Brandy & Dan’s Hampton Park Engagement Photos

WOW!!! What an amazing sight greeted me at Hampton Park when I arrived for Brandy & Dan’s engagement session. The rains had just passed through Charleston, the sun was out, and a gorgeaous rainbow stretched across the sky!

Brandy & Dan arrived shortly thereafter. And we had an AMAZING time exploring the park, getting to know each other, and creating beautiful images together. As we returned to our cars, we realized there was a great chance for a brilliant sunset. So we zipped over to Brittlebank Park to capture a few dramatic silhouettes against that colorful sky!

CONTRATULATIONS Brandy & Dan! I can’t wait to be there for you guys on your wedding day!!!

Muro Family at Wild Dunes Beach

I’ve been photographing the Muro Family at their annual vacations to Charleston for many years. But each year it seems there’s always someone missing. Whether a family member was studying abroad, traveling, or just sick…it we always seem to be missing someone. But this year, we actually had EVERYONE TOGETHER!!!

It was so much fun catching up with the Muro family. They always treat me like family. And photographing their beach portrait session is always a highlight of my summer!!!

Center for Birds of Prey – Why Use Off-Camera Flash?!?

I frequently get asked: “Why do you use flash for outdoor portraits?” There are a ton of variables that I evaluate before starting a photo shoot. But paramount to them all is the QUALITY of the lighting. Whenever possible, I seek out beautiful natural light. For outdoor portraits, “open shade” is one of my favorites to work with. For indoor portraits, I look for soft “window light” to work with. But when the location is surrounded by trees, creating a gloomy greenish-blue color cast to the light, I pull out the flashes. If I don’t have beautiful natural light to work with, I create my own with speedlights!

That’s what happened in this photo session at the Charleston Center for Birds of Prey. In the first test-shot, you can see how muddy and unflattering the natural light is. Because we were in a clearing surrounded by trees, the only available light is coming from directly above Angelina, creating those sunken “racoon eyes” and a hotspot on her nose. So I mounted a Flashpoint eVolve 200 Pro in a large softbox on a Manfrotto light-stand, and placed it about 30-decgrees off to her left (the camera’s right). This gave me a fantastic directional main light, which created a soft contour to her face, cleaned up the skin color, and produced a nice catch-light in the eyes. Then I mounted a Flashpoint Zoom LiOn II on another Manfrotto light-stand, and covered it with a CTO (Color Temperature Orange) gel, which mimicks the color-balance of the late-afternoon setting sun. This speedlight was positioned behind the subject, aimed at the back of her hair, in a cross-light pattern opposite the main light. The result is a warm rim-light, which gave a golden glow to her beautiful hair, and helped separate her from the background.

Now that I had the lighting the way I wanted it, I mounted the Nikon Zf with the 70-200 f2.8 Z lens and a Flashpoint wireless trigger on a Manfrotto tripod…and the rest is magic!!!

The nice part about using this lighting setup is that it’s consistant and repeatable! Next time I show up to photograph a new staff member, whether it’s an overcast day or a bright sunny day, it doesn’t matter…the light hitting my subject will always be the same.

Savannah’s Graduation Photos at Clemson University

We’ve been photographing Kristin’s family photos since her girls were knee high to a grasshopper! It’s incredibly hard to believe these giggling little girls are all grown up!!!

Last week Savannah graduated Summa Cum Laude from Clemson University. She had just returned from a semester abroad, studying in Australia. So she had an AMAZING tan! 🙂 It was such a pleasure exploring her campus and capturing a variety of portraits to commemorate her time at Clemson. I know she’s going to miss it, and all the friends she’s made there. But we are super excited for whatever the next chapter in life brings Savannah’s way…

Headshots for State Farm

Kevin’s father-in-law, Troy, was a well-known State Farm agent in Charleston. After Kevin joined the family, he followed in Troy’s footsteps, opening his own very successful State Farm office in Bluffton. Fast forward to today, and I had the pleasure of photographing Kevin’s son, also named Troy, who has joined his father’s firm. It was almost surreal to see “little” Troy all grown up after knowing his parents from before he was even born!!! While I was there, I had the pleasure of photographing a couple other fun staff members as well.

If you’re looking for a new insurance agent, I HIGHLY recommend Kevin: https://www.statefarm.com/agent/us/sc/bluffton/kevin-sevier-g738v1ys000. He has the nicest staff. And he treats his clients like family!

Premier Physical Therapy

Getting 7 staff members to smile, look at the camera, and keep their eyes open for a new staff photo is hard enough. Adding 4 dogs to the mix makes it NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!!! But we pulled it off! 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS to Jill and her team at Premier Physical Therapy for another successful year…

Grant’s Senior Portraits at The Citadel

A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Senior Portratis for Grant’s two older brothers. They were twins! And they also graduated from The Citadel. I felt incredibly honored that Grant’s parents were so pleased with his older brother’s portraits, that they remembered me and called to book me for Grant’s portraits too!

It was a beautiful afternoon for our shoot. Grant had a great sense of humor, was super friendly, but clearly had leadership and organizational traits as well. He had some excellent ideas of shots he wanted, which were meaningful to him. And we worked quickly to be able to squeeze in 3 outfits into what would have normally been a 1 outfit session!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Grant! Whatever military project you land on after graduation is going to be lucky to have you.

College of Charleston Multicultural Graduation Ceremony

As a TCK (Third Culture Kid) myself, it was particularly enjoyable for me to be a part of the C of C Multicultural Student Union Senior Night this week! Because I was born in the Congo (DRC) and spent my formative years there, I was invited to join the MSU program when I got to Spring Arbor University. Transitioning back to America and college life was tough. The friendship and support I experienced with the MSU program at my school was extremely helpful in getting me through that process.

CONGRATULATIONS to all these College of Charleston students in achieving their dreams at the Multicultural Graduation Ceremony!!!

MAM 2025 with Hootie & The Blowfish – Charity Concert

What started out as a small get together to raise money for charity in 1994, has evolved into one of the top Celebrity Pro-Ams in the country. Thanks to the commitment of Hootie & the Blowfish, the MAM has generated millions of dollars for children’s educational programs and the South Carolina junior golf program. Darius, Dean, Mark and Soni remain true to their philanthropic roots in hosting this one-of-a-kind event.

After a short break from the golf tournament, it was time to head to the House of Blues for the main event! During the Charity Concert, Hootie & The Blowfish reunites to sing some of their most popular songs. Plus a whole host of their friends in the music business, legends in their own rights, come out to perform a few of their biggest hits. The place is always PACKED for this sold out event!!!

MAM 2025 with Hootie & The Blowfish – Golf Tournament

What started out as a small get together to raise money for charity in 1994, has evolved into one of the top Celebrity Pro-Ams in the country. Thanks to the commitment of Hootie & the Blowfish, the MAM has generated millions of dollars for children’s educational programs and the South Carolina junior golf program. Darius, Dean, Mark and Soni remain true to their philanthropic roots in hosting this one-of-a-kind event.

After the Welcome Reception the previous evening, everyone was out in full force for the celebrity golf tournament! Matthew covered the front 9. I covered the back 9. While Gary and Marie photographed and printed the official team photos at the 4th tee. It was a beautiful day. And everyone had a great time!!!

MAM 2025 with Hootie & The Blowfish – Welcome Reception

What started out as a small get together to raise money for charity in 1994, has evolved into one of the top Celebrity Pro-Ams in the country. Thanks to the commitment of Hootie & the Blowfish, the MAM has generated millions of dollars for children’s educational programs and the South Carolina junior golf program. Darius, Dean, Mark and Soni remain true to their philanthropic roots in hosting this one-of-a-kind event.

To kick the weekend off, I had the pleasure of photographing the MAM Welcome Reception on The Deck at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. If you look carefully, you might spot a celebrity or two!

Headshots for Novus Architect

I had a BLAST photographing all the fun headshots for Novus Architect here in Charleston last year. So when they asked me to drive to Raleigh-Durham to do the same with their staff up there, I jumped at the chance! Especially because I love the fact that they aren’t going after traditional headshots. Their use of the canary yellow background (which is a design element of their logo), the silly poses, and the fun props, makes their photo shoots fun and interesting!!!

Novus Architects took shape in 1992 – with one architect working for one new client. Strong, long-term relationships are the heart of what they do. And they never take for granted the trust clients place in them to listen intently to their needs, craft a custom process, gather a team with the right skills and passions – and together, bring to life spaces that serve people.

Many thanks to Lydia for coordinating everyone’s schedules and making this happen!