Brendan Surprises Nina with a Proposal

One of my favorite things to photograph is a Secret Proposal!!!

Last week I got a call from Brendan, all excited and eager to chat about the possibilities of capturing that special moment when he asked his girlfriend of 3 years if she would marry him. It was so awesome working with Brendan to figure out the perfect spot, and the perfect time of day!  We worked out every detail down to the minute and the exact tree in the park under which he would pop the question.

Aaaaand then the rains came!!! We were so nervous as the rain was completely unexpected and unpredictable. An hour before our set time, a dark cloud appeared over Charleston without warning. The radar showed that it would pass through pretty quickly.  But we were on pins and needles right up to minutes before!

Luckily, it did blow through just in time, and everything went PERFECT!!! I couldn’t be happier for Brendan & Nina! They are such an amazing couple. And I truly enjoyed our time together as we photographed some fun engagement photos before they headed off to dinner to celebrate.

CONGRATULATIONS Brendan & Nina!!! 🙂

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Global Ethanol Summit – Washington DC

A few months ago, I had the honor of photographing the Global Ethanol Summit at the Captial Hilton in Washington, DC.

The Summit was an invitation-only meeting for Minister level officials and senior level industry leaders, ethanol producers, and refiners across global ethanol markets. It was an engaging event with, with approximately 350 attendees, about the benefits of creating or expanding ethanol policies with a role for trade. Expanding on previous regiounal events, this year’s Summit builds on current momentum of increased global ethanol trade.

Orchestrated by the US Grains Council (USGC), the event was held over the course of two days, and packed with informative general sessions, leading keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and dedicated trade time. The Global Ethanol Summit was a great opportunity for attendees to hear from thought-leaders on the future of global ethanol use and to build partnerships with industry professionals.

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EmergeOrtho Building for Citadel Contractors

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing a new building for Citadel Contractors!

They had completed this project in Leland, NC. Since they were very pleased with images I had made of one of their buildings in Charleston, they asked if I’d be willing to drive up and photograph this one as well. They are submitting this building for an award and wanted some really nice shots of it!

Researching the property, I realized it was right next to a Military Training Route (MTR), which military planes use for maneuvers. Knowing that would be a No Fly Zone for the drone, I mapped out exactly where that zone ended. Luckily, it only extended through half the property! So in addition to the still photos, I was able to get a few drone shots from the side that wasn’t in the No Fly Zone! 🙂

Many thanks to Jackie, Michael, and Mitch at Citadel Contractors for organizing all the details for this assignment.

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Stono River Retreat for Allen Design

I’ve known Elizabeth at Allen Design for many years. It’s been such a joy to watch her creativity grow, expand, and reach its full potential. The homes she is designing these days are absolutely AMAZING!!! And I have to say, this one she created on the banks of the Stono River is one of my favorites.

“Allen Design, Inc. is a full service architecture firm located in Charleston, South Carolina specializing in Custom Home Design and Residential Architecture. Our roots are firmly planted here, and we draw inspiration from the rich architectural tradition of Charleston and the warm landscape of the South Carolina Lowcountry. As a small firm, Allen Design offers its clients a unique experience that begins and ends with personal attention. Each phase of the design from the initial meeting to the project completion is handled professionally with a great attention to detail and a diligent pursuit of design excellence.”

On top of Elizabeth’s amazing plans, her husband Greg is one of the most highly sought after home builders in Charleston. As with this project, they frequently team up together to offer the best of both worlds to their clients. Greg and his team of contractors have been together a really long time. So they click like clockwork, finishing huge projects faster, more efficiently, and with a higher level of quality than most builders!

It was an absolute pleasure photographing this beautiful James Island home for Greg and Elizabeth. I can’t wait to see their next incredible creation!!!

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New Projects for Trident Construction

During this COVID-19 lock-down, Cami and I have been extremely grateful to our clients who have continued to keep us afloat by sending assignments our way.

One such client is Trident Construction! Since they are considered an “essential business” their building projects have continued to move forward in spite of the economic downturn. In fact, one job Superintendent told me her schedule has been even busier than usual since this COVID-19 pandemic started! Everyone at Trident Construction has been so fantastic to work with.

Since the governor has told us we’re allowed to continue providing photographic services as long as we can maintain safe social-distancing, photographing these construction projects has been one of those assignments we can still do safely! I get to photograph these beautiful buildings while they are still fresh, clean, and yet unoccupied. I’m either photographing from across the room with wide-angle lenses, or shooting with a drone from hundreds of feet away.

Here are a couple favorites from the Lowcountry Women’s Specialists project and the Berkeley Medical building that I photographed this week.

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Laura & Terrell at Azalea Drive Church of Christ

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a dark cloud over many couple’s wedding plans. But Laura & Terrell stayed positive and came up with creative ways to still become husband and wife on their selected wedding day!

Instead of the big wedding and reception with 150 guests they had planned, Laura & Terrell were married in a beautiful, intimate ceremony with just a few special family members and friends, where pastor Brown at Azalea Drive Church of Christ led a touching service.   Laura & Terrell also created a live Zoom meeting for other guests to still be able to bear witness to this wonderful celebration. And of course they still had me photograph it so that they could have their special memories of this day, and put together a fun slideshow to share at their reception whenever they are able to have it once social-distancing regulations are relaxed.

After the ceremony, a few of us drove downtown to photograph some beautiful portraits of Laura & Terrell in Waterfront Park and the surrounding old historic French Quarter. We had so much fun! And the best part was, the nearly empty park and city streets gave us plenty of freedom to be creative without fighting mobs of tourists. See…no matter how bad things get, there’s always a silver lining if you look for it!  🙂

To see the rest of their photos, visit: https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/lauraandterrell

CONGRATULATIONS Laura & Terrell! What an incredible story you’ll have to tell your grand-kids someday. We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your amazing new journey together!!!

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Wildcat Senior Living Site Development

Wildcat Senior Living is coming to Cane Bay Plantation in Goose Creek! This will be an all-inclusive Independent and Assisted Living facility, opening in 2021.

Yesterday I had the honor of photographing aerial drone photos of the property site under developement. It’s in a beatufiul area near a main intersection at the back of Cane Bay Plantation. There are already several other excellent residential areas that are filling up quickly in this area. So it’s going to be an exciting place to live with a lot going on!

Many thanks to Jordan & John at Live Shephard for bringing me on board for this project. It was a pleasure serving you gentleman and capturing your vision!!!

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Wingard Family at Higgins Pier

This week’s “Porchaits” session doesn’t take place on a porch at all. In our continuing series of Porch Portraits during this time of social-distancing, Melissa & David asked if we could do their session on Higgins Pier.

The pier is located at the end of the West Ashley Bikeway. Their family lives nearby, frequently bringing the kids down to this park for quiet walks. They have a lot of great memories here. So we thought it would be the PERFECT place for their candid family session!

Unfortunately when we arrived, the pier was already too full, making social-distancing impossible. Instead, we took advantage of the beautiful light and picturesque scenery along the bike path…even venturing underneath the pier for something fun and unique!

Shooting with telephoto lenses to keep our distance, we still had so much fun with Melissa and David and their adorable kids!  We can still have fun in spite of the limitations of this COVID-19 pandemic, right?!?  🙂

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Jameel & Jason are Expecting!!!

I had so much fun photographing Jameel & Jason’s seaside wedding at Folly Beach last year. They are such an amazing couple, and so much fun to be around! So imagine my excitement when they called to tell me they were EXPECTING!!! 🙂

With downtown Charleston being practically empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to meet at Washington Square Park to photograph a maternity shoot to commemorate this special time in their lives! It was kind of eerie at first wandering about the park, City Hall, The Hibernian Hall, down Chalmers Street with its picturesque cobble stones, The Dock Street Theater, and up Broad Street with out hardly seeing a soul. But honestly, it ended up being kind of refreshing to have the place to ourselves!

We had a fantastic time, wandering the streets and alleys around the French Quarter, laughing and joking the whole time, while capturing these beautiful photographs of this wonderful couple! CONGRATULATIONS Jemeel & Jason!!! You guys are going to be such amazing parents.  🙂

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Headshots for Lee & Associates

It was nice to get out and feel relatively “normal” the other day! As the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic begins to turn, businesses are starting to get back to work. Here are a few shots of some new employees I did for our awesome clients, Lee & Associates…

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Porch Portraits with the Roberts Family

If you don’t have an AMAZING eye-doctor already, I highly recommend Dr. Lori at Belle Hall Eye Care! That’s who I choose to take care of my eyes and she’s fantastic.

A few days ago I had the privilege of photographing Porch Portraits or “Porchaits” for her and her amazing daughter. We had so much fun, capturing photos of Ellie playing with their chickens, horses, cats and dogs. 🙂 Using telephoto lenses, I was able to shoot all these from over 6 feet away while keeping my social-distancing and helping to flatten the curve.

Dr. Lori and Ellie are such beautiful young ladies, both inside and out. It was such an honor preserving these memories for them!!!

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Porch Portraits with the Caloudas Family

We’ve been good friends with Meghann & Greg since we were neighbors several years ago! From photographing their fur-baby, Sasha, to capturing their engagement photos on their boat in Charleston Harbor, to preserving all the beautiful moments of their their wedding…it’s always been a pleasure being a part of their lives. Ever since they moved to Daniel Island, we sure have missed their company!

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, many photographers started offering Porch Portraits (or “Porchaits”) around the country: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/04/01/coronavirus-front-porch-photo-projects-show-how-families-cope/2928577001/. We haven’t been able to offer any. But when Meghann & Greg invited us to come over for a visit, and to shoot a few porch portraits while we were there, we loved the idea! While keeping our social-distancing by staying on the sidewalk and yard, we used telephoto lenses to photograph their beautiful growing family.  Hudson is absolutely the happiest and most adorable little boy I’ve ever met!  🙂

Afterwards we hung out and had a blast catching up. Hudson fell asleep. The moon climbed into the sky. And I got to photograph an immature bald eagle nearby.

THANK YOU so much for the lovely evening, Meghann & Greg! We will always cherish your friendship!!!

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