The Great Blue Ridge Parkway Adventure PART 1

After spending the weekend camping and enjoying the company of other wonderful motorcycle junkies at the Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting in Appomattox, VA, my friends and I spent 3 days riding the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway!

The famed scenic highway, which is America’s longest linear park, runs for 469 miles from Anon, Virginia to Cherokee, NC. Linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway is also America’s most visited national park.

My good friends Scott, Kristi, and Steve were kind enough to join me on this bucket-list quest to ride the entire parkway from start to finish. We broke the trip up into 3 day so that we could enjoy the ride, and stop to take in the beautiful views. This is the first installment of our 3-part series!

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Lee & Associates at Cannon Park

One assignment I always look forward to every November is photographing the annual holiday team photo for Lee & Associates! This year the photo was held at one of my favorite locations we’ve used. It’s the old historic steps and columns from the original Charleston Museum at Cannon Park. It was a cool and foggy morning, which lent itself perfectly to the “holiday magic” for the session! 🙂

Engineering Projects for Seamon Whiteside

Over the last few weeks I’ve had the privilege of photographing a number of amazing engineering and site-design projects for Seamon Whiteside.

“SW+ IS A LEADER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS, LOW-IMPACT ADVANCEMENTS IN ENGINEERING AND SITE DESIGN. WE BLEND CIVIL ENGINEERING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE TO CREATE HOLISTIC ENVIRONMENTS.”

The assignment involved photographing key environmental, ergonomic, and human comfort aspects of properties developed by their team of engineers, including: the new Blackbaud property, Governor’s Park, the Family Circle Tennis Center, Wharf 7 Apartments, 254 Seven Farms Drive, Bridgeside at Patriots Point, Hyatt Place at Towne Center, and Oyster Point subdivision.

American Board of Criminal Lawyers

Last evening couldn’t have been more beautiful! Fall has finally arrived in Charleston. We had a gorgeous sunny day, and a comfortably cool evening for the annual American Board of Criminal Lawyers event.

It’s always been a pleasure to photograph this event. And this year was no different! Everything was absolutely perfect…from the amazing band to the delicious food, from the creative decor to the friendly staff.

Many thanks to Andy & Cheryl’s Savage for their generosity in opening up their lovely home for this event, and for inviting me to be a part of it!!!

Julia’s Bridal Portraits

Julia & Woods tied the knot yesterday. That means that I can FINALLY share a few favorites from Julia’s gorgeous bridal session!!! 🙂

Several months ago, Julia, her sister, her mom, and her grandmother all met up with me at Middleton Place, where we had received approval to photograph her bridal shoot. It was a beautiful summer evening. And Julia was absolutely STUNNING!!!  We had so much fun exploring the picturesque grounds, and photographing a variety of portraits for Julia in her elegant wedding gown.  Many thanks to the amazing staff at Middleton Place for allowing us this privilege.

Congratulations Julia & Woods! Rachel…you are next!!!  😉

Cocktails for Community

Every fall, the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors hosts “Cocktails for Cummunity”, a fabulous fund raiser to help support the Realtors Housing Opportunities Fund.

The RHOF is an endowed fund created by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors supporting non-profit organizations to make a positive difference in the local community. RHOF’s giving mission is three-pronged: the repair or rehabilitation of low-to-moderate income housing, creation of new affordable housing, and education to encourage responsible homeownership. To date, RHOF has provided OVER $1 million in funding to Lowcountry nonprofits!

It was my pleasure to photograph this wonderful event again this year!

Lobster Fest for Iron Gate Realty

For their client-appreciation dinner this year, Renee & Paul at Iron Gate Realty organized a phenomenal Lobster Fest!!!

It was held at the Pierce Park Pavilion on Daniel Island.  After photographing portraits of Renee and her brother (and partner in crime), Paul, I set up and did couple’s portraits in front of the step-and-repeat, as well as with the beautiful park greenery in the background. We also did a big group photo of everyone that attended. And of course I got tons of candids of everyone having fun digging into their fresh “lobstah”! 🙂

It was a really fun event! I’d like to say a HUGE “Thank You” to Renee & Paul for allowing me to be a part of it.

Drone Service for Photographers

For many photographers, passing all the FAA Certifications, and meeting the necessary requirements to fly commercially can be a daunting task! Not every photographer has the skill, the time, or the desire to jump through all those hoops.

Having passed our Part 107 FAA Certification years ago, we’ve found a niche market in partnering with other photographers! We see it as a great way to help our fellow photographers provide the additional service of aerial drone photos to their clients, without all the investments required to purchase the gear and become certified themselves. In return, it gets us involved in projects and assignments that we might otherwise have never collaborated on. And of course the clients love the additional perspectives we can provide from the air. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!!!

Here are a few images from a recent shoot that we collaborated on with our good friend and AMAZING photographer, Mic Smith!  Thank you for thinking of us, Mic!!!

Girl’s Weekend on Kiawah Island

One of the best parts of my job is meeting new, interesting, and FUN people!!!

This weekend, I had such a great time photographing this wonderful group of life-long friends, who all get together one weekend every year to catch up on each other’s lives, build new memories, and invest in the beautiful relationships they build over the years. For this year’s theme, they each decided to dress up as a different “month” of the year. Then everyone changed and we did a few patriotic themes. Last but not least, everyone just jumped in the pool for something really fun!

I love it when grown-ups choose to remember the value of being a kid at heart again! 🙂

Allman Joy on Kiawah Island

I had so much fun with the Allman/Musser family during their photo shoot on Kiawah Island last night!  (The two sisters coined the “Allman Joy” thing, which I thought was too cute not to use.)

Part of the reason for the trip was because the grandparents were celebrating their Anniversary. CONGRATULATIONS Brian & Kathy!  You have the most adorable grand-kids in the world!!!  Thanks for letting me be a part of this special time in your lives.  🙂

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…