Samantha & Erik

Ahhh, what can I say about Samantha and Erik? How about "WOW"?!? These two were the most awesome couple to work with. If Erik gets tired of practicing law...he needs to get into modeling. :-) And Samantha...what a sweet, kind, beautiful person inside and out! She sparked excitement and lit up a room with her smile. They married at the historic French Huguenot Church downtown. I managed to sneak my remote camera into the loft above the alter where the pipes for the organ were and got a really cool angle on the nuptials. Then off to The Riviera they all went in horse-drawn carriages. Of course the Marquee over this historic theater was specially written for them. The cocktail hour was held on the Terrace overlooking King St. And the grand ballroom was beautifully decked out for the reception. Everyone had a great time. The next day Samantha and Erik and I met down by The Battery for a very fun and playful "Day-After" shoot. CONGRATULATIONS you two...I wish you all the happiness in the world!

Free Light

I shoot a fair number of executive headshots during the week. Besides my cameras, I bring a laptop that I wirelessly transmit the images to while I'm shooting so the clients can see the photos immediately after their session. And I bring a plethora of lights. My typical setup includes 4 or 5 SB-800/900 strobes...starting with the classic main light, fill light, hair light, and maybe a background light arrangement. But I'm always open for adjustment. When I arrived at the Ogletree Nash Law Firm and saw where they were going to set me up, I almost did a cartwheel. Usually I end up in the back of some dark, smelly, cramped supply closet. :-)


This lobby outside their office on the second floor of the Saks Fifth Avenue building had the most beautiful light coming in this huge bank of windows. I figure, why mess with perfection? So I set up my favorite David Mahue canvas, put a little kicker/hair light up, and left the rest to natural illumination. Free light...gotta love it! Here's the resulting head-shot.

Whitney & Ryan

Whitney & Ryan's wedding ROCKED! I had photographed Whitney's sister's beautiful wedding two years ago (thanks for the referral Stacia and Brandon!), so when Whitney called to ask if I'd cover hers...well...how could I say "no"?!? :-) The day started out kind of "iffy" with scattered thunder storms all around. Right up until the last minute we didn't know if we would have to move things inside. But miraculously the skies opened up to gorgeous weather for their ceremony. The big man upstairs was smiling down on these two! It was the FIRST EVER wedding on Seabrook Island's brand new Ocean Terrace. After the ceremony the clouds rolled back in allowing us to get some really dramatic images at dusk! CONGRATULATIONS Whitney & Ryan...you guys are a match made in heaven!

Deborah's House...a Mission of Love

Recently I had the honor of photographing an assignment for International Missions. The charge was to tell the story of some AMAZING women and children living in Tijuana, Mexico, that were victims of domestic violence and horrible abuse. "Deborah's House" is a shelter that was founded by Ray & Adalia Schellinger-Gutierrez. Visit their website at www.internationalministries.net/missionaries/94 and make a choice to help someone who desperately needs it!

Joe McNally on the D3

Joe McNally has been an inspiration for me over the years. He was in town recently, so I thought I'd share this video with his thoughts on the truly amazing Nikon D3, our camera of choice as professionals...

Ashley & Joseph are Married

Ashley was the Maid of Honor in a beautiful wedding I shot a few years ago at Middleton Place for her friend, also named Ashley. This past weekend the "Two Ashleys from Ashley Hall" reversed rolls. :-) Ashley & JR held their ceremony and reception at the always photogenic Wickliffe House. I love the dramatic stair and bold colors throughout this historic home! After the beautiful ceremony, the reception spread throughout the house and out onto the tented lawn. Everything was elaborately decorated and everyone had a grand time. There were touching moments during the toasts and funny moments during the dancing, and everything in between. I had an AWESOME time with Ashley & JR and felt like part of the family by the end. Scurrying through a barrage of bubbles and jumping into their Black Cab get-away car, Ashley & JR waved as the drove off into the night. CONGRATULATIONS you guys!!!

Bridal Portraits at The Cistern

One of the hardest things about Bridal Portraits is that I don't get to share them with everyone until AFTER the wedding...that can be MONTHS after the shoot! Well, now that Tom & Lauren are married I just have to share a couple of cool shots from her session at The Cistern. As a College of Charleston graduate, this is a meaningful spot for her. As a "creative", this is a favorite spot for me! :-)

Brittany & Mitch start a Family

Lauren & Tom Are Married

Several years ago I photographed Kristin & Jamie Caudle's wedding. Lauren & Tom were guests at that wedding. And though they knew each other before that fateful day, they re-connected at that time and started dating. So it was with great pleasure that I said "ABSOLUTELY" when they told me this story and asked me to photograph THEIR wedding. :-)

Lauren & Tom attend Bethel United Methodist Church. But since their sanctuary is under renovation right now, Pastor John Hipp performed their ceremony at Trinity United Methodist. After the I-do's, Lauren & Tom and I stopped at Pierce, Herns, Sloan & McLeod...the law firm they worked at when they met each other...for some cool shots. Then it was on to the beautiful Carolina Yacht Club for a fun reception. As the evening came to a close the dramatic sky was punctuated by a full moon rising over Charleston Bay. So we captured some dramatic images of the two of them with the moon shimmering off the water in the distance before they zipped off into the night.

CONGRATULATIONS Lauren & Tom!!!

Tijuana, Mexico

Just got back from Tijuana, Mexico safe and sound with no flu-like symptoms. :-)

Deborah's house is a shelter for battered women and children in Tijuana. It was founded by Ray and Adalia Schellinger-Gutierrez. Visit their website at www.internationalministries.net/missionaries/94. International Ministries is who my parents were with when we were in the Congo. My mission was to photograph images that will help them promote and raise funds for Deborah's House. I was truly blessed by the experience!

Other than a quick browse through all of them I haven't had a chance to edit any images yet. But I wanted to post at least one "teaser". I'll get more up later.

For the "techies"... I shot this at high noon, re-interpreted the light to be the long shadows of sunset sifting through the twisted iron bars on the kitchen window by use of an SB-800 with a 1/2 CTO gel, controlled by another SB-800 on Nikon D3 in commander mode using -.3 TTL setting, and 50mm f1.4AFS lens.

Out of Town

I will be out of town on an assignment in Tijuana, Mexico, from May 10th through May 15th. I may not have cell phone coverage or access to email during this time. If you have a question that can't wait for my return, feel free to contact Cami at the studio. Her direct number is 843-324-0010. Also don't forget to check the Information tab on our Website at http://www.chrisandcami.com/ as you may find what you're looking for there. Have a great week!

Nicole & Vince are Married

During their engagement shoot, Nicole & Vince showed me what great troupers they were and what a beautiful connection they have with each other. Yup, we "bonded" (HA!) and got tons of gorgeous images for their Photo Guest Book. By the time their wedding day arrived, I already felt like I was one of the family! It was a gorgeous afternoon to get married. They tied the knot at Our Lady of Good Council on Folly Beach. And their reception was held at the Charleston Country Club. We had such a BLAST at the reception they decided to extend the party another hour!!! Then at the end of the night Nicole's parents totally surprised them with a private horse-drawn carriage waiting to whisk them into the night. CONGRATULATIONS Nicole & Vince!

Joe McNally

Joining a packed house of photographers, I was at the Charleston Center for Photography last night being inspired by the legendary Joe McNally. I've met him several times and been to many of his presentations. But his stories never seem to get old. He's been a big influence on my work over the years and is always engaging, insightful, and full of mischief and humor. :-) It was also wonderful to see his lovely bride Anne Cahill again. She's a Nikon Professional Services representative, of which I am a die-hard member. Stacy Pearsal has done a FANTASTIC job with the CCforP since taking it over from the great start by Jack Alterman. If you haven't been recently, get down there and check it out!

I'm An Uncle...Again

My youngest brother, Eric, and his wife, Martha, brought Zoe into this world last week. YAY! She joins Katlyn, the daughter of my younger brother, Brian, and his wife Denise...plus Shawn & Tyler with my older brother, Dan, and his wife, Linda.

Did I get all the comma's right in that paragraph...whew!

A New Website is Born

I can't begin to describe how EXCITED we are at the birth of our BRAND NEW website! We started our first website almost a decade ago with the help of the always wonderful Kris Furtick...and coaxed it along about as far as we could take it. But with the help of our web guru, entrepreneurial genius, and good friend Bill Nixon, we've got a fresh new look.

The new index page at http://www.chrisandcami.com/ allows you to choose between visiting our fun Blog, checking out the informative Website, or browsing through your image gallery if you're a Client. The Blog has upgraded features including larger images on display, wider video capability, and increased size on the slideshows. The Website is totally re-designed with music and motion in a flash-based format. We haven't finished it yet and have tons more galleries and images to add. But it's a start. And the Client side takes you to our completely new gallery system where clients can preview their images and place orders.

We'd love to hear from you and get your feedback. So write us a comment or send us a note to let us know what you think!

Historic Charleston Portrait Session

Cami & I go to church with Brian & Tonya. We love them to death and think they're an AWESOME couple with two ADORABLE kids. So when they asked me to shoot their family portrait session this year I was very happy! :-) We picked a Historic Charleston theme and I absolutely LOVE all the textures of the old brick walls, cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, and winding ivy contrasting with their soft all-white outfits and bare feet!!!

Kate & Dustin Tie The Knot

Being involved in Tennis in Charleston, I meet a lot of really neat people. Russ & Maggie Lacoste are such a couple. Both are very involved in tennis (I play in the same League as Russ), and in their children's lives. So when their daughter Kate got engaged and they asked if I'd photograph the wedding, I was SUPER EXCITED!

Kate & Dustin are the sweetest couple you could meet. Athletic? Good looking? For sure! But it's that kindness, gentleness, and beauty on the inside that I love about these two. We met at the I'On Creek Club for their "First Glance" and photos with the wedding party. Their wedding was held at Christ Our King Catholic Church...I always love working there! And the reception was back at the Creek Club, complete with a GORGEOUS sunset that made for a picture-perfect backdrop for some beautiful images of these two. To see all their photos, visit http://www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com/.

CONGRATULATIONS Kate & Dustin! It was SUCH a pleasure being a part of your special day...

Immature Ibis

I've been doing a lot of exploring this week. There's a secret pond I've found within walking distance of our home where TONS of Ibis, Egrets, Herons, and Buzzards come to roost. I found this immature Glossy Ibis one day with this amazing shaft of light from the setting sun boring a hole through the trees and spotlighting it's face. Cool Light + Neat Subject = Happy Photographer! :-)