Caroline & Matt & Turf Valley Resort

When I photographed Matt’s Secret Proposal to Caroline 6 months ago (https://chrisandcami.com/caroline-matts-secret-wedding-proposal/), it was one of the most humble moments of my 20+ year career! I could tell there was something truly special about these two…a connection on another dimension…spiritual, pure, perfect. It was even more humbling a few weeks later when they asked if Cami & I would be willing to photograph their Destination Wedding at an amazing resort near Washington D.C.!!!

Last week the big day finally arrived!  The wedding and reception were held at the gorgeous Turf Valley Resort. The location was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, and Caroline was ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! One of my favorite shots of the day was Matt’s beaming smile when he saw her for the first time, walking down the aisle beside her father, ready to become his wife.

Photographing Caroline & Matt’s portraits after the wedding was like working with a pair of professional models. 🙂 Everywhere we went, they struck these amazing poses, with his dress blues setting off her elegant gown, and their contagious “we just got married” smiles warming our hearts. We had so much fun during our mini-shoot, complete with golf cart ride!

Entering the reception hall, I could tell we were in for the party of the century! There was a palpable electricity in the air. From the second Caroline & Matt stepped into the room to thunderous applause, to the very last dance, the room was filled with emotion, energy, and excitement!  They were showered with love from friends and family all night long.

CONGRATULATIONS Matt & Caroline! The blessing of meeting couples like you, and the joy of sharing in your lives, is the true reason why we LOVE what we do. We wish for you a life together full of the greatest joy imaginable!!!

Mihaela & Vicintiu’s Romania Wedding

Yesterday I had the pleasant surprise of a wonderful phone call from Mihaela, who’s wedding to Vicintiu I photographed in Romania back in July.  She was in the US visiting friends and family.  I was so honored that she would take the time to reach out and thank me again for being a part of their wedding!  What a sweetheart!!!

So I thought I’d post a few photos from their gorgeous day.  I have to say, this was by far the most surreal wedding I have ever had the privilege of photographing!  It was on a beautiful, pristine, mountainside near Campulung.  A light afternoon shower had cleansed the landscape and brought a crisp freshness to the air.  A dreamy mist was rising from the valley below.  And we weren’t alone…wild horses had also discovered the picturesque meadow we were in.  They pranced and played in the background throughout the service.  Then just as magically as they appeared…wandered off to an adjoining hill side just before we left.  It was one of those serendipitous experiences I’ll never forget for as long as I live.

Congratulations again to “Miha & Vic”.  Always remember the magic moments of your life!!!

Welcome to Romania!

As most of you know, I recently traveled to Romania.  Here are a few of my favorites of some young people dressed in traditional outfits.  We saw them warming up for a performance they had later that evening.  When my new friends Mihaela & Ana asked them if they’d be interested in working with me, they went for it!  Zack was there with me and did an excellent job as a lighting assistant, holding an SB-800 with a warming gel for a little extra kick to the lighting in some of the shots.  I loved the colorful details in their outfits!    

Sarah & Seth’s Beautiful Day in Rock Hill

Last weekend, I had the honor of photographing Sarah & Seth Beautiful Day in Rock Hill, SC!  They live in Charleston now.  But they’re from Rock Hill.  They’ve known each other since pre-school, but didn’t start dating until college. The wedding was held at Bethesda Presbyterian Church.  It’s a very historic church in town and I loved the organic atmosphere with all the hardwood and hand-crafted molding.  We laughed a LOT throughout the day.  But I think the best part was when Sarah sort of spaced out during the ceremony (probably just so enamored with how handsome Seth was) and had to be asked “Do you take this man?” a second time.  The whole place burst into laughter and with perfect comedic timing, Sarah turned to the congregation and said “OOPS!”.  J  After their ceremony it was off to the reception at The City Club of Rock Hill where the band, U-Neek Flavur rocked the house.

 Enjoy their music video at www.chrisandcami.com that I put together to give a little vignette into the story of Sarah & Seth’s beautiful day.  Then head on over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their photos in the Online Gallery.

 CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah & Seth.  You guys are ONE OF A KIND!!! 



David & Megan’s Storybook Design

Cami & I had so much fun at David & Megan’s New England Destination Wedding in Fairhaven, just outside Boston, earlier this year.  So I thought I’d share a few pages from the layout of their new Storybook that we just finished designing.  We’ve used a number of different design programs over the years…from good old Photoshop to You Select It to Soho Styler and more.  But by far our favorite new tool is FotoFusion by LumaPix.  Enjoy…

Josh & Ashley’s “Destin” Destination Wedding

Ashley & Josh were married last weekend in a beautiful Destination Wedding on the pure white sands of Destin, Florida.  (Check out their Music Video at www.chrisandcami.com/blog.)  I went for a walk on the beach the morning of their wedding and the turquiose waters of the Gulf of Mexico stretching as far as the eye could see!  They had rented a gorgeous Spanish mansion across from the beach which was transformed into the perfect reception site.  Between the dramatic architecture of the mansion, the amazing scenery on the beach, and how beatiful Ashley looked in her flowing white wedding gown…the whole day was like visual candy to my camera!  Top that off with how genuine, friendly, and full of life all their friends and family were…well…let’s just say I had a BLAST!!!  J 

I first met Ashley at Whitney & Ryan’s wedding on Seabrook Island last year.  So a HUGE “thank you” goes to Whitney for introducing me to Ashley!  Whitney was also a bridesmaid in Ashley’s wedding, so it was great to see her again and catch up.  (After watching the Music Video, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their Online Gallery.) 

Ashley & Josh honeymooned in The Bahamas before returning home to Dallas, Georgia.  I tip my hat to Ashley as she is a 4th grade teacher there…I have the utmost respect for teachers and think they should get paid what lawyers get paid!  CONGRATULATIONS to Ashley & Josh…you guys ROCK!!!


Julia & Erik’s St. Thomas Destination Wedding

WOW!!! What can I say about Julia & Erik’s BEAUTIFUL Destination Wedding?!? Cami & I are so honored that they brought us with them to capture their amazing time in the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas. Many thanks to Lori at Bolongo Bay Resort for making everything run so smoothly. Erik & Julia, you guys simply ROCKED!!!

Check out some of my favorite shots from their trip in this slideshow. Then Click Here to see the rest of their Online Gallery…there’s only a FEW to look through. 🙂

Julia & Erik’s Destination Wedding in St. Thomas

Here are a few of our shots from Erik & Julia’s beautiful destination wedding in St. Thomas, USVI. I haven’t had time to do any editing yet. So these are completely un-touched, strait out of the camera.

The last two were taken during their Trash-the-Dress shoot the morning after the wedding. Erik & Julia were AWESOME to work with, incredibly attractive, so much fun, and completely willing to do all the CRAZY things I asked them to do. 🙂

Many thanks to Lorie and the rest of the AMAZING staff at Bolongo Bay Resort. We’ll get the rest of the images edited and put a preview slideshow online as soon as possible. In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS to Erik & Julia…enjoy your honeymoon!!!

Destination Weddings

Cami & I LOVE to travel. So being invited to fun places to photograph fun weddings is like that old Wrigley’s commercial…double-mint fun!!!

We just returned from photographing Julie & Erik’s AMAZING destination wedding on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Several of you have asked me what gear I pack for these out-of-town shoots. With new TSA regulations and airline carry-on restrictions, it has definitely become more difficult to get all your priceless equipment there in one piece.

I NEVER check my camera gear! I use one of Tamrac’s airline approved rolling backpacks. And I narrow down my kit to the most essential gear so that it fits. This is my carry-on. If flying domestic, I’m also allowed one personal item…so I bring our smaller 14″ laptop. Cami usually carries a backpack with our toothbrushes, reading material, and what we’ll wear on assignment. So if our bags get lost, we have everything we need to do the job! If it’s a really big job, she’ll carry a second smaller camera bag with D300 and additional lenses, chargers, etc. as her personal item.

From my gearbox, here’s what I selected to carry on the plane: a pair of D3 bodies and what I consider to be the “Holy Trinity of Lenses”, the Nikkor 14-24 f2.8, 24-70 f2.8, & 70-200 f2.8. I also included 5 – SB800 strobes, a Canon 500D Close-Up Diopter (more compact than my favorite macro lens), 10.5 mm fisheye, radio poppers, batteries, and cleaning supplies.

My light-kit, consisting of 3 – Bogen 3333 light stands & 2 – 43″ Westcott umbrellas, packed in my long thin Bogen case, was my checked bag. Our suitcase was Cami’s checked bag. That’s it!