Moore Family Sunrise Shoot on Kiawah Island

As you all know, Cami and I love dogs!

So when the Moore Family asked us to photograph their family reunion on Kiawah Island, including all three of their family dogs, how could we say “no”?!? Izzy, the Havanese puppy, Otis, the Yorkie/Silkie rescue, and Milo, the Golden Doodle, were an absolute BLAST!!! 🙂

Of course the entire family was fabulous as well. Diane did an amazing job of coordinating and organizing everyone.  But the real star of the show was Julian! This adorable 9 year old is the latest addition to the family, and has clearly stolen the hearts of everyone who catches a glimpse of that adorable smile!!!

We met at Sunrise near The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. With clear skies, a few clouds for the rising sun to light up, and a balmy 70-degrees, it was an absolutely perfect morning. I can’t thank the Moore Family enough for being such a kind, generous, and fun group to work with!!!

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Sanctuary

Chapman Family on Kiawah Island

Is this not the most adorable family ever?!?

I had so much fun with the Chapman Family during their stay on Kiawah Island this week. We met at The Sanctuary on the most perfect evening imaginable. Calm winds, beautiful sunlight, low humidity, and 75-degrees…who could ask for anything more?

Well to top off the perfect conditions, I had the perfect family to work with. Shannon and Josh were the nicest couple in the world. And their girls were absolutely delightful!!!

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Sanctuary

The Firestone Family on Kiawah Island

If there was ever “the perfect” family portrait session, this was it! The lighting was perfect. The weather was perfect (cool and dry after a hot and rainy summer). And the family was perfect!!!

I couldn’t have asked for a nicer, kinder, “funer” (I can make words up, right?), and more beautiful family to work with! Ian and Kim have been vacationing on Kiawah for many years now. They love it down here. In fact, Ian even contemplated a job transfer to the lowcountry so they could live here!  It hasn’t happened yet…but they still come down to visit every chance they get.

We met up at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island about an hour before sunset. The warm summer sun was just entering golden hour.  A few clouds hung like jewels decorating the clear blue sky. And the air was cool and calm.

I had so much fun getting to know this beautiful family. Their two boys were simultaneously super sweet, yet full of pep and energy!  We laughed and played games, and came away with so many wonderful memories. Many thanks to The Firestones for being such a pleasure to work with!!!

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Sanctuary

Russell Family at The Ocean Course

I did a little “rain dance” in my car on my way out to Kiawah Island last night. I was under a clearing in the sky. But all around me dark storm clouds threatened!

It must have worked because the rains held off just long enough for The Russell’s and I to squeeze in an AMAZING family portrait session at The Ocean Course! We may have had to dance around a few raindrops here and there. But the empty beach, the dramatic light, and the SPECTACULAR sunset was so worth it.

I had so much fun with the Russell Family! Their positive energy and adventurous spirit truly paid off. Lots of families would have walked away at the sight of those clouds. But they decided to go for it…and I’m so glad they did! We had an absolute BLAST and came away with some incredibly beautiful images to commemorate their time together this summer. 🙂

Beach Portraits, Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, Ryder Cup Bar, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Atlantic Room, The Ocean Course

Cripe Family on Kiawah Island

It rained all day…gray and dreary. But just before it was time to meet up with the Cripe Family for their family portrait session on Kiawah Island, the rain moved off and the skies cleared up!  🙂

Now living in Indianapolis, James had done his residency in Charleston at the Medical University of South Carolina years ago. So when they decided to take a little vacation, they decided to try Charleston!  The whole family had a great time relaxing on Kiawah Island, where little Caden absolutely fell in love with the ocean. We could hardly keep him out of it!

I had so much fun hanging our with this beautiful family, and capturing these fond memories of their time together. I think we’ll be seeing more of the Cripes in the future!!!

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Sanctuary

Evans Family on Kiawah Island

Last year was the first year we had missed our annual “Evans Family Sunrise Shoot” on Kiawah Island for half a decade. It’s been so much fun watching their kids grow into young adults over the years! Having that gap last year made me realize how quickly they grow. I could hardly believe how big Quinn had gotten!!!

In the wee predawn hours, a pocket of rain rolled up the coast. But luckily the storm moved on just in time for us to enjoy a really peaceful morning! Temperatures were mild, having been cooled off by the rain. And there was a quiet calmness on the beach I hadn’t experienced in a while…almost no wind at all!

As usual, Geraldine had everyone dressed in coordinating outfits, all lined up and ready to go on schedule! From blue-hour till breakfast, we had so much fun clowning around and capturing fun images of their amazing family.  It was wonderful to experience another sunrise together!

Charleston Aerial Photographer, Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Drone Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Aerial Photographer, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Drone Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight

Nikkor 500mm f5.6E PF ED VR

My good friend and AMAZING photographer, David Archer (www.davidarcherimages.com), was kind enough to loan me his new Nikon Nikkor 500mm f5.6 PF ED VR lens for evaluation!

Unfortunately it was during a busy time of year. So I didn’t get to do a full review or a comparison video against it’s younger sibling, the 300mm f4.0E PF ED VR. Hopefully I’ll have time to get back and do that with David.

But for now, let me just say that I am VERY impressed!!! In fact, I’m probably even more impressed with this lens than when I bought the 300mm PF, which I thought was absolutely ground-breaking! This new technology Nikon is throwing into their ultra compact and light-weight Phase Fresnel series of lenses is just magnificent!!!

I really enjoyed shooting with this super lightweight, wickedly sharp, and extremely portable telephoto lens. Most of the time I used it on the Nikon D500, giving me an effective focal length of 750mm. I even tried some with the TC14eIII 1.4x converter, giving me 1050mm of reach!

300PF
300mm f4 = 420mm f5.6 with TC14eIII
300mm f4 = 450mm f4 on DX
300mm f4 = 630mm f5.6 with TC14eIII on DX

500PF
500mm f5.6 = 700mm f8 with TC14eIII
500mm f5.6 = 750mm on DX
500mm f5.6 = 1050mm f8 with TC14eIII on DX

All total, I probably only had about 90 minutes of actual shooting time with the 500mm PF in less-than-optimal lighting conditions. Here are some of the results. I can’t imagine what I’d be able to capture if this lens somehow found a permanent place in my bag…

500mm, 500mm f5.6 PF, Audubon Swamp Garden, Bulls Island, Charleston Nature Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Stock Photographer, Charleston Wildlife Photographer, D500, Kiawah Island, Magnolia Plantation, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA

Huntington Family at Ocean Park

The Huntington family is growing!!! Last year I got to photograph their family portraits when they were only three. Mason is a super happy bundle of energy. And this year they added sweet adorable little Emma! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with them and photographing some updated family portraits together. We met at the picturesque Ocean Park near The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. It was a beautiful morning with soft light, mild temperatures, and lots of wildlife activity all around us.

CONGRATULATIONS to Will & Rebecca on their new addition!!!

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Ocean Park, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight

Conaghan Family at The Ocean Course

Oddly enough, none of the Conaghan’s, nor myself, are big golf fans. With a family history from Scotland, you’d think that was kind of strange. But guess what! We all shared a passion for “The Beautiful Game” of soccer…or “true” football as it’s known overseas. 🙂

Still, the famous Ocean Course was close to their summer vacation home on Kiawah Island. And it has one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the Charleston area! So we met there and had a FANTASTIC evening of fun and fellowship while photographing a variety of family portraits together!!!

Many thanks to the Conaghan Family for being such a kind and delightful group to work with.

Beach Portraits, Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, Ryder Cup Bar, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Atlantic Room, The Ocean Course

Zach’s Surprise Proposal to Starr on Kiawah Island

Even hurricane Isaias couldn’t stop Zach’s AMAZING Secret Proposal to Starr from happening!

I had so much fun working with Zach in the weeks leading up to the big day as we planned every detail of his proposal.  He and Starr had been together for 5 years…the timing just seemed right. He was going to do it on the beach in front of their Shipwatch Villa on Kiawah Island on Monday evening, the night of the full moon. But just days before their trip began, Hurricane Isaias decided it was going to make Monday a very wet and windy day!

Zach was bound and determined to make his proposal to Starr a truly special one! So we pivoted to Sunday afternoon instead. And it worked out PERFECT!!! We had a nice “calm before the storm” evening, with gorgeous clouds and beautiful light to work with. Starr was super surprised! And Zach said he was actually glad we’d moved it up a day because keeping that gorgeous ring hidden for another day would have made him a nervous wreck!  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Zach and Starr!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

Charleston Couples Photographer, Charleston Engagement Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Charleston Proposal Photographer, Charleston Secret Proposal Photographer, Charleston Surprise Proposal Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D500, D850, Kiawah Engagement Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Kiawah Proposal Photographer, Kiawah Secret Proposal, Kiawah Surprise Proposal, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, She Said Yes, Shipwatch Villas, Speedlight

Guin Family at The Sanctuary

I had so much fun photographing the Guin Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island again this year. They have easily become one of my favorite repeat-families to work with!!! Everyone’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and positive energy is so refreshing! 🙂

Charleston Children Photographer, Charleston Family Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D5, Kiawah Children Photographer, Kiawah Family Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Photographer, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, SB-5000, Speedlight, The Sanctuary

Allyson & Ron’s Surprise Proposal on Kiawah Island

I was struck by the strength and sincerity in Ron’s voice when he called a few weeks ago to ask if I could photograph his secret proposal to Allyson. I could tell he was a good guy.  And he clearly wanted to make sure everything was absolutely PERFECT for his beautiful girlfriend!

We had a great scheming together and hashing out a plan for this special moment. But when Friday arrived, afternoon storms threatened our chances. Things just didn’t seem to be falling into place as planned. We quickly pivoted to the following day. And I’m so glad we did. It was an absolutely SPECTACULAR evening for Ron’s proposal!

Arriving early, I set everything up on the beach in front of The Ocean Course Clubhouse on Kiawah Island. Ron had told her they were going to the Ryder Cub Bar for drinks, but wanted to go out and take a few “selfies” on the beach before going in.  Allyson was stunning in her colorful summer dress.  She had her phone out and was ready to go. What a COMPLETE surprised when instead of getting in the “selfie” with her, he dropped to one knee, and asked her to be his wife!!!  It was an absolutely magical moment.  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Allyson & Ron! You two are so perfect for each other. We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

Charleston Aerial Photographer, Charleston Couples Photographer, Charleston Drone Photographer, Charleston Engagement Photographer, Charleston Portrait Photographer, Charleston Proposal Photographer, Charleston Secret Proposal Photographer, Charleston Surprise Proposal Photographer, Chris & Cami Photography, D500, D850, DJI, Kiawah Aerial Photographer, Kiawah Drone Photographer, Kiawah Engagement Photographer, Kiawah Island, Kiawah Portrait Photographer, Kiawah Proposal Photographer, Kiawah Secret Proposal, Kiawah Surprise Proposal, Mavic Pro, Nikkor, Nikon, Nikon Pro, Nikon USA, Off-Camera Flash, Ryder Cup Bar, SB-5000, She Said Yes, Speedlight, The Atlantic Room, The Ocean Course