Forty Under Forty

I had a HUGE project this week photographing all 40 winners of the esteemed "Forty Under Forty" for the Charleston Regional Business Journal. This program identifies and recognizes the most promising young up-and-coming leaders of the business community. Each member was asked to bring props for the photo session that would tell something about them, their interests, their hobbies, and their passions. It was an honor to photograph all of them. I particularly enjoyed photographing Nicole Seitz. She's the author of Spirit of Sweetgrass and is also an artist. Check out her blog when you get a chance...what a neat person!

Waterfront Park

Waterfront Park is such a classic "Charlestonian" location. I absolutely LOVE photographing here! The view of the bay, the palmetto trees, the cobble stone streets, and the pineapple fountain are all such perfect icons of our beautiful city. So when one of my FAVORITE clients, Liz Oates with Dixon Hughes accounting, called to set up a photo of the 12 apostles...oops...I mean 12 partners, we decided this would be the perfect location! On a side note, one of the partners wasn't able to make it at the same time as the others...so with a little miracle...uh...I mean magic we added them later! :-)

Stacia & Brandon

This weekend's wedding was simply AWESOME! Since Stacia & Brandon live around the corner from us (LITERALLY!), I've gotten to know them pretty well. We had a fantastic Engagement Session together at Folly Beach and a beautiful Bridal Session at Lowndes Grove. So I knew WAY before this past Saturday that I was going to have a BLAST with these guys! Ring bearer Ethan, was shocked at his squeaky tux button :-), and groomsman Jeff was UNSTOPPABLE! But everything about the day really paled in comparison to how suave Brandon looked and how stunning Stacia was! The wedding was held at Citadel Square Baptist and the reception at Alhambra Hall. This historic church is very photogenic inside and I love shooting here. This image was the LAST one I created before we whisked the couple off to the reception. The warm afternoon sunlight creates an ethereal glow in this huge stained glass window in the balcony that is just STUNNING. Congratulations you guys!!!

P.S. Take a dip in Duns River Falls for me while you're in Jamaica!

A Moment of Anticipation

While Stacia was getting ready earlier in the day, I captured this moment with her sister, Whitney, lacing up her gown. The soft light coming in from the window, the excited expression on Whitney's face, and the diagonal reflection in the mirror all come together to create a moment of anticipation!

Wide-Eyed Wonder

While Whitney laced the dress, flower-girl Libby stared in wide-eyed wonder as Stacia slowly transformed right before her into a real, live fairy-tale princess.

Gone Paddlin'

Last week was my BIRTHDAY! :-) So to celebrate, Cami had planned a canoe trip with our old friends, Byron & Kathleen White. We love planning trips with these two! Kathleen is so organized, Byron is the quintessential "outdoors man", and they both have a fantastic sense of humor and enjoy the great outdoors. We traveled to the Santa Fe River, a clear-water river in Florida that's fed by some 200 underground springs. It's absolutely GORGEOUS! Jim at the Santa Fe River Outpost arranged for our camping spot at Lilly Springs - we had the whole place to ourselves. We spent several days canoeing, snorkeling, and exploring some of the other famous springs along the way. We saw TONS of wildlife...egrets, anhingas, turtles, beavers, hawks, king fishers, wood peckers, ibis, and MUCH MORE. The scenery was beautiful and the dogwoods were in full bloom. All in all, it was an INCREDIBLE adventure and a WONDERFUL get-away!

Tender Kiss

I had the priviledge of photographing Kimberly & Kevin's wedding this past weekend. What an AWESOME time with a WONDERFUL couple! The wedding and reception were held at Taylor's Plantation in Lexington. It was a gorgeous property on a glassy lake surrounded by trees that were literally dripping with Spanish Moss. The ceremony was outdoors on the lawn by the lake...and I must say the weather was PERFECT! Anyway, they had arranged for this really cool vintage Chevrolet to drive the couple off after the ceremony. Just before they headed up the hill to the reception, I grabbed this tender kiss in the rear view mirror. Kimberly & Kevin...thanks for being so much FUN to work with!!!

Do it Different

I've always enjoyed working with Amy Reed at the Charleston Digital Corridor. When she asked me to photograph this assignment covering NanoScreen, she wanted to "do it different". So we had CEO Daniel Dechert sit very still in the foreground, flashed some blue gels in the background, and used a slow shutter speed while some of the employees walked back and forth in the background. They LOVED the image and Nanoscreen instantly became a new client! They've called me to photograph several events for them since then...including the ground breaking ceremony on their NEW facility they built from the ground up! Congratulations on all your success, Daniel!

A Compelling Image

For the past couple of months I've been working on a project for the Charleston Regional Business Journal. It's an assignment I enjoy shooting every year because of the variety of challenges involved. I basically photograph a whole bunch of businesses that will be featured in a special Profiles In Business issue of the publication. The companies could be involved in anything from construction to health care to law to real estate...you name it! Sometimes the photo entails positioning over a hundred employees, a helicopter, and two BMW's on a park in front of the new Arthur Ravanel Jr. Bridge!!! Other times it's just an individual like in this photo for Charleston's only upscale facility of it's kind, V Health Club. I like the clean, bright atmosphere, the negative space, the balance of the bright window on the left with the one on the right, the way the diagonal line of nautilus machines draws your eye to the subject, and how Tracie's colorful outfit contrasts with the neutrality of the equipment behind her. It ALL comes together for a compelling image!

Having a "Grand" Time

I truly LOVE bumping into old friends and former clients at weddings and events that I photograph! It's always a nice surprise to suddenly turn the corner and say "Heyyyy...what are YOU doing here?!?" Anyway, one of my favorite clients is named Grandee. And she owns a business called Grand Ideas, for which I shoot all their product shots and staff photos for their website. Well, at a recent wedding, who should I bump into but Grandee! It was WONDERFUL to see her relaxing and having a "Grand" time on the dance floor. :-)

Friends That Make You Smile

Since I'm always BEHIND the camera, I hardly EVER get my photo taken! Actually, I sort of prefer it that way. :-) But my family has been complaining that they never see any photos of me on the website. Plus, I needed an up-dated head shot for an up-coming article. So I turned to my good friend, Gary, at Coleman Photography. We had a great time poking fun at each other and laughing about how old we looked - HA! First he did a series of head shots for me, then I turned around and took some for him. It's nice to have friends that make you smile...