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!!!

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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.

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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…

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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! 🙂

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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…

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The Glahn Family at The Sanctuary

With only a few more weeks before school starts back, I’ve been having so much fun photographing all our repeat family beach sessions this summer. Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a brand new family…and they turned out to be such a delight to work with!!!
 
I met up with the Glahn Family at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island, where they were enjoying a fun family get-away before their girls go back to school. With McKenna involved in dance, and Ryleigh into gymnastics, you can imagine how hectic this family’s life is back home! It was wonderful to see them decompressing from daily life, and truly enjoying their time together.
 
I couldn’t have asked for a prettier day. And I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful family to spend the evening with! Many thanks to Jimmy & Jen for selecting me to be their photographer. I hope they become one of our many fabulous “boomerangs” as they return each year to create new memories together!!!
 
P.S.  As an added bonus, I got to stop and photograph Comet Neowise again on my way home.  🙂

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Riley & Tommy’s Surprise Proposal at The Ocean Course

Being a part of some of the most special moments in a family’s life always makes me feel so humbled and so blessed!!!

This weekend I had the honor of photographing Tommy’s surprise wedding proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Riley! He had made special arrangements for cocktails and dinner in The Atlantic Room at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. After Riley got settled and had a drink in hand, Tommy excused himself for a minute. He had stashed a gorgeous bouquet of flowers with a note inside. Returning with the bouquet, he have Riley a kiss and told her to read the note, which instructed her to meet him outside by the famous Rolex clock-tower in 5 minutes.

Tommy had picked the iconic clock-tower as the backdrop for this special moment. For many golfers, a photograph with the famous clock tower is a “bucket-list” item. It’s one of the most photographed landmarks on Kiawah Island! Who can forget that iconic 1991 Ryder Cup battle when The United States team won the competition by 14½ to 13½ points, with a last-minute clincher on the 18th hole of the final match?!? With the nation glued to their televisions, it was the first win for the U.S. since 1983!!!

But more importantly to Tommy, it would serve as a reminder for Riley of the exact minute when he took to his knee and asked her to be his wife. 🙂 After Riley said “YES”, Tommy had another surprise for her. Turning around, she saw her parents and his parents coming around the corner to congratulate them. Running over to exchange hugs with everyone, the excitement and energy of the moment was truly palpable!

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day for Tommy & Riley. It was an absolutely gorgeous summer evening. But the icing on the cake came when I was driving home and saw the amazing Neowise Comet descending on the horizon!!! Major comets, like Haley’s Comet in 1986, don’t come around but once every 25-40 years. This particular one has such a huge trajectory that it won’t be back in earth’s atmosphere for some 6,800 years!

CONGRATULATIONS to Riley & Tommy! How special is that to know your engagement took place during a celestial show that won’t happen again for thousands of years?!? We wish you all the best as you begin your own journey around the earth together.

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Grace’s Senior Portraits on Kiawah Island

When she called, Marianne sounded a bit flustered. She had nothing to wear.

Vacationing on Kiawah Island for the week, Marianne and her family hadn’t planned for family portraits. They realized what a great opportunity this was to get some beautiful and unique Senior Portraits for their daughter Grace. And I had suggested we throw in a few fun family portraits while we were at it!  So suddenly Marianne was scrambling to find outfits for everyone.

Fortunately this gave her a good excuse to do a little shopping. And everything worked out PERFECT!!! 🙂 In spite of an afternoon thunderstorm, the weather was beautiful. Selecting three outfits for her session, Grace was absolutely stunning in each one. And the family outfits Marianne had selected were awesome.  We all had a fantastic time together…even their 11-year old golden doodle, Bella.

CONGRATULATIONS Grace! You rocked it!!!

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Porch Portraits with the Schiff Family

I had so much fun capturing some porch portraits, or what we call “porchaits”, for the Schiff Family on Kiawah Island this morning!

Every year the Schiffs schedule this special photo shoot exclusively for the grandparents and their grand-kids. Parents can help prep the young ones, but aren’t allowed in the photos…HA! 🙂 This year because of the resurgence of corona-virus, we elected to do the photos on the porch and pool deck of their rental home instead of at the beach. It was a gorgeous setting. And the kids did great!  I can’t believe how much they’ve grown since last year.

Thank you so much to Debbie & Russell for their kindness and continued patronage! We appreciate you more than you know!!!

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Charleston Proposal with Kate Thornton

As a creative, one of my favorite things to do is collaborate with other artists!

Last week I had the privilege of working with my friend Kate of Charleston Proposal, to help capture Josh & Natassia’s beautiful surprise engagement! Kate wanted to make this extra special for these two. So she brought me along as her drone-pilot and second-shooter, capturing the action from the sky as well as from an alternate angle on the beach.

We had so much fun working together! We put together this fun little video for Josh & Natassia, augmenting Kate’s awesome photography with a few of my still shots, drone photos, and video clips. Thanks for letting me share this, Kate!  I had a BLAST watching you do your magic!!!  🙂

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Cougar Point Golf Club

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the new Cougar Point Golf Club on Kiawah Island. This is my favorite shot from the series. It’s an aerial panoramic photo, comprised of 9 images from my DJI Mavic Pro.

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PGA Media Day

I had the pleasure of photographing the PGA Championships on Kiawah Island back in 2012…before they ejected me for being where I shouldn’t. Some photographers are so annoying, always trying to be creative and trying to capture something unique. Why can’t they all just shoot the same boring images, from the same exact location as the other 50 photographers out there?!? 😉 Luckily, all is forgiven.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being the official photographer for the 2021 PGA Championships Media Day at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. Julius Mason, Senior Director of Public Awareness for the PGA, hosted the press conference. Special guests included former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, Director of the PGA Championship, Scott Reid, President of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Roger Warren, and Charleston Mayor, John Tecklenburg.

After an excellent presentation, panel discussion, and Q&A session, everyone was invited to a wonderful networking luncheon. With gloved hands and hightened security, the Wannamaker Trophy was placed on a beautiful wooden table just outside the lunch area where I had set up a photo station. It was a lot of fun photographing participants and seeing the excitement in their eyes as the pose with this historic hardware!

I’m looking forward to seeing some awesome golf in 20201!!!

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