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…

Brandy & Dan’s Hampton Park Engagement Photos

WOW!!! What an amazing sight greeted me at Hampton Park when I arrived for Brandy & Dan’s engagement session. The rains had just passed through Charleston, the sun was out, and a gorgeaous rainbow stretched across the sky!

Brandy & Dan arrived shortly thereafter. And we had an AMAZING time exploring the park, getting to know each other, and creating beautiful images together. As we returned to our cars, we realized there was a great chance for a brilliant sunset. So we zipped over to Brittlebank Park to capture a few dramatic silhouettes against that colorful sky!

CONTRATULATIONS Brandy & Dan! I can’t wait to be there for you guys on your wedding day!!!

Kaitlin & Stevie’s Engagement at the Lagare Waring House

I’ve known the Petit family for a long time. It’s been my honor to photograph Chris & Shelley’s wedding, as well as Jody & Gerald’s wedding. So imagine my excitement when I found out I’ll be photographing their brother Stevie’s wedding to his beautiful fiance, Kaitlin!!!

Kaitlin & I have been emailing each other over this winter, working out details and plans for their wedding in the fall. One of the things she wanted to schedule fairly soon was their engagement photos. In fact, we originally had it scheduled for last week when that crazy winter storm blew through Charleston!!! Kaitlin & Stevie are so adventurous that they were totally game for having their photo shoot in the rare snowfall. But sadly, Charles Towne Landing closed due to the weather. So we rescheduled, and it turned out to be an absolutely GORGEOUS 70-degree day with beautiful afternoon light streaming throught he trees!

I had so much fun getting to know Kaitlin & Stevie. I can’t wait to meet her amazing family, and reconnect with the Petit family! Their wedding at Founder’s Hall inside this State Historic Site is going to be absolutely AMAZING!!!

Allison & Trent at Rainbow Row

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing these fun, colorful, romantic images for Amanda & Trey! We had so much fun exploring Waterfront Park, Rainbow Row, and Adgers Wharf…before they headed off for a nice dinner date.  🙂

As I often do, I arrived early and found this beautiful heron hunting in the marsh while I waited for them.  Then heading home, I couldn’t help stopping to capture the sunset through the sailing ships moored on the Ashley River.

Jackie & Jason’s Engagement Photos at White Point Garden

I am so excited about Jackie & Jason’s upcoming wedding this November!!!

We’ve been talking, emailing, and planning for a couple months now. But yesterday was the first time I’d actually met Jackie & Jason in person! We met up at White Point Garden during late afternoon Golden Hour for their Engagement Session. We had so much fun getting to know each other, capturing their love for each other, and exploring the old historic downtown area around The Battery together.

Jason is a law enforcement officer with Isle of Palms. Jackie works in hospitality with Seabrook Island. They are absolutely ADORABLE together! And I can’t wait to be there for them on their Big Day!!! 🙂

Kate & Matthew’s Engagement Photos

I had so much fun photographing Kate & Matthew’s Engagement Photos at Hampton Park last week!

Matthew works at Westbrook Brewing. Kate works in the insurance industry at Park Circle. The two of them met online at the tail end of the Covid pandemic. Their first date was at Mellow Mushroom, just as restaurants were opening back up. They made an instant connection. And the rest is history!!! 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Kate & Matthew! I can’t wait to be there for you two on your wedding day…

Madi & Connor’s Rainbow Row Engagement

Madi & Connor are ENGAGED!!!

I had so much fun catching up with them and photographing their engagement photos yesterday. Madi & Connor went to high-school together. He is now in his first year of medical school. And she is in her last year of dental school. They are an absolutely ADORABLE couple…about to embark on the biggest adventure of all.  I can’t wait to be there for them on their wedding day!!!

Please help share some love and encouragement for these two during this special time in their lives…

Emily & Halen are Engaged!!!

It was a pleasure photographing Emily & Halen’s beautiful engagement session yesterday!

We met up at The Post House in the old historic downtown Mt. Pleasant area. It was so much fun exploring the area. Plus they brought their adorable 2-year old beagle, Cooper to be in some of the shots! As an added bonus, their good friends Kelly & Chris joined us to help with Cooper. I owe them a huge “Thank You” for not only helping with Cooper, but also for recommending us to Emily & Halen!!! 🙂

After a few shots downtown, we headed over to the park at Pitt Street Pier. It was a gorgeous evening! The sun set was awesome, and the moonrise was surreal. We came away with some AMAZING photos showcasing Emily & Halen’s fun-loving personalities, and their love for each other.

I can’t wait to photograph their wonderful wedding this fall!!!

Morgan & Ryan’s Engagement Session at Hampton Park

I met Morgan’s parents at a fun event I was photographing for the Aucoin Family. When they asked me to photograph their daughter’s wedding, I was absolutely DELIGHTED!!!

With an unseasonably gorgeous 70-degree day yesterday, we headed out for a fun engagement shoot at Hampton Park. But not just your average engagement shoot, I was so excited when they brought their new baby boy, Wyatt to join us! The light was amazing. Wyatt was adorable. And we all had an amazing time exploring the park and capturing a wide variety of images to preserve this special time in their lives!

CONGRATULATIONS Morgan & Ryan! I can’t wait to be there for you guys at your wedding in just a few short months. 🙂

Fitzpatrick Family on Isle of Palms

Traveling from Ohio, Judy & Colin planned a fun trip to the beach to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary!

I had the pleasure of catching up with the Fitzpatrick Family during their vacation at Wild Dunes Resort on IOP. Their kids and their spouses had also joined them. It was fantastic to see the whole family together laughing and having fun. They made me feel so welcome as we explored the beach capturing beautiful images for them to remember this special time. It reminded me of fond memories from our own family gatherings!

CONGRATULATIONS Judy & Colin!!!

Danielle & Andrew are Engaged!!!

I had SO MUCH FUN meeting and hanging out with Danielle & Andrew this weekend during their engagement session!!! I owe a huge “thank you” to my friend, Kim, for her kind referral. 🙂

Although Danielle & Andrew were both born and raised in southern California, the two met while working in Washington D.C. They now live in Greensboro, NC, where Andrew works in infectious diseases, and Danielle does research on the long-term effects of tobacco use. They really like being closer to Charleston, where Andrew’s parents live now. Andrew lived here for several years in his younger days. And Danielle fell in love with our charming city during their visits. So they decided to have their wedding here!

Meeting up at Waterfront Park, we were overwhelmed by how packed the park was with young people dressed to the hilt. Turns out it was graduation weekend! But we ducked down some side streets to avoid all the mayhem, and had a fantastic evening strolling around and capturing fun photos of them to commemorate this beautiful time in their lives!!!

Paulina & Ben’s Engagement

You may remember Paulina & Ben from one of the most unique secret proposals I’ve ever had the honor of capturing: https://chrisandcami.com/ben-proposes-to-paulina-at-the-holiday-festival-of-lights/. Fast forward to springtime, when I had the pleasure of photographing their beautiful engagement photos last evening!!!

We met up at White Point Garden to take advantage of the gorgeous spring sunshine, and the amazing backdrops that this historic park and surrounding neighborhood has to offer. To make it extra special, Paulina & Ben brought their adorable 2 year-old Goldendoodle, Cooper. We all know what a big dog-lover Cami is. So of course she jumped at the chance to join us so she could play with Cooper when we didn’t need him. 🙂

For this session, I brought the flagship Nikon Z9, coupled with the incredibly versatile new 24-120 f4 Z-mount lens. This lens is in such high demand that it’s very hard to get. I’m lucky to have it in the bag! Attaching the WR-R11 wireless transmitter to the Z9 allowed me full control of the off-camera SB-5000 when needed.

We had an absolute BLAST exploring downtown Charleston and strolling along The Battery, photographing tons of great shots as we went! Paulina & Ben are such a perfect couple. I can’t wait to photograph their FABULOUS wedding!!!