Lindsey & Brian’s Wedding at The Historic Rice Mill

Last weekend was one of the highlights of my year!

I’ve known Brian’s family for many years, photographing their family portraits when they vacationed in Charleston. Well, he’s all grown up now. Just imagine my elation when he and Lindsey asked me to photograph their wedding celebration!!! It was such an honor and a pleasure to be there for these two beautiful people.

The Big Day started off with the girls getting ready at the picturesque Governor’s House Inn, while the guys hung out at The Hotel Indigo. Somehow, everyone made their way to the ceremony location without Brian & Lindsey peeking at each other…even with a little secret hand-holding from around the wall. 😉

The ceremony was held in front of The Historic Rice Mill on the banks of the Ashley River. It was such a perfect day for a delightful outdoor wedding such as this! There was an electric buzz in the air as everyone took to their seats and enjoyed the main event! With true love in their eyes, Lindsey & Brian exchanged their beautifully written vows.

Following the ceremony, we had a fun time capturing some amazing images of Lindsey & Brian with their families and their wedding party. Perfect timing allowed for a grand-finale with portraits of the two of them in the setting sun before we headed indoors for the party-of-the century!!!

Many thanks to Brian’s mom, Nicole, for all her hard work in coordinating everything. Kudos to my good friend, and amazing photographer, Robbin, for assisting me on such a special occasion. And a big shout out to Jessica at Lowcountry Weddings by Jessica for keeping everything running smoothly all day. There are so many other amazing vendors, each providing their wonderful talent to make this whole day come together. Thank you to each and every one of them:

CONGRATULATIONS Lindsey & Brian!!! We wish you all the best as you take this next step in your beautiful new journey as husband and wife!

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!

Horizons Unlimited North Carolina Event

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and photographing the Horizons Unlimited traveler’s meeting at Iron Horse Lodge near Robbinsville, North Carolina. This is an event that I look forward to with great anticipation every year!

I packed my trusty Honda CB500X with my camping kit, camera kit, and a few day’s supplies. On the ride up, I made a detour to Givi USA in Charlotte to have replacement engine guards installed when my originals developed a defective hairline crack. I stayed with my friend Jenn and her awesome family for the night.  Jenn is a fellow TASOK student from our days growing up in Zaire. On the second leg of the trip, I took the scenic route down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Iron Horse Lodge.

Horizons Unlimited was founded in the 80s by Susan and Grant Johnson during their RTW, or “Round The World” adventure. It’s a wonderful resource for overland travelers, especially those tackling grand trips on their motorcycles. But more importantly, it’s a fantastic gathering of kind, creative, and like-minded individuals who are full of life and passionate about this great planet we live on and the amazing people we share it with!  Horizons Unlimited has gatherings all over the world.  This particular one in North Carolina, hosted by Mike Kilpatrick, was celebrating it’s 15th Anniversary this year!

In addition to photographing the event, I also led a couple photography presentations.  I always enjoy sharing my love for photography with others!  Check out more details about the event at: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/north-carolina-2018. And check out the events page to see if there’s a meetup near you. Hopefully I’ll see you at one soon!!!

As always, it was a wonderful weekend. And I look forward to coming back next year. 🙂

Stephanie & Eric at Deep Water Vineyard

Last night I had the best time ever!

Stephanie & Eric met up with me at Deep Water Vineyard, which is where the Firefly Distillery is located on Wadmalaw Island. They had called ahead to get permission to have their engagement session on this beautiful property. What a unique and interesting location for a photo shoot!

I had SUCH A BLAST getting to know these two…hearing about Eric’s INCREDIBLE proposal in Iceland…learning about all the wonderful countries Stephanie has traveled to…and talking about all the big plans for their wedding! Along the way, we captured some beautiful images in the gorgeous late afternoon light.

It was an absolutely perfect evening. I am so excited about photographing Stephanie & Eric’s wedding celebration!!!

Waterfront Home for Solaris

Since receiving our FAA Certification for Commercial Drone Photography last year, we’ve been loving all the requests for amazing aerial images!

This shoot for Solaris was one of my favorite interior/architecture assignments to date. The freedom allowed by the DJI Mavic Pro to capture epic images from impossible angles was fantastic! This quad-copter is a real work horse, combining excellent quality with a streamlines size that allows it to fly in higher wind gusts than previous models.

In addition to the benefits of the drone, this was also the first time I had used the incredible Nikon D850 on such an assignment. The detail and resolution provided by this new high-performance camera is INCREDIBLE!!! The sensor in this camera is the first ever to receive a “Perfect 100” score from the independent testing agency DXO Optics. I’ve been very pleased to add this camera to our arsenal.

Between the DJI Mavic Pro and the Nikon D850, I’m wondering if we’ve hit upon the best one-two combination for architecture photography ever?!?

Many thanks to Julie at Solaris for all her help on this project!

The Calm Before the Storm

Before Hurricane Florence hits Charleston, I had a chance to go downtown and photograph a few images of the calm before the storm. The place was a ghost town!!!

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!!! 🙂

Paul’s Secret Proposal to Amber at White Point Garden

When Amber & Paul were trying to figure out if they wanted to move to Charleston, one of the places they fell in love with was the picturesque Waterfront Park.

It was the PERFECT spot for Paul to ask Amber to be his wife!!! So he and I hatched a sneaky plan to entice Amber to the dock at the southern tip of the park, where he would pop the big question, and I would capture the amazing moment! 🙂

Arriving at the spot early, I was delighted that the dock was empty, and the lighting was perfect! Spotting Paul as he and Amber walked hand-in-hand down the path towards me, my palms got sweaty and my heart quickened. Would she follow him to our planned spot? Would she spot me sitting there, pretending to read a map? Would a stray tourist walk in front of me and block “the shot”?

All my fears for for naught. Paul expertly guided her to our designated location. Everything worked out beautifully. And Amber said “YES”!!! 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Amber & Paul! You two are such an AMAZING couple! It was such an honor for me to be a part of this special day with you!!!

To see more of their images, visit:  https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/amberandpaul

P.S. Funny side story…my friends and amazing photographers, Valerie & Ed, showed up shortly after the proposal. They had just photographed another couple getting engaged on the other end of the park. Love is in the air! CONGRATULATIONS to their couple as well!!!

Southern Current Solar Panels

The other day I had the pleasure of photographing aerial drone photos of a solar panel installation at a beautiful home on John’s Island. They were installed by our awesome clients, Southern Current, who we love!  🙂  If you haven’t seen much of our aerial drone photography, please check it out at:  https://chrisandcami.com/gallery/aerial/.  We’d love to help.

Lauren & Dan’s Wedding at Tanglewood Plantation

Dan & Lauren’s wedding was extra special to me because of the shared African Connection!

I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cami and I have also traveled to Tanzania a couple of times. So when Lauren contacted us about photographing her wedding to Dan, a wonderful man she met and fell in love with while working in Kenya, I was absolutely THRILLED!!!

“That’s awesome that you were born in the Congo and have been back to visit Africa!! It’s a beautiful continent. I work with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, specifically with programs that empower women and girls from marginalized communities. I also teach some theology classes at the Presbyterian University in Nairobi to folks who are preparing to enter pastoral ministry. I love it!! I lived in Kenya for the first time the year I graduated from college, and I have loved it ever since. Dan is Kenyan – we met back in 2009 when I was serving as a student minister in Nairobi during my last year of seminary. We spent a lot of time in (really) long distance while I served a church in New Jersey, and he worked in Nairobi. Then I moved back to Kenya last year – and now we’re getting married in June! We couldn’t be more excited!!!”

Dan & Lauren were married at the picturesque Tanglewood Plantation. Their celebration was a bland of African culture and American tradition. It was so cool to not only capture the joining of these two beautiful people in love, but also witness the coming together of two families from different continents.

Many thanks to my good friend and amazing photographer Steve Roos for the kind referral, to Bailey Stone of By Invitations Only for keeping everything running smoothly, Southern Way Catering for the delicious food, Emerald Empire Band for the awesome music, Brian Urbish at Tanglewood Plantation, and all the other wonderful people who had a hand in making this magical day come true.

To see the complete collection of Lauren & Dan’s photos, head over to: http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/laurenanddan2.

CONGRATULATIONS Lauren & Dan! An African wedding blessing we used to say is “Where there is love there is no darkness.” May your hearts always be full of light as you begin your new journey together!