Dustin’s Surprise Proposal to Ashley at Waterfront Park

I’m SO EXCITED to share a few favorites from Dustin & Ashley’s Secret Proposal this evening!!!

Ashley & Dustin live in Nashville, where they met through mutual friends. Dustin is a manager at Lucchese Boots. Ashley practices law. In fact, she lived in Charleston for a bit while attending the Charleston School of Law. Which is why Dustin thought this would be the PERFECT place to propose!

He began scheming and planned a fun get-away for the two of them to visit the Holy City. She thought it was just a fun get-away so that she could show him all her favorite old haunts. But he had secretly asked her father’s permission to marry his daughter, had talked to all her closest friends to get ideas, had set up a fake Pinterest account so that he could see what kind of rings she liked, and had even contacted me about photographing it!

We spent weeks planning out every detail. Finally the big day arrived…and everything worked out perfect 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Ashley & Dustin! You are a very special couple. I’m so happy that each of you will soon get to marry your best friend!!!

Maisha & Danny’s Folly Beach Wedding

Maisha and Danny were married last week on a beautiful afternoon, in front of a gorgeous beach house, on the delightful island of Folly Beach!

Because Danny is the Executive Chef at a country club in Atlanta, and normally works on weekends, they decided to have their wedding on a Wednesday. Smart! He’s been in enough of his friend’s weddings on the weekend, that he told all of them: “Guess what! I had to take off work for YOUR weddings. Now you get to take off work for mine!”  🙂

Maisha is one of the Atlanta Rollergirls. Let me tell you, these ladies are TOUGH!!! She was telling me about their workouts, and all the injuries they’ve sustained…pretty impressive stuff! But not only is she a powerful young lady…she’s also beautiful! And I mean beautiful both inside and out.

Maisha and Danny, along with their fun and fabulous wedding party, met up with me in downtown Charleston for some cool shots before the ceremony. We started at Waterfront Park, strolled around the French Quarter, and even made it up to Rainbow Row. We had a BLAST!!!  To see the rest of their photos, head over to:  http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/maishaanddanny

Eventually, we headed over to Folly Beach, where the fabulous Rachel of www.eleventsandco.com had everything beautifully decorated. I had to give Rachel a HUGE hug for recommending us to Maisha and Danny. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect couple to work with!

The ceremony was led by Rev. Barbara of One Gal and A Wedding. And the beautiful music was performed by Corinne Gooden.

CONGRATULATIONS Maisha & Danny! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

Kyra & Jake’s Engagement Session

Kyra & Jake met when she started working at an Outback Steakhouse about two weeks before he left for Navy Nuclear Power School. Luckily, he was smart enough to get her number before he left!!! 🙂

They’ve been together about 2 years now. But they still act like they just got together…young, vibrant, and full of love! You can just tell they are a match made in heaven.

I’ve known Kyra for a while now that she manages The Art Mecca of Charleston, a wonderful art gallery in downtown Charleston that sells some of our fine-art images. She’s beautiful, full of life, and a real go-getter! Although I’ve met Jake, we haven’t had the chance to hang out. It was so much fun getting to know him as we explored some cool, iconic areas of downtown Charleston.

Starting out at White Point Gardens, we strolled through the French Quarter. We then went deeper into the hear of the city for a few shots along the historic Chalmers Street. And finally we headed over to the new Dewberry Hotel. The Living Room at the Dewberry is Kyra & Jake’s new go-to hangout spot. We had so much fun, and the staff was fabulous…even bringing them some Champagne for a toast.

To see the full session, visit: http://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/kyraandjake.

It was such an honor spending the morning getting to know with these two AMAZING people! We had a BLAST, and captured some wonderful images to showcase this special time in their lives. CONGRATULATIONS Kyra & Jake!!!

Buss Family at Waterfront Park

Thanksgiving time is a time for family!

This morning it was such a pleasure to meet up with the Buss family at Waterfront Park with that beautiful rising sun, to photograph a fun session together! Here on vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday, it was so much fun showing off our gorgeous city to them. We had a BLAST exploring the beautiful backdrops of the park, the harbor, and the surrounding French Quarter.

Thanks for the good times, Erin, Steve, Audrey, and Owen. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!!!

Elizabeth & Tricia in the French Quarter

Cami & I were so blessed to have Elizabeth Hayes help us with all the financing and paperwork when we closed on our new house two years ago. We can’t recommend her enough to anyone buying a new home! You can find her at Carolina One Mortgage.

It was an honor and a pleasure to meet Elizabeth’s daughter, Tricia, and photograph some mother/daughter portraits for these two. We had a BLAST, exploring all the nooks and crannies of the old historic French Quarter.  We started at Waterfront Park and explored the surrounding area, photographing their fun personalities along the way.

Many thanks to Elizabeth and Tricia for making it such a fun shoot!!! 🙂

A Kiss of Light

I am, and always will be, a student of light!  Most days I can find absolutely gorgeous natural light to work with.  But sometimes a shot needs a little extra “something”.  During this fun shoot with James & Ashleigh and their beautiful daughter, I started photographing this story-telling scene with all natural light.  But the exposure value on Larkin was the same as James & Ashleigh’s.  Even though the shallow depth of field made it clear that Larkin was my main subject, James & Ashleigh were competing for my attention.  So to make them recede even more into the background and make Larkin really pop, I used a single SB-800 on my light stand off to my left to give her that extra lift.  I didn’t pump it up too high…just enough to give her a little extra kiss of light and make her the true centerpiece of the shot.  As always, the remote flash was triggered with a RadioPopper Px remote.  Next time you’re out shooting, try adding a kiss of light to add extra depth to your shot!

Five Year Follow-Up

It’s been about five years since I photographed James & Ashleigh’s wedding.  What a joy it was to bump into them as guests at Ashley & Sherrod’s wedding just a few weeks ago.  And even MORE exciting was the honor of meeting their beautiful daughter and getting to photograph yet another chapter in their lives.  J

Brittainy & Nate at St. Luke’s Chapel

I first met Brittainy & Nate last August.  They are friends of Whitney & Ryan, as well as Amy & Seth, both of whom I photographed their weddings.  So I owe a HUGE thank you to these guys for encouraging Brittainy & Nate to check out our website.  I’m so glad I got a chance to work with them and preserve all these beautiful moments of their special day!  I had SUCH a hard time narrowing down my favorites for the blog!!!  J

Brittainy & Nate were married at St. Luke’s Chapel…one of my favorite churches in town.  I love the dramatic wooden rafters and quaint courtyard.  Brittainy went to MUSC Pharmacy School, so the chapel, which is located on MUSC campus and is affiliated with the school, was a great choice.  Chaplain George Rossi, also of MUSC, did a beautiful job with their ceremony.  Afterwards, Brittainy & Nate made a stop down at Waterfront Park for some really cool portraits.  I LOVE IT when a couple appreciates what I do enough to give me just a few moments alone with them so that we can create something special together!!!  Afterwards we met everyone at Cottage on the Creek for a fun-filled evening reception.  One of my favorites is this last shot of them on the top deck at dusk with Shem Creek below and the dramatic sky behind them.   After watching their Music Video below, head over to www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com to see the rest of their wedding photos, engagement portraits, and Brittainy’s beautiful bridal portraits.

Brittainy & Nate, CONGRATULATIONS!!!  You guys were AWESOME!  I had so much fun on your wedding day and wish you all the best for a beautiful new life together… 



Caldwell Commercial

Though I mostly post my Wedding and Portrait work on here, I shoot a good bit of Corporate/Commercial photography as well.  One of my favorite corporate clients to work with is Caldwell Commercial.  They are a great group of folks, always fun and entertaining to be around.  Plus, Bob (the owner) used to do a bit of professional photography himself back in the film days.  So he and I always have lots in common to talk about.  Here’s a shot I did a few days ago of Cindy, the latest member on their team.

Jody & Gerald are Engaged!

I truly enjoyed hanging out with Jody & Gerald during their Engagement Shoot. I photographed Jody’s sister’s wedding a few years ago. So it’s been a real treat reuniting ties with her family and getting to know her better, and see what a beautiful young lady she’s become. I knew Gerald & I were going to hit it off as soon as I met him with his famous baseball cap. If he could wear that thing at the wedding, he probably would. J He’s so laid back, easy going, and fun to be around. I’m SO EXCITED about being their wedding photographer!!!

Tara & Will’s eSession

I had an AWESOME Engagement Shoot with Tara & Will the other day. Will drove all the way down from Charlotte to make this thing happen. YOU ROCK, Will! It was one of those days that less “adventurous” couples would have called off due to weather…kind of overcast with pockets of rain throughout the day. But Tara & Will were all hyped up to create some unique and dramatic images. I get excited when clients are willing to push the envelope a little bit! Everything just clicked and the three of us knocked this one out of the park! 🙂