Lucky Shots Tennis Tournament

I’ve been the official photographer of the Volvo Car Open for about 15 years in a row! So it was with great sadness that I received the news that the tournament had been cancelled this year due to the Corona Virus outbreak.

Last weekend I decided to get my “tennis photography fix” by bringing a camera to a local tennis tournament that Cami was playing in. The St. Andrews Tennis Center was hosting their Lucky Shots Tennis Tournament, which they do every year around St. Patrick’s Day. Phil, the athletic director, always does a great job with the tournament. Players come from all over the state to compete. I appreciated him letting me come out and photograph it.

CONGRATULATIONS to all the players for coming out, sharing their enthusiasm, and having an amazing time in spite of the current situation in America!

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Sommer’s Bridal Portraits

One of the hardest things about photographing beautiful bridal portraits is having to wait so long before I can share them!

Now that Sommer and Frank are married, here are a few of my favorite shots from Sommer’s amazing bridal session in the Murray Center at 14 George Street. Her wedding gown is an antique, worn by her mother on her wedding day. It was not only elegant, but also very fragile. This historic interior space above the Spoleto office was the perfect location to showcase the dress, while keeping it clean and safe for the wedding day.

We had so much fun with Sommer and her mom and aunt who came to help. Sommer was absolutely stunning. And the pictures came out incredible!!!

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Sommer & Frank at Greek Orthodox Church of The Holy Trinity

It’s hard to put into words how special it was for us to be a part of Sommer & Frank’s AMAZING wedding celebration at the Greek Orthodox Church of The Holy Trinity!!!  Several years ago, we had the honor of photographing Sommer’s sister’s wedding with Trent at Old Wide Awake Plantation.  Their entire family has become very special to us over the years.  So you can imagine our excitement when Sommer and Frank asked us to photograph their wedding too!

With Sommer working in Japan for much of it, the planning and preparations for their wedding took over a year.  But the Big Day finally arrived…and it was gorgeous!  As the wedding party began getting ready, the excitement in the air was palpable.  I loved all the little details and special moments that made Frank & Sommer’s wedding unique…a first look with her dad, special gifts for the flower girl and ring bearer, the sword ceremony, and a huge wedding party that was so fun and supportive of these two!  The Greek Orthodox ceremony was also unique and afforded so many wonderful photo opportunities.  It’s such a beautiful church anyway…but it’s hard to get a bad shot with such an adorable couple, right?!?  Being a Citadel Grad, the wedding was followed by a traditional sword ceremony, performed by a great group of cadets.  Then it was off to the reception, which was held at the Daniel Island Club.  I love the beautiful “lowcountry” scenery behind the club.  Frank, Sommer, and I took advantage of the setting (and the setting sun) to capture some romantic photos of them.  Then it was inside for the PARTAAAY of the century!  Sommer had warned me to make sure I brought my “Greek dancing shoes”…and she wasn’t kidding!  A grand entrance, a delicious meal, touching toasts, and of course non-stop dancing all night long topped the day off in high spirits!

To see the rest of the photos, visit:  https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/sommerandfrankwedding.  Many thanks to my team, Cami & Robbin, to Lillie at Pop the Bubbly Events, to Cleo at the Greek Orthodox Church, to Erin at Daniel Island Club, to the ladies from Cloud IX Bridal, to Wimberly Fair Designs for the floral arrangements, to The Black Cab Co., to Nick with EPIC DJ, and to all the other friends, family, and vendors who helped make this dream wedding come true!

CONGRATULATIONS Frank & Sommer!  We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin this exciting new journey together!!!

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PGA Media Day

I had the pleasure of photographing the PGA Championships on Kiawah Island back in 2012…before they ejected me for being where I shouldn’t. Some photographers are so annoying, always trying to be creative and trying to capture something unique. Why can’t they all just shoot the same boring images, from the same exact location as the other 50 photographers out there?!? 😉 Luckily, all is forgiven.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being the official photographer for the 2021 PGA Championships Media Day at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. Julius Mason, Senior Director of Public Awareness for the PGA, hosted the press conference. Special guests included former US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, Director of the PGA Championship, Scott Reid, President of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Roger Warren, and Charleston Mayor, John Tecklenburg.

After an excellent presentation, panel discussion, and Q&A session, everyone was invited to a wonderful networking luncheon. With gloved hands and hightened security, the Wannamaker Trophy was placed on a beautiful wooden table just outside the lunch area where I had set up a photo station. It was a lot of fun photographing participants and seeing the excitement in their eyes as the pose with this historic hardware!

I’m looking forward to seeing some awesome golf in 20201!!!

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VCO Media Day

It’s been 20 years since the Volvo Car Open chose Charleston as its new home!!! It’s hard to believe I’ve been the tournament’s official photographer for about 3/4 of that time. What an honor it was to see many of my photos of past champions on display!

To celebrate this milestone, the VCO hosted a Media Day at the beautiful Dewberry Hotel rooftop. Last year’s champion, Madison Keys, was a special guest…as were Mayor Tecklenburg, Tournament Director Bob Moran, Tournament Manager Eleanor Adams, Stephanie Mangini of Volvo Car USA, Helen Hill from the Charleston Visitors Bureau, and Richard Todd who is “The Voice” of the tournament. The event was hosted by America’s sweetheart, former #1 tennis player, Tracy Austin.

After the press conference, tennis demonstration, and networking luncheon, Madison and Tracy got a private tour of the new Meeting Street Academy, where Maddy shared about her new Kindness Wins initiative.

“Madison Keys has a passion for kindness. The 25-year-old American tennis star has made that passion into a mission, launching her new Kindness Wins initiative, a chance for Keys to embrace positivity and provide a platform to spread encouragement both within and outside the world of sports.”

It was a real pleasure being selected to photograph the VCO Media Day! Happy 20th Anniversary to the Volvo Car Open!!!

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Ashley at Lee & Associates

It was a pleasure photographing Ashley this morning at Lee & Associates! Ashley is originally from Ohio, but bounced around through Tennessee and Texas before finally landing in Charleston. She and her husband have been married about a year now. He works for The Citadel. Welcome to a great team, Ashley!!!

Office Headshots

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes peek at the setup I used for photographing headshots in a client’s office today.

The assignment included a Nikon D5, Nikkor 70-200 f2.8, 4 Nikon SB-5000 speedlights, 2 Manfrotto light stands, 2 Westcott umbrellas, and a Lenove laptop tethered to the camera with Adobe Lightroom.

They were a great group and I had a wonderful time working with them!!!

Smith Family in Hiawassee

For the holidays, Cami and I were able to get together with two of my three brothers and their families. We drove up to Dan and Linda’s house in Hiawassee, GA. A day later, my brother Eric and his family from Ohio also joined us there.

We had a great time catching up with everyone, playing games, watching old reruns of Star Wars episodes, and going on fun hikes. It was a fun few days of rejuvenating old family bonds.

The only regret was that our brother, Brian, and his family couldn’t be there. But we were able to Facetime with Brian and my parents while he was visiting them in California!

Allen Family Christmas Photo

I’ve known the Allen family since their kids were knee-high to a grasshopper!
 
It was so much fun catching up with them, and photographing their family Christmas Portrait this year.  This will be the last one before their son goes off to college, which is hard to believe!! Have I really been a professional photographer for THAT LONG?!?  We all had a blast together. They are such a beautiful family. And I particularly enjoyed seeing how grown-up their kids have gotten.
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Everyone…

Victoria Capital Management

Earlier this week I had the honor of photographing the AMAZING team at Victoria Capital Management.

Diane and the rest of the firm had just been featured in Charleston Magazine. And they wanted to commemorate another successful year together by updating their head-shots and team photos. Congratulations to everyone!

If you’re looking for a great financial planner to work with, check them out at www.vcm.us.com. They are the nicest people you could ever hope to work with!

Trident Medical Center at the Francis Marion Hotel

Every year for the last I-can’t-remember-how long, I’ve had the honor of photographing this WONDERFUL holiday party for the Trident Medical Center!

Deborah and her team have created such a warm and festive atmosphere for this event. And they’ve fine-tuned every detail to make it a nun night of celebrating the holidays and celebrating the close of another amazing year of healthcare! Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention her partners at the Francis Marion Hotel, who always do an AMAZING job. Gillian and Ariana are just incredible people, making sure every detail is attended to.

CONGRATULATIONS to the entire staff at Trident Medical Center for another fantastic year!!!

Prioleau Family at Hampton Park

In my younger days, I played on a tennis team at the Maybank Tennis Center with my good friend Jeff. His wife, Toni, is the tennis pro out there. Their son, Ryan, played on the pro tour for a little while. And their daughter, Kristen, now plays out of Maybank.

It was so great catching up with all of them (minus Ryan who lives in the upstate), during their family Christmas photo session at Hampton Park. This was also our first time meeting Kristen’s wonderful husband, Tony, and their beautiful daughter, Charlotte!

We were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, and had so much fun capturing these beautiful memories for our friends.  We love you guys!  🙂