Product Photography for GSC Power Division

I’m not a grease monkey. And I’m not really into cars. But I do find the technology and mechanics that go into these amazing machines absolutely fascinating!

So it was with great excitement that I took the assignment to photograph some custom high-performance engine components for GSC Power Division. From cam shafts to exhaust valves to valve springs…there were so many cool pieces to the puzzle that needed to be captured. It was like photographing tiny works of art carved out of blocks of titanium, bronze and steel!

I set up shop in a corner of the company’s headquarters in North Charleston. I had my Nikon D5 with 105mm Micro lens tethered to the laptop, allowing the art director to see what I was shooting as we collaborated to get the best shots. Lighting was provided by 4 Nikon SB-5000 Speedlight flashes on Manfrotto stands with various Westcott light modifiers.

Many thanks to Greg for bringing us in on this project, and to Audrey for lending her creative eye to the shoot!

Headshots for CTA

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the newest team member at Corporate Tax Advisors. CONGRATULATIONS to Liz!  The really cool part is, Liz is a friend of mine. I’ve known her for many years! In fact, she was instrumental in getting me in the door at several of the previous firms she worked for!!!

We met up on Daniel Island when she had a break between meetings. It was chilly and windy…but the sun was out and the lighting was gorgeous! So we decided to go for it. I’m so glad we did. It was so much fun catching up with Liz and capturing these beautiful images for her new firm to use in their marketing material.

All shots were made on the Nikon D5 with the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VR. I used an SB-5000 Speedlight off-camera to create a little rim light in some cases, or a little fill light in others. The flash was placed on a Manfrotto light stand, shooting through a 24″ EZY Box softbox.

Many thanks to Liz for bringing me in on another great photo shoot!!!

Art Installation for Addison de Lisle

Thanks to the kind referral from my friend Leigh Webber, I had the pleasure of photographing something really cool and unique the other day!

Addison de Lisle, who is the Professor of Blacksmithing at American College of the Building Arts, was commissioned by the Unitarian Church of Charleston to create a unique piece to go in their sanctuary. He came up with this stunning beauty!

I got to be there on the day it was revealed and installed at the church. Using a Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 lens and 4 off-camera SB-5000 flashes in various configurations, I captured a number of shots of Addison’s artwork for his portfolio. We photographed it in various locations around the sanctuary. I also set up a gray seamless backdrop by Savage for a few studio portraits of it.

It was really neat to see and photograph Addison’s sculpture. Well done sir!!!

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Moffett & Kevin’s Wedding at The Gaillard

Last weekend I had the pleasure of helping my friend and amazing photographer, Josie Strong, cover Moffett & Kevin’s wedding at The Gaillard Auditorium. Check out Josie’s beautiful work at www.josiestrong.com!

Moffett & Kevin actually had TWO wedding services. They had a Sikh wedding, followed by an Indian style cocktail hour. Then they had a Catholic wedding, followed by a traditional wedding reception.

It was a long day.  But Josie and I had so much fun working together,  getting to know this beautiful couple, and capturing their amazing day!

Majernik Family at Rainbow Row

Vacationing in Charleston from Bloomington, IL, is a smart thing to do in the middle of January! Although it was only 55-degrees when I met up with Matt & Liz and their kids, they said it was only 25-degrees back home!!! 🙂

We had so much fun laughing and playing as we strolled along Rainbow Row and that historic downtown area of Charleston. We discovered lots of colorful backdrops. The kids were absolutely adorable. And we came away with some beautiful images of their family to commemorate this trip to Charleston!

Many thanks to Matt & Liz for allowing me to be a part of their family for the day…

How We Keep Caldwell Commercial’s Team Photo Up To Date

Many of our business clients are looking for the most efficient way to keep their staff’s group photo and individual headshots up to date. In today’s hectic world, it can be difficult to schedule a new group photo every few months whenever a new member join the team!

Luckily, we’ve got a great system in place that makes it quite painless for our clients. We start with an existing group photo. Then, every time one or two new people join the team, I come out to photograph their headshots. While I’m there, I also take an individual full-length photo. This photo is then sent off to our amazing Retouching Lab, where one of the Retouching Artists inserts them into the original group photo, replacing anyone who may have left in the interim. Since I use the exact same lighting, camera, and settings for the individual shots as I did on the original group shot, everything matches up perfectly and nobody can tell the difference!

This system isn’t for everyone. But for many of the smaller businesses we work with, it’s the perfect solution.  It allows them to keep their website and social media channels up to date without all the hassle of re-shooting the group photo quite as often.

^^^ Before ^^^

^^^ After ^^^

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Last Photo Shoot of 2020

My last photo shoot for 2020 took place yesterday. I couldn’t have asked for a more fun and friendly group of ladies to work with!!!

I met up with the 5 doctors of Mt. Pleasant OBGYN at the Dodds-Durst House across from the East Cooper Medical Facility. The property has a traditional old plantation house and a beautiful grove of live oak trees just covered with Spanish moss! We had so much fun capturing a variety of great images for them to use in their upcoming 2021 marketing campaign.

If you’re lookig for a fun, friendly, and creative photography team to help with your headshots, group photos, or marketing images for the New Year, let us know. We’d be delighted to help you start 2021 off with a bang!!!

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Michelle & Marquette at Charleston School of Law

To commemorate her graduation from the Charleston School of Law, Michelle & Marquette had me photograph a fun portrait session near the school campus!

I’ve known Michelle for a long time. She was so kind in hiring me to be the photographer for the South Carolina Community Loan Fund when she was the manager there. They’ve been such great clients! And I hate to see her leaving. But Michelle is moving on to bigger and better things.

CONGRATULATIONS Michelle!!! I know how proud Marquette and the rest of your family are of your accomplishments. We wish you all the best as you continue spreading your beautiful energy and positive influence wherever you go.

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Headshots in a Breakroom

This morning I had the pleasure of photographing headshots in a breakroom.

No, seriously, it was awesome!!! I’ve been photographing headshots for Elliott Davis for a number of years now. And I normally get stuck in a tiny office down a dark hallway. But with Covid causing most of the staff to work from home, the building was eerily empty. So I got to set up in their big, bright, beautiful breakroom instead! 🙂

1 Nikon D5 with 70-200 f2.8 lens
4 SB-5000 speedlights
2 Manfrotto light stands
1 Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod
2 Westcott 60″ umbrellas
1 Lenovo Yoga 940

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Beavers Family at The Biltmore

About 6 or 7 years ago I had several delightful beach photo sessions with The Beavers Family during their vacations to Charleston.

Even though it’s been a few years, I was ecstatic when I saw Christi’s email asking if I was available to photograph their family again this year. Knowing how much fun they were, I jumped at the chance. The icing on the cake was, they wanted to do it at a gorgeous location in Asheville! How cool is that?!?

Their family had season passes and arrived early to tour the mansion, which had recently been decorated for the holidays. After their tour, I met up with them at Guest Services, where we began exploring the grounds together. It was so cool to see how grown up Christi’s kids had gotten. Plus it was a pleasure meeting her sister, Tammi, who brought her adorable daughter. To round out the ensemble, the grandparents joined in as well!

We had an absolute BLAST, and came away with a huge variety of wonderful images to commemorate this time in their lives! THANK YOU, Christi for all your hard work coordinating this amazing experience!!!

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Holmes Family at Timbers Kiawah

It’s been a whole year since I saw the Holmes Family. I’m always AMAZED at how fast kids grow up!!!  🙂

It was so much fun catching up with them at their home-away-from home. The Timbers on Kiawah Island is an absolutely breathtaking location. It has so many great backdrops and photo opportunities. Plus when you add three adorable kids, two proud parents, and two doting grandparents…it’s a recipe for beautiful family portraits!!!

Join me in wishing this wonderful family a Happy Thanksgiving as they spend this special time together…

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Jason’s Bar Mitzvah at KKBE

After numerous ups and downs, twists and turns, uncertainty and doubt, Jason was finally able to pull of his incredible Bar Mitzvah last weekend!!!

It may not have been the big party they originally envisioned. But Jason’s amazing parents, Jen & Gabe, worked diligently to make his coming-of-age a very special one! After all, a man only turns 13 once in his life. And just because there’s a pandemic going on doesn’t mean time stands still! So this past weekend, Jason was finally able to assume his religious and legal obligations under Jewish law.

Jason’s celebration was held at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue, which was founded in 1749, and is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States! It’s an absolutely stunning sanctuary that has recently undergone a beautiful renovation project.

In keeping with social distancing guidelines, only immediate family and grandparents were in attendants. However, a team of specialists were able to arrange it so that all Jason’s family and friends could still attend remotely. Even his Rabbi Stephanie Alexander and Music Minister Robin Shuler were present via the wonders of modern technology.

Many thanks to Sha Sha and her team at Loluma for making dreams come true.  Much appreciation goes to Mark Swick for opening the synagogue and making sure everything went smoothly.  As always, it was a pleasure to be working with my friend and incredible videographer, Ben Hough.  And a HUGE shout out to Jason’s brother, Matthew for his amazing performance during the ceremony!

Congratulations and mazel tov, Bar Mitzvah!!!  You are an INCREDUBLE human being, Jason!  I can’t wait to see what great things you will accomplish in your future.

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