Katie & Tom’s Tampa Bay Wedding

Early in the spring of 2018, a young man by the name of Tom reached out to me:
“My girlfriend and I will be visiting Charleston in early February, and I am planning on proposing to her…are you available February 9th?”

Tom spent the following weeks corresponding with me and planning every detail of his surprise proposal to Katie. I could tell he was an amazing guy, and that he wanted everything to be perfect for the girl if his dreams! It was. She said yes. And it was my distinct honor to capture that special moment when he slipped the engagement ring on her finger: https://chrisandcami.com/katie-toms-secret-proposal-at-white-point-garden/.

It was so much fun getting to know Katie & Tom through that experience. Imagine my excitement when several months later they also asked me to photograph their wedding in Tampa!?! Having been there for them in the beginning when Katie said “YES”, it was such a joy to be there on this special day in the spring of 2019 when she said “I DO”!!!

Katie & Tom’s wedding celebration was absolutely perfect. With a rehearsal dinner at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club, wedding day preparations starting off at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, and the wedding/reception held at the Davis Island Garden Club, I couldn’t have asked for more picturesque locations.  The sun was shining, the ocean breezes were blowing, and the temperature was absolutely perfect.  Katie was absolutely stunning in her gorgeous wedding gown and colorful bouquet.  Tom was quite dashing in his blue suit with choral necktie and complimentary boutonniere.

Throughout their special day, the energy was palpable, and the excitement ecstatic! I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much at a wedding. It was like every member of the wedding party was hand-picked to fit a perfect cast of comical characters with charisma and charm to boot. Everyone had so much fun…and I had so much fun capturing every moment of it all!!!

Many thanks to Katie’s Mom Sherry for all her hard work in pulling everything together.  I am so grateful to Christi Windsor of Windsor Events, everyone at the Davis Island Garden Club, Olympia Catering, FH Events, DJ Kevin Cramer, UDream Events, West Palm Wines, Femme Akoi, Tampa Lights, Connie Dugin Linens, OMG Trolley Company, and everyone else who played a part in making this amazing day come together so beautifully for Katie & Tom.

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

CONGRATULATIONS Katie & Tom! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together.

VCO 2019 – Day 6

Semi-final Saturday at the Volvo Car Open was an absolutely thrilling

In doubles, the team of Anna-Lena GROENEFELD and Alicja ROSOLSKA as well as the team of Irina KHROMACHEVA and Veronika KUDERMETOVA are moving on to the finals. In singles, Caroline Wozniacki was too much for Petra Martic to handle. And Madison Keys was on fire against Monica Puig.

As an added bonus, the Invesco Series brought big name stars to the stage! It was thrilling to photograph legends Mats Wilander, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick, and Lleyton Hewitt as they duked it out on the court…and hammed it up for the crowd!

So the stage is set! Let’s see what happens at the finals?!?

VCO 2019 – Day 5

Day 5 at the Volvo Car Open delivered the drama!

Highlights included Madison Keys finally beating her friend Sloane Stephens for the first time in four attempts. Plus, Petra Martic upset the No. 9 seed, Belinda Bencic, to get to the biggest semi-final of her career. Others moving on to the semis included Caroline Wozniack, who beat a feisty Maria Sakkari, and Gold Medalist Monica Puig, who defeated Amarican Danielle Collins.

Any one of these final four could win the tournament.  Grab a ticket and come on out for some exciting tennis!

VCO 2019 – Day 4

And then there were EIGHT!!! The round of 16 at the Volvo Car Open saw some surprises, and the best players are rising to the top. Here are a few shots from the day’s action. Can’t wait to see who is left standing at the end of the week! 🙂

VCO 2019 – Day 2

Round 1 of the Main Draw at the 2019 Volvo Car Open is in the history books! It was a cold and windy day. But the light was great and the energy was electric!!!

The day started off with special appearance by former world number 1, Tracy Austin, at the Doubles & Bubbles Luncheon.  On the courts, former champions Andrea Petkovic, Sloane Stephens, and Kiki Bertens all sailed into the second round. Top sead Stephens had to fight hard for her win oveer a fiesty Sara Sorribes Tormo. American Amanda Anisimov put up a good fight, but lost to Petra Martic in three sets. Maria Sakkari triumphed in 3 sets.  Qualifier Kateryna Kozlova upset Kristyna Pliskova. And newcomer to the stage, Emma Navarro, really impressed fans with her game, going toe-to-toe with Laura Siegemund before falling to the former semifinalist. Navarro is a Charleston native, and was making her first ever official WTA appearance on the tour!

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Day 3…

VCO 2019 – Iconic Photo Shoot

To kick of the start of the Volvo Car Open each year, the tournament has me photograph what they call the Iconic Photo Shoot. They select two players, who we take to an iconic Charleston landmark, where they pretend to play a little tennis. This year’s players were rising American star, Danielle Collins, and our 2017 champion from Latvia, Jelena Ostapenko.

VCO 2019 – Family Day

The first day of qualifying at the Volvo Car Open (www.volvocaropen.com) was absolutely EPIC!!! Between Family Day, VIP clinics, all the special player autograph sessions, and the Draw Party, there was so much to see and photograph. It kept me hopping while I hustled to cover everything…including even a little bit of tennis action!  🙂

Photography Day at the Center for Birds of Prey

Last month I had the privilege of being a part of a limited number of photographers that were granted access to photograph some beautiful birds at the Center for Birds of Prey. What an INCREDIBLE experience it was to be up close and personal with these majestic creatures!!! This was not my first time. But it’s an experience that never gets old, and always holds new and exciting challenges!

This time, I went with a light-weight and portable setup. All images were shot on either a Nikon D850 or Nikon D500, using either a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII or a Nikkor 300 f4.0 PF VR lens. I didn’t use any tripods or monopods, just hand-held shots. I carried one camera on each hip using my dual Spyder Holster, which allowed me to quickly switch to the ideal focal length for the shot.

Later this fall I’ll be teaching another Wildlife Photography workshop at the center, where I’ll be sharing my tips, techniques, and settings for successfully capturing these gorgeous animals: http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/visit/special_events/instructor-led-photography-workshop/. I hope you’ll and come out to join me!

Many thanks to my good friend and fellow photographer, Ferris Kaplan, for the behind-the-scenes shots of me in action!

Lancaster Christian Services

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.

Marketing Photos for Lovely Law Firm

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).

A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen

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.

Sunrise Shoot in Cartagena, Colombia

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. 🙂