Abby & David’s Wedding at The Millstone

I grew up in Zaire, now known as the Congo (DRC). So did my friend Beth. Now imagine my excitement one day when Beth sent me a message that they were visiting her son and his fiance and wanted to know if I was available to photograph their wedding!?!

Abby & David tied the knot last weekend at The Millstone. Filled with natural landscaping, the grounds at the Millstone was the perfect spot for their celebration! Located just outside Johnson City, TN, the mill itself has been restored into a stunning venue, while still preserving the history and charm that has been a part of this farming community since 1811.

Abby was absolutely stunning in her fairytale wedding gown! I loved her elegant poise, kind eyes, and gentle soul. David looked really sharp in his plum suit and floral tie.  He’s got an easy-going personality, an inviting smile, and an amazingly creative spirit.  They both wore matching sneakers…which is something they’ve done since they started dating!

The wedding ceremony was made extra special with Abby’s brother, Landin, who is in seminary, leading the vows. Plus, David’s grandfather, who we lovingly call by his African nickname, “Babu”, led the unity ceremony and prayed a blessing over the beautiful couple. The sun was out. The bird’s were singing. Abby and David were enveloped withinin the love and support of their closest friends and family. It truly was a special day!

After the ceremony, a delightful reception was held inside the old restored mill. Food, drinks, dancing, mingling, cake, toasts, and a grand departure…they had it all. I have to confess, it was difficult to contain the lump in my throat during the heartfelt toasts. When those emotions welled up around the room, it was a clear sign to me that Abby & David are truly and deeply loved!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Abby & David! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together as husband and wife…

Park, Fire Department, and Library

It was awesome working with Dorchester County PIO, Michelle, again this week!

We photographed updated photos of Ashley River Park, the new Ladson Fire Station, and the soon-to-open North Charleston Library. Everything was captured with Nikon Z9 camera, Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8 lenses, and DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone.

Sanja for State Farm

I’d like you to meet Sanja! She is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovena, that beautiful country in the Balkans, along the Adriatic Sea.

Sanja’s family moved to the US when she was still young. And she has taken the world by storm ever since! She’s won all kinds of fitness and body-building competitions…meeting her handsome husband at the gym along the way. 🙂 And she’s been very successful in her business ventures. Her most recent move is opening a new State Farm insurance agency off Orleans Rd!
It was a pleasure meeting Sanja today, photographing some new headshots and marketing photos. I look forward to following her story as she builds her new business in West Ashley. Let’s show her some encouragement and well-wishes!!!

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…

Cyrus Family at the Ocean Course

It’s hard to believe how time flies!!!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was photographing the Cyrus family for the first time. Back then, Mason was only a year old! Fast forward to this year’s 5th annual family beach session with this amazing family…where Emma has joined the family, and the kids are growing like crazy!!! 🙂

I had so much fun catching up with everyone at The Ocean Course. It’s become a family tradition. And I can’t wait to carry our annual get-together onto next year…

Stacey & Parker at the Isle of Palms Exchange Club

Parker’s email said “When we were evaluating the IOP Exchange Club as a venue for our wedding, we searched for pictures online and found a recent wedding you had photographed there…which opened our eyes to the possibilities!”

I’m so glad Stacey & Parker found those photos. And I’m so glad they ended up hiring me for their wedding!

Stacey and Parker live in Carmel, Indiana. Their first meeting was a pandemic-inspired date the day after Thanksgiving of 2020. They had met online and decided to get together for a brief outdoor walk, bundled in full winter gear. Eight miles later, they both knew that something special was a real possibility. They’ve been together ever since!!! Parker proposed to Stacey on New Years Day. 🙂

This adorable couple have family and friends that live on Isle of Palms. They visit the area regularly. They love it here, and hope to retire on IOP one day. So they decided to have a nice intimate wedding with their families and a few close friends. It was absolutely delightful! And I’m so honored they asked me to be a part of it!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Stacey & Parker! We wish you all the best as you begin this new journey together…

Lamson Family at The Sanctuary

The Lamson family is a lot like mine…all spread out. In fact, some of them live in another country on the other side of the planet! But they all decided to vacation together on Kiawah Island this summer. So I was honored that they asked me to come out and capture this special time of “togetherness” for them!  🙂

Vida Family on Kiawah Island

What a lovely evening for a beautiful beach session with the Vida Family!!! I had so much fun playing with Andrew & Diana’s adorable kids, and capturing these family memories for them at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. This was their first vacation together to the low-country. And I hope it won’t be their last!

Anniversary Model Shoot

18 months ago, I had the honor of photographing Frank’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Then a year ago I had the pleasure of capturing all the wonderful moments of their amazing wedding. Fast forward to this week and Frank booked a fun Anniversary Shoot for Lea!!! He had purchased a gift certificate from us and given it to her on their anniversary. What a great gift idea, right?!?

We scheduled the photo shoot at Pixel Studios, which has a wonderfully creative vibe to it. LeRoy, the owner, is a longtime friend. He made sure everything was all set up and ready to go. Lea arrived early so that the amazingly talented hair and make-up artist, Erika Paola could do her magic. Then it was time to get in front of the lights and camera!

We had a blast transforming Lea into a model for the day…capturing a wide variety of studio portraits for her. She looked AMAZING!!!

Dorchester County Marketing Photos

This has been a busy year for Dorchester County! With the new fire station, new ems vehicles, new mobile command station, all kinds of new streets and road repairs going in, and of course new employees constantly joining their growing team…I’ve been busy! It’s been a pleasure working with Michelle, the county’s Public Information Officer, to come up with new marketing photos to help promote transparency and keep their constituents informed of what’s been going on. A highlight of this week’s assignment included headshots of the Command Staff at the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office! Michelle works really hard and does an amazing job. I’m honored to be part of her team!!!

Schiff Family on Kiawah Island

It has been such a pleasure to photograph the Schiff Family on Kiawah Island last night! Several years ago, Debbie & Russel started a wonderful tradition of having portraits made of them with their grandchildren. This year, we met at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island on a beautiful summer evening. It was so much fun catching up with everyone and playing with their beautiful grandkids again!!!

Anna and Christian at The Citadel Beach Club

Anna went to Charleston Southern University and now works with Coastal Kids Dentistry.  Christian is currently stationed with the Army on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  They went to the same high-school, but didn’t really hang out together at first because they were both dating different people.  When those relationships ended, they started hanging out in group of singles where Anna & Christian made a real connection with each other.  They started dating…and the rest is history!

Christian’s family is originally from Pittsburg.  But they moved to Summerville years ago, which is where Anna and Christian ended up meeting at school.  Anna’s family is full of educators.  Her mom is a math teacher.  And her  grandfather is a retired Citadel professor in the Education department.  Plus Anna’s dad is a Citadel alumni.  So it was quite fitting that they had their ceremony at the beautiful Citadel Beach Club!

It was a gorgeous summer day, albeit a little hot outside.  But that didn’t stop everyone from coming out and celebrating the love Anna & Christian have for each other!  Anna was absolutely stunning in her cathedral-length wedding gown, complete with long flowing veil.  Christian was smartly decked out in his blue suit and bowtie.  The ceremony was heart-felt.  And the reception afterwards was a joyful celebration like no other!!!

Many thanks to Anna’s mom for all her hard work and planning, to  Jessica at Lowcountry Weddings for keeping everything organized, to Pastor Eric for the touching ceremony, Chris at Country & Lace for the floral arrangements, Flavours of Charleston for the delicious food, Mikey Lee for rocking the awesome tunes all night long, and all the other vendors who helped make Anna & Christian’s day a huge success!

CONTRATULATIONS Anna & Christian!!!  We wish you all the best as you begin this beautiful new journey together…