Faith & Michael Bessinger (yup, of the famous BBQ restaurant in town), are friends from our old Sunday School class at Ashley River Baptist.Ā When they called to let me know they were expecting their third and wanted to do a Maternity Family Shoot on the beach with me, I was THRILLED!Ā Here are some of my favās.Ā J
Jessica & Tevin’s Folly Beach Engagement Shoot
I met Jessica & Tevin at the beautiful cove by the historic Morris Island Lighthouse on Folly Beach the other to photograph their Engagement Session.Ā It was looking a little dicy with the weather.Ā But between my enthusiasm and their energy, we decided to go for it!Ā About half way out I bumped into my good friends and fellow photographers, Jennifer Bearden, and Tammy & Kevin Bevins, both heading back in from their family sessions.Ā Jennifer even gave me a hard time about the plastic ziploc baggies I had covered my remote flashes with in case they got wet!Ā But I knew that days like these often yield magical bursts of dramatic light before the sun bids fairwell for the night.Ā WOW did we get one of those bursts!!!Ā ABSOLUTELY awesome skies for an absolutely wonderful couple.Ā In fact we had so much fun towards the end that I canāt even show you some of the steamier shots from the end of the shootā¦J
Cancelled Family Shoot turns into Fine Art
Friday night I met a really great family for a beach shoot weād planned at Folly.Ā Unfortunately, weather didnāt cooperate and we had to reschedule.Ā Thatās the FIRST TIME thatās happened to me in like six months or more! Ā LĀ As I was starting my drive home I saw a scene that just stopped me in my tracks.Ā Braving the crazy winds, drizzly rain, and distant lightning, I ran out and grabbed a couple timed exposure of a rarely deserted beach.Ā
Laura & Kyle Do It on Folly Beach
After courting her for a while, Kyle proposed to Laura over Christmas last year. Ā Soon wedding plans were in full swing and through their fabulous wedding planner, Emmy at Peacock Events, I was the lucky photographer they picked to cover their special day!Ā JĀ Laura is a teacherā¦and you all KNOW how much I love and respect teachers!Ā Her and Kyle live in Greer, where theyāll be returning after their fabulous Jamaica Honeymoon.Ā Laura & Kyle rented a beautiful home on the marsh side of Folly beach where they could do their āI Doāsā.Ā As it turns out, it was the home of my good friend and fellow photographer, Charlie Thiel!!!Ā The late afternoon summer showers held off juuuust long enough for the ceremony and a few photos on the lawn.Ā And they didnāt dampen the fun atmosphere and crazy party that ensued!Ā I had a great time and LOVED being a part of Laura & Kyleās beautiful wedding day.Ā To see their fun Music Video, head over to www.chrisandcami.com/blog and click on the first image.Ā To see their Engagement Portraits and the rest of their Wedding Photos, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com. Ā CONGRATULATIONS to Laura & Kyleā¦may you have a LIFETIME OF DREAMS together!!!Ā
Kim & Michael’s Downtown/Folly Beach Shoot
Kim & Michael are a sweet, gentle, amazing couple from Aiken.Ā For their Engagement Shoot, we did a double-whammy.Ā As I was driving downtown to meet them for the first part of their shoot, the wind was blowing and the sky looked dark and foreboding.Ā I was concerned, but soldiered on.Ā When we met up, I found out they were concerned about the weather too.Ā But we decided to be adventurous and go for it.Ā We were rewarded a few minutes later with beautiful light.Ā By the time we got to Folly Beach for the second session, the sky had turned into this AMAZING backdrop.Ā WOW!!!Ā I love how the images turned out.Ā Many thanks to Kim & Michael for being so much fun to work with and being willing to brave the elements to humor this passionate old chaser of DRAMATIC LIGHT!Ā J
Last Shoot of the Year
Iāve been photographing Jean & Gerryās extended family over the last six years. (Many thanks to their wonderful daughter, Andreaā¦she originally contacted me and began this longtime friendship.) It was only fitting that they were my last shoot of 2009! J I met up with them at their beach house on Folly Beach. Even though it was really cold that night, they all braved the uncomfortable temperatures and we all had a BLAST! The lighting was fantasticā¦everything from a really cool sunset to a really dramatic moonrise. I LOVE IT!!!
Amity & Ryan on Folly Beach
Amity & Ryan are good friends of Kerri & Wes, who’s wedding I had the privilege of photographing earlier this year. Their daughter was the ADORABLE Flower Girl in the wedding! So it was fun to get to work with them again in creating these family memories. š
Robin & Leif
Here’s a few of my favorites from Robin & Leif’s fun family session. They have the most ADORABLE kids, don’t they?!? It was a little stormy that day. But they decided to take a chance and were WELL rewarded. This is PROOF that days you don’t “think” will be good for portraits are often the BEST days for portraits. The drama of that sky just ads so much dimension to the images! š
Folly Beach Day-After Shoot
Kate & Dustin were married back in April. They wanted to do one of our popular “Day After” shoots, but it just didn’t work out back then. So…no big deal…we just did it three months later! š They are SUCH a great couple and so easy to work with. You could tell they were every bit as much in love as the day they got married!!! I love that last image…really demonstrates how strong their bond is in spite of the turmoil that is our world around them.
Folly Beach Sunset
The entire Rodgers clan came descended on Charleston this summer. They were staying at Isle of Palms. But since IOP and Sullivan’s Island have an ordinance that bans professional photography on their beaches, we met up at Folly Beach. We all had a BLAST! And at the end of the session, we were rewarded with a SPECTACULAR sunset!
Folly Beach Family Portraits
Courtney & Aaron are from the Columbus, Ohio area…near my old stomping grounds. Cami is from Troy and I’m from Springfield (sort of). They came to Charleston on vacation and knew they wanted do do the classic Folly Beach Photography Session…khaki, white, barefoot…the whole nine yards! We had a lot of fun…such adorable kids. š
Anticipation
In anticipation of their nuptials the following day, Susan & Henry decided to be ADVENTUROUS and join me for a fun, casual…and maybe a bit CRAZY…photo shoot at the beach! They wanted dramatic images that captured their spirit and their love for each other in a beautiful, scenic location. We had a BLAST! š
