.
Josh is the nephew of Jenny Yokoyama, one of my all-time favorite brides, whose beautiful wedding to Nate I had the privilege of photographing years ago. Jenny, now the owner of Gritty Gal Marketing, and I have continued to collaborate over the years. So being part of her nephew’s proposal made this experience even more meaningful.
Josh, Jenny, and I spent months planning every detail to ensure everything went off without a hitch. He chose the stunning avenue of crape myrtle trees draped in Spanish moss at Hampton Park specifically because Mayci loves trees and nature. This magical location perfectly set the tone for this very specail and romantic moment. I stayed tucked away, capturing everything as it naturally unfolded. When Josh dropped to one knee, Mayci was completely surprised—and overjoyed. Of course, she said yes!
Afterward, we explored the park together, creating relaxed, authentic engagement portraits. Towards the end, we zipped over to the nearby Brittlebank Park for a few final shots with the sun setting across the Ashley River.
It was such a joy getting to know these two soulmates…Josh, a hardworking roofer, and Mayci, a dedicated nurse. Josh absolutely nailed his mark, when he turned and dropped to his knee. Before Mayci knew what hit her, waves of disbelief and emotion took over! She was absolutely stunning in her bimini blue summer dress. These two are building an amazing life together in Greenville, SC.
Moments like these are exactly why I love what I do.
(Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 400 f4.5, Godox V860II off-camera flash, Manfrotto supports)

Key Risk Insurance Presidents Club

I had the pleasure of photographing the Presidents Club Awards Banquet for Key Risk Insurance, held at the beautiful Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island. Set along the coast, the resort provided a relaxed yet upscale atmosphere that was perfect for celebrating the company’s top performers.

The evening brought together an outstanding group of professionals for a well-deserved celebration of excellence and achievement. From the moment guests arrived, there was a sense of excitement and appreciation in the air. Events like this are always a joy to photograph, as they strike a great balance between polished presentations and genuine, candid moments shared among colleagues.

Throughout the night, I focused on documenting a variety of moments. During cocktail hour, I set up a Portrait Station where each couple could get beautiful portraits in their elegant gowns and snappy suits! From there, we all moved into the ballroom, which looked fabulous! From candids during dinner, to the award presentations and speeches, to the in-between interactions that truly tell the story of the event…I had such a great time! Capturing those authentic connections is always one of my favorite parts of photographing corporate gatherings like this.

A big part of what made the evening run so smoothly was the incredible planning by Experience Holy City. Lee and her team are always fantastic to work with, and their attention to detail ensured that every aspect of the event came together seamlessly.

It’s always an honor to be trusted to document such meaningful celebrations, and I truly enjoyed working with the Key Risk Insurance team. The Presidents Club banquet was a wonderful evening from start to finish, and I look forward to the opportunity to work together again in the future.

Shot with Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Godox V480 (x2), Godox AD200 (x2), Godox V860II (4), Manfrotto stands and supports.

Seamon Whiteside – Summerville Office 10 Year Anniversary Celebration

“At SW+ we view ourselves as a partner in site design; working by our Clients’ side, with their goals in mind. This means we strive to fully understand their vision, approach their project with passion, continuously collaborate, produce quality plans, and engage in the construction process to help see the vision through.”

It was an absolute pleasure to photograph last night’s celebration, commemorating the 10-year milestond of the Summerville office! The reception was held at the beautiful pavilion in Ashley River Park. This was a project that SW+ worked hard on. So it was fitting that this reception was held under the gorgeous architectural designs of one of their projects.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Summerville office, and to the entire Seamon Whiteside team! SW+ celebrated their 40th Anniversary as a company last year!!!

To cover the event, I used a Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8, DJI Mavic 3 Pro. This setup allows me to work quickly, producing an incredible variety of extemely high quality images from such intimate events.

Horizons Unlimited Virginia

It was an absolute delight returning to the Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting in Virginia last weekend!!!

I’ve been attending this event since before it moved to its current home at the Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center outside Appomottox. However, I wasn’t able to attend last year. Being back among this amazing group of friends, comerades, and adventure riders was a real treat! I was there as both a presenter, and as the event photographer. My friend, Jason, and I put on a presentation about our Destination Congo trip…which is a crazy story full of great life lessons, riding cheap motorcycles 1000 km through the swampy jungles and across the sandy savannas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in support of Dr. Paul Law’s medical mission. Check out the video recap here: https://youtu.be/c1RCmG-1Ago.

For the photography, I kept things simple and lightweight. Afer all, we traveled there on our motorcycles, which don’t have a lot of room for luggage! I used the Nikon Zf with a Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, and a Nikkor Z 40mm f2, along with the DJI Mini 3 Pro.