USGC 17th Internationall Marketing Conference – Day 1

Last week I had the pleasure of Photographing the US Grains Council’s 17th International Marketing Conference at the Hilton Downtown Tampa, Florida. It also happened to be the Council’s 60th Annual Membership Meeting, which made it extra special!

In keeping with Chairman Darren Armstrong’s theme of “Make Something Happen”, members had opportunities to visit directly with the Council’s staff from around the globe, build relationships with them, and deepen their understanding of the critical efforts they undertake for the US grains industry. In addition, Advisory Teams held in-depth meetings, offering the chance to provide recommendations to develop markets, enable trade and improve lives. Plus of course there was an incredible lineup of fantastic speakers, experts, and panels during the general session.

After three long but fulfilling days together, everyone left the meeting with a renewed dedication to the work at hand of promoting coarse grains and ethanol exports for US farmers. And I left with a sense of accomplishment at having faced the many challenges of dark conference rooms and grueling 12-hour days loaded down with camera gear, to come away with a collection of images that truly captured the spirit of the event!

Here are a few favorites from Day 1…

Kristina & Rob at White Point Gardens

Kristina & Rob are the sweetest couple you could ever hope to meet!
 
This past weekend their wedding day finally arrived. Kristina and Rob had planned a beautiful intimate celebration, which they called the “Our Family Will Be There Elopement”. 🙂
 
The ceremony was held at the historic bandstand, also know as The Gazebo, in picturesque White Point Garden down by The Battery. It was a chilly day. But everyone’s energy and love warmed the park, leaving no room for the cold to enter in. Kristina was absolutely BEAUTIFUL in her elegant gown, complete with her mother’s wedding veil. After the ceremony, we had a great time photographing family portraits with all their guests. Then Kristina, Rob, and I took a stroll through the park, along The Battery, and up old historic Church Street towards the reception.
 
The reception was a delightful private dinner at 82 Queen. Tucked away in an upstairs room, the beautiful couple enjoyed a warm reception, a touching toast, delicious food, and lively conversations surrounded by their supportive family and friends.
 
CONGRATULATIONS Kristina & Rob!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together as husband and wife…

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!!!

Carta Million Mile Club

This morning, I had the distinct honor of photographing some of the most amazing drivers in all of Charleston! These individuals have achieved the amazing mile stone of driving our Carta public transportation buses for 1 Million Miles without a single accident!

The same day I photographed these honorees, TransDev (which operates the Carta fleet) also held a press release announcing their acquisition of 3 electric buses. The plan is to eventually transition the entire fleet to electric vehicles!  How cool is that?!?

Moto Photo Mexico Adventure Ep5

Day 1…let the adventure begin!!!

Moto Photo Mexico Adventure Ep4

I’m stressed. I’ve been going non-stop from dawn till…well…REALLY LATE. But I’m getting very close to having everything buttoned up for the Moto Photo Mexico Adventure to begin tomorrow morning.

One big item to check off the list was FINALLY publishing Ep4 in the series! In this video, Jason and I showcase all my camping and travel gear, as well as how I store it on the bike for these fun trips.

Tomorrow the adventure begins!!!  See you in the next video…

Moto Photo Mexico Adventure Ep3

The next installment of Moto Photo Mexico is here!  This one is all about the electronics, gadgets, and technology that I’ll be bringing with me on my adventure.  Only 4 more days to go!!!  🙂

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!!!

Moto Photo Mexico Adventure Ep 2

Episode dos of the Moto Photo Mexico Adventure series is out! This one is all about the farkles and fittings that have helped transform Trinity, my Honda CB500X, into the perfect bike for this amazing trip!!! 🙂

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!!!