Kyle & Brittany’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

Hailing from Florida, Kyle and I have been secretly corresponding over the last few months about his PERFECT plan to surprise Brittany by proposing to her on the famous white bridge at Magnolia Plantation! 🙂

Kyle & Brittany have known each other since high-school. But life’s twists and turns found them heading in separate directions. Then a couple years ago, fate brought them back together again! Kyle knew she was THE ONE and decided to ask for her hand in marriage during this special long-weekend get-away to Charleston!

With every detail worked out, Kyle’s carefully laid out plans went into motion this morning. I arrived early at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and got set up with a beautiful view of the historic white bridge. Right on cue, Kyle and Brittany arrived for him to expertly guide her out into the picturesque overlook, surrounded by cypress trees draped in billowy Spanish moss. They were the FIRST ones on the bridge this morning. So it was quite funny when Brittany ran smack into a spider web. The distraction gave Kyle the perfect opportunity to drop to his knee and surprise her with the ring! It was an absolutely magical moment!!!

For my setup, I used the venerable Nikon D5, and his younger brother the D500. I had the D500 on the Nikkor 200-400 f4 VR, effectively making it a 300-600mm lens. This gave me the tight angle I wanted for capturing their expressions. The D5 was fitted with the 70-200 f2.8 VRII, setting the stage by revealing the entire scene. Each camera had a WR-R10 controller plugged in. The controllers were synchronized so that each time I took a picture with the D500…the D5 instantly fired at the same time. This allowed me to capture two different perspectives at the same exact time.

After Brittany said “YES”, I came out of hiding and met up with them. We had a BLAST photographing tons of beautiful engagement photos for them, while wandering the gorgeous plantation together! Couples who don’t hire a photographer to capture their actual proposal have to “stage” an engagement shoot later on. But Kyle & Brittany were able to have an “authentic” engagement shoot on the actual day of their engagement!!! How cool is that?

CONGRATULATIONS Kyle & Brittany! You guys are so perfect together. We wish you all the best as you begin this new and exciting journey together!!!

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 3

Day 3 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was full of excitement and anticipation for the year ahead!

The morning started off with the Board of Delegates Meeting, which included excellent presentations from the various team leaders, voting in new officers, and of course the changing of the guard as Darren Armstrong from North Carolina accepted the reigns from Jim Stitzlein as the new Chairman of the Board. Afterwards I had the pleasure of photographing the new Board of Directors, as well as new headshots for everyone. That afternoon we had an excellent tour of the facilities and operations of Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. Once we were back at the Hyatt Regency, I had just enough time to run down to Smale Riverfront Park and get some aerial drone photos of the Ohio River, the historic John A Roebling bridge, the Great American Ballpark, and the Cincinnati skyline.

Another successful US Grains Council conference is in the books! As usual, I had so much fun working with their amazing staff, and capturing all the exciting moments of this annual event!!!

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 2

Day 2 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was absolutely fabulous!

We kicked off with working breakfasts as each Sector met for meetings and discussions. The various sectors of the organization include Agribusiness, Barley, Corn, General Farm, and Sorghum. Next we had some exceptional presentations by keynote speakers Scott Sindelar, Kurt Shultz, Mike Dwyer, and Brian Healy during the General Session. During lunch we saw several distinguished Awards of Service presented, including one for 50 years of service! We also managed to wrangle a group photo with no fewer than 13 past chairmen…a record number! We had two breakout sessions after lunch, led by Bill Bryant and Andrea Durkin, respectively. And for the big off-site dinner event, we took in a Cincinnati Reds baseball game! The restaurant overlooking 3rd bass had been reserved exclussively for our group to mingle, network, and of course enjoy the game.

It was a long but super fun day of shooting!!!

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 1

Day 1 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was a huge success!

The day started off with a welcome from the new president and CEO, Ryan LeGrand…continued with keynote presentations from Ron Dulin and Ken Smithmier…then broke out into special Advisory Team meetings…and finally wrapped up with a fabulous Welcome Reception.

Taking place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cincinnati, this annual conference is off to a great start! I am truly honored to be photographing it again!!!

Jennifer & Adrian at the Hilton Head Westin

It was such a beautiful afternoon when I arrived at the Westin on Hilton Head Island for Jennifer & Adrian’s AMAZING wedding last week!

Adrian and his gang of guys were relaxed and having a blast, while Jennifer and the girls were getting all dolled up while jamming to some great tunes. The atmosphere was one of fun and excitement!

After everyone was ready, Adrian and Jennifer met each other for a private First Look in the quiet courtyard by the coi pond. It was such a special moment! The way Adrian’s eyes lit up when he turned around and saw Jennifer in her wedding gown for the first time made my heart melt.

Their ceremony was held on the picturesque terrace overlooking the beautiful beach. I loved all the artistic details and special touches Jennifer thought of. The explosion of applause that erupted as they sealed their vows with a kiss was truly magnificent!!!

After a fun beach shoot with the newlyweds, Jennifer and Adrian entered the reception to more exciting applause. A grand party ensued, complete with cake cutting, fabulous toasts, and crazy dancing.

To see more of their photos, visit https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/jenniferandadrian.

CONGRATULATIONS Jennifer & Adrian! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together!!!

Mary Beth & Bryant’s Darlington Wedding

Mary Beth & Bryant are SUCH an amazing couple!!! I owe my good friend and amazing photographer, Steve, a huge “Thank You” for recommending me to these two!

I’ve had so much fun getting to know Mary Beth & Bryant in the months leading up to their special day. A few months back, they even made a special trip to Charleston, where we had a BLAST capturing some killer engagement photos for them. You can check those out at: https://chrisandcami.com/mary-beth-bryant-at-brittlebank-park/.

Last weekend the Big Day finally made it! Arriving at their house where Bryant and the guys were getting ready, everyone was laughing and joking and having a great time.  That’s the way a wedding day SHOULD be, right?  I then met up with Mary Beth and the girls at Norman Cosmetics where they were getting ready. The excitement and energy in the salon was fabulous. I could tell we were in for quite a celebration!

Mary Beth looked absolutely STUNNING in her gorgeous wedding gown! I must say, Bryant looked quite dashing, himself. The two of them enjoyed a fun First Look underneath the huge arches of the Darlington Courthouse. We also went on a creative little mini-shoot around the town square, eventually meeting up with the rest of the wedding party for some group shots. After a grand-finale in front of the famous mural, everyone headed over to the church for the main event!

Mary Beth and Bryant had chosen St. Matthews Episcopal Church to exchange their wedding vows. I absolutely love the church’s amazing stained glass windows and rich wooden interior. The wedding was simply beautiful!

Following the ceremony, everyone headed over to South of Pearl for the real celebration!!! South of Pearl is an excellent reception venue in town, a remodeled old historic home with lots of amazing architecture, and a beautifully manicured lawn in the back. There was eating, dancing, cake, cookies…you name it!  Everyone had an AMAZING time! And the dark threatening clouds even parted ways just in time for some dramatic portraits of this sweet couple at sunset.  🙂

To check out all the photos from their Big Day, visit https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/p522914086.

CONGRATULATIONS Mary Beth & Bryant!!! We wish you all the best as you begin this beautiful new journey together…

Stephanie & Eric at the Cooper River Room

I absolutely fell in love with Stephanie & Eric when we met at Deep Water Vineyard on Wadmalaw Island for their engagement session: https://chrisandcami.com/stephanie-eric-at-deep-water-vineyard/. I knew then that this was a very special couple, and that their wedding was going to be AMAZING!!!

Last weekend the Big Day finally arrived…and it did notdisappoint! 🙂  When I met up with Stephanie and her girls getting ready for the main event, there was already an heir of excitement in their voices that couldn’t be contained. Laura and Cami went to photograph Eric and the guys getting ready, where apparently the men were in just as jovial a mood!

The ceremony took place on the lawn overlooking the Mt. Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Wark, with it’s gorgeous views of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, the lowcountry marsh, and the setting sun across the Cooper River. The reception was held in the beautiful Cooper River Room, located at the entrance to the park. Everything went off  splendidly. Even the uncharacteristically stifling heat of the afternoon could not squelch the energy or the mood. And it certainly didn’t put a dampener on the amazing love that Eric & Stephanie share for one another!!!

I would like to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make Stephanie & Eric’s wedding such an amazing celebration. In particular, thanks to my good friend and amazing photographer, Mike Soto, for recommending me to Stephanie…to our friend and amazing wedding planner, Christy Loftin, for officiating such a touching ceremony, and for all her hard work coordinating the day…to the amazing Jon Feist of Melodic Entertainment for rocking the reception all night long…and to Cami and Laura for all their help in capturing every moment of this special day for these two lovebirds!

To see the rest of Stephanie & Eric’s photos, visit: https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/stephanieanderic.

CONGRATULATIONS Stephanie & Eric! We wish you all the best as you begin this amazing new adventure together!!!

Field Trip to Bulls Island

If you like birding, pristine hiking, beach combing, and a chance to get away from the mainland, then Bulls Island just might be for you!

On behalf of the Center for Birds of Prey, and in association with Coastal Expeditions, earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing a fun field trip with a group of students from Cainhoy Elementary School. In spite of living in the Lowcountry, some of these kids had never seen the ocean. So, imagine the wonder and amazement in their eyes as we explored Bulls Island together, the crown jewel of the Cape Romain National Wildlife System!!!

Many thanks to Daniel at the Avian Conservation Center for getting me on this project, and Captain Nick from Coastal Expeditions who was our amazing tour guide for the day.

Siemon Whiteside Development Projects

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. That’s one of the reasons why I choose NOT to be pigeon-holed into one particular genre of photography. Instead of doing the same thing over and over again, day after day…for me each day is full of unique assignments and new challenges!

Recently I have really enjoyed working with Siemon Whiteside, photographing a number of their projects. SW is a leader of environmentally conscious, low-impact advancements in engineering and site design. They are known for how they blend civil engineering civil engineering and landscape architecture to create beautiful yet functional holistic environments.

From wide sweeping landscape shots, to tiny detail images, to aerial drone photos…capturing the essence of these projects always pushes the limits of my dexterity and creativity. I absolutely LOVE that!!!

DHG Leadership Conference, Part Deux

The second part of the Dixon Hughes Goodman Leadership Conference was even more fun than the first! With all kinds of team-building activities, motivational speakers, and fun entertainment, everyone had an amazing time!!! Everything culminated in a fun party at TopGolf to celebrate another awesome conference.

DHG Leadership Conference

One of my favorite events to photograph each year is the Dixon Hughes Goodman Leadership Conference!

This year the program was held at the AC Hotel in Charlotte. It’s a really cool venue in the heart of the city, boasting a beautiful conference room, delicious food, and the highest rooftop bar in town!

The first day of the destination event was an absolute BLAST!!!

Nick Proposes to Hannah on Concord Street

Hannah was absolutely stunned…not that Nick proposed to her, but that SHE HAD NO CLUE!!! Shaking with excitement afterwards, she said:  “I was certain that if and when Nick decided to propose to me, I would somehow know it. He’s not good at hiding things from me! But I truly had NO IDEA he was proposing today!!!”

For months, Nick and I had been secretly planning all the details of his surprise proposal to Hannah. May 6th was her birthday. And May 8th was the anniversary of when they started dating. So he had planned a fun get-away trip to Charleston for the weekend to celebrate. Nick was so clever in using those other big occasions to conceal the REAL reason for the trip.  Now they have ANOTHER big day in May to celebrate!!!

It was an absolutely perfect afternoon in Charleston! With beautiful light, and gorgeous weather, I headed down to our predetermined location to get set up and hide before they arrived. To my horror, the normally deserted corner near Waterfront Park was packed with graduates out celebrating and having their portraits taken. Fortunately, everyone was super understanding when I told them what was about to happen on that historic street corner, and happily moved on to other beautiful backdrops for their photo shoots. With beating heart, I raced back to my spot just in time as Nick and Hannah rounded the corner!

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

I’m SO EXCITED for Nick & Hannah! We had so much fun during their authentic engagement session afterwards. They are an AMAZING couple, and absolutely perfect for each other!!!