Kai’s & Savannah’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

Over the last 30 years as a professional photographer, I’ve discovered that photographing surprise proposals is one of my absolute favorite things to capture. There’s something incredibly special about documenting such a genuine, life-changing moment, and Kai’s surprise proposal to his longtime girlfriend, Savannah, was a perfect example of why I love these shoots so much.

Kai and I spent several months carefully planning every detail to make sure the moment unfolded perfectly. He chose the iconic white bridge at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens as the setting, which couldn’t have been more romantic. On the big day, I hid behind a tree at the far end of the pond so Savannah wouldn’t suspect a thing. From there, I photographed the moment with a dual-camera setup using two Nikon Z9 bodies—one paired with the Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5 S lens to capture the proposal from a distance, and the other with the Nikkor Z 70-180mm f2.8 lens to showcase more of the scene.

Kai and I had created a schedule, and mapped out a route for him to lead her to the bridge. Even though she had no idea what we were up to, and he had never been there before, Kai somehow managed to get her to Magnolia Plantation right on schedule, and lead her right down the path I had told him to take. Kai had cleverly told her he was there on a work trip and had to make a presentation to his team. He asked if they could get to the plantation early so that he could practice his speach! Arriving at “the spot”, he handed her a copy of the speech so she could read along. Only instead of a work speech, it was his declaration of love and devotion to Savannah. I could see the emotions welling up as she read along. Then he got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife. She said YES!!!

After the excitement settled, we spent some time strolling around the beautiful grounds creating authentic engagement portraits. Using the versatile Nikkor Z 24-120mm f4 S lens, and occasionally adding some off-camera flash, we captured a wonderful collection of images celebrating the beginning of their next chapter together.

Please help me in saying CONGRATULATIONS to Kai and Savannah!!! We wish you all the best as you start this new journey together…

Katie’s Senior Portraits

Katie and her family were down here on vacation from Ohio. And she wanted some senior portraits that were “different” from all her friends. So we met up downtown and walked around the French Quarter, capturing a variety of cool shots of her with some Charleston cityscapes. The following day, I met up with her and her family at Magnolia Plantation for a little more of the “plantation feel” in her photos. Katie is a big photo-buff. So it was fun capturing her with her camera, and sharing a few photography tips as we walked around the beautiful property.

CONGRATULATIONS Katie! We wish you all the best as you embark on this new chapter in your life!!!

Magnolia Plantation in Infrared

Work is good. Busy is good. But occasionally when I shoot too many assignments in a row and don’t have enough room to “breathe”, I feel my creativity getting stifled. It’s during those times that taking an afternoon off for a hike around Magnolia Plantation with nothing but my infrared camera can feel like a brilliant breath of fresh air!!!

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

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!!!

Samantha and Todd’s Extended Engagement Session

Flying in all the way from Missouri, it was just wonderful to see our good friend Samantha again last weekend! It was also such a pleasure to finally meet her fiance, Todd. He’s an amazing guy! They are absolutely perfect together!!!

Recently graduating from Veterinarian School and Dental School, respectively, Samantha and Todd can finally turn their attention to wedding plans. It’s an absolute honor that they have selected Cami and I to capture this special time in their lives for them.

As part of that process, we hosted them here in Charleston for a really fun extended engagement session! The entire weekend could be described as part reunion (we haven’t seen Samantha for several years), part introduction (we had so much fun getting to know Todd), part vacation (Samantha and Todd were celebrating finally earning their degrees), part tourist trap (Cami and I made sure to take them to all the best tourist attractions and iconic restaurants in town), and of course part engagement session (we photographed beautiful portraits of them all around Charleston everywhere we went). As such, we had an absolute BLAST the entire weekend, while capturing more variety than any other engagement session we’ve ever photographed!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Samantha and Todd! We love you guys, and can’t wait to be there for you on your beautiful wedding day!!!

Pat & Adrienne’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

Sometimes I feel like I get MORE nervous than my clients when they are about to pop the big surprise marriage proposal!!!

This morning, Pat was as cool as a cucumber as he escorted his beautiful girlfriend, Adrienne, onto the famous White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation! He and I had been working out the details for me to capture this very special moment for the two of them. He had carefully picked out the PERFECT spot, with a gorgeous southern background, that would take her breath away. My heart pounded in my chest as they reached the top of the bridge. But Pat calmly dropped to his knee and surprised her with a GORGEOUS diamond!!!

Afterwards, we enjoyed a fun walk-about together. While exploring the plantation, I captured some AUTHENTIC engagement photos for them to remember this amazing day and this special time in their lives!

CONGRATULATIONS Adrienne & Pat! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together!!!

Cody’s Proposal to KC at Magnolia Plantation

Cody is an AMAZING guy. And he’s head over heals in love with KC!!! He and I have spent the last few weeks going back and forth to plan and prepare, making sure everything would be perfect for his Surprise Proposal to KC. 🙂

The big day finally arrived. Earlier this morning, on a beautiful summer day, on the magical white bridge at the picturesque Magnolia Plantation, Cody asked KC to be his bride!!!

Afterwards, we wandered around the gorgeous grounds, photographing their AUTHENTIC Engagement Session. KC is absolutely gorgeous! I can see why Cody is smitten. But the truth is, their love runs even deeper. Finishing each other’s sentences, stealing knowing glances at each other, laughing quietly and hugging each other as we explored avenues of oaks draped in Spanish moss…I could tell these two truly share something special!

Visit http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/kcandcody to see more of their delightful photos.

CONGRATULATIONS Cody & KC!!! We wish you two all the best as you begin your new journey together!

Larry & Joanna’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

Larry & Joanna first met at CrossFit. Joanna had moved from New York to Tennessee and started attending some classes at the gym where Larry was a trainer. She says he used to pick on her more than the others. Which, as we all know from our days in grade-school, when a boy picks on a girl it means he REALLY likes her!!! Am I right? 🙂

Sure enough, Joanna put out a couple vibes, and next thing you know Larry asked her out. The rest, as they say, is history!!!

Fast forward about a year and Larry knew in his heart that Joanna was “the one”. He booked a fun vacation for the two of them to charming Charleston. And he connected with me to help him capture that very special moment when he asked Joanna to be his wife.  It was such a beautiful secret proposal under a cathedral of giant oak trees at Magnolia Plantation.

To see the rest of their photos, visit: http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/larryandjoanna.

I’m so honored to have been a part of this AMAZING day!!! Congratulations Larry & Joanna! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

Preston’s Secret Proposal to Stevie at Magnolia Plantation

Preston is quite the gentleman! He contacted me way back in October to set plans in motion for his Surprise Proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Stevie. He wanted everything to be PERFECT for her!!!

Well, the big day finally arrived. And everything DID turn out perfect. We had beautiful weather, very few tourists, and Stevie said “YES”!!! What could be better than that?!?

Preston proposed at the middle of the famous white bridge at Magnolia Plantation. What an iconic location to become engaged, right? Hailing from Kansas, he and Stevie have been dating for 8 years now. We wish them all the happiness in the world as they begin this NEW journey together as husband and wife!  🙂

Ally & Matt’s Surprise Proposal at Magnolia Plantation

I woke up this morning before the alarm…butterflies in my stomach…excitement in my veins. It wasn’t for me. The anticipation of being a part of Matt’s Surprise Proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Ally, had my adrenaline pumping before my feet hit the floor. It’s hard to believe that 9 years of dating had finally led these two soulmates to this perfect moment!

Matt and I have been secretly corresponding for weeks…planning out every detail of this AMAZING day! We selected a gorgeous avenue of oaks at the picturesque Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. Arriving early, I got all set up and settled into my hiding spot. A small group of tourists walked by and, hesitant at first, asked me why I was hiding in the bushes. After I explained my situation, the men wandered off slightly bemused, while the ladies burst into smiles and giggles, chattering among themselves as they strolled on: “isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard of?!?”

Matt and Ally arrived right on cue! The first shot of them walking towards “the spot” cracks me up. You can see Matt’s brain is on high alert as he scans the brush to get a bead on my location. But more importantly, I LOVE ALLY’S REACTION when Matt dropped to his knee and asked her to be his wife!!! 🙂

After she said “Yes”, the three of us enjoyed a wonderful stroll around the plantation, stopping to photograph authentic Engagement Photos along the way. It was a beautiful morning with perfect fall temperatures and gorgeous southern light.  We had a BLAST!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Ally & Matt! You guys are a very special couple. I am truly honored to be forever linked to this beautiful day in your lives!!!

Rebekah at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

It was a real pleasure photographing Rebekah at the picturesque Magnolia Plantation & Gardens yesterday! She’s a beautiful model with a sweet disposition, a generous heart, and an enthusiastic spirit. We had a BLAST exploring the grounds and creating some wonderful images together! Thanks, Rebekah!!!