Trident Construction’s Women in Construction

I recently had the absolute pleasure of photographing promotional and marketing images for the incredible team at Trident Construction right here in Charleston, South Carolina. This shoot was especially meaningful because it centered around their “Women in Construction” campaign—a powerful celebration of the talented women who help drive Trident’s success every single day.

We spent the day on an active construction site in downtown Charleston, capturing bold, confident portraits and candid moments that showcased both professionalism and pride. Photographing these women in their element—hard hats on, boots on the ground, surrounded by steel, concrete, and Charleston skyline—was genuinely inspiring. The energy on site was fantastic, and the team’s camaraderie made it easy to create images that feel authentic and empowering rather than staged.

Trident Construction is an outstanding commercial construction company, and it shows not only in their projects, but in their people and company culture. They were fully invested in telling a story that highlights diversity, leadership, and opportunity within the construction industry, and I loved helping bring that vision to life. You can learn more about their work at www.tridentconstruction.com.

From a technical standpoint, I photographed the shoot using my trusty Nikon Zf paired with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 II, along with a Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 for tighter, dynamic perspectives. To top it off, I captured a few aerial images using the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, adding dramatic context and scale to the final collection.

This was one of those shoots that reminds me why I love marketing photography—great people, a great message, and visuals that truly matter.

Awards Banquet for US Foods Lexington

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Annual Awards Gala for US Foods of Lexington! This year’s event was held inside the Sweetgrass Inn at Wild Dunes Resort, and once again, it was an unforgettable evening. This high-society banquet brought together an incredible group of professionals to celebrate excellence, leadership, and achievement within the organization. The atmosphere was elegant, energetic, and full of well-deserved recognition.

One of the highlights of the evening was the special awards presentations led by the new president of US Foods Lexington, Steve Boggan. His remarks set a thoughtful and inspiring tone for the night, making the celebrations feel both meaningful and forward-looking. From heartfelt speeches to candid moments of celebration, the event offered no shortage of powerful storytelling opportunities through my photography.

To document the gala, I worked with a dual-camera setup to ensure I could capture every moment in rapid succession. I used a Nikon Zf paired with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 II for versatility and beautiful low-light performance, alongside a Nikon Z9 with the Nikkor Z 70-180mm f/2.8 for tighter compositions during presentations. For dramatic, super-wide room shots that showcased the scale and elegance of the venue, I occasionally swapped in the Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4. Lighting was key for this event. I strategically placed six Godox V860II remote flashes around the room to create consistent, flattering light, while a Godox V480 on each camera provided flexibility for on-the-move moments.

Plus my good friend, Gary, set up a fantastic Portrait Station, where guests could get their couple’s photos taken.  He used an elegant silver sequin backdrop, beautifully lit by two Godox AD200 flashes in soft boxes.  He shot tethered with a Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 lens.  The workhourse DNP printers pumped out 5x7s, which were then mounted in black folios, and placed on tables for guests to take home as their party favors at the end of the evening!

This marked my third year photographing the Annual Awards Gala for US Foods Lexington, and it is always an absolute pleasure working with their team. I’m grateful for their continued trust, and am already looking forward to next year’s celebration!!!

A Day in the Life of Charleston County Schools

I had the pleasure of photographing a day-in-the-life of the Charleston County School District (CCSD). It was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on this year! As a Charleston-based photographer with over 25 years’ experience, I’m used to capturing moments across industries. But documenting learning, curiosity, and joy in CCSD’s classrooms felt especially meaningful. CCSD — a nationally accredited district serving roughly 50,000 students across 88 schools over 1,300 coastal square miles — offers a remarkable blend of urban, suburban, and rural communities. That unique diversity came through in every frame!

My assignments included candid portraits of students engaged in hands-on science experiments, collaborative small-group work, art lessons, extracurricular activities, and teachers guiding discovery with contagious enthusiasm. I aimed to capture authentic moments that communicate the district’s commitment to equitable, high-quality education and the vibrant programs they offer. Working with the students and staff was effortless; their openness and energy made it easy to create playful, photojournalistic images, perfect for promotional use.

Beyond the technical work, I appreciated the opportunity to support CCSD’s marketing goals by producing visuals that tell their story: energetic classrooms, supportive teachers, and students thriving academically and socially. I’m grateful for the district’s trust and for the chance to shine a light on the people and programs making a real difference in our community. I look forward to sharing the final images and collaborating on future projects that celebrate Charleston’s educators. If you’re with an organization seeking authentic and engagine imagery, I’d love to connect and discuss.

Groundpoint Real Property Management

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing headshots and marketing images for Nichole and Travis, and I couldn’t have asked for a better session. Nichole is a longtime property manager with years of experience, and together with her husband Travis, she’s launching their own real estate property management group here in the Lowcountry. Their new venture, RPM Groundpoint is built on professionalism, trust, and a clear passion for what they do.

We met up at the beautiful Joe Riley Waterfront Park, which offered the perfect backdrop for a clean, modern, and approachable look. The cobblestone streets, soft greenery, black iron gates, and open walkways gave us plenty of variety while keeping the focus right where it belongs…on Nichole and Travis. From polished headshots to more relaxed marketing images, we were able to capture photos that feel both professional and genuine.

Nichole and Travis were a joy to work with…easygoing, confident, and clearly excited about this next chapter in their business. That energy always makes a session more fun and helps create natural, authentic images. From a technical side, I used my trusty Nikon Zf, paired with the Nikkor 70–180mm f/2.8, along with an off-camera Godox AD200, modified with an EZYbox softbox, mounted to a Manfrotto light stand. I used the overcast natural light to establish the exposure, then added the off-camera flash to create depth and dimention.

We had so much fun that we stood around and just chit-chatted for 10 minutes after the shoot. Overall, it was a fantastic shoot with two great people, who I can now call my friends. I’m excited to see their new business grow!

Gracie’s Senior Portraits at Hampton Park

When my friend Melissa reached out to ask if I would photograph her cousin’s Senior Portraits, I said ABSOLUTELY!!! We’ve known Melissa since the early days when we first moved back to Charleston. She and Cami used to work together at Picture This One Hour Photo and Dennis Munn Photography! Who remembers where THAT was?!? Fast forward and here we are, still connected after all these years. 🙂

I met up with Melissa, Gracie, and her sister at Hampton Park on a beautiful summer evening. Gracie was an absolute joy to work with! It was fun to tap into her energy, excitement, and sense of adventure. Plus it didn’t hurt that she was absolutely gorgeous!!! We moved quickly, and managed to explore the whole park, while still switching into three different outfits. What a pleasure it was to catch up with Melissa, and photograph these beautiful memories of this special time in Gracie’s life!

Everyone say CONGRATULATIONS to Gracie!!! We wish her all the best as she embarks on this next big adventure in life…

Brandy & Dan’s Hampton Park Engagement Photos

WOW!!! What an amazing sight greeted me at Hampton Park when I arrived for Brandy & Dan’s engagement session. The rains had just passed through Charleston, the sun was out, and a gorgeaous rainbow stretched across the sky!

Brandy & Dan arrived shortly thereafter. And we had an AMAZING time exploring the park, getting to know each other, and creating beautiful images together. As we returned to our cars, we realized there was a great chance for a brilliant sunset. So we zipped over to Brittlebank Park to capture a few dramatic silhouettes against that colorful sky!

CONTRATULATIONS Brandy & Dan! I can’t wait to be there for you guys on your wedding day!!!

Center for Birds of Prey – Why Use Off-Camera Flash?!?

I frequently get asked: “Why do you use flash for outdoor portraits?” There are a ton of variables that I evaluate before starting a photo shoot. But paramount to them all is the QUALITY of the lighting. Whenever possible, I seek out beautiful natural light. For outdoor portraits, “open shade” is one of my favorites to work with. For indoor portraits, I look for soft “window light” to work with. But when the location is surrounded by trees, creating a gloomy greenish-blue color cast to the light, I pull out the flashes. If I don’t have beautiful natural light to work with, I create my own with speedlights!

That’s what happened in this photo session at the Charleston Center for Birds of Prey. In the first test-shot, you can see how muddy and unflattering the natural light is. Because we were in a clearing surrounded by trees, the only available light is coming from directly above Angelina, creating those sunken “racoon eyes” and a hotspot on her nose. So I mounted a Flashpoint eVolve 200 Pro in a large softbox on a Manfrotto light-stand, and placed it about 30-decgrees off to her left (the camera’s right). This gave me a fantastic directional main light, which created a soft contour to her face, cleaned up the skin color, and produced a nice catch-light in the eyes. Then I mounted a Flashpoint Zoom LiOn II on another Manfrotto light-stand, and covered it with a CTO (Color Temperature Orange) gel, which mimicks the color-balance of the late-afternoon setting sun. This speedlight was positioned behind the subject, aimed at the back of her hair, in a cross-light pattern opposite the main light. The result is a warm rim-light, which gave a golden glow to her beautiful hair, and helped separate her from the background.

Now that I had the lighting the way I wanted it, I mounted the Nikon Zf with the 70-200 f2.8 Z lens and a Flashpoint wireless trigger on a Manfrotto tripod…and the rest is magic!!!

The nice part about using this lighting setup is that it’s consistant and repeatable! Next time I show up to photograph a new staff member, whether it’s an overcast day or a bright sunny day, it doesn’t matter…the light hitting my subject will always be the same.

Charleston County School District Office

The Charleston County School District had their office at 75 Calhoun Street pressure washed and professionally cleaned this week. It was looking so good that they asked me to come down and photograph some drone shots and detail photos of it for them. Using The Photographers Ephemeris, I calculated the optimal time when the beautiful late afternoon sunlight would hit the building and make it shine. Then I headed down and captured a variety of shots to showcase the building!

(DJI Mavic 3 Pro, Nikon Zf, Nikkor Z 24-120 f4)

Retirement Ceremony Honoring Major Alexandrea Richards, United States Air Force

It was an absolute honor to be the official photographer at Major Alexandrea Richards’ Retirement Ceremony.

With countless awards and commendations to her name, Major Richards has dedicated her life in service to her country! A beautiful ceremony, honoring her accomplishments, was held at The Charleston Club on Joint Base Charleston. She was surrounded by close colleagues, family, and friends. She will certainly be missed. But it’s time for her to begin a NEW chapter in her life!

CONGRATULATIONS Major Richards! And thank you for your service!!!

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Nationals Park Reception

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to represent their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washington Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Day 2

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to represent their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agriculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washington Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!

NASDA Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C. – Day 1

I had the pleasure of getting to know Amelia when she worked for the US Grains Council. Since then, she has taken on a new role as the Associate Director of Events & Member Engagement at the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), which she absolutely loves. I was so humbled and honored when Amelia remembered me, and reached out to see if I would fly to Washington D.C. to photograph their Annual Winter Meeting!!!

“At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, we enhance American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. As a unified voice representing all 50 states and four territories, NASDA is a leader and problem-solver for our nation’s most pressing agricultural issues. NASDA members champion U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers by bridging the gap between the farm and policy, representing the interests of everyone in the food supply chain and opening doors to new markets.”

This winter conference was held at The Conrad Hotel in downtown Washington D.C. Departments of Agriculture in all fifty states, plus four U.S. territories, make up the membership of NASDA. With these commissioners, secretaries, or directors of each department coming together to representative their state, this was an important meeting. I was particularly impressed with SC Commissioner Hugh Weathers, who opened the Plenary Session with a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. Keynote speakers included U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Representative Angie Craig, and the Honorable GT Thompson. But the most notable guest speaker was Brooke Rollins, who took over as the 33rd US Secretary of Agirculture in February. And of course NASDA CEO Ted McKinney stayed extremely busy throughout the meeting. I closed out my coverage of the event with a wonderful reception at Washingtin Nationals Park Baseball Field, which was pretty cool!!!