Indigo Square for Seamon Whiteside

As Hurricane Dorian crawled up the coast to Charleston, I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to get this assignment completed for Seamon Whiteside.

Their amazing team of engineers and designers created the layout of the new Indigo Square multi-use complex in Mt. Pleasant, for which they’d won several awards. I had been tasked with capturing all the key features and amenities of the project for an upcoming presentation.

Luckily, the “calm before the storm” turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day! I was able to complete the assignment just before the weather turned ugly.  🙂

Exaqueo Meeting

I always enjoy staying in touch with our clients!

Yesterday I got to go hang out with my friends at Exaqueo. They had recently hired a new team member, and were haveing one of thier planning meetings out at Wild Dunes Resort. I went out and photographed headshots of Jaclyn, as well as some fun updated team photos.

It was great seeing everyone again! What a great company…and such a nice group of people!!!

Headshots in The Cigar Factory Basement

Being a professional photographer is not always roses and sunshine. Sometimes we are faced with difficult scenarios, yet expected to produce stellar results!

Photographing an assignment for Lee & Associates, I needed to create headshots for a couple of recent additions to the team. We normally do their shoots in The Cedar Room. This is the big beautiful ballroom in Charleston that’s known for its gorgeous historic brick walls. Instead, they offered us this wall in the bottom floor, which is now a a back service entrance in the basement of the old factory.

I got to work and set up my Nikon D5 with Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 on the Manfrotto 055 carbon fiber tripod. I mounted 2 SB-5000 flashes, both set to Group A, on a Manfrotto light stand with a 60″ Westcott shoot-through umbrella, as my main light. I set 2 SB-5000 flashes, on another light stand with a shoot through umbrella in the back. One of these flashes was set to Group B and directed at the subject to act as a rim/fill light. The other was set to Group C and directed at the wall as a background light. The camera was then tethered to my Lenovo Yoga laptop, which rested comfortably on the trash can in the corner.  Using Adobe Lightroom allowed the client to proof images as I shot, and allowed each individual pick out their favorite shots.

In spite of the conditions, with a little ingenuity, and a dash of creativity, we were able to make this dark hallway look as bright and beautiful as the gorgeous ballroom above!

Headshots for Siemon Whiteside

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing more head-shot for one of my favorite clients! As Siemon Whiteside continues to grow and expand, they bring me in to photograph the newest members of their awesome team of professionals.

Setting up my portable studio in their conference room included the following: Savage seamless black background, Nikon D5, Sony XQD Card, Nikkor 70-200, Nikon SB-5000 (Master) flash, Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox with 3 SB-800 flashes (main light), two Westcott Apollo Strip Lights with 1 SB-800 each (rim lights), RadioPoppers (to sync all flashes), and Lenovo Yoga Laptop (tethered to camera).

I always enjoy working with this awesome team of wonderful human beings!

Comcast Executive Portraits

I had an amazing time meeting and photographing Doug Ward, who is Vice President of Customer Care at Comcast. I absolutely loved his energy and enthusiasm!

I also had the pleasure of working with Erika Paolo, who is a fantastic make-up artist. She’s originally from Equador, but now calls Charleston “home”.

The client requested a high-key style of portrait. So I brought a white backdrop, which I lit from behind the subject with an SB-5000 flash. For a main light, I used a Westcott 50″ Apollo softbox containing 3 SB-800 flashes. And for fill, I used a smaller Westcott Apollo softbox containing 2 SB-800 flashes. All images were captured on a Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII.

Many thanks to Erika Lanier (my fellow Buckeye), and Jen Hollaway, for coordinating everything for the shoot.  It was an honor and a pleasure!!!

Elliott Davis

I owe Liz a HUGE “Thank You” for inviting me to photograph updated head-shots and marketing photos at her new firm of Elliott Davis. Liz used to work for another large accounting firm in Charleston. When she accepted a position with Elliott Davis, she knew they needed to update their images.

I am so grateful that Liz thought of us for this assignment! It was a lot of fun. Everyone was so pleasant and easy to work with. We captured a ton of great images together! Here are just a few of the 500+ we captured that day.

CONGRATULATIONS Liz on finding your new home at Elliott Davis!!!

In-home Executive Portrait

It was a pleasure photographing an updated head-shot for Mr. Renshaw as he embarks on his new career path!

I met up with him at his beautiful home on Johns Island. We looked through various samples of portrait styles he liked, and chose a background that was in line with the requirements from his new company. I then set up my wireless portrait station, using the appropriate light modifiers and light placement to achieve the style we were after. The whole process was quick and painless. Even his daughter , who was home visiting from college, joined in the fun and helped pick out the best shot to use!

Congratulations to Mr. Renshaw on his continued success!

Headshots for Exaqueo

Founded in 2011, Exaqueo is an employer brand experience firm on a mission to transform how organizations find and keep best-fit talent through employer branding. Their vision is for every organization to have a fully-realized, best-fit workplace.

It’s been our pleasure to be there photographer for a few years now. This morning I had the privilege of photographing headshots for a few new members to their team!

CrossFit Charleston

Last weekend I had an awesome invitation to photograph the popular CrossFit Charleston box in Mt. Pleasant. New owners, Holly and Clint, have done an INCREDIBLE job with the place!

The workouts are tough, but scalable to anyone’s level of fitness. They have every bit of technology and equipment one needs for peak performance. But the best part is the comradery among all the participants. Everyone was so encouraging of one another…helping to motivate each other…and partnering together for extra teamwork on certain exercises.

CONGRATULATIONS Holly & Clint! You are changing lives and making Mt. Pleasant a healthier place to live!!!

South Atlantic Bank Marketing Campaign

I had another FANTASTIC photo shoot with South Atlantic Bank this week. These guys are always so much fun to work with!!!

I set up a complete high-key studio right in the lobby of the bank. Fortunately it was off-peak hours. So we didn’t have too many interruptions. But it was fun to see the look on people’s faces when they did come in…and see the bank manager and a bunch of employees having fun in front of the camera! 🙂

Shots were made with a Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 70-200. Lighting was provided by 6 SB-800 flashes. Background was a Savage Super White seamless paper. Stands and tripods were all Bogen Manfrotto.

The Trifecta

Being a full-time professional photographer often requires wearing many hats. Usually those hats don’t come into play at the same shoot!

One day might find you photographing professional head-shots for a client’s website. The next day, you might be creating product photography for a retail storefront. Then on your day off, maybe you capture some amazing wildlife encounter.

This week at the Center for Birds of Prey, I had the pleasure of photographing all three in one day!!!

Charleston Trident Association of Realtors

As a full-time professional photographer event photographer in Charleston, I work in a LOT of different venues. Harborside East has a really interesting blend of a modern exterior with lots of glass and metal, and a rustic interior with its beautiful wood finish and eclectic chandeliers. Plus it as one of the best views of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, the Charleston Harbor, and the setting sun over the city skyline!

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the annual Oyster Roast for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors. Congratulations to Ann Whalen, voted Charleston Realtor of the Year, and to David Grubbs, voted Charleston Commercial Realtor of the Year! Also, many thanks to Weeks & Irvine, South Carolina Federal Credit Union, and all the other great sponsors.

For more information on CTAR, visit http://www.charlestonrealtors.com/.