MacNaught Family on Kiawah Island

It was one of the most beautiful days we’ve had this summer!

Instead of being overcast and gray, as so many afternoons have been lately, the sun was bouncing off beautiful cloud formations in the sky. Yet it was surprisingly cool compared to previous weeks  A gentle breeze was sweeping in off the ocean as the waves lapped the shore.

I met up with the MacNaught Family at their rental house just off the beach. Their three adorable children were excited for our shoot and ready to go! From the first family shots on the boardwalk as we made our way to the beach, to the candids of them playing in the sand as the sun slipped away…the entire session was so much fun!!!

Here are a few favorites from the evening…

Dilella Family on Kiawah Island

As the summer comes to an end, and schools start back up, I am critically aware that there are only a few “perfect” summer evenings left in the season. One of those was yesterday!

I met up with the Dilella Family on Kiawah Island on an absolutely perfect evening! The sun, which had baked the earth just hours before, had slipped into “Golden Hour”. And a gentle breeze was blowing off the ocean to drop the temps to “just right”.

The Dilella family was an absolute joy to work with! The grandkids were delightful and full of energy. It was such a pleasure capturing these beautiful family memories before their children head back to Cleveland.  To top it all off, as I was driving away I noticed these amazing crepuscular rays from the settings sun in the west, extending their fingers all the way to the rising moon in the east.  What a sight!!!   🙂

Sweigart Family Senior Portraits

It’s been five or six years since I last photographed the Sweigart Family. But I recognized them instantly…in spite of how much the kids have grown!

Back on Kiawah Island for vacation this summer, we met up at The Sanctuary to update their family portraits. Plus since their middle daughter, Kara, is going to be a senior in high-school, we thought it would be fun to capture some unique senior portraits for her. Being from Pennsylvania, this would give her some beautiful lowcountry scenery in her portfolio of images that none of her friends back home will have! 🙂

We lucked out with a GORGEOUS evening! Everyone was so much fun and so into the shoot! We came away with a wonderful set of photos to memorialize this special time in their family’s life!!!

Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Conference at Kiawah Island

Alvarez & Marsal is the consulting firm known for asking tough questions, listening well, digging in and getting their hands dirty. They are fact-driven and action-oriented. A&M uncovers and implement the right solution, at the right time, in the right way. They provides global leadership, problem solving and value creation for companies across industries and around the world.

This week I had the pleasure of photographing their annual conference at Kiawah Island Resort. All the meetings and social functions took place at The Sanctuary, one of the most amazing event spaces in town. One of my favorite keynote speakers was David Feherty, who enjoyed a successful professional golfing career, earning 10 victories, and competed in the 1991 Ryder Cup.

In addition to all the meetings and networking, the event included a few fun activities. The golf outing at the famed Ocean Course was a huge highlight! With Hurricane Michael bearing down on us, a beautiful window of sunlight opened up just long enough for everyone to complete their rounds on these historic greens.

Many thanks to Michelle and Shanna for including me in this amazing event. It truly was an honor to work with their incredible team!

Bursky Family on Kiawah Island

I haven’t had so much fun with a gaggle of girls between 2 and 4 years old in AGES!!!  🙂

Celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a vacation to Kiawah Island, last night I had the pleasure of photographing the Bursky Family. From the magical late afternoon light, to the beautiful beaming faces of their adorable grand-daughters, everything was absolutely perfect!  As a bonus, a dainty deer and her playful doe were waiting to welcome me when I arrived in the neighborhood.

CONGRATULATIONS Jane and Andy! May you have many many more!!!

Evans Family on Kiawah Island

A milestone I look forward to at the end of every summer, is the annual SUNRISE PHOTO SHOOT with the delightful Evans Family!!!

We always get together at the end of summer break for a fun family portrait session before they head back north for the kids to start the new school year. They are one of the handful of families we work with who are brave enough to get up before dawn for their portraits.

I know it’s tough for Geraldine & Steve to get their teens out of bed that early. But it’s always such a rewarding experience, and a fun bonding time as we make new memories together!!! 🙂

The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort hosted the 2007 Senior PGA and the 2012 PGA Championships. It will also host the 2021 PGA Championships. The Ocean Course is only the fourth course to have hosted each of the PGA of America’s major championships.

The Ocean Course gained instant notoriety as the host of the dramatic “War by the Shore,” a battle decided literally by the final putt of Sunday’s final match in 1991’s Ryder Cup Matches. In 1997, The Ocean Course hosted the World Cup of Golf, with the world’s finest golfers from 32 countries competing in the stroke play tournament. The inaugural UBS Cup took place on the course in 2001, and in 2003 the course hosted the World Golf Championships World Cup. The PGA Professional National Championship was played in June 2005.

Golf Digest named The Ocean Course “#3 Public Golf Course in U.S.”, #20 among “America’s Greatest Courses” and “America’s Toughest Resort Course.” It is one of only 17 “5-star” courses in North America in Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” reader’s poll. GOLF Magazine has rated it #4 in its “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” list. The Ocean Course has achieved the designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Sanctuary System, and has recently been named “Golf Course of the Year” by the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The Ocean Course made its big screen debut in November 2000 when the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance”, directed by Robert Redford, narrated by Jack Lemon, and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron, opened at theatres nation-wide.

Mazirow Family on Kiawah Island

It was too chilly and dreary for a beach session. But this was the ONLY day the Mazirow Family would be all together! We bravely switched to “Plan B”, selecting the beautiful views overlooking Osprey Point Golf Course from the deck of their gorgeous rental house as our new photo location. That way, everyone could take brakes to run inside and warm up if they got too cold! 🙂

The secluded deck area was shrouded in trees on all sides, which kept the wind off. But this also prevented any light from filtering through. I quickly set up an array of Nikon SB-800 flashes, firing through giant 60″ Westcott umbrellas, to emulate the warm glow of a late afternoon daylight.  All flashes were triggered by RadioPopper transmitters.  The amazing Nikon D5 did the rest.

Everything turned out beautiful! And the Mazirow Family was so fun to work with!!! CONGRATULATIONS to Ann and Art on their beautiful, kind, and loving family.