Blog: Ryan Smith Photography

Here you will find thousands of pictures from featured wedding, family, engagement, bridal, and senior portrait photography sessions from over a decade. If you are undecided on a wedding venue, view some of my favorite weddings venues here.

Romantic portraits in the beautiful courtyard foliage of the bride and groom - 21 Main Events

Beautiful courtyard pictures at 21 Main Events in Myrtle Beach

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It’s almost time again for the busy season in Myrtle Beach, so I wanted to make one last blog post about a unique wedding last summer. This wedding was on July 3rd, 2022, at my favorite wedding venue, 21 Main Events at North Beach. This wedding was unusual in that we did everything in the courtyard. I usually take at least the bride and groom down to the closeby gazebo and beach, if not the whole wedding party. Because of the circumstances and timing of this wedding, we only took pictures in the courtyard. This gave me an even better …

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Looking into each others eyes - Caledonia Golf and Fish Club

Spring engagement pictures Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

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Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is one of my favorite locations for weddings, senior portraits, maternity portraits, and engagement pictures in the Myrtle Beach area. I even occasionally take family pictures there if they prefer not to be on the beach. All year they have the beautiful centuries-old moss-covered oaks along the Waccamaw River that make a fantastic background for pictures. With the warm weather the past few weeks, there was an extra blast of color with all the Spring flowers in bloom. This couple was so happy and had a lot of fun with the pictures. When doing engagement …

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Happy new family of 5 having fun together after the wedding ceremony - Dunes Golf & Beach Club

Wedding at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club with a happy new blended family

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I always love when a wedding can bring together a happy new family. I was working on the wedding album for Marshall and Lindsey and thought this would be a great wedding to post to my blog. Their wedding was held last November 5th at one of my favorite venues, the Dunes Golf & Beach Club at the north end of Myrtle Beach. This is a beautiful location for a wedding, with a lawn overlooking the ocean for the ceremony, a large ballroom for the reception, and a great staff that I always enjoy working with. The weather wasn’t looking …

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Mom and dad with their 4 girls and dog on the beach - Ocean Isle Beach

My favorite Myrtle Beach family photography from 2022

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I can’t believe another year is already over. I’m heading into my 15th year of full-time photography in the Myrtle Beach area. Time sure does fly by. I always post pictures from my favorite family photo sessions on Instagram and Facebook throughout the year. When things slow down, it’s nice to look back and add some favorite photos to my blog. 2022 was a busy year. Looking back, I shot about 87,000 pictures over the year at almost 150 weddings, engagements, and family portrait sessions. I’m very thankful to all the happy clients that chose to use me to capture their special memories in …

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Cute flower grannies throwing the petals walking down the aisle - The Peanut Warehouse - Conway

Adorable wedding Flower Grannies at The Historic Peanut Warehouse

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During my slow time of the year, I’m looking back at some of my favorite weddings of 2022. It’s been a while since I posted pictures from a wedding at The Historic Peanut Warehouse. This rustic event venue is located next to the Riverwalk in Conway, SC. It’s had some major remodeling in the past few years, so it is much nicer than it was in the past. You can find out more about this in a previous wedding here. Torie & Josh’s wedding was held last June 25th on a hot summer afternoon. When I first arrived, I began with …

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Throwing petals after the ceremony - Pawleys Island Beach House

Wedding at Pawleys Plantation with a ceremony on the beach in Pawleys Island

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This time of the year, I love to look back at some beautiful weddings I didn’t have time to post on my blog. Elizabeth and Tyler were married last summer on May 29th. Their wedding was a little unusual for Pawleys Plantation. Instead of having the ceremony on the golf course, they wanted a wedding on the beach. So they rented a home on the beach in Pawleys Island and had a trolly take everyone back and forth from the beach. They even had their dog as the ring bearer during the ceremony, which I think is one reason they …

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Jumping for joy during the surprise proposal - Huntington Beach State Park - Myrtle Beach

Favorite engagement pictures of 2022 in Myrtle Beach

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I can’t believe another year is already over. 2022 was one of my busiest yet, with hundreds of wedding, engagement, and family portrait sessions in the Myrtle Beach area. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I always post a few pictures from my recent sessions, but I don’t often get to add them to my website. When things slow down this time of the year, I like to look back at some of my favorite pictures and add them to my blog. I always love to capture surprise proposals. View my previous blog post here if you want …

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Touching noses - Oak Allee - Night of a Thousand Candles - Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens wedding on the Night of a Thousand Candles

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I always love photographing weddings at Brookgreen Gardens. However, I’ve never had the opportunity to shoot a wedding during the Night of a Thousand Candles. During these special evenings in December, thousands of lights hang from the trees, and hand-lit candles light the paths and pools around the gardens. It’s a beautiful time to be in Brookgreen. We were fortunate enough to have a private moment after the wedding ceremony to capture some breathtaking photos of Riley and Hunter, the bride and groom, under the lights before the gardens opened to the public. Getting ready pictures in the Holliday Cottage …

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Portraits with the bride and groom in front of the old truck - The Blessed Barn

Fall wedding under the oak at The Blessed Barn in Aynor, SC

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I had the opportunity to photograph my first wedding at The Blessed Barn venue in Aynor, SC, which is a 40-minute drive inland from Myrtle Beach. This elegant farm venue has two spacious reception halls separated by a concrete patio used as the dance floor area. It also has two separate dressing rooms for the bride and groom to get ready with their family. I always like it when I can tell a venue has been designed specifically for weddings. Upon arriving, I met with Melissa, the wedding coordinator at the Blessed Barn, who was kind enough to show me …

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Dip back for a kiss - The Cooper House

Wedding under the live oak at The Cooper House in Myrtle Beach

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This was my first wedding at The Cooper House Event Venue. This is located right near an old swing bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway in a town called Socastee, which is a little inland from Myrtle Beach. I live very close to this area, and I always drive by this location. I’ve seen signs for The Cooper House, but I had no idea there was such a lovely wedding venue at the site. The Cooper House is a rustic, southern farm-style venue with a historic house for the bride and groom to get ready and an open barn area for …

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