I’ve been looking forward to meeting Mary Beth & Bryant for a VERY long time! We finally met up this weekend, on a gorgeous spring day, to capture some beautiful engagement photos for their up-coming wedding. 🙂
Starting off at Hampton Park, I was quite surprised at how many flowers were already in full bloom! With vibrant colors from the flowers, huge oak trees, a black iron bridge, and long wooded walkways, we came away with some absolutely MAGICAL images! But to top it all off, we zipped over to Brittlebank Park to capture the last rays of a gorgeous setting sun over the Ashley River… and of course the beautiful twilight that followed.
I had such a blast getting to know Mary Beth and Bryant. I can’t wait to be there for them to preserve all the special moments of their amazing wedding this summer!!!
Yesterday found me traveling to Lancaster, SC for another shoot with the South Carolina Community Loan Fund.
The assignment was to tell the “story” of the Lancaster Christian Services Center. The SCCLF had helped this organization secure the financing to purchase a bowling alley to house a number of their community outreach programs, including two churches, a food pantry, meeting rooms for education programs, and of course a fun place for youth to hang out.
Images were captured with the DJI Mavic Pro and Nikon D850 with either the 14-24 f2.8 or 24-70 f2.8 and as many as three SB-5000 off-camera flashes, depending on the scene.
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of working with the amazing team at the Lovely Law Firm in Myrtle Beach. We picked the Grand Dunes Ocean Club for the backdrop of our photo shoot. It was a beautiful day and we came away with some awesome images!
This was my second time working with Justin and his company. They are a great group of people, and always fight hard for their clients!
Images shot with Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70, Nikkor 105, Sony XQD cards, and up to 4 Nikon SB-5000 off-camera flashes (depending on the scene).
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing more head-shot for one of my favorite clients! As Siemon Whiteside continues to grow and expand, they bring me in to photograph the newest members of their awesome team of professionals.
Setting up my portable studio in their conference room included the following: Savage seamless black background, Nikon D5, Sony XQD Card, Nikkor 70-200, Nikon SB-5000 (Master) flash, Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox with 3 SB-800 flashes (main light), two Westcott Apollo Strip Lights with 1 SB-800 each (rim lights), RadioPoppers (to sync all flashes), and Lenovo Yoga Laptop (tethered to camera).
I always enjoy working with this awesome team of wonderful human beings!
Today found me driving to Columbia, South Carolina, to photograph entrepreneur and chef extraordinaire, Folami Geter. Folami created “A Peace of Soul”, which is a food truck, and soon to be restaurant, serving fresh and delicious vegan meals that are to die for!
The assignment was for the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, which is writing a piece on Folami’s success story. The SCCLF was instrumental in helping Folami purchase and renovate her restaurant building, which will open its doors soon.
I photographed this assignment with the Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70, and up to 4 SB-5000 flashes. Some of the shots include gels on the flashes for added color and drama to the otherwise drab interior of the food-truck’s utilitarian work space. I also captured some establishing shots with the DJI Mavic Pro.
Over the course of the two-day Comcast Conference, held at the North Charleston Marriott, I had the pleasure of photographing head-shots for over 150 executives, managers, and team leaders. It was hard work keeping on schedule and maintaining that pace. But everyone was so kind and gracious, and each individual was so full of energy. They kept me pumped up! And I had so much fun! What a great group!!!
As a destination photographer, I often get asked how I travel with all my equipment!
In this behind-the-scenes video, I share a few tips I’ve learned that help ensure my equipment gets to my destination safely and efficiently. I also share details about the equipment I travel with, what I pack it in, and how I carry it.
Whether you’re weaving your way through TSA, hustling to get to your gate, or dealing with diminishing overhead space on your flight, lots can go wrong. Don’t end up at your shoot with stolen or damaged gear!
If you have any questions, comments, or travel stories to share, please post them below! I always respond. ENJOY!!!
GEAR FOR THIS VIDEO:
ThinkTank Airport TakeOff – https://amzn.to/2T3FrqN
ThinkTank My 2nd Brain 13 – https://amzn.to/2IC72um
Sandisk Extreme 64GB MicroSD – https://amzn.to/2SWX4o8
GoPro Session 5 – https://amzn.to/2RP7Jnv
Samsung S7 – https://amzn.to/2AMr3rU
Joby Gorillapod for Smartphones – https://amzn.to/2CkcLie
Rode VideoMic ME – https://amzn.to/2W80Mgw
MUSIC:
The Big Conference
Licensed under YouTube Audio Library
DISCLAIMER:
This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
This afternoon I had a super fun photo shoot with one of my all-time favorite clients!
Palmetto Community Care provides complete compassionate care, free testing and prevention measures, and referrals to medical care and support for those living with HIV and AIDS in the greater Charleston area. “We believe no one living with HIV or AIDS should go without medical care, everyday resources and emotional support.”
I absolutely love working with Palmetto Community Care…not only because they are wonderful, vibrant, caring, and loving human beings, but because they are doing good things for the people of Charleston!
All images were shot on the Nikon D5 with my favorite Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII lens. Lighting was provided by 6 off-camera speedlights. 1 Nikon SB-5000 was lighting the background for that bright “high-key” look. 3 SB-800 flashes in a 50″ Westcott Apollo softbox provided the main light. And 2 SB-800 flashes in a Westcott 36″ shoot-through umbrella created a soft fill light. Shooting tethered to my Lenovo Yoga, images instantly popped up in Adobe Lightroom and automatically had my special black-and-white preset applied to them so that individuals could approve of their portraits and pick out their favorites.
I had an amazing time meeting and photographing Doug Ward, who is Vice President of Customer Care at Comcast. I absolutely loved his energy and enthusiasm!
I also had the pleasure of working with Erika Paolo, who is a fantastic make-up artist. She’s originally from Equador, but now calls Charleston “home”.
The client requested a high-key style of portrait. So I brought a white backdrop, which I lit from behind the subject with an SB-5000 flash. For a main light, I used a Westcott 50″ Apollo softbox containing 3 SB-800 flashes. And for fill, I used a smaller Westcott Apollo softbox containing 2 SB-800 flashes. All images were captured on a Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII.
Many thanks to Erika Lanier (my fellow Buckeye), and Jen Hollaway, for coordinating everything for the shoot. It was an honor and a pleasure!!!
While in Cartagena, Colombia, I had the opportunity to photograph an AMAZING sunrise photo shoot with my good friends and gorgeous models, Heidi and Stella!
Arriving on the deserted beach in front of the Hilton Cartagena before dawn, I saw a bunch of birds circling overhead in the dim light. Rounding the rock jetty, I saw they were keen on picking off the remnants of a boat full of fisherman. It was fun watching the men work the nets and show off their catch with glee. The egrets, herons, and frigat birds fought for the scraps around the perimeter.
When Heidi and Stella arrived, we headed over to the rock jetty and the dilapidated lifeguard stand. One of my favorite shots is the one of them in the doorway of the faded structure up on its wooden stilts. Shooting with a Nikon D850 and a Nikkor 16-35 f4 VR, I placed a Nikon SB-5000 flash behind them inside the room, and covered it with a CTO warming gel to create a warm silhouette against that electric blue sky. The great white heron perched on top was just icing on the cake!
The rest of the shoot was done with a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII, often mixing in the SB-5000 flash, mounted on a Manfrotto 5001 nano stand as either a rim light, kicker light, or an off-camera main light. I love Nikon’s new Advanced Wireless Lighting (AWL) system, which allows me to control the flash directly from the camera’s menu.
I had an absolute BLAST with Heidi and Stella as we enjoyed our final morning in Cartagena together! These two adventurous ladies were heading out to an island off the coast later that morning, as Cami and I boarded a plane for our flight back to America. 🙂
I owe Liz a HUGE “Thank You” for inviting me to photograph updated head-shots and marketing photos at her new firm of Elliott Davis. Liz used to work for another large accounting firm in Charleston. When she accepted a position with Elliott Davis, she knew they needed to update their images.
I am so grateful that Liz thought of us for this assignment! It was a lot of fun. Everyone was so pleasant and easy to work with. We captured a ton of great images together! Here are just a few of the 500+ we captured that day.
CONGRATULATIONS Liz on finding your new home at Elliott Davis!!!
Over the many years that I’ve been a photographer in Charleston, there are a handful of clients who have been with us since the beginning. I’ve known them and worked with them for so long that I think of them more as friends than as clients. Renee is just such a friend!
Last week I met up with Renee on Daniel Island to photograph some updated headshots and marketing photos for her company, Iron Gate Realty. Like me, her career has evolved and grown. It was quite interesting as we discussed the amazing similarities between our chosen professions. I’m so very proud of Renee for all she has accomplished, while staying true to herself, and truly finding joy in serving her clients the way that only she knows how to do. I highly recommend contacting her if you’re looking for an outstanding real-estate agent to work with!
Congratulations on your Charleston Realtor of Distinction award, Renee!!!
