Vow Renewal

Vow Renewal

Steven and Jane celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, which happens to be today, by renewing their vows.  Though they live in Delaware now, Steven was stationed in Charleston 25 years ago.  He took Jane down to the battery to propose on bended knee by one of our famous cannons at the waterfront.  Twenty-five years later they came back to that spot to reaffirm their love. Jane couldn’t make it through her vows without crying.  Steven barely kept his composure, too.  I love that kind of emotion after being together for 25 years…so I had to post a snippet showing off those tears…sweet… The fabulous officiant for this ceremony was Nancy...
Grace + Graham + a pinch of nostalgia

Grace + Graham + a pinch of nostalgia

I love that my clients’ tastes vary so greatly, that each client gets a product a little different from the last, and that I get to excercise some creative flexibility from shoot to shoot.  Christina came to me with a very specific goal…she wanted something classic and vintage that she would always treasure.  Her children Grace and Graham were perfect little subjects whose sometimes solemn and stoic expressions really do look like they were from another era.  With a variety of backdrops, editing finishes and textures, we have a precious collection of portraits of this adorable brother and...
Jessie + Scott

Jessie + Scott

Jessie and Scott were married at St. Luke’s chapel in downtown Charleston.  The reception followed at the Rice Mill building set against the Charleston harbor. If there is one time of year I appreciate an air-conditioned  indoor venue, it is July and August.   It’s the time of year my colleagues and I joke about freezing our *ahem* undergarments before heading to an outdoor shoot.  I usually pack a change of clothing for days like this one.  But my dear Jessie was not inclined to “glisten” for her wedding portraits, so she thankfully opted to shoot mostly indoors. The always fabulous Luke and Megan of Luke Wilson Special Events provided some of the decor and were on hand to make sure the day went perfectly.  Katie Bell of Timeless Designs created the bouquets and all the floral decor.  The beautiful cake was another splendid creation from Lauren at The Cake Stand.   The guests danced through the evening to live music from Soul Fish. That look says what we were all thinking… it is HOT out here! This little cutie was trying on the “princess” shoes while we waited those last few moments before the ceremony began. I just love how every single picture of the bride and groom, from the processional to recessional, they were grinning ear to ear at each other.  It is beautifully evident what they were feeling right here. This was a pretty sweet and normal cake cutting up until this moment.  We have undeniable proof here who started the cake smashing!  And I spared the couple by not showing the last dozen shots in this...
Stacie’s bridal session

Stacie’s bridal session

Congratulations to Stacie and Justin who tied the knot on the very popular 10-10-10!  Look for their full wedding post in the next few weeks. Now to post some of Stacie’s oh-so-pretty bridal shots from back in August!  You may remember the rustic farm shots from Stacie and Justin’s e-session on the farm.  And they also chose a very rustic venue to wed.  Well, these bridals are anything but rustic.  Stacie got to show off her sophisticated and elegant side…and she did a superb job of it! Stacie’s beautiful makeup was compliments of Laura Pascazio, Independent Arbonne Consultant.  Her hair was courtsey of Kelly Johnson at Serenity Salon and Spa.  And bridal bouquet, as well as wedding day florals, were created by Frankie Turner of Flowers by...
Sullivan’s Island revisited

Sullivan’s Island revisited

Every year just before school starts, Margaret Ann and Cam bring their whole family to Sullivan’s Island for a week to enjoy the beach and each other’s company.  It’s a vacation but it’s even more than that, it’s now tradition.  It’s something I count on like my morning coffee.  I LOVE this family. As Margaret Ann would say, she knew me “when”.  When I was transitioning out of film and into digital.  When our friend and my mentor JD was still with us.  When she had a mere two grandchildren!  waaaaay back when…   And every year until this one, we have done a beach shoot. Posed, candid, matchy, non-matchy, and every other thing you can think of.  It was time to mix it up again. You may see the ocean in the background but we were not on the beach.  : )  Needing to stay close to their beach house, I scouted the area for something cool and photogenic.  This great big empty lot with a view of the ocean, a rusty old wrought iron gate on a crumbling brick fence, a big old oak on the lot, and plenty of wildflowers all over….perfect!  So I marched our troop onto the lot only to have everyone, children included, attacked by Biblical-plague-amounts of ants.  Maybe they weren’t fire ants, but they were fast and angry.  yikes!  I just got the shivers thinking back to that.  So we used the fence near the safety of the road and went back to the beach house to finish it off. This is the newest member of the family.  I believe Margaret Ann...
Henry

Henry

Meet Henry.  Things you should know about Henry:  he loves his mother, he loves water, he loves horses, and he LOVES bananas.  Henry looks so much like his dad Charlie, but dad steers clear of cameras.  You won’t see him in any of these pictures.  Amy (otherwise known as mommy) didn’t intend to be in too many of these pictures, but Henry loves his mom.  Wait, I said that already.  Henry has a special name for water.  I wouldn’t know how to spell it if I tried.  Nobody is quite certain where the name came from or what language it might be, but it sure is cute to hear him say it over and over. That’s his “all wet” face.  He immediately forgot about being wet because his favorite animals walked by.  I must say children are fascinating because they are so easily fascinated!  I love seeing the world through their eyes. Even though the family lives in Virginia, Amy and Charlie still call South Carolina home in many ways…her parents live here, they were married here, and let’s not forget they are the best Gamecock fans north of the Carolinas!  : ) This series is just too cute!  The faces progress from wanting to pet the doggy to running in fear from the doggy to wondering where the doggy went.These next few are my favorites.  Sweet and timeless.  They remind me of photos of my dad from his childhood. Thanks for coming all the way to Charleston so I could photograph Henry!  I’ll remember to bring bananas next...
Will you marry me…?

Will you marry me…?

No, no…not me, I’m married already!  But Matt did ask Rachelle that question tonight. Of course she said, “Yes!” or I probably wouldn’t be posting this, would I? Matt is this perfectly adorable romantic fellow who literally bumped into me while I was finishing a shoot a month back.  He grabbed my card and briefly told me about his plan to photograph his surprise proposal.  We set things up and here we are. Matt’s birthday is today.  He had all the bells and whistles planned to look like a lovely evening out celebrating his birthday with his girl.  Dinner at a nice restaurant.  A moonlit carriage ride.  And later dessert at Kaminsky’s where I was waiting for them.  Matt had his “question” written out in chocolate on the plate holding Rachelle’s favorite dessert.  The whole crew at Kaminsky’s was in on it, making sure they had a table reserved, a spot at the bar for me to get the best photos, and the other patrons conveniently out of the way for a perfect proposal. Rachelle is checking out the desserts and this is what she sees… Matt immediately dropped to one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket.  It was like a perfect date night movie and I had front row seats.  And this is the part where Rachelle was so surprised and happy that words wouldn’t come, only tears.Yep, that’s a “yes”!  And that’s also a shutter speed of 125, f/1.2 at 6400 iso.  It was dark in there.  Oh, yeah…this is also where the applause broke out from everyone in the room. See the faces in the...
‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the Season

The holidays are fast approaching!  My calendar is almost full with families and children making sure to get their sessions in time for their Christmas cards.  There are so many exciting new designs this year.  I’ll be posting samples from old and new collections here over the next few weeks as I continue to edit these sessions.  Here are a few from two-year old Adilyn’s recent...