Credit One Charleston Open 2026 – Day 2 (Family Weekend)

The 2026 Credit One Charleston Open (March 28 – April 5) featured top-tier women’s tennis on the iconic green clay at Daniel Island’s upgraded stadium. Jessica Pegula defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva to defend her title as champion, making her the first repeat winner since 2013.  Other notable champions have included names like Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Gabriela Sabatini, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Tracy Austin, and Venus Williams.  This year’s top seeds included tour veterans like Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Anna Kalinskaya, and Maria Sakkari…along with noteable young phenoms like Iva Jovic, Diana Shnaider, and Leylah Fernandez.

The Credit One Charleston Open, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open and the Family Circle Cup before that, is the largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America. The tournament has held many historic 1sts since it was established in Hilton Head Island in 1973. It was the first women’s event to offer $100,000 in prize money. It was the first women’s tennis tournament to be broadcast on network television. After 28 years on Hilton Head Island, the tournament moved to Charleston in 2001. The Partnership between the city of Charleston and title sponsor, Family Circle Magazine, was the first of its kind in women’s sports. The new state of the art stadium built through that partnership was the first of its kind in women’s tennis.  This year the tournament made history again by offering a record $2.5M in prize money, achieving equal pay for men and women, well in advance of the WTA’s target of 2033.

After relocating to Charleston, the tournament director put out a search for a new tournament photographer. I had been photographing the tournament in Hilton Head for various publications in the late 2000s. So I presented my portfolio and submitted my application for the position. Robin Reynolds was the tournament director at the time. She recognized that the contract with Getty Images wasn’t as beneficial to the tournament because each image they used from the freelance Getty photographers had to be licensed individually. Robin realized the power of photography in promoting the tournament, and the advantage of owning their own images from an in-house photographer. It was an absolute honor to be selected as the first ever Official Tournament Photographer. And I’ve reprised my role every year since!!!

A lot has changed over the last 25 years! From a small media operation being run out of a temporary tent, with me as the solo photographer, working in conjunction with a single media manager…to now working in a state-of-the-art media room, on a team with 4 photographers, 4 videographers, and 4 media managers…there have been a lot of adjustments. The demands for coverage of not just on-court action, but player appearances, autograph sessions, television interviews, off-site VIP events, tournament ambassadors, live musicians, entertainment, fan experiences, and so much more, has increased our image output exponentially. Plus the way images are consumed has totally changed as well. The once predominant staff photographers sent by magazines and newspapers from around the country have been replaced by podcasters, videographers, and social media influencers.

It has truly been interesting to experience this changing industry from the inside out. Constantly shooting, editing, and delivering images for rapid turn-around over the course of nine 12+ hour days in a row is hard work. But I still love what I do. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 400 f4.5, Nikkor AF-S 180-400 f4e, DJI Mavic 3 Pro

Credit One Charleston Open 2026 – Day 1 (Family Weekend)

The 2026 Credit One Charleston Open (March 28 – April 5) featured top-tier women’s tennis on the iconic green clay at Daniel Island’s upgraded stadium. Jessica Pegula defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva to defend her title as champion, making her the first repeat winner since 2013.  Other notable champions have included names like Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Gabriela Sabatini, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Tracy Austin, and Venus Williams.  This year’s top seeds included tour veterans like Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Anna Kalinskaya, and Maria Sakkari…along with noteable young phenoms like Iva Jovic, Diana Shnaider, and Leylah Fernandez.

The Credit One Charleston Open, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open and the Family Circle Cup before that, is the largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America. The tournament has held many historic 1sts since it was established in Hilton Head Island in 1973. It was the first women’s event to offer $100,000 in prize money. It was the first women’s tennis tournament to be broadcast on network television. After 28 years on Hilton Head Island, the tournament moved to Charleston in 2001. The Partnership between the city of Charleston and title sponsor, Family Circle Magazine, was the first of its kind in women’s sports. The new state of the art stadium built through that partnership was the first of its kind in women’s tennis.  This year the tournament made history again by offering a record $2.5M in prize money, achieving equal pay for men and women, well in advance of the WTA’s target of 2033.

After relocating to Charleston, the tournament director put out a search for a new tournament photographer. I had been photographing the tournament in Hilton Head for various publications in the late 2000s. So I presented my portfolio and submitted my application for the position. Robin Reynolds was the tournament director at the time. She recognized that the contract with Getty Images wasn’t as beneficial to the tournament because each image they used from the freelance Getty photographers had to be licensed individually. Robin realized the power of photography in promoting the tournament, and the advantage of owning their own images from an in-house photographer. It was an absolute honor to be selected as the first ever Official Tournament Photographer. And I’ve reprised my role every year since!!!

A lot has changed over the last 25 years! From a small media operation being run out of a temporary tent, with me as the solo photographer, working in conjunction with a single media manager…to now working in a state-of-the-art media room, on a team with 4 photographers, 4 videographers, and 4 media managers…there have been a lot of adjustments. The demands for coverage of of not just on-court action, but player appearances, autograph sessions, television interviews, off-site VIP events, tournament ambassadors, live musicians, entertainment, fan experiences, and so much more, has increased our image output exponentially. Plus the way images are consumed has totally changed as well. The once predominant staff photographers sent by magazines and newspapers from around the country have been replaced by podcasters, videographers, and social media influencers.

It has truly been interesting to experience this changing industry from the inside out. Constantly shooting, editing, and delivering images for rapid turn-around over the course of nine 12+ hour days in a row is hard work. But I still love what I do. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 400 f4.5, Nikkor AF-S 180-400 f4e, DJI Mavic 3 Pro

Credit One Charleston Open 2026 – Drone Shots

The 2026 Credit One Charleston Open (March 28 – April 5) featured top-tier women’s tennis on the iconic green clay at Daniel Island’s upgraded stadium. Jessica Pegula defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva to defend her title as champion, making her the first repeat winner since 2013.  Other notable champions have included names like Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Gabriela Sabatini, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Tracy Austin, and Venus Williams.  This year’s top seeds included tour veterans like Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Anna Kalinskaya, and Maria Sakkari…along with noteable young phenoms like Iva Jovic, Diana Shnaider, and Leylah Fernandez.

The Credit One Charleston Open, formerly known as the Volvo Car Open and the Family Circle Cup before that, is the largest women’s-only professional tennis tournament in North America. The tournament has held many historic 1sts since it was established in Hilton Head Island in 1973. It was the first women’s event to offer $100,000 in prize money. It was the first women’s tennis tournament to be broadcast on network television. After 28 years on Hilton Head Island, the tournament moved to Charleston in 2001. The Partnership between the city of Charleston and title sponsor, Family Circle Magazine, was the first of its kind in women’s sports. The new state of the art stadium built through that partnership was the first of its kind in women’s tennis.  This year the tournament made history again by offering a record $2.5M in prize money, achieving equal pay for men and women, well in advance of the WTA’s target of 2033.

After relocating to Charleston, the tournament director put out a search for a new tournament photographer. I had been photographing the tournament in Hilton Head for various publications in the late 2000s. So I presented my portfolio and submitted my application for the position. Robin Reynolds was the tournament director at the time. She recognized that the contract with Getty Images wasn’t as beneficial to the tournament because each image they used from the freelance Getty photographers had to be licensed individually. Robin realized the power of photography in promoting the tournament, and the advantage of owning their own images from an in-house photographer. It was an absolute honor to be selected as the first ever Official Tournament Photographer. And I’ve reprised my role every year since!!!

A lot has changed over the last 25 years! From a small media operation being run out of a temporary tent, with me as the solo photographer, working in conjunction with a single media manager…to now working in a state-of-the-art media room, on a team with 4 photographers, 6 videographers, and 4 media managers…there have been a lot of adjustments. The demands for coverage of of not just on-court action, but player appearances, autograph sessions, television interviews, off-site VIP events, tournament ambassadors, live musicians, entertainment, fan experiences, and so much more, has increased our image output exponentially. Plus the way images are consumed has totally changed as well. The once predominant staff photographers sent by magazines and newspapers from around the country have been replaced by podcasters, videographers, and social media influencers.

It has truly been interesting to experience this changing industry from the inside out. Constantly shooting, editing, and delivering images for rapid turn-around over the course of nine 12+ hour days in a row is hard work. But I still love what I do. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 400 f4.5, Nikkor AF-S 180-400 f4e, DJI Mavic 3 Pro

NAEGA Conference in Nashville

The mission of the North American Export Grains Association is to promote and sustain the reliability of commercial agricultural exports. NAEGA is the global leader in shaping commercial solutions rooted in contractual expertise, commercial knowledge and industry innovation. The organization maintains a steadfast commitment to outcomes that are risk proportionate and science based.

It has bee my pleasure to photograph the annual NAEGA conference for 3 years now. This year’s program was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Nashville, TN. After remarks from the leadership team, including Matt Hopkins and Alejandra Castillo, three Senior Advisors were recognized for their years of dedication and service. There was a brief board meeting to discuss the business of NAEGA. And finally, the Trade Outlook Program included a number of excellent speakers and panelists from the US and Canada. After the closing remarks, I had the pleasure of photographing a group photo of all attendees, a Board of Directors photo, and a variety of headshots for those who needed an update.

(Nikon Z9 x2 Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8, DJI Mini 3 Pro)

NAEGA Conference in Nashville

The mission of the North American Export Grains Association is to promote and sustain the reliability of commercial agricultural exports. NAEGA is the global leader in shaping commercial solutions rooted in contractual expertise, commercial knowledge and industry innovation. The organization maintains a steadfast commitment to outcomes that are risk proportionate and science based.

It has bee my pleasure to photograph the annual NAEGA conference for 3 years now. This year’s program was held in Nashville, TN. The evening before kicking off the annual meeting, a heart-warming Senior Advisor Dinner Reception was held at the NashHouse Southern Spoon & Saloon in honor of the three gentleman who have passed down their wisdom and knowledge over the years!

(Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8, DJI Mini 3 Pro)

NAEGA Conference in Nashville

The mission of the North American Export Grains Association is to promote and sustain the reliability of commercial agricultural exports. NAEGA is the global leader in shaping commercial solutions rooted in contractual expertise, commercial knowledge and industry innovation. The organization maintains a steadfast commitment to outcomes that are risk proportionate and science based.

It has bee my pleasure to photograph the annual NAEGA conference for 3 years now. This year’s program was held in Nashville, TN…which is one of my favorite cities in the US. I had so much fun capturing the heart and soul of Nashville’s downtown music scene during some down time one evening!

(Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, DJI Mini 3 Pro)

Renewable Fuels Association – National Ethanol Conference Closing Reception

Once again, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph the National Ethanol Conference for the Renewable Fuels Association!

The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association’s NEC has been recognized as the ethanol conference for the latest, most timely information on marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues facing the industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and more contacts are made at this conference than at any other ethanol conference world wide!

This year’s conference was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando Florida. After all the meetings, speakers, and panel discussions, it was time to relax and enjoy the beautiful Florida weather. The “Havana Nights” themed closing reception was a huge hit and a great way to wrap up another successful NEC conference!

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8, DJI Mini 3 Pro

Renewable Fuels Association – National Ethanol Conference General Session

Once again, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph the National Ethanol Conference for the Renewable Fuels Association!

The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association’s NEC has been recognized as the ethanol conference for the latest, most timely information on marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues facing the industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and more contacts are made at this conference than at any other ethanol conference world wide!

This year’s conference was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando Florida. Day 2 was filled with networking, keynote presentations, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and special guest speakers.

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8

Renewable Fuels Association – National Ethanol Conference Welcome Reception

Once again, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph the National Ethanol Conference for the Renewable Fuels Association!

The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association’s NEC has been recognized as the ethanol conference for the latest, most timely information on marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues facing the industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and more contacts are made at this conference than at any other ethanol conference world wide!

This year’s conference was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando Florida. After photographing a team photo for the RFA staff, Day 1 concluded with two very nice receptions. The first was to honor women in leadership rolls throughout the ethanol industry. Immediately following that, we all joined the official Welcome Reception for good food, and great networking.

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 II, Nikkor Z 70-180 f2.8

Renewable Fuels Association – National Ethanol Conference Golf Mixer

Once again, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph the National Ethanol Conference for the Renewable Fuels Association!

The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is the most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. Past events have welcomed industry leaders from across the United States and 20 countries. Since 1996, the Renewable Fuels Association’s NEC has been recognized as the ethanol conference for the latest, most timely information on marketing, legislative, and regulatory issues facing the industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and more contacts are made at this conference than at any other ethanol conference world wide!

This year’s conference was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando Florida. Day 1 kicked off with a fun, relaxing, round of golf at the resort’s famous picturesque golf course…which was a great way for everyone to reconnect and recharge before the meetings began!

Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8 + 1.4TC, Nikkor Z 400 f4.5, DJI Mini 3 Pro

Panama Wildlife in El Valle de Anton

When I got hired to photograph a major international conference in Panama for the US Grains & Bioproducts Council, Cami and I decided to fly down a few days early and enjoying all the beautiful nature and wildlife! We had visited Panama about a decade earlier, and fell in love with the country. Being a neighbor of Costa Rica, it has many of the same gorgeous tropical birds. And it even has some really cool indiginous wildlife found nowhere else on the planet, like the Golden Frog!

The Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) is a critically endangered, highly poisonous frog—actually a toad—that uses a unique, hand-waving “semaphore” signal to communicate near loud, rushing mountain streams. Native only to Panama, they are a national symbol of luck and prosperity. Unfortunately, they are now believed to be extinct in the wild due to a deadly invasive fungus. Our decision to stay in El Valle de Anton during our time in Panama was largely based on the fact that the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center Foundation (EVACC), which was the organization that saw the effects of this terrible fungus and sprang into action to save as many Golden Frogs as possible from the wild, was just a mile up the road from our hotel! We visited EVACC on the last day of our trip, and were lucky enough to see one of these amazing amphibians that was part of their breeding program.

The hotel where we stayed was aptly named the Golden Frog Inn. It was a beautiful oasis, with large spacious rooms, friendly staff, a nice sized pool, picturesque grounds, and an excellent in-house restaurant. The property was built on the side of what looked like a steep mountain. When in fact, we were literally perched on the inner “wall” of a crater, with views of the rim towering behind us, and views of the town far below in the “bowl”! El Valle de Antón is a unique town located inside the caldera of one of the world’s largest inhabited, inactive volcanoes, which last erupted roughly 300,000 years ago. Known for its cool, spring-like climate year-round, it offers a dramatic escape from Panama City’s heat, surrounded by lush cloud forests, hot springs, and hiking trails.

Speaking of trails, the highlight of our stay was when we met up with our bird guide at the famous Canopy Lodge for a fun day of “birding”! Although it was unusually windy and rainy for this time of year, which made the hiking trails a bit muddy, we still managed to spot a TON of unbelievable wildlife in the span of our 6-hour tour. We had booked a Day Hike. But many of the other guests on our tour were actually staying at the lodge. We had inquired about staying there. However, they didn’t have availability for our dates. And although they had unbelievable bird stations attracting all kinds of activity, we honestly liked our accomodations at Golden Frog Inn better.

Besides all the wildlife, we enjoyed spending time in El Valle. It has a charming, peaceful atmosphere about it. There aren’t as many ex-pats living here as there are in other parts of Panama, like Bokete, Coronado, Volcan, or Playa Blanca. So we had to rely more heavily on my broken Spanish and our Google Translate app than we expected. But it was charming to barter with the locals while shopping at the farmers market, or mime our way through ordering a meal at the local restaurants. We also visited the Serpentario Maravillas Tropicales, a small family owned serpentarium…as well as Mariposario del Valle, the local butterfly sanctuary.

Our biggest regret was that we hadn’t booked a longer visit to this beauitul country! The locals seem so happy, everyone is incredibly nice, the healthcare system is amazing (and affordable), prices are reasonable (although not necessarily “cheap”), nature and wildlife abound, the climate is great, they use the US dollar for currency (nice not to have to do cartwheels in your head to figure out what you’re spending), crime is virtually non-existent, and the economy is in great shape! Who knows…maybe we’ll be back to Panama for another visit some day in the future???

Southport Mulberry Wastewater Treatment Plant for Harper General Contractors

As a commercial photographer, I get the opportunity to photograph all kinds of fascinating places. But I have to admit, photographing the Southport Mulberry Wastewater Treatment Plant in Shallotte, North Carolina for Harper General Contractors was definitely one of the more… aromatic subjects on my portfolio list. The good news is that from a visual standpoint, it was fantastic. And fortunately, photography is one profession where you can’t smell the final product.

This was actually the third wastewater treatment plant I’ve photographed for Harper General Contractors, and I’ve really enjoyed documenting these impressive facilities. There’s a lot more going on at a treatment plant than most people realize. Massive tanks, miles of piping, interesting industrial textures, and perfectly symmetrical infrastructure all combine to create surprisingly cool compositions. Who knew wastewater could be so photogenic?

For this project I used my trusty Nikon Z9 paired with the Nikkor Z 14–30mm f/4 and the Nikkor Z 24–120mm f/4 lenses. The wide angle lens was perfect for capturing the scale of the tanks and filtration systems, while the 24–120mm helped isolate some of the interesting details throughout the facility. I also launched the DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone to capture aerial views of the entire plant, which really helped showcase the impressive layout and engineering.

Let’s be honest—wastewater treatment isn’t the most glamorous subject in the world. But these facilities play an incredibly important role in keeping communities clean and healthy. And from a photographer’s perspective, they offer some truly unique visuals.

So yes, I spent the day photographing where everything eventually goes. Thankfully, the photos came out much cleaner than the job description might suggest.