Augusta Senior Photo Sessions 2020!

Congratulations to the senior class of 2020! Though the start of 2020 has been rough, I appreciate that I had an opportunity to shed a little light into the lives of these graduating seniors with my photography. I am glad I could capture their achievement and help reveal their enthusiasm for the bright futures ahead of them. This year I had the privilege to commemorate this moment for three seniors from Evans High School, Grovetown High School & Ridgeview High School in Columbia, SC.

 

I met Gabriel and his mother Atiya at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion for his senior photography session. Atiya had a keen eye for detail and immediately noticed a beautiful rock wall near the headgates that lent itself to some of the best photo backdrops I’ve ever taken there. Gabriel graduated from Evans High School and is on his way to the Marine Corps, following in the footsteps of his mother. Now, not only will Atiya see Gabriel as her son, but also as her brother as he begins to serve with honor, courage, and commitment.

 

A few years ago, my neighbor Destiny hired me to capture Christmas photos of her children. Since then, she’s tried to set a few dates to capture family photos, but something always comes up. A few weeks into May, she reached out to me to capture graduation photos for her son DJ. For once, everything went as planned, and we did a full senior graduation photo session at the Augusta Riverwalk. I love this location because it has so much to offer including creative landscaping, an amphitheater, and the Savannah River. DJ graduated from Riverside High School and I wish him all the success in the world.

 

We took Yasmine’s senior graduation photos at the lovely and picturesque Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site. I always recommend this location to clients willing to drive a bit outside of the Augusta area. The extraordinary trees and classical southern architecture make the drive to South Carolina well worth the time. In addition to the standard two-outfit cap and gown and casual senior session, we also captured Yasmine in her prom dress. Unfortunately, the senior students of 2020 missed out on their prom due to COVID-19 restrictions. I hope Yasmine can look back on these photos and always see how stunning she looked in her prom dress. Yasmine graduated from Grovetown High School and is heading to UGA (Go Dawgs!). Seeing the abundance of honor cords she earned, I know she will apply the same strong work ethic she had through high school to everything she does. The sky is the limit for Yasmine.

 

As much as these seniors enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate their achievements in photos, I may have appreciated the experience more than they did. Being around them gave me a sense of hope amidst these dark times in which we are currently living. Good luck and may God bless the Class of 2020!

Engagement Session At Hammonds Ferry

Hello all,

I finally got to have a photoshoot at the beautiful location of Hammonds Ferry in North Augusta with Chris and Jen.  Whenever a client books a session with me I truly want to give them a unique experience.  I always suggest a new location because not only does it provide my client with a different scenic backdrop, but it always sparks my creativity and forces me to think of new ideas.  I was very pleased that Chris and Jen wanted to capture their photos at Hammonds Ferry and I believe my creativity came out in full swing with their images.  Chris & Jen were a pleasure to be around.  They were willing to try anything I asked of them, no matter how silly it may have seemed.  They completely trusted my judgement and I believe it shows in the images.  If you're ever in Hammonds Ferry for a photoshoot go grab some dinner at Manuel's Bread Cafe or Larder, thank me later!  Without further Ado.....here are some of the images we captured that day!

 

Wedding at Sacred Heart Cultural Center Augusta, GA

Daniel & Celine's Wedding

 

Daniel and Celine were married on February 9th at the historic Sacred Heart Cultural Center in Downtown Augusta, GA. The church was built in 1897 and held its first mass in 1900! Unfortunately, due to a number of factors the last mass was held in Sacred Heart on July 3, 1971. The building was reopened in 1987. The structure now serves as a unique venue for social and cultural events such as art exhibitions, theatrical events, an annual Garden Festival, choral concerts and is rented continuously throughout the year for celebrations, and civic functions. 

This was my first time photographing any event at the Cultural Center. It was absolutely beautiful and a great location to have a ceremony and reception for your wedding. Daniel and Celine are currently living in Taiwan and this would be their second wedding for Daniel’s family and friends here in Augusta, GA. They were both so easy going throughout the day, it really helped bring out more of my artistic side. Usually a wedding has multiple locations with time restraints, this brings common pressures as a wedding photographer which I have come to expect and work well under. However, there was little to no pressure during the Eyrich Wedding and I couldn’t have been more appreciative of it.

One take away during the wedding was when I began getting family ready for portrait shots, I was told there were 11 siblings in Daniel’s family! Posing them all in one big shot was a challenge but I think I knocked it out of the park. Also, his family can really dance! They were doing many coordinated dances as you will see in the photos below. I really enjoyed being a spectator to this.

I want to wish Daniel and Celine many years of love and companionship. No matter where they are their love will shine bright to those who know them and are touched by them.

Here are some photos of their day:

Eugene & Ashley's Wedding Day

Eugene & Ashley were married on November 2nd at The Boat House Community Center in Augusta, GA. The venue features open windows surrounding the entire event floor — no shortage of natural light to illuminate the celebration! Eugene & Ashley were so fun to be around the entire day; they exuded confident assurance as they prepared to say their vows in front of family and friends who love them dearly. Ashley had the coolest wedding shoes I’ve ever had the pleasure of capturing….a pair of custom Chuck Taylors to commemorate their wedding day! I wish Eugene & Ashley a lifetime of happiness & love.

Here is their wedding story through my lens…..

Laura & Scott's Maternity Session

I met with Laura & Scott at the lovely Savannah Rapids Pavilion Park in Augusta, GA. Laura, who is 9 months pregnant really wanted to capture maternity photos before giving birth to their baby girl. Time was not of the essence so we had the session as quickly as we could on a gorgeous Saturday morning. During our session I learned that Laura is quite the athlete, she’s accomplished several triathlons; she’s even going to attempt another one in September as her personal goal after she gives birth. How awesome is that?

I wish Laura & Scott many blessings to come with the arrival of their newest addition to their family. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our session.

Rob & Chelsee Arthur Wedding Story

Rob & Chelsee married on September 24th at the Court Street Livery in Washington, GA.  The town had a wonderful historic and rustic feel to it.  The day was absolutely beautiful too.  Here in GA, the weather can be extremely hot and humid.  But on their wedding day the weather couldn't be more perfect!  Throughout my time getting to know Rob and Chelsee, I have come to see a beautiful and caring couple who supported and trusted me with capturing the start of their marriage.  I hope to continue to be in the lives of Rob and Chelsee in the future and wish them years of happiness.  I want to close with Chelsee's wish for the start of their new lives together: "When you need a helping hand, you will always have mine.  Because from this day forward, you do not walk alone.  My arms will be your shelter, my heart will be your home and you will have my love forever and always."

 

Kelley Family Portrait Session

Heather contacted me just days into the new year asking if I was available to capture her maternity/family portraits. She was 34 weeks into her pregnancy and really wanted some memorable photos she can cherish with her family. I was honored to be asked and was excited to capture this special time in all of their lives.

We began our photoshoot at the nature filled Brick Pond Park, I really love having photoshoots there! It has such a rustic feel to it and I always come up with new ideas, it’s never a dull moment there. Heather bought along her husband and her two energetic and well behaved sons. We all had so much fun during the shoot and her sons agreed to take any type of portraits their mother requested as long as they could take some fun silly shots. As you will see below they are quite funny! I especially like the “Bieber” impression photo hahaha.

In closing, I want to wish the Kelley family many blessings during this time and hope to capture their new addition to the family when the time comes.

Here are some of the photos we captured that day!

Baby Kaleb has arrived!

My last blog entry covered my experience capturing Heather’s maternity session with her beautiful family. Heather told me once the baby was born she would like for me to capture lifestyle and portraits of the baby once it came into our world. Now, I do not specialize in newborn photography. But I love challenging myself as a photographer. I don’t turn down opportunities to grow and learn. There are many people in my area who only photograph newborn photography and their work is absolutely phenomenal. I researched as much as I could so that I would be able to recognize the best conditions when working with a newborn; to make sure they are safe and comfortable……this of course is the key to success!

Baby Kaleb was amazing, he was very photogenic and ready to take photos….as long as we kept him warm. His two older brothers had me laughing throughout the session once again. I had them release all the silly energy they had to offer before we got down to serious poses and it worked like a charm. I truly appreciate Heather trusting me to capture this special time in her family’s life and that she appreciates my work. I never take for granted when a client tells me how much they love what I do behind the camera.

Here are a few photos from the day including the blooper/silly outtakes!




India Day!

Hello everyone!  Back in Mid-August I was hired to photograph the India Day event at the Augusta Maxwell Theater.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not only a professional photographer but also an IT professional.  I have found these fields both share a central truth; the learning never ends!  Just when you think you've mastered one area of photography, you quickly realize there is another to learn.  I think that is what keeps me going.  I am not sure I could do something that couldn't provide change or growth.  

 

Capturing the performances for India Day would be an event the like of which I had never done before.  I couldn't use flash and the auditorium lighting would be dim and constantly shifting for the various performances.  I planned for this event in detail: ...what will my camera settings look like the day of the event? ...how will I know which parts of the performances will be the most relevant? ...how many photos do I need to capture?  Much like shooting a wedding, it's great to have a plan but nothing can fully prepare you for a new experience.  You simply have to be focused and locked in; like a musical instrument, you must know your camera inside out.  

 

I made many mistakes and learned a great deal with this event.  One takeaway from India Day that will help me going forward is shot selection.  I took way too many photos (almost a movie of each performance!) and the client only needed a few of each set.  Both dance and sports photography require anticipating key moments and working for clarity in difficult shooting conditions.  Clearly communicating with clients about what outcomes they desire from the photography will provide the ability to meet their expectations.  Tying back into what I love about photography, focusing on improvement keeps what I capture fresh and responsive.  The client was extremely happy with my photos and will be hiring me again to capture another event in the coming weeks.  

 

Without further ado, here are some of the photos....

Trip to Philadelphia

Hello all,  I finally got around to editing the photos I captured while I was in the city of brotherly love.  During my stay, I went to the Franklin Institute of Science.  What an amazing museum, if you're ever in Philly you MUST visit this museum.  No trip to Philly is complete unless you have a cheese steak sandwich at either Genos, Pats, or Jims.  I have been to all three and I really lean toward going to Jim's Steaks near South Street Seaport.  I closed out my trip with a 4th of July fireworks display in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with performances by Boyz-II-Men & the lovely Mary J. Blige.  My wife and I were greeted by a powerful but short thunderstorm that had us under our foldable chairs until it passed,  We weren't going to miss anything, so we hung it out and it was well worth it!  Here are some of the photos I took during my trip.....

Neighborhood Halloween Block Party!

It's truly been a unique experience owning our very first home in a completely new neighborhood.  Over the past 2 years and counting I have seen it grow and change rapidly right before my eyes.  One of the things that my HOA (Home Owners Association) has been trying to accomplish is to build a stronger community.  Sure, living in GA people are polite and say hi, good morning etc.  They'll even wave at you as you drive your car into the neighborhood.  Good luck finding that in the northeast lol.  However, only a few of us in the neighborhood have gotten to know one another.  We usually meet for the dreadful HOA meetings once in awhile; where we are there to argue for or against changes and establish rules.  So when it was announced that the subdivision would throw a Halloween block party, I knew it would be a great opportunity for all of us here to finally meet up and get to know one another and just enjoy each other's company.  It was a complete success and it can only get better from here on out.  I decided to lend my photography to capture a few photos of the event.  I am really looking forward to future events like these to get to know my neighbors better and build a strong community.