Breanna & Logan’s Surprise Proposal on Middle Atlantic Wharf

For over two months now, Logan and I have been secretly planning his surprise proposal to his sweetheart, Breanna!

These two beautiful souls started dating when they were just 15 years old. And when you find your soulmate, you hold onto them, right?!? That’s why Logan decided it was time to ask Breanna to spend the rest of her life with him!

After fretting about the weather all week with Hurricane Michael bearing down on us, the big day finally arrived. And WOW, did we end up with a gorgeous day after all!!! I arrived at our planned location early and hid myself out of sight. Right on cue, Logan expertly guided Breanna to the exact spot, dropped to bended knee, and asked for her hand in marriage. In my dark hiding place, I had to fight back the tears so that I could stay focused on capturing the big event!

In life, we are each given a handful of rare moments that take our breath away and fill our hearts with pure joy. This was one of those moments for me.

CONGRATULATIONS Breanna & Logan! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

Blandford Family at Waterfront Park

Some days the work of a photographer is a real challenge…fighting the light…fighting the wind…fighting the heat…struggling to make a connection with your client. But last night’s fun shoot with the Blandford Family was the EXACT OPPOSITE!!!

I met up with everyone at Waterfront Park just as the warm glow of “Golden Hour” started to wrap it’s pretty light over our beautiful world. The mid-day heat had dropped to a pleasant and cozy temperature. And there was a wonderful coastal breeze blowing off the water.

I had so much fun getting to know the Blandfords as we walked around the park and explored the old French Quarter. They are such a great family…full of energy and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed getting to know them as they shared about their lives. We came away with some delightful images for them to commemorate their trip to Charleston! 🙂

Paul’s Secret Proposal to Amber at White Point Garden

When Amber & Paul were trying to figure out if they wanted to move to Charleston, one of the places they fell in love with was the picturesque Waterfront Park.

It was the PERFECT spot for Paul to ask Amber to be his wife!!! So he and I hatched a sneaky plan to entice Amber to the dock at the southern tip of the park, where he would pop the big question, and I would capture the amazing moment! 🙂

Arriving at the spot early, I was delighted that the dock was empty, and the lighting was perfect! Spotting Paul as he and Amber walked hand-in-hand down the path towards me, my palms got sweaty and my heart quickened. Would she follow him to our planned spot? Would she spot me sitting there, pretending to read a map? Would a stray tourist walk in front of me and block “the shot”?

All my fears for for naught. Paul expertly guided her to our designated location. Everything worked out beautifully. And Amber said “YES”!!! 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Amber & Paul! You two are such an AMAZING couple! It was such an honor for me to be a part of this special day with you!!!

To see more of their images, visit:  https://chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/amberandpaul

P.S. Funny side story…my friends and amazing photographers, Valerie & Ed, showed up shortly after the proposal. They had just photographed another couple getting engaged on the other end of the park. Love is in the air! CONGRATULATIONS to their couple as well!!!

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.