Stovall Family on Daniel Island

Capturing family moments is always a joy! I had the pleasure of photographing the Stovall Family this week at their stunning home overlooking the marsh on Daniel Island. It had been 8 years since they had family portraits done. But this year was special since their daughter is a rising high-school senior, and they wanted some senior portraits for her. The picturesque setting provided the perfect backdrop for this memorable session, creating a serene atmosphere that showcased the family’s love and connection.

Using my Nikon Z9 paired with the versatile Nikkor Z 24-120 f4 lens allowed me to capture the beautiful details and emotions during our time together. The natural light streaming through the trees was complemented by my Godox AD200 flashe, ensuring every shot was perfectly lit. I utilized a Glow EZ Lock Softbox to soften the light, creating a flattering and warm ambiance that highlighted their amazing smiles.

Throughout the session, we shared laughter and stories, making the experience not just about photography but about celebrating the family bonds. The Stovall Family’s warmth and enthusiasm were contagious, making it a truly enjoyable shoot for me, and making me feel like part of the family. I even kicked the soccer ball around with the boys while we waited for their daughter to change!

I’m grateful for the opportunity to create lasting memories for the Stovalls in such a breathtaking location…preserving these special moments for years to come!

Shannon’s Nursing School Graduation Photos

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and photograph Shannon to celebrate her graduation from nursing school at Emory University School of Medicine. It was an exciting milestone, and I was thrilled to capture this special moment in her life. We explored the scenic backdrop of historic downtown Charleston, where we made stops at the picturesque Joe Riley Waterfront Park, the charming French Quarter, and the iconic Rainbow Row. Each location offered a unique flair that perfectly complemented Shannon’s vibrant personality.

For this session, I relied on my trusty Nikon Z9, renowned for its high resolution and stunning color rendition. The camera pulled out every detail, presenting Shannon in her best light. To enhance the natural beauty of the moment, I occasionally augmented the available light with a Godox V860II speedlight, ensuring that her radiant smile and the scenic backgrounds shone brightly in the images.

Capturing these moments for Shannon was a joy, and I am honored to be part of such a significant celebration. Congratulations, Shannon, on your remarkable achievement! I wish you all the best as you embark on your nursing career.

Gracie’s Senior Portraits at Hampton Park

When my friend Melissa reached out to ask if I would photograph her cousin’s Senior Portraits, I said ABSOLUTELY!!! We’ve known Melissa since the early days when we first moved back to Charleston. She and Cami used to work together at Picture This One Hour Photo and Dennis Munn Photography! Who remembers where THAT was?!? Fast forward and here we are, still connected after all these years. šŸ™‚

I met up with Melissa, Gracie, and her sister at Hampton Park on a beautiful summer evening. Gracie was an absolute joy to work with! It was fun to tap into her energy, excitement, and sense of adventure. Plus it didn’t hurt that she was absolutely gorgeous!!! We moved quickly, and managed to explore the whole park, while still switching into three different outfits. What a pleasure it was to catch up with Melissa, and photograph these beautiful memories of this special time in Gracie’s life!

Everyone say CONGRATULATIONS to Gracie!!! We wish her all the best as she embarks on this next big adventure in life…

Eva’s Bat Mitzvah Portraits

In a few short months, I’ll have the honor of photographing Eva’s bat mitzvah!!!

Bat mitzvah is Hebrew for ā€œdaughter of commandment.ā€ When a Jewish girl turns 12, she has all the rights and obligations of a Jewish adult, including the commandments of the Torah. From that date forward, she takes her place in the Jewish community. This milestone in her life, called a bat mitzvah, is often celebrated with creative projects, meaningful gatherings, a special ceremony and of course a joyous celebration afterwards!

To help commemorate this special chapter in Eva’s life, her beautiful family joined her for a fun photo session at Hampton Park. She’ll be able to use these photos in her announcement cards for her celebration later this year. But more importantly, the whole family will have these wonderful memories preserved for all eternity, as Eva grows from this amazing girl she is today into the even more incredible woman she will become!!!

Muro Family at Wild Dunes Beach

I’ve been photographing the Muro Family at their annual vacations to Charleston for many years. But each year it seems there’s always someone missing. Whether a family member was studying abroad, traveling, or just sick…it we always seem to be missing someone. But this year, we actually had EVERYONE TOGETHER!!!

It was so much fun catching up with the Muro family. They always treat me like family. And photographing their beach portrait session is always a highlight of my summer!!!

Sophia’s Senior Portraits

I had a lovely conversation with Sophia’s mom, who was looking for some fun family photos, as well as senior portratis of her oldest daughter before she headed off to college. We decided to meet at Waterfront Park downtown, exploring the surrounding French Quarter and nearby Rainbow Row. The previous day’s rain had cooled things off nicely. So we ended up with a PERFECT day!!!

Sophia was absolutely stunning! Plus she was on the cheer team. So she was adventurous enough to handle all kinds of fun poses with ease. My favorite is the one from the drone, with her laying down on the cobblestone surface of Middle Atlantic Wharf. Her three sisters were a ton of fun as well. And I could tell Jen and Nick were incredibly proud of all their girls!

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

Darren’s Senior Portraits

I had so much fun photographing Darren’s senior portraits yesterday!

He’s the youngest of three, and a big football star. Between photographing his older sister, Natalie (6 years ago), and his older brother, Daniel (3 years ago), it’s been a real pleasure getting to know this amazing family! Unfortunately, Daniel had to work. But Sheri, Scott, and Natalie joined in the fun, keeping Darren engaged, distracted, and having fun! We started out at White Point Garden for some “Charleston Charm”. Then we headed out to their condo on Isle of Palms for some beach shots and sunset photos.

CONGRATULATIONS Darren!!!

Felder Family on Isle of Palms

Amidst a week of dodgy thunderstorms and opressive heat waves, we lucked out with a GORGEOUS evening for the Felder Family’s annual summer beach portrait session!!!

I have truly enjoyed getting to know this beautiful family. This year, we had a new addition with adorable Anna joining the ranks. She is such a sweetheart! And I loved how she had just dicovered the existance of her tongue…and was happy to show it off to everyone! šŸ™‚ Plus it was a joy to see how much the other kids had grown and developed their own individual personalities.

We had a blast and came away with so many wonderful images to commemorate this year’s fun family reunion.

Muro Family 50th Anniversary Celebration on Isle of Palms

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Muro Family over the last decade or so. They truly are the nicest and kindest people on the planet!Ā  I was together with them when they celebrated their 40th Anniversary. So it was super cool to join them for another fun family reunion in celebration of their 50th this week!!!

Kent Family on Isle of Palms

What a beautiful evening for family portraits on Isle of Palms!!!

I had so much fun meeting and photographing the Kent family at their beach house on IOP last evening! Although they were a little worried about how windy it was, there was no cause for concern. The deck behind their house was sheltered from the wind. So I took advantage of the soft open shade and photographed some “safety shots” there before we headed to the beach. That way all the ladies had a few shots with perfect hair before the wind did its thing. šŸ™‚

I also grabbed a cool drone shot of them on their boardwalk. Then we hit the beach! We had beautiful warm “golden hour” light, a nice high tide, and interesting clouds in the sky for a gorgeous backdrop. Since the wind was blowing in a westerly direction, I faced them into the wind, letting the sun become a “rim” light, and used my off-camera speedlights as the main light. We laughed and joked and came away with a nice variety of great shots to commemorate their time together!

With their kids spread out from New York to Nashville, Al and Kay have made a fun family tradition of getting everyone together each summer to reconnect with one another. I love that!!!

Debi & Scott’s Vow Renewal Photo Shoot

As Debi and Scott began planning their destination vow renewal in Charleston, the most important part was to have all their children together for the weekend! They are a blended family, with adult kids who have sprouted roots all over the country. So to find a date that worked with everyone’s schedules was tough…but they did it!!!

To comemorate this rare occurance, they asked me to spend a couple hours with them and their family, exploring different parts of Charleston, and capturing a wide variety of photographs of everyone together!

Debi & Scott are such an amazing couple! And it was an absolute pleasure to spend time with them and their growing family. šŸ™‚

Hayden Family at White Point Garden

For her birthday this year, Claire asked Doug for an extended family portrait session with her kids, parents, brother, and sister-in-law. We made it happen!

The weather all weekend was predicted to be rainy and overcast. So we pushed the session, originally planned for Saturday morning, to Sunday afternoon. As luck would have it, the rains moved out of town just in time for the sun to come out for our beautiful portrait session!

I met up with everyone at White Point Garden, where we captured a variety of shots with the extended family. After they took off to drive back to Charlotte, I continued on with Claire, Doug, and their adorable girls. We walked up into the old historic parts of town for some cool backdrops with ivy-covered walls, black iron gates, and more!

It was an absolute pleasure helping make Claire’s birthday wish come true!