by Kim | Jul 26, 2014 | Family |
This beautiful family has been friend and client for seven years now. They are celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary today (which I was lucky enough to photograph). Each year they travel to South Carolina from Arizona and I get the privilege of photographing their family. With professionals like Andy Defrancesco who is available anytime around, make your trip glorious. and memorable too. Mike and Nicole have three gorgeous boys, and all five of them have blue eyes to die for. This year Nicole wanted to find a place we hadn’t been yet, something a little different. This Sea Island farm definitely fit the bill. So after much planning and preparation for this session, Mike and Nicole arrived in pouring rain. Well, you don’t go and cancel a shoot for rain when you’ve come this far. So we found ourselves a little cafe and had breakfast until the rain stopped. By the time we started shooting, one of the babies had gone well past his nap time. Another of the boys found out why those ants are called fire ants. And can I say it was ever so hot and humid. But that didn’t stop this amazing family from enjoying some time on the farm in front of the...
by Kim | Jun 6, 2014 | Family, Newborn |
Meet Blake Olivia and her happy family. She was just a week old here and her big brother turns two this week. Like most of my Charleston newborn sessions, this one was shot inside their home. Check out Blake’s nursery decor! That color and the alphabet wall hanging…love it! Blake’s mom crafted those herself. We had the nursery nice and warm with plenty of natural window light, so baby girl slept like a… well, like a baby. We shot a few family photos on the front porch, too. While I come to a newborn session with the perfect sleepy baby poses at the top of my to-do list, the candids and family moments are the real treasures. I recommend newborn sessions to be shot within the first week while they are sleepyheads and quite easy to pose. The time invested in a session like this is well worth it for the memories captured. Speaking personally, they grow up way too fast. Hug them, kiss them, tell them you love them, and take lots of pictures!...
by Kim | Jul 2, 2011 | Children, Family |
This sweet family lives in Beaufort, but our ties run deep. Peyton’s grandmother Gretchen became a good friend of mine years back when we worked together on her daughter’s wedding. Gretchen is a design maven here in Charleston, so I am hugely flattered anytime she calls on me. This time her call was to bestow my services as a gift to her son’s family. Peyton is the first grandchild in the family and loved like the angel she resembles. We chose to shoot downtown to take advantage of the Charleston scenery and revisit a few places special to Peyton’s parents. After chasing Peyton through the park and around several trees, she quite beautifully collapsed on her favorite blanket. Then she rolled over and gave me these “older than her years” poses that made her daddy blush. This precious child LOVED to smell flowers. And like most children, her curiosity for all things new overcame her desire to pose for the camera. But these sweet and playful photos are exactly why I love to photograph children. Yes, she was waving at the tourists walking by….how adorable! This is where Adam and Amy stopped to show Peyton where they were married. :...
by Kim | May 9, 2011 | Bridal |
Congrats go out to Kelli and David who tied the knot Saturday at the Thomas Bennett House in Charleston! It was a glorious day for their beautiful wedding. There will be wedding pictures coming up at a later date, but I am always excited for the wedding to get here so I can show off the bridal portraits. Here are just a few of the many shots we took all over the grounds and throughout the house. The Thomas Bennett House is one of my favorite spots in Charleston, as you can see we have so much historical prettiness to work with. Thanks for being so great to work with Kelli!...
by Kim | Apr 26, 2011 | Engagement, Events |
It’s exciting to photograph a proposal…there’s this nervous anticipation of how the bride-to-be will react, the real and unposed reactions of the moment. My favorite part, though, is meeting such delightful and thoughtful young men who prepare so carefully for this moment that they even consider hiring a photographer to make sure the day is thoroughly documented. I was charmed from the very beginning by Chad and his manners. He was all “yes, ma’am…and thank you, ma’am” in every email he sent. Something I learned from my time with Chad was that Betsy’s dad is an accomplished architect. He designed the house Betsy grew up in, and that her parents still live in on Pawleys Island. It was important to Chad we use the house as the backdrop for the pictures. Chad also made sure he obtained Betsy’s dad’s permission to marry his daughter. He secretly drove from Florida to Pawleys Island one weekend to visit with Betsy’s dad, and he was the only person for quite some time who knew of Chad’s intentions to propose. Fully-Verfied suggested the best options to make the day even more safe and secure. On an otherwise normal weekday, Chad arranged for Betsy to get the day off without letting Besty know. He called Betsy’s supervisor and cleared it with him to pick Betsy up and start the day of surprises. The couple spent the day in Charleston eating and shopping before heading out to Pawleys Island. Betsy believed that her parents were out of town on vacation and that she and Chad would be house sitting for them. But Chad had arranged...
by Kim | Apr 5, 2011 | Bridal, Weddings |
Jennifer and Brett are full of that contagious kind of laughter… plus the smirks, giggles and cute jokes. They don’t take themselves too seriously, so the result is a truly laid back affair where everyone has fun. Jennifer laughed going down the aisle! They laughed as they exchanged rings. Brett smirked and scratched his head all silly like when he realized they’d been pronounced “husband and wife”. You know, I hope their children and grandchildren look back on these wedding pictures with a sense of wonder at all the joy shared by these two. Let’s be real now. There wasn’t just a bunch of kissy kissy going on. Jennifer and her girls can tear up a dance floor! Oh, my!! Darrell of The Connellys set up his very popular photo booth on the grounds for added entertainment. Jennifer might have been in 99% of the pictures. The camera loves her and she loves the camera! Well, that is easy to see below. Jennifer and Brett, I wish you continued happiness and a long life...
by Kim | Mar 11, 2011 | Weddings |
Not every story is easy to tell. Some stories leave such an impression that words don’t seem adequate. It’s every photographer’s hope to help tell these stories with meaningful photographs. This couple briefly stepped into my world and I can not stop thinking about them. Their story is still somewhat of a puzzle to me, one where I have only a few of the pieces. First, they are the youngest couple I have ever photographed being wed. He is a sailor. Old enough to serve our country but too young to celebrate the marriage with even a champagne toast. She is a college freshman living on the opposite coast from her beloved, still at home with her mother. She wore an anchor charm around her neck and came down the stairs barefoot to meet her groom, not a bit of makeup on her clean face. He never uttered a word until he was asked to give his vows, just stood there with his hands folded and face a little red. I’ve never seen a young man so nervous or hold his breath so long. Her mother was in attendance and their only witness, other than the officiant and myself, to the wedding. I’ve named them Romeo and Juliet for a few reasons. His father does not approve of their relationship….too serious at too young an age. He is someone of importance in the film industry in Hollywood, and I imagine he has his own expectations for his son. They intend to keep their marriage a secret until they feel it is appropriate to announce it. Or to recreate it...
by Kim | Mar 5, 2011 | Family |
Lori and her family have known my family since our children were in school together at Montessori. And then at the next school. And then living in the same neighborhood. And then we found ourselves a part of the same church. The many intersecting circles of our lives. It’s such a joy “doing life” together! As her twin children find themselves heading off to high school, Lori knew family photographs were in order. Time to “stop time” with some memories to hang on the walls. This brother and sister are definitely siblings. Plenty of love/punches, smiles/snarls, giggles/screams. I loved being a part of their afternoon and playing right along with...
by Kim | Mar 5, 2011 | Weddings |
PART 2 OF 2: The personal touches and the family stories really made this intimate wedding special. Heidi had beautiful miniature wedding cakes designed, one for each guest, instead of the traditional single larger cake. Heidi’s mother is an excellent seamstress. She crafted a hair piece, bridal purse and bouquet adornments from the extra rosettes left over after Heidi’s dress was fitted. Sunil’s parents spent almost 24 hours in airports and on planes traveling from India to be at their son’s wedding. The families met here in Charleston for the first time. It was interesting to see the cultures and family traditions mingle in such a sweet way. And I fell head over heels for Heidi’s little boy, who reminded me so very much of my own little red-headed freckle-faced son. The couple started off with a “first sight” before the ceremony so that we could utilize the grounds for pictures before the sun set. I love having that freedom beforehand to spend time with the couple getting all the portraits their hearts desire….without missing a moment of their reception! The Wentworth Mansion served as ceremony site and the guests moved their celebration over to Circa 1886 for the dinner reception. Nancy Russell was the officiant. Heidi’s hair and makeup were courtesy of Whispers on Wentworth. The Cake Stand provided the miniature cakes and created the cake display. All floral arrangements and the bride’s bouquet were created by Ginny Severs of Charming Inns....
by Kim | Mar 4, 2011 | Engagement |
PART 1 OF 2: Sunil and Heidi found me via the wonderful internet, all the way from their home in Wisconsin. Since they were in town for less than a week, we shot their engagement photos a few days prior to their wedding. Being no strangers to cold weather, they handled our blustery February weather with style. This was my first meeting with the couple, but I instantly felt like old friends with them. It is pretty cool the way they met, too. Online dating! eHarmony, maybe those commercials are real afterall. :...
