Autry Family Session

Don't you love "small world" moments?
Once I had a layover in Dubai and I was in line for the men's room and heard, "Noah?" I turned around and my friend Jon was right behind me in line. In Dubai. He was on his way to East Africa to climb Kilimanjaro. I was on my way to a two-week vacation in Thailand. Small world, right?
A little closer to home, a few years ago I found out that one of my former students from when I taught first grade in Dakar, Senegal had moved with his family to Charleston, SC. My city! Two months ago when their family welcomed baby Serena, I was thrilled when they called on me to document some family time at home. They have a lot of familiar West African decor, which brought me right back. Baby Serena likes to gaze at the wooden masks particularly.

Now a beautiful family of five (Aren't they? It's not even fair how beautiful they all are!), the Autrys are adjusting to new schedules and needs and their older boys are stepping in to help.
Because they both get to be big brothers now. 
Cue the heart-melting warm fuzzies.

Sotka Family

Ingredients for the perfect historic Charleston family mini-session:

1. One distressed peach wall
2. One adorable family pup
3. Two very charming youngsters
4. Hip outfits
5. Soft winter light

Schedule your own mini-session (30min, 25+ images) by contacting me today!

Albright Family Shoot

Technically yes, I photographed this whole family... but as you'll see, the kids completely stole the show. The bright eyes! The charisma! The promise of delicious fruit snacks! They were a photographer's dream, right down to helping me with the countdown "3-2-1... cheese!" 

Through a cosmic, small-world connection, I connected with Brittany and her husband Randy to photograph Brittany's family as they gathered to celebrate baby Emery's first birthday. She is such a beautiful child. We're talking baby food label beautiful. Just sing the La-la-la-la Elmo Song and she's a giggle machine.

Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston was perfectly pleasant and glowy on this Friday afternoon. Brittany and her family were wonderfully helpful and willing and graceful and patient. I hope to see them again very soon. Happy birthday, Emery!

Paul Family Shoot

You know when a family is so beautiful that you wonder if they might be from a Gattaca-like future? 

Yup. Meet the Paul / Falini / Shadoff family. 
I met them on Isle of Palms for a beach shoot and... it's just not even fair how terrific these people look in photos.
Do I chalk it up to centuries of futuristic genotype profiling and time travel? Of course not. That would be crazy.

(wink)

Chris + Shawn

White Point Garden in Charleston, SC. 
Ancient live oaks create dappled light. At the perfect time of day, sunbeams shoot into the gazebo and bounce around, making it glow from the inside. And from almost any point in the park, you have views of gorgeous antebellum mansions AND Charleston Harbor. A backdrop like that could make just about anyone look good... 

But then you get two of the handsomest fellows you've ever seen (this is true), invite their beautiful families and friends, and include their adorable Boston terrier Pearl and you have one stunner of a wedding. We're talking about a nearly overwhelming amount of good-lookingness. I was lucky enough to photograph Chris and Shawn's intimate ceremony on August 6, 2016. The weather was perfect, the music was perfectly suited to Chris and Shawn's vibe, and the hordes of Pokemon Go players seemed to be inexplicably and mercifully absent.
Sorry, Pokemon Go players (not sorry).

Chris is a marine biologist and Shawn is an occupational therapist. They are soft spoken, intelligent, wonderful people and they just could not wait to marry each other. From the looks on their faces as they read their personalized vows, to the unbelievable release of joy at the moment their marriage was made official, it was clear to everyone present how much Chris and Shawn love each other and how much they had been looking forward to this day. 

Is this a good time to mention that the infamous "Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet" was hanged in White Point Garden in 1718?
No? Another time then.

Maternity Shoot with the Romans

When I was young, the idea of "seasons of life" didn't really make sense to me in the way it does now. I had this abstract idea of what adulthood meant, but I was mostly focused on the progression of high school to college to adulthood. And then adulthood just kept going until death or something. One long season. 

One of the humbling things about aging is looking back on your myriad former selves and realizing how little you understood. So what did it take for me to realize what "seasons of life" meant? Friends started getting married. I examined my circumstances and realized that I was NOT in that season. Then I met someone and married her. Hi, Rebecca!

Then friends started having babies. You get the idea. Seasons of life. 

My dear friends Allison and Justin are about to embark on one of life's greatest adventures. They are both brilliant, fun, lovely people so when they asked me to document some moments from their last month as a family of two, how could I say no? 

Their baby girl will be here in no time and they are going to be the kind of fantastic parents that you notice and tell all your friends about.