Credit One Stadium – The Oaks Deck and Front Plaza Landscaping

Phase 2 of the Credit One Stadium is now complete!

As the official photographer of the Credit One Charleston Open, it was an honor to be asked to photograph a few shots of these new features for Seamon Whiteside, the engineering firm behind their design. The Front Plaza landscaping has really filled in nicely. And The Oaks Deck is beautifully situated in the grove of live oaks just outside the stadium. This raised outdoor deck event space is used throughout the tournament. Accomodating up to 100 people, it can also be booked for private events throughout the year. It features outdoor lounge furniture, power for a DJ or band, on-site parking, and much more: https://creditonestadium.com/venue-rentals/the-oaks/.

Many thanks to Lia at Seamon Whiteside for coordinating this photo shoot!

Why Use Flash for Outdoor Portraits?

A nice couple was walking by as I set up my lights for a photo shoot on Daniel Island. Curious, they asked “why are you using flash for outdoor photos?” I thought that was a great question!

Commonwealth Financial is a longtime client. Several times a year, they have me come out to photograph headshots of new advisors that have joined their team. Heather is always so good about organizing everyone’s schedules and coordinating these photo shoots. She had arranged for me to come out for some updates this week.

We always schedule their headshots in the morning, when the side of their building is in open shade. That way, the light is consistent each time I go out, and nobody is squinting in the sunlight. The even shade also gives me a blank canvas to work with. It creates the ambient light that illuminates the side of the building that we always use as the backdrop, plus provides a nice fill light to the faces. Yes, I could just shoot these headshots with natural light. The light would be nice and soft. But it would also be flat, lacking punch and directionality. Plus it would be inconsistent from shoot to shoot…on overcast days it would be extra flat with a cool color tone…on sunny days it would be warmer and more contrasty. For these reasons, I always blend in some lighting from off-camera flash.

For the main light (to the subject’s right), I set up a Manfrotto lightstand, with 3 SB-5000 flashes on a bracket, firing into an Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox. Since this is a very large light source, susceptible to wind, the stand is held in place by 4 10-lb BoaBags. On the opposite side, firing from behind the subject’s left shoulder, I place another Manfrotto lightstand. This one has a single SB-5000 flash, firing into a Westcott Apollo Strip softbox, and is held down by a single 10-lb BoaBag. This light provides a “kicker” that highlights the hair, provides a little fill on the cheek, gives a little edging to the shoulders, and helps separate the subject from the background. I shoot these portraits using my Nikon Z9 with the Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 lens on a Manfrotto tripod.

In the first photo, you can see the results without flash, which I shoot to get a “base” exposure. There’s nothing wrong with it. The light just doesn’t sculpt the face and provide the punch I like in a headshots! The subsequent shots show the final results with the off-camera flashes. I hope this helps answer the question of why I use flash for outdoor portraits!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church for Trident Construction

It was an absolute honor to photograph the new Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church on Daniel Island for Trident Construction the other day!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the statewide Diocese of Charleston. Established on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, the parish primarily serves Daniel Island and the Cainhoy peninsula, although it’s members come from all over the metro Charleston area. Father West presides over Saint Clare of Assisi. He was born in Charleston during the eye of a hurricane and was raised on Sullivan’s Island, where his family had been members of Stella Maris Parish for five generations.

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8, 400 f4.5, DJI Mavic 2 Pro *

First Headshots with New Nikon Z9

The Nikon D5 has been my go-to camera for headshots and corporate assignments for many years! The files from that camera have just been so clean and noise-free that I thought it would be impossible to beat.

Now that I’ve had some time to test out the Z9, I am REALLY impressed. The images are even sharper. The eye-detect auto-focus system adds a whole new level of accuracy.  And the higher resolution sensor captures even MORE detail. Nikon’s new flagship camera has definitely earned it’s place in my bag!!!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor 70-200 f2.8VRII + FTZII, Manfrotto stands, Flashpoint trigger, 4 Flashpoint flashes, Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox, Westcott Apollo strip box, BoaBags sand bags.)

Marketing Photos for Commonwealth Financial Group

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Brit and his AMAZING team at Commonwealth Financial for several years. If you need a financial planner, I highly recommend checking them out at www.commonwealthfg.com.

Last week I got to photograph 3 new members to this talented group of advisors. We had a great time, in spite of the chilly temperatures and gusty winds! Many thanks to Heather for helping coordinate everyone’s schedules!!! 🙂

Daniel Island Recreation Center

Architecture is another form of art. As a photographer, I always appreciate the clean lines, balanced aesthetics, and creative details in really good architecture. That’s why I REALLY enjoy working with Rush Dixon Architects! Rush and Judy truly come up with some beautiful designs that are always a pleasure to photograph!!!

Last week I had the privilege of capturing the new Daniel Island Recreation Center (DIRC) at Governor’s Park for them. It’s such a beautiful space, and I know the residents of Daniel Island are going to love it!!!

Headshots for CTA

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the newest team member at Corporate Tax Advisors. CONGRATULATIONS to Liz!  The really cool part is, Liz is a friend of mine. I’ve known her for many years! In fact, she was instrumental in getting me in the door at several of the previous firms she worked for!!!

We met up on Daniel Island when she had a break between meetings. It was chilly and windy…but the sun was out and the lighting was gorgeous! So we decided to go for it. I’m so glad we did. It was so much fun catching up with Liz and capturing these beautiful images for her new firm to use in their marketing material.

All shots were made on the Nikon D5 with the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VR. I used an SB-5000 Speedlight off-camera to create a little rim light in some cases, or a little fill light in others. The flash was placed on a Manfrotto light stand, shooting through a 24″ EZY Box softbox.

Many thanks to Liz for bringing me in on another great photo shoot!!!

Headshots for Commonwealth Financial

I’ve enjoyed working with Britt and the his fantastic team at Commonwealth Financial for many years. This morning I had so much fun visiting them and photographing some updated headshots of the newest team members. Many thanks to Heather for coordinating everyone’s schedule for the photo shoot!

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Headshots for Commonwealth Financial Group

As Commonwealth Financial Group continues to grown and expand, it’s always a pleasure returning each year to photograph headshots for new team members and updates for existing ones!

This morning I had some beautiful soft light to work with. So I set up outside their office to use the nice leading lines of the building as the backdrop. I used Nikon SB-5000 speedlights, shooting through Westcott Apollo soft-boxes, mounted on Manfrotto light-stands. All images were shot with the Nikon D5 and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8.

As you can tell, we had fun goofing off in between the “official photos”.  🙂  CONGRATULATIONS to Samantha, Heather, James, and Billy!

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Steve Ward

Yesterday I had a real treat, catching up with my old tennis friend Steve Ward, and photographing some new marketing photos for his thriving wealth management firm, Aletheia Financial.

If you need a financial planner who TRULY cares about his clients, give Steve a call at 843-224-1802!!!

Headshots for Commonwealth Financial

It was a pleasure photographing new headshots for my friends at Commonwealth Financial the other day!

I’mages captured on a Nikon D5, with Nikkor 70-200 f2.8, shot at ISO 400, f5, 1/250sec. I used a large Westcott octobox with three SB-5000 flashes in it as my main light. And I used a small Westcott striplight with one SB-5000 flash in it as a kicker light. The light of the open shade served as the fill light. Manfrotto light stands and a Manfrotto 055CX Pro tripod served as support. It was really windy!  So a bunch of BoaBag sandbags held everything in place.

Engineering Projects for Seamon Whiteside

Over the last few weeks I’ve had the privilege of photographing a number of amazing engineering and site-design projects for Seamon Whiteside.

“SW+ IS A LEADER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS, LOW-IMPACT ADVANCEMENTS IN ENGINEERING AND SITE DESIGN. WE BLEND CIVIL ENGINEERING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE TO CREATE HOLISTIC ENVIRONMENTS.”

The assignment involved photographing key environmental, ergonomic, and human comfort aspects of properties developed by their team of engineers, including: the new Blackbaud property, Governor’s Park, the Family Circle Tennis Center, Wharf 7 Apartments, 254 Seven Farms Drive, Bridgeside at Patriots Point, Hyatt Place at Towne Center, and Oyster Point subdivision.