Katie & Neil’s Rainy E-session on Folly Beach
July 3, 2009
A few weeks ago, I (Valerie) arrived on Folly Beach for Katie & Neil’s engagement session (”e-session”) just in time for the big clouds to roll in and the rain to start coming down right as we started.
What ROCKS about Katie and Neil is….they didn’t let that stop them! They were all smiles, and all of our positive attitudes combined, we took some killer shots! Unfortunately, the rain soon came down WAY too hard to continue outdoors, but we gave it everything we had during the time we had and took some amazing shots…and we had SO much fun laughing about it!
Here are my two favorites….if you look closely, you can see the rain drops in both of these! 
Update: The album design has been posted! Check it out!
Paul and Cortney seem really right for each other. Cortney is no-nonsense and knows what she wants. But fun to be around, and undemanding. I think she’ll make a good mom someday. Paul is a quiet guy who obviously cares a lot. It’s hard to get his personality right away, but after spending so much time with him and being in contact over the last many months, I really like the guy. He’s genuine and humble and I think he’s going to be a great husband.
Immaculate Conception is a Church I’ve been shooting at ever since my early career, and it was nice to go back there with a newer perspective.
Charleston Harborfest’s Tall Ships!
July 2, 2009
View the slideshow of ALL of the pics here: http://charlestonportrait.com/#/harborfest09/
On Sunday, I was invited on board the Mircea, the Romanian tall ship, with my good friend Marilena. While we were at the festival, we were also invited to take a deck tour of the US Coastguard’s tall ship, the Eagle.
While on the Mircea, Marilena and I were invited into the Captain’s “saloon” below deck to meet the Captain and several of the officers. It was such a neat experience to hang out with them and hear about all the places they have seen while sailing the tall ship around the world!
Before I left the Mircea, I was asked by a few of the officers to come back to their ship at 8 a.m. and take a group photo of all 190 of their crew. HMM….even though I am NOT a morning person, I could NOT pass up the opportunity to photograph the 183 men and 7 women of the Romanian Navy’s Mircea crew all in one picture! It was an early morning, but it was worth it!
Here are a few of my favorites…in these pics you will see me, my friend Marilena with the Captiain, and officers Liviu and Dmitry!
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- Val & Mari on the Eagle
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- Val “steering” the Eagle!
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- me and the Romanian Navy ship’s Captain!
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- me and Liviu
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- the bell on board of the Mircea, photo taken at 9am
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- The WHOLE Romanian Navy crew of the Mircea of 190+
Bekah and Ben were married Saturday, June 27th at East Cooper Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant. At first glance, most might not notice that ECBC (as most call it) is quite a photogenic place! (As you will see in several pics below!) Also, it’s my home church, and I’m always excited to get to shoot a wedding there!
So, Bekah and Ben…they’ve known each other since the fourth grade…isn’t that sweet? They are so cute together and everyone around them can tell how well they compliment one another! It was also such a blessing to see many past clients and friends at this wedding!
Now…any bride-to-be needs to take advice from Bekah about timing out her wedding day right…this girl is a pro! The day was fun and relaxed, everything flowed perfectly! (Also thanks to English Preston who did an amazing job as wedding coordinator!)
Their Citadel Beach House reception was also near-perfect, even though the cake fell over prior to the bride & groom’s arrival…oops! (But the newlyweds were able to roll with it, still all smiles!)
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Waters! I hope you are having a wonderful Disney honeymoon!!!
Here’s your sneak peek:
Lightning Storm over Charleston Harbor, June 27
June 28, 2009
Driving home tonight, I (Valerie) was awed by the lightning storm while driving down the road in my fahbulous convertible, Dolores. (Yes, and shamelessly so, I really do love my car!) Anyway, I realized that I had in-my-immediate-possession the right camera, lenses and tripod so I drove straight to Patriots Point, found the best view of the storm, and set up shop from about 9:40 till 11pm.
It was FUN taking these pics! As I set each exposure, I was cheering on the sky…“come on, come ON, sky! Show me what ya got!” and the moment I saw a big strike during one of my exposures, I found myself doing a dance on the dock that a bystander might say resembled a mix between a Superbowl touchdown dance, MC Hammer and the funky chicken dance. Oh yeah, I was cool alright.
(WARNING: PHOTO GEEK-SPEAK AHEAD…NERD ALERT!)
I shot these with my Canon 5D MkII at ISO 500, 16-35mm f/2.8L lens….mostly on full wide at around 13-20 second exposures at about f/8. (Fyi: Exact numbers are captioned on each pic in my Facebook album of these pics.)
Shana & Pert’s Wedding at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Goose Creek and the Sheraton Hotel in North Charleston
June 27, 2009
Every wedding I shoot has its own unique qualities…and I must say I dig Shana & Pert’s style! I really enjoyed getting to know them and their bridal party…it was a joyful, happy day and everyone was all smiles (and that makes for great photos, of course!)
Shana’s dress had aqua accents (see photos below!) and her makeup was flawless! She’s a sweet, wonderful woman and I feel that her wedding reflected her personality well.
Everyone got ready at the Sheraton Hotel in North Charleston (off of Montague) before heading over to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Goose Creek for the wedding ceremony. Newly renovated, the Sheraton really had some great spots for pictures! Immaculate Conception is a beautiful church, with tall wood trust ceilings and stained glass windows. Their wedding ceremony included many Filipeno traditions that made it especially unique and special.
Here are a few of my favorites, but trust me there are SO many more great ones I wanted to post (but would make this post too long!) So, stay tuned in a couple weeks for their FULL album design and photo gallery to be posted on www.charlestonwedding.com!
Family Fun in Legacy Park
June 27, 2009
I (Mell) was in Greenville for a week taking care of my mom who had a hip replacement. She’s an awesome teacher who started and lead the vocational program for special needs children at her school. After surgery, she really wasn’t up for pictures. However, I did have the joy of spending time with and photographing a family close to my heart. I also got to be 3 years old again and play with bubbles in the park! Thank you guys
Let’s just say if there are bubbles, play dough, or coloring involved, count me in. Here are just a few of my favorite moments with them in the new Legacy Park in Greenville:
St. Luke’s is always a gorgeous place to shoot an afternoon wedding. Having the chance to shoot the wedding of two close friends made it that much more enjoyable! There was a great atmosphere, as both families got along incredibly well.
The reception was at one of our favorite venues, 28 Bridgeside. Jay Maxwell (as always) did a great job as the DJ. We all had fun — there was choreography, a rapping bridesmaid, singalongs, and some incredibly adorable kids.
Since we never had the chance to do a bridal session before their big day, we spent an evening last week getting some killer shots. Congrats guys!!
posted by Steve Donley
Update: The Album Design has been posted on our main site! Check it out!
Sarah and Steven started dancing during the recessional, and really didn’t stop as long as I was with them. They had an awesome celebration, and people genuinely had a GREAT time. They had some very creative ideas for the beverages, with glass-bottled IBC Root Beers, Cokes and other specialty sodas sitting on ice throughout the reception. Flavored teas and lemonade too. Their wedding favors were actually the drink mixes from their various beverage tables. Seacoast is a big church with a small chapel that’s perfect for weddings, and the Citadel Beach House is one of the most popular reception venues in Charleston for very good reason. Enjoy!
Dawn and Chuck’s Wedding at The Cathedral of Praise and the Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, SC
June 24, 2009
Update! The album has been posted at the main site! Check it out!
I have to say that Dawn has a personality that made this wedding one of the most fun weddings to shoot in a long time. She’s a pistol. Chuck has his hands full here. The ceremony was held in the inimate chapel of the Cathedral of Praise, followed by a classy reception at the Francis Marion Hotel, Downtown.
