McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects and Trident Construction

McMillan Pazdan Smith is a regional, studio-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm. Their purpose is to create meaningful and lasting impact for the good of all. Their goal is to design a better future through thoughtful, creative, and purpose-driven solutions. Serving with integrity has always been at the heart of what MPS is about. Many projects stem from repeat clients, a testament to their focus on design excellence and customer service.

McMillan Pazden Smith recently moved their offices into the brand new and ultra-modern Morrison Yard building in downtown Charleston. One of my favorite clients, Trident Construction, was tasked with the uplift of the new office space. And I was honored to be selected to photograph it for them!

Warehouse 13 for Trident Construction

You might think that photographing an empty warehouse would be kind of boring. On the contrary, it’s actually quite fascinating!!! I had the honor of photographing this brand new massive warehouse outside of Summerville for Trident Construction this week. Being the only person in this giant, empty space was quite overwhelming. But quitely capturing the repeating patterns of the steel beams, and all the graphical elements, without the distractions of fork lifts, workers, or piles of product, was kind of cool. Soon this place will be jam packed with goods, and filled with all the incessant noise that comes along with a busy warehouse in motion….constantly moving product in, out, and around the facility. So it was kind of cool to capture the calm before the storm!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church for Trident Construction

It was an absolute honor to photograph the new Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church on Daniel Island for Trident Construction the other day!

Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the statewide Diocese of Charleston. Established on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, the parish primarily serves Daniel Island and the Cainhoy peninsula, although it’s members come from all over the metro Charleston area. Father West presides over Saint Clare of Assisi. He was born in Charleston during the eye of a hurricane and was raised on Sullivan’s Island, where his family had been members of Stella Maris Parish for five generations.

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8, 400 f4.5, DJI Mavic 2 Pro *

Sullivan’s Island Fire Station for Trident Construction

Who doesn’t LOVE a cool Fire Engine? I mean, every little boy dreams of becoming a fireman when they grow up, right?!? So it was with great excitement I accepted the opportunity to photograph the brand new Sullivan’s Island Fire Station for Trident Construction!

“The $8 million project is nearly two years in the making. Before this renovation, the station was built to the standard of the late 1980s to early 1990s. Fire Chief Anthony Stith says there have been a lot of upgrades since then. The station has features like hurricane-strength windows and siding, bi-fold garage doors that open in seconds, an exhaust system for the trucks in the garage, and industrial washers that remove carcinogens from gear after it’s worn at a fire. The project also built a storage facility behind the fire station to hold the town’s maintenance equipment and extra fire and police items to protect them from the elements.”

Many thanks to Elizabeth and Larry for making this happen!!!

First Baptist Church Learning Center

Trident Construction has been busy building a brand new Learning Center for the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Charleston.

Founded in 1682, the FBC is one of the oldest Baptist congregations in the American South. The church congregation was originally organized in Kittery, Maine (then part of Massachusetts) under the guidance of the First Baptist Church of Boston. In 1696 twenty-six congregants followed Pastor Screven and moved to Charleston after being pressured by the New England Congregationalist authorities. The relocated congregation became the First Baptist Church of Charleston.

Replacing the nearly 70-year old building that used to stand on this site was no easy task. The congregation had to temporarily relocate while demolition made the area unsafe. The new facility includes a welcome center, a nursery, a music room, a library, a preschool, eight classrooms, a conference room, several balconies, and a massive new cafeteria on the third floor that also doubles as an event space. Associate Pastor Walker Maginnis says the facility will house hundreds of students for the First Baptist School, as well as hundreds of congregates on the weekends during worship studies and church services.

Having photographed many brides getting ready for their wedding day in the dark basement “bridal suite” of the old facility, it truly was amazing to see the transformation this new building brings to campus!

Barkley Warehouse for Trident Construction

It was a pleasure photographing the massive new Barkley Warehouse in Ladson for Trident Construction.

Located within the Palmetto Commerce Park, which is one of Charleston’s highest performing industrial hubs, the new facility will offer a Class A industrial environment within close proximity to major economic drivers and a robust surrounding workforce.

It was truly awe-inspiring to be inside the MASSIVE structure before it gets filled with tons (literally) of goods, destined for distribution to all parts of the country!

Kempton Senior Living Facility for Trident Construction

It was a pleasure photographing the Kempton Senior Living Facility for Trident Construction last week!

This was a massive project, right in the middle of a very busy intersection along the cross-town. So I was VERY impressed with how they were able to accomplish the task and make it such a beautiful oasis in the heart of downtown Charleston.

Many thanks to Elizabeth and Nic for all their hard work coordinating schedules and organizing everything for the shoot!

New Pain Specialists Building for Trident Construction

Pain Specialists of Charleston (www.painchas.com) offers the latest, most up-to-date interventional treatments to alleviate and manage back pain and chronic pain. From patients with recent injuries to those who have had multiple surgeries, their board-certified physicians treat a wide variety of painful conditions using innovative, non-surgical treatment approaches.

The incredible team at Trident Construction (www.tridentconstruction.com) recently finished a brand-new state-of-the-art treatment facility for the Pain Specialists of Charleston. Since 1981, Trident Construction has repeatedly earned the trust of our clients, subcontractors, and design professionals. And this project is no exception!

I had the pleasure of photographing the new facility this weekend, as well as a couple shots of their previous building. It was a beautiful day and the light was gorgeous! We had calculated the optimal time for the best lighting, and it paid off. The unique design elements, and attention to every detail in the building process made my job effortless.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for coordinating schedules, and to site supervisor, Bobby, for taking time out of his weekend to open the building for me.

Aerial Photos for Trident Construction

I love my job!!! Sometimes I get to do the coolest assignments.

Yesterday I got to photograph aerial photos for one of my favorite clients, Trident Construction. I’ve done a lot of aerial photos for them with my drone. But we needed a few shots from a higher perspective than the drone legally allows. So we went flying in a helicopter!

Many thanks to Robert at Fly in Helicopters for setting us up, to our pilot Randy for an exceptional flight, and to Elizabeth for helping coordinate and direct the shoot!

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Firefly Distillery for Trident Construction

What a fun coincidence!!! Cami joined some friends for a fun night of music during the Safe Sounds Concert Series at the Firefly Distillery Saturday night. They enjoyed “20 Ride: A Tribute to Zac Brown Band and Natty Grass”. Check it out at www.fireflydistillery.com.

I was bummed that I had a photo shoot and couldn’t join them that evening. But then on Monday morning, I got to photograph the very same new Firefly Distillery for Trident Construction! How cool is that?!? For more information on this awesome team, visit www.tridentconstruction.com.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for all her hard work organizing everything!

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Brighton Park Emergency Center for Trident Construction

Every now and then I get some really cool assignments!

Earlier this week I got to photograph the Brighton Park Emergency Center in Summerville for Trident Construction. It’s pretty neat walking around a major medical facility like that while it’s brand new, and not even open yet! All the X-Ray and CAT Scan machines still had that “new car” smell. I guess for a million-dollar machine, they better smell nice! 🙂

I used a combination of tools to capture the scope of the project. From drone shots with the DJI Mavic Pro to detail shots with the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 mounted on a D850, from natural-light interiors with the Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 to more creative lighting with a few SB-5000 Speedlights, I was able to deliver a wide variety of images to my client.

Many thanks to Elizabeth at Trident for coordinating everything, and to the on-site supervisor, Carl, for giving me access.

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New Projects for Trident Construction

During this COVID-19 lock-down, Cami and I have been extremely grateful to our clients who have continued to keep us afloat by sending assignments our way.

One such client is Trident Construction! Since they are considered an “essential business” their building projects have continued to move forward in spite of the economic downturn. In fact, one job Superintendent told me her schedule has been even busier than usual since this COVID-19 pandemic started! Everyone at Trident Construction has been so fantastic to work with.

Since the governor has told us we’re allowed to continue providing photographic services as long as we can maintain safe social-distancing, photographing these construction projects has been one of those assignments we can still do safely! I get to photograph these beautiful buildings while they are still fresh, clean, and yet unoccupied. I’m either photographing from across the room with wide-angle lenses, or shooting with a drone from hundreds of feet away.

Here are a couple favorites from the Lowcountry Women’s Specialists project and the Berkeley Medical building that I photographed this week.

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