As you may have guessed from the title, our most recent trip was to China. It was a truly amazing experience and one that I feel pretty fortunate to have had. To western eyes, China seems quite alien. (And to Chinese eyes, westerners must seem alien too, because you get stared at A LOT when walking the streets there.) The wife and I have been blessed with a sister-in-law, who is from China and was thrilled to give us a fantastic tour of her former home. Outside of an organized commercial tour, it would have been exceptionally challenging to get around and to have seen as much as we did.

As a wedding photographer, I’m not sure that I love anything more than a truly happy couple. The sad thing about Leslie and Peter though, is that their wedding will be in Sweet Home Alabama, rather than here. And that’s only sad because it means I won’t get to shoot this awesome couple’s wedding. But I was fortunate enough to be hired to shoot their Engagement Session.

We met on what what was supposed to be the hottest day (89 degrees) of the year so far. Perhaps it was a little of the magic of these two at work, but it turned out to be a beautiful South Carolina, 72 degree, spring day in April!

So we started at the lovely Riverwalk Park, and then made our way to the USC Horseshoe to finish out a great session. Here are just a few from the day.

This one (below) ended up being pretty much everyone’s favorite. A little “behind the scenes” here. Leslie was wearing very fashionable sandals for the shoot. But in order to do this shot she actually had to climb up into a section of branches in this little tree just to get above her very tall and handsome groom. She has no fear.

Among the ideas that I started developing in San Antonio for my personal photography projects was a fashion shoot centered around the amazing things that can be found in consignment stores. This was also the first project of mine to incorporate a full shoot video.

All I needed now was my crew. I happen to know a very artistically talented young woman who has an uncanny eye for fashion. When I approached her about the idea, she was all in. She was told simply to create six outfits that fit the theme, “Sexy, Fun, Fabulous” and had complete freedom to choose as she saw fit. For the models I drew upon two gorgeous prior clients, JoAnna and Allison. While they are amateur models, my makeup artist is a full time pro and Mac specialist, Yoshiko. (Just a quick side note to my photographer brethren – if you need a MUA who knows what they’re doing, I fully recommend Yoshiko.) The finishing touch was jewelry, much of it hand-made, provided by my lovely wife, Madison.

On Saturday, we met to do some filming at the consignment store used for most of the wardrobe, “Roundabout Consignments“, and to do a wardrobe check. Then it was on to the real action on Sunday.

First the video, then the finished project images. To my incredibly hard working team, AMAZINGLY done!

Consignment Couture

San Antonio was the site of the Digital Wedding Forum’s 2011 International conference. Portrait and Wedding photographers from all over the globe meet to discuss industry trends, business practices, and all manner of things related to professional photography. Among the most exciting of the events are the “shootouts.”

We hire local models, and then individual groups fan out among the sites of the city to practice the craft. I have to say the models we ended up with were FANTASTIC. Imagine spending 3 hours being told by 25 different photographers to twist, bend, sit, stand, lie down, climb on to that little ledge – yes even in those 6″ heels, smile, no smile, look up, look down, sexy eyes, etc etc etc. Anyone who says modeling isn’t hard work, hasn’t done it.

These shootouts give us the opportunity to experiment with our shooting styles. Each of us takes turns directing the models, moving, adding, or subtracting lights. On occasion we shoot each other’s setups. Watching the thought processes of other photographers is enormously instructive. Combine this with the extreme quality of the convention speakers, and the connections with new friends and old, and you have 4 days of priceless joy.

Just a few shots from the San Antonio Shootouts:

Just a quick break here… When my group got to this model, I saw her black dress, the black iron bridge, and the beer bottle and this image popped into my head.

Shot this one over the shoulder of my good friend, Dallas Wedding Photographer, Lynn Michelle.

The City of Columbia recently appointed Randy Scott the Chief of Police. Until he called me, the media and the city were using an older photo of him from his prior job at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. He wanted a head shot that could be used for their website and general use that had a distinctly “Columbia” feel to it.

So we met in the lovely Finlay Park that boasts a gorgeous view of the city skyline.

Just when I thought the season was over, Kara and Joe got engaged. I’d be hard pressed to find a couple who take more joy in each other than these two. It makes my job so much easier. And, I have to say, so much fun! We met early on a cool November morning in the peaceful Saluda Shoals park, and our two hours went by very quickly. The day was filled with a lot of laughter, the awesome coolness of Joe (Seriously. Look at the “shades” photo below.) and the fabulous hair of the even more lovely Kara.

Just a few from the day…

Baker’s Dozen contest winner, Madison, has a baby brother, and he is as gorgeous as his big sister! I traveled out to their house to capture a few new additions to their already impressive family portfolio. After walking into their home, I was struck by the large number my photographs which were so beautifully displayed on their walls. It was actually pretty humbling.

So we spent an hour or so shooting some casual portraits of the family until HJP The Third, let us know that he was prepared for the session to end. Here’s just a few from out time together.

A couple of weeks ago, Anna, one of my recent brides, approached me with an opportunity to help out with a charity event for a mutual acquaintance, Kevin, whose daughter is suffering from Juvenile Morphea Scleroderma.

You may have noticed in their photos, that this particular bride and groom are SERIOUS fitness enthusiasts. They happen to attend the same gym, Carolina Crossfit, that our mutual friend attends. So they decided that the charity event would be a 5K run carrying up to 45 pounds of sand. This is not a “juice bar and 5 minutes on the treadmill” sort of gym.

If it were 10 degrees colder it would have been a perfect day. However, it was close enough for good friends and a good cause. Here are a few from the day.

Meet the enemy. Each bag is 10 pounds of dead weight, wet, merciless sand.

This of course, is Anna and Warren, in usual excellent form.

Even the kids were in on the fun as a special obstacle course was set up for them.

Then it was run time.

The gentleman you see in the lead above and below, Matt, can run like a deer. He actually crossed the finish line in just over 26 minutes. 5k, 45lbs of sand, running a course with 1/4 mile hills of loose powdery sand. Pretty impressive.

Meet the female winner, Brandi, who finished just a minute or two after Matt and Also carrying 45 lbs. Truly awesome.

At the end of the day, Kevin and his family were presented with two giant checks. A truly wonderful event with so many good people.

Our October wedding lands us in the wonderful company of the beautiful Jessica and very cool Steve. We first met them in their April Engagement session. The day started in the lovely “Our Lady Of the Lake” church in Chapin and ended (after a quick side trip to Lake Murray – see the photos below) at 403 North Lake in Lexington. Each moment of the day, from a surprise card from Steve to his bride, to the last tearful good bye, was truly filled with a contagious joy. The day passed very quickly, and was enjoyed by all.

Now just a few images from the day.

I have a couple of very favorite moments in every wedding. Just before a father walks his daughter down the aisle, there are always words they exchange in those last private minutes. There’s no ceremony in it, no customary words, just what’s in their hearts at the time. It’s always such a tender moment.