St. Augustine

I made it to St. Augustine, FL yesterday. I had no idea what a cool place this was! Steeped in history, it's the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. The first Christian worship service held in the continental United States was a Catholic Mass celebrated in St. Augustine. Martín de Argüelles, the first child of European ancestry to be born in the continental United States was born here. The list of firsts goes on. But aside from its history, this place is a very photogenic city. The St. Augustine Lighthouse, constructed between 1871 and 1874, offers a rare view of the ancient city.

Head Shots

I really enjoyed meeting Alvin today. He's a very interesting individual! He's an Entomologist...how many of THOSE do you know...and he loves to travel. He's even been to a couple countries in Africa. So we had many things in common - like an interest in little critters and seeing the world! :-) But more than that we shared a similar perspective on life and a kindred desire to live it to its fullest. Even though Cami & I are wedding and event photographers on the weekend, we shoot a lot of professional head-shots during the week. I'm thankful to have met Alvin and that our life journeys crossed paths today when he came in for his head-shot!

Amanda & Johnny's Storybook

We just shipped Amanda & Johnny's Journalist Storybook to them and got the most WONDERFUL response! :-)

"I received my photo album in the mail last night and it is AMAZING!! Thank you and Cami both for all your hard work from beginning to end...y'all rock! "

Sandra Ericksen Design

Sandy Ericksen and I have been working together for many years now. She is so creative, attentive to details, and always does such beautiful work. It's always a pleasure to photograph homes that she has put her magic spell on. :-) Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with her again, photographing all the interior design she had done for a new client. The home was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. We had a great time capturing the personality of the home for her to showcase in her portfolio. Next time you need an interior designer, make sure and give Sandy a call!

Williams Sisters Commit to Family Circle Cup

World No. 6 Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and 2004 Family Circle Cup titlist, has officially entered the 2009 Family Circle Cup. Making her fourth appearance in Charleston, Williams boasts a 10-2 record at this event, including a semifinal appearance in 2007. She joins World No. 2 Serena Williams and World No. 7 Vera Zvonareva in the 2009 Family Circle Cup player field as three Top 10 players are set to headline the Family Circle Cup, a Premier Event on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, scheduled April 11-19 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC.

Serena is currently still in the hunt for a Championship Trophy at the Australian Open. Although Venus is out of the singles draw, the sisters are looking impressive in their doubles bracket. I'm looking forward to photographing them again this year while I continue my position as one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup.

If They Can Do It...What's Our Excuse?

Check out this video. It's got a great message at the end! :-)


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Hard Work

Remember how bitter cold it was on Inauguration Day? I had a really cool assignment to photograph a commercial renovation project downtown on King St. being done by Crawford Contracting & Consulting. Well these guys were out there working away in that wicked cold weather like it was nothing. I now have a new respect for construction workers!

The building they're working on is over 200 years old! So there are some really cool design elements and building techniques that are absolutely ingenious. I loved all the detail work in the molding and stair railing...ALL of which was done by hand!!!

Navy Man

I got a call the other day from this fine young man who needed a portrait in his Navy uniform. We got to talking and I found out he had a brand new rescue puppy named Bear. Since we love doing Pet Portraits, I invited him to bring Bear along. We got some great shots of the frisky young Black Lab/Rottweiler mix. And while I was photographing George, the pup got a chance to play with old Henry. :-) Many thanks to George and ALL our military men for their courage and service to our country!

Staying in Touch

While visiting with Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois, I found out their daughter, Cindy also lived in Phoenix. She works for US Air so Cami & I got to the airport early for our flight home and had a really nice visit with her. It never fails to warm my heart when I run into old friends from the Congo (DRC).



Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.
Friendships that have stood the test -
Time and change - are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray,
Friendship never knows decay.
For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die,
New friends must their place supply.
Cherish friendship in your breast-
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold."
- Joseph Parry -

Role Models

Another highlight from our trip to Phoenix was visiting with an AMAZING couple who were a HUGE influence on me in high-school. I call them Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois, even though we're not related, because of the special role they had in my life as a young man. While growing up in The Congo (then known as Zaire), my bothers and I went away to boarding school at The American School of Kinshasa. While at TASOK, we stayed at a hostel known as CBZO. There, Uncle Gordon & Aunt Lois were my "hostel parents"...teaching, guiding, and caring for us while we were under their wings. Uncle Gordon was also influential in developing my interest in photography! It was great to see them after all these years. They were the BEST role models I could have ever hoped for!

Arizona Photographer of the Year

Cami's FAVORITE speakers at Imaging USA was Kay Eskridge. Her list of awards and accomplishments is a mile long, including Arizona Photographer of the Year! :-) Since Cami & I had planned to hang out in Phoenix for a few days after the conference, we stopped in to visit with Kay and see her GORGEOUS studio. Not only is Kay an incredibly talented photographer, but she's a very kind and super generous soul. It's always so nice to meet fellow photographers of a similar spirit! Thanks Kay!!!

Imaging USA - Day 3

The final day of Imaging USA has come and gone. We're sad it's over but excited about getting back and implementing all the great new ideas and creative techniques we've picked up! We bumped into some of our favorite colleagues throughout the day. I enjoyed meeting Jerry Ghionis who's work I've admired for quite some time. He's the only Australian Photographer to be named one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World by American Photo Magazine! Cami & I had a lot of fun chatting with legendary portrait artist Hanson Fong (left) and iconic pet photographer Michael Joseph (right). Later I ran into the extraordinary wedding photographer and Photoshop guru Kevin Kubota...which was kind of funny since I was wearing one of his Kubota Tools t-shirts! Running into fellow photographers who's work and artistry we admire is just as much a part of coming to this conference as attending the many lectures and keynote speakers. We're already looking forward to running into more of our colleagues next year when Imaging USA moves to Nashville!

Imaging USA - Day 2

I didn't think it was possible, but day two of the conference was EVEN BETTER! Cami got to meet none other than Anne Geddes!!! (If you don't know who she is, you can't tell me you haven't seen one of her famous baby-in-a-flower-pot calendars!) Cami first learned about this amazing children's photographer when she was an exchange student in Australia, which is where Anne is originally from. Anne was kind enough to autograph a book of hers for us. And later that evening we joined with THOUSANDS of photographers to hear her story and be inspired by her message of purity, integrity, and excellence in our craft. It was THE highest attended keynote presentation in the HISTORY of the Professional Photographers of America!

Imaging USA - Day 1

Imaging USA 2009 started off with a BANG today! My friend Robbin Knight (left) and I (right) bumped into none other than Joe Buisink...TWICE! If you don't know who JB is, he is THE photographer to the stars...shooting all the huge high-end celebrity weddings in Hollywood that you only hear about but never get a guest invitation to! We're talking folks like Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey, Brendan Fraser, Kelsey Grammer, Hillary Swank & Chad Lowe, Christina Applegate, Jenny Garth & Peter Facinelli, and Christina Aguilera. ;-) I've heard JB speak many times and love his passion, his art, and his down-to-earth personality.

Imaging USA Here We Come!!!

Here's one of my favorite shots from Stephanie & Mike's Day-After Shoot! :-)


Cami & I are on the first flight out of Charleston tomorrow on our way to Phoenix. As we do every year, we're attending THE national photography convention hosted by Professional Photographers of America. It's called Imaging USA. We always get pumped up, filled with new ideas, energized, and full of excitement at this convention. All the greatest photographers in the world are there sharing their thoughts. Plus of course EVERY manufacturer of ANYTHING relating to photography is there showing off their new toys. For me, walking around the HUGE Trade Show floor is like a kid wondering around the biggest candy store in the WORLD!!! :-)


As always we'll do our best to stay in touch even while out of the office all week.

Stephanie & Mike Are Married!

My first wedding of 2009 was AWESOME! Mike & Stephanie are the neatest couple. Their wedding at Charleston Place was very classy and a lot of fun. They even had a separate Play Time set aside for all the "little kids" while us "big kids" had dinner in the Palmetto Cafe. :-) The next day I met up with Stephanie & Mike again for a really cool Day-After Shoot in the historic part of downtown Charleston. The image from that session came out really cool. CONGRATULATIONS Stephanie & Mike!!!

We Got the Cover!

We're SO EXCITED! After being featured inside the 2008 Town Planner the last few years...THIS year we got the COVER!!! :-) This beautiful sunset was captured on my way home from shooting a family portrait session on Sullivan's Island. In addition, our images appear on February and April. The Town Planner is distributed to over 43,000 homes and businesses in the Charleston are. We are honored to have our images in your homes, on your desks, over your computers, above your dogie bowls, or wherever you keep your calendar. HAPPY 2009 to everyone!!!

Rape Victims in DRC

My heart was too sad to even weep as I spent the first hour of my day reading the journal entries from photographer Sherrlyn Borkgren on her Blog about her last few weeks in the Congo (DRC) documenting and bringing light to the plight of young girls being raped by soldiers over there. As you all know, this is where Mom & Dad served as missionaries, where I was born, and where my brothers and I called home throughout our formative years before settling back in the US to attend college. Please read her stories and see her images at http://lovesimplyhappens.blogspot.com/. Pray for her safety and that the story she is telling helps get the world's attention.

Here's an old slide of me with all my soccer friends. (I'll bet you can figure out which one I am!) Soccer is the national sport of course...you don't need shoulder pads, baseball bats, or tennis rackets to play. Just one ball, a grassy field, and a couple sticks in the ground at each end. In fact you can't see it in this photo, but we played in our bare feet because no one could afford cleats. I wonder what happened to all these guys when the war broke out?

Rainbow Row

Traveling between assignments, I was driving along East Bay St. and noticed this beautiful lighting hitting the famous Rainbow Row. A popular photography spot in the Spring when the flowers and bushes are in bloom, I thought this winter version would give you a different view than the normal tourist sees. :-)

Ryan Young

You couldn't meet a nicer young man on the planet! I had the privilege of photographing rising tennis star Ryan Young the other day. His speed and accuracy amazed me. But his easy going personality and grounded faith are what really impressed me. It was just a year ago this week that Ryan was heading off to China to kick off his pro career. He was a stand-out player at Clemson and joined with Nathan Thompson to form the best doubles team in the ACC. He also played in an exhibition match at the Family Circle Cup as a warm up to stars Andy Roddick and the #1 doubles team in the world, Bob & Mike Bryan. I was glad to be able to catch up with Ryan while he was home visiting his family for the holidays.

Ryan's Mom, Toni, is the head pro at the Maybank Tennis Center where I played on the Men's USTA 4.5 team before getting sidelined with an injury last year. Prior to that I played on Jeff's 4.0 Team...Jeff is Ryan's Dad. Ryan's sister, Kristen (not pictured) is also an avid club player. So tennis vibes are obviously in the family's blood...as are honor, commitment, integrity, patience, excellence, and many other personality traits that make it easy for me to see why this young man is going places!

BON ANEE!

Bon Anee! I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL New Year's Eve. I had the joy of spending the evening with my new friends Chris & LaVerne who had hired me to photograph their 50th Anniversary Celebration. They were so much fun to work with! The event took place at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island with 24 of their closest friends and relatives flown in from all over. If you've never been out there during the holidays, make sure you visit next year...it's GORGEOUS!