Orange Grove Elementary Volleyball

My friend, Erin, is an amazing teacher, a wonderful photographer, and a fantastic coach to her Orange Grove Elementary students! So when she asked if she could hire me to come out and photograph one of their games for her, I jumped at the chance!

I played volleyball in high-school, as well as in intramural competitions at college. Even though I was a setter, I was still too short to play on the team in college…but our intramural teams were still really competitive.  Plus I was already playing on the college soccer and tennis teams! I feel that volleyball, and team sports in general, are truly instramental in developing confidence, structure, discipline, communication, and social skills for young people.

It was great to see the kids out there playing hard and having fun!!!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, ISO 8000 with Lightroom AI Noise Reduction

Sunny Brook Equestrian Team

While visiting family in Troy, Ohio, we had the pleasure of photographing a team photo for the Sunny Brooke Equestrian Center! It was a pretty uggly, gray, and overcast evening. But with a few speedlights and warming gels, we added a little extra punch to create a beautiful portrait for these adorable young ladies!!! Many thanks to Noelle for inviting us to capture it for them!

USGC Board of Directors Meeting in Calgary – Day 3

I had the distinct honor and great pleasure of photographing the US Grains Council’s 63rd Annual Board of Directors Meeting in Calgary Canada this summer!!!

The majority of the conference took place at the Hyatt Regency Calgary. On the final day, new leadership was elected, and a new delegates were added to the Board of Directors.

Here are a few images from Day 3 of this amazing annual meeting…

Iowa Corn Grassroots Summit

I’ve discovered that farmers are the nicest people on the planet!!! So it was with great pleasure that I accepted Shannon’s request to come to Des Moines to photograph the annual Grassroots Summit for the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

Shannon and I met at one of the US Grains Council events that I’ve photographed over the years. She worked with her team in arranging all the details to get me to their event at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeney, just north of Des Moines, Iowa. So I owe her a HUGE Thank You!

Most of the delegates and guests at the event are local farmers. So they were able to drive to the event. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces from photographing other conferences involving the farming and grains communities. To be honest, I’ve begun to think of many of these folks as my friends!

Luckily the weather was absolutely gorgeous, which allowed me to start my coverage with a few drone shots of the venue. When covering such conferences, I like to tell the “story” of the day from start to finish. A few cool establishing shots from the DJI Mini 3 Pro are a great way to do this. Next I switched to a pair of Nikon Z9 bodies, rotating between the Nikkor 14-30 f4 Z, 24-70 f2.8 Z, and 70-200 f2.8 Z as needed. For additional lighting, I brought 6 Flashpoint Zoom Li-On II strobes.

After getting registered, everyone had time to mingle and catch up with one another. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, kicked things off with a fantastic keynote address. There was a delicious luncheon before delagates began debating and discussing various topics. Then Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg raised some fantastic points during his keynote address. After more discussions it was time for dinner. And finally we transitioned into the highlight of the program, the Awards Banquet!

It was a long day, but super fun and rewarding! I hope I get asked back to photograph it again next year!!!

Park, Fire Department, and Library

It was awesome working with Dorchester County PIO, Michelle, again this week!

We photographed updated photos of Ashley River Park, the new Ladson Fire Station, and the soon-to-open North Charleston Library. Everything was captured with Nikon Z9 camera, Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, 24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8 lenses, and DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone.

SCRA 40th Anniversary Headshots

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing updated headshots, a team photo, and other marketing images to help SCRA celebrate their 40th Anniversary!!!

The South Carolina Research Authority is a public, non-profit corporation chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina. Their mission is to fuel South Carolina’s innovation economy by accelerating technology-enabled growth of academia, entrepreneurship, and industry.

Many thanks to Yolanda for helping organize everyone’s schedules!!!

Muro Family on Isle of Palms

It has been such an honor to photograph the Muro Family’s annual reunion on IOP for over a decade! This year, afternoon storms threatened to ruin our photo shoot. But Susan said we should “go for it”…and I’m so glad she did. It was AMAZING to see how big the kids have grown, and to catch up with this beautiful bunch of friendly faces. They always make me feel like part of the family!!! 🙂

MUSC Department of Surgery at The Gaillard

This is the best of the best!!!

It was such an honor photographing this graduation gala in honor of the 9 individuals who graduated from MUSC’s elite specialized surgery department. The event was held at the beautiful Gaillard Auditorium. The graduates and their families were invited to arrive a little early so that I could photograph their formal portraits. As guests began arriving, everyone enjoyed lively conversations and great cocktails in the foyer. We then transitioned to the ballroom for a delicious sit-down diner. And finally, we capped off the the evening with the official awards program.

I had an amazing time and met some incredible individuals that I’ll never forget!!!

* Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 14-24 f4, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Sony XQD cards, DJI Mini 3 Pro, Flashpoint speedlights (x8), Manfrotto supports, Westcott umbrellas, Savage backdrop, and ThinkTank bags *

Olbrich Botanical Gardens

We had an amazing time last weekent, photographing a beautiful destination wedding in Madison, Wisconsin. Since our flight home wasn’t until late the following afternoon, Cami Smith and I spent the morning enjoying the peaceful Olbrich Botanical Gardens before leaving town. What a delight!!!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Nikkor Z TC1.4, Nikon Z30, Nikkor Z 105 f2.8 Micro, Sony XQD cards

AIG Awards Banquet at The Westin Savannah

I love it when the weather forecasters are completely wrong…in my favor! 🙂

Last night I had the pleasure of photographing a fantastic reception and awards banquet for AIG Insurance at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. Earlier that day, I spoke with Erika, the amazing event planner from Destination South. It looked like the cocktail hour on the Harbor Lawn was going to be completely rained out. Luckily, the wet weather went around us…and we had a lovely evening with gentle breezes flowing across the Savannah River.

AIG is the American International Group, a leading global insurance organization providing a wide range of property casualty insurance and other financial services. They offer world-class products and expertise to businesses and individuals in approximately 70 countries and jurisdictions. The organization is committed to using their insights and leadership to not only manage risks, but to make real positive differences in every community they serve.

This reception marked the conclusion of the final full day of informative meetings and insightful presentations. It was fun to see everyone relax and enjoy the company of the new connections and lasting friendships they had made throughout the week!

* DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Nikon Z9 (x2), Nikkor Z 70-200 f2.8, Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Flashpoint flashes (x6), Manfrotto supports, ThinkTank bags, and Sony XQD cards *

Park West Recreation Complex

It was another fun day to be outside, flying the drone, and capturing photos of a fantastic Mt. Pleasant park!

Seamon Whiteside did an AMAZING job, engineering this space to incorporate so many different sports fields. The Park West Recreation Complex has been around for a few years. But they just resurfaced the track and made a few additions. So I was asked to get some updated drone shots and still photos of the facility.  It was fun to see people out enjoying the sunshine!!!

* Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 14-30 f4, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4, DJI Mavic 2 Pro