Global Ethanol Summit – Washington DC

A few months ago, I had the honor of photographing the Global Ethanol Summit at the Captial Hilton in Washington, DC.

The Summit was an invitation-only meeting for Minister level officials and senior level industry leaders, ethanol producers, and refiners across global ethanol markets. It was an engaging event with, with approximately 350 attendees, about the benefits of creating or expanding ethanol policies with a role for trade. Expanding on previous regiounal events, this year’s Summit builds on current momentum of increased global ethanol trade.

Orchestrated by the US Grains Council (USGC), the event was held over the course of two days, and packed with informative general sessions, leading keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and dedicated trade time. The Global Ethanol Summit was a great opportunity for attendees to hear from thought-leaders on the future of global ethanol use and to build partnerships with industry professionals.

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High-Key Headshots for Bridge Commercial

A few days ago I had the privilege of meeting Alex. Alex is the newest member of the amazing team of commercial real-estate agents at Bridge Commercial. He moved to Charleston a couple months ago from his home in Florida. He’s excited to be joining one of the most respected firms in Charleston, and start this new chapter in his life!

Setting up in the lobby, I set up a white backdrop and created a high-key look by lighting the fabric with a single Nikon SB-5000 flash. I then created a nice soft main light by firing 2 SB-5000 flashes into a large 60″ Westcott shoot-through umbrella just out of frame on camera left. And I added a little fill light by firing another SB-5000 flash through a second 60″ umbrella just to the right of the camera. All stands and tripods were by Manfrotto. I selected the Nikon D5 and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII to shoot with. The camera was tethered to a Lenovo Yoga laptop for instant previews so that Alex could pick out his favorite.

It was a pleasure meeting and photographing Alex. I look forward to seeing great things from this young man!

Wildlife Photography Workshop at Center for Birds of Prey

This past weekend, I had the honor of leading the second annual Wildlife Photography Workshop at the Center for Birds of Prey: http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/visit/special_events/instructor-led-photography-workshop/.

We had an AMAZING time photographing these amazing creatures, learning new techniques, acquiring new skills to use in the field, and simply having a BLAST!!!

Many thanks to Kara, Natalie, and the rest of the team for all their hard work and preparation in pulling this event off! And a huge shout out to all the wonderful attendees!!!

If you missed it this year, I hope you’ll join me next fall for #3. 🙂

Welcome to the Team

I had a fantastic time photographing James yesterday!

Hailing from Tennessee, he joins the fantastic team at First Citizens Bank in downtown Charleston. He was such a great guy, with a fantastic sense of humor. Plus he served in the Army!

Thank you for your service, James! And welcome to the team!!!

Marcella & Steve’s Cape Cod Wedding

Several years ago, I had the joy of photographing Roxann & Michael’s destination wedding on a beautiful beach in Charleston: https://chrisandcami.com/roxann-michael-on-sullivans-island/. I had so much fun capturing their special day, and getting to know their amazing children! Thus, you can imagine my excitement when their daughter, Marcella, asked us to be HER photographer too!!!

Marcella & Steve’s destination wedding was in Cape Cod, at the incredible Wynchmere Beach Club. Cami and I had flown up several days early to celebrate our own anniversary, and to scout out the area. When we saw the venue, we knew immediately why Marcella & Steve had fallen in love with the place! Marcella had always wanted to get married on the beach. And Steve had always wanted to get married in Cape Cod. This picturesque spot fit BOTH their dreams perfectly!!!

The day of the wedding was absolutely gorgeous with the sun warming our faces, and the love between Marcella & Steve warming our hearts.  Marcella was absolutely STUNNING in her elegant gown and long flowing train.  Steve was looking pretty suave himself, with the classy-but-casual “no-tie” look.  The two lovebirds shared a touching “First Look” before the ceremony, which was the first time I teared up. There were a lot of funny moments during the ceremony, like when they both did shots under the arbor. But the second time I teared up was when they exchanged their hand-written wedding vows. The third time was when Michael gave his heart-felt speach, honoring Marcella’s father who had passed away 4 years prior, and re-affirmed his love for his amazing new daughter.

With excitement and energy bursting throughout the venue, the reception carried on late into the night. Cami and I had so much fun capturing every moment of this wonderful wedding celebration! Many thanks to Brooke and all the other incredible vendors that helped this dream wedding come together so perfectly. And a HUGE thank you to Marcella & Steve for welcoming us in and making us feel like part of their family once again.

To see the rest of their photos, visit:  https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/marcellaandsteve.

CONGRATULATIONS Marcella & Steve!!! We love you guys and wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

Kyle & Brittany’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

Hailing from Florida, Kyle and I have been secretly corresponding over the last few months about his PERFECT plan to surprise Brittany by proposing to her on the famous white bridge at Magnolia Plantation! 🙂

Kyle & Brittany have known each other since high-school. But life’s twists and turns found them heading in separate directions. Then a couple years ago, fate brought them back together again! Kyle knew she was THE ONE and decided to ask for her hand in marriage during this special long-weekend get-away to Charleston!

With every detail worked out, Kyle’s carefully laid out plans went into motion this morning. I arrived early at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and got set up with a beautiful view of the historic white bridge. Right on cue, Kyle and Brittany arrived for him to expertly guide her out into the picturesque overlook, surrounded by cypress trees draped in billowy Spanish moss. They were the FIRST ones on the bridge this morning. So it was quite funny when Brittany ran smack into a spider web. The distraction gave Kyle the perfect opportunity to drop to his knee and surprise her with the ring! It was an absolutely magical moment!!!

For my setup, I used the venerable Nikon D5, and his younger brother the D500. I had the D500 on the Nikkor 200-400 f4 VR, effectively making it a 300-600mm lens. This gave me the tight angle I wanted for capturing their expressions. The D5 was fitted with the 70-200 f2.8 VRII, setting the stage by revealing the entire scene. Each camera had a WR-R10 controller plugged in. The controllers were synchronized so that each time I took a picture with the D500…the D5 instantly fired at the same time. This allowed me to capture two different perspectives at the same exact time.

After Brittany said “YES”, I came out of hiding and met up with them. We had a BLAST photographing tons of beautiful engagement photos for them, while wandering the gorgeous plantation together! Couples who don’t hire a photographer to capture their actual proposal have to “stage” an engagement shoot later on. But Kyle & Brittany were able to have an “authentic” engagement shoot on the actual day of their engagement!!! How cool is that?

CONGRATULATIONS Kyle & Brittany! You guys are so perfect together. We wish you all the best as you begin this new and exciting journey together!!!

Kane Family at Waterfront Park

I thought it was so sweet when Kelly called to book a photo session as a surprise to her mom and her sisters!!!

Apparently “The Girls” try to take a trip somewhere interesting every year. Since they live in Michigan, they usually pick somewhere warm. This year, they picked Charleston. And I’m SO GLAD they did!  We had so much fun exploring Waterfront Park and the surrounding French Quarter together. Since I spent some of my college years in Michigan, it was great to catch up on familiar names and places. But most importantly, I just loved the “connection” these three sisters had with each other, and with their mother.

What an honor it was for me to preserve these beautiful family memories for them!!!

Headshots for SC Community Loan Fund

Today found me photographing these beautiful young ladies in the gorgeous morning light. Chrissy and Majda are the newest members of the amazing team at South Carolina Community Loan Fund! Welcome to the team!!!

Shooting with the Nikon D5 and Nikkor 70-200 f2.8, I was mostly using the soft natural light of “open shade”.  But I also had an SB-5000 Speedlight firing through a 24″ Lastolite EZY Box.  Depending on the situation, I either placed the softbox in front of them off to one side for a nice little “catch light”, or behind them glancing off their hair as a “kicker light”.

See if you can tell which image had which setup?

The Principals at Lee & Associates

This morning I had the pleasure of photographing the principal leaders at Lee & Associates. I’ve been working with this organization for a long time. They are always so much fun to work with!

Arriving a few minutes early, Lizzie met me in the lobby. Lizzie is the Operations Manager and always has a good eye for photos. She and I came up with three configurations in the office that we could use to give them a variety of “looks” in a short amount of time.

I know how busy these gentleman are.  So I set everything up in such a way that we could quickly cycle from one scene to the next. I used the Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 f2.8, and 3 SB-5000 Speedlights. In the images with the blue glass behind them, I placed blue gels on the two background flashes to achieve that effect. Working with such a mobile and light-weight set of tools, we had all three images knocked out in about 15 minutes!

Many thanks to Lee & Associates, and especially to Lizzie for always making sure their photo shoots go so smoothly!

Jennifer & Adrian at the Hilton Head Westin

It was such a beautiful afternoon when I arrived at the Westin on Hilton Head Island for Jennifer & Adrian’s AMAZING wedding last week!

Adrian and his gang of guys were relaxed and having a blast, while Jennifer and the girls were getting all dolled up while jamming to some great tunes. The atmosphere was one of fun and excitement!

After everyone was ready, Adrian and Jennifer met each other for a private First Look in the quiet courtyard by the coi pond. It was such a special moment! The way Adrian’s eyes lit up when he turned around and saw Jennifer in her wedding gown for the first time made my heart melt.

Their ceremony was held on the picturesque terrace overlooking the beautiful beach. I loved all the artistic details and special touches Jennifer thought of. The explosion of applause that erupted as they sealed their vows with a kiss was truly magnificent!!!

After a fun beach shoot with the newlyweds, Jennifer and Adrian entered the reception to more exciting applause. A grand party ensued, complete with cake cutting, fabulous toasts, and crazy dancing.

To see more of their photos, visit https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/jenniferandadrian.

CONGRATULATIONS Jennifer & Adrian! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together!!!