Couple walking down marsh boardwalk together at sunset

Fun engagement pictures in Garden City on a cold afternoon and Storyboard 3

I haven’t had a chance to blog about engagement portraits recently. Things are getting slow, so I thought I would post pictures from this recent cold weather engagement session down at the southern tip of Garden City Beach. I’ve done many photo sessions in Garden City, but this one was unusual because they live in a private neighborhood where I usually can’t photograph. The southern end of Garden City is beautiful. It’s a short walk from the beach to the boardwalks that go out and over the marsh. I rarely get to shoot on a marsh walkway because most of these are privately …

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Bride looking at group with beautiful bokeh

Heritage Plantation wedding photography at the Clubhouse and the new Nikon D810

A few weeks ago, I photographed another beautiful wedding at the Heritage Plantation clubhouse in Pawleys Island, SC.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been there, it’s a great location, so hopefully, I can get on their vendor list and get some more weddings at the club. The Clemson Tiger mascot came in as a surprise to the groom at the reception. Whoever wore the outfit was fun and livened up the evening. They also had a live band which did a great job. The groom had a twin brother as his best man. I had some trouble trying …

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Dipping bride back for a kiss in front of the ocean

Busy weekend with weddings at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club

I often go to the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach for wedding photography. It is my most visited location. The weekend of this wedding, I had three other weddings at the Ocean Club and one the following week. The nice thing is I know all the staff and all the good picture spots, as I mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts. During this ceremony, I also set up a camera on the upstairs balcony to shoot pictures during the entire ceremony. This time I set the camera to take a shot every 5 seconds instead of every 10 seconds …

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Bride and groom sitting together of golf course greens

Early afternoon wedding photography at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club with a fun couple

Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club is one of my favorite locations where I photograph weddings often. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the site is excellent for photography. There isn’t much I can say that I haven’t said in some of my earlier blog posts about the area. This wedding ceremony was in the early afternoon, so we had some harsh sunlight during the ceremony, but it wasn’t too bad. The golf course behind the clubhouse is a great place for a wedding and pictures after. It is nice to do everything in the same area instead of traveling …

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Bride and father walking towards ceremony on the Ocean Club terrace

Wedding on the Terrace at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach

The Ocean Club at the Grande Dunes is one of my most frequented wedding locations. I appreciate that they have me on their vendor list because I often have clients contact me after seeing the list. The Grande Dunes preferred vendor list is a pretty good one. They seem to list some of the outstanding photographers and vendors in the area. I heard years ago they made vendors pay to be included on this list, but it hasn’t been that way in a long time. You can never trust a paid vendor list, so I’m glad they don’t do that anymore. I’ve …

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Sunset by the classic car

Photographing a wedding at The Ivy Place in Lancaster, SC

The Ivy Place in Lancaster, SC, is the farthest I’ve traveled to photograph a wedding, a little over 3 hours each way. I was tired on the drive home, but it wasn’t a bad trip. It was biker week in Myrtle Beach, so I’m glad my wedding was out of the area. The Ivy Place is a lovely wedding location near Charlotte, and it reminds me of weddings I’ve done in Charleston and Brookgreen Gardens. It has a pretty garden area surrounding an old historical house and abandoned barns in the fields. As you can see from the pictures below, this …

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Black and white of couple kissing with sunlight reflecting on the beach grass - Holden Beach

Beach house wedding at Holden Beach, one of my favorite beach locations.

This is the second time I’ve been to this beach house in Holden Beach, NC, for a wedding. Because of my earlier wedding there, I was told I came highly recommended, which is always nice. I’ve been to many different beach locations for weddings, and this one is pretty unique. Almost anywhere you go around this area, the houses are built right up next to the ocean, and in some spots at high tide, there is hardly any beach even left. In this area, the beach houses were built far back from the ocean. A long walk down to the beach through …

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First dance at Wachesaw Plantation

Beautiful Afternoon wedding at Wachesaw Plantation

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Wachesaw Plantation for a wedding. It’s a beautiful wedding site on the Waccamaw River, especially lovely at sunset as the light filters through the many trees. The bride and groom at this wedding wanted to do a first look so they could get most of the wedding pictures done before the ceremony. That is an excellent way to do things because the couple can start having fun after the ceremony. This also means that most of the pictures would be done earlier in the day when the sunlight is much harsher. Thankfully at Wachesaw, …

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Couple kissing on the fallen tree

Pawleys Plantation wedding with a Beauty and the Beast themed reception

I always love going to Pawleys Plantation Golf Club for a wedding. It’s a beautiful area, and the staff there is very friendly. I loved the bride’s dress at this wedding. She had a Beauty and the Beast Disney theme for the dress and wedding reception. You can see some pictures of the ballroom decorations below. I recently got a new 14mm prime lens, so I enjoyed playing around with some wide-angle shots of the reception decorations. Looking through the lens, it was so wide that I realized I was almost sticking my camera in the cake. It’s not the …

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Dipping girl back in front of the ocean

Cold and windy day for engagement pictures at the Myrtle Beach State Park

There are always a couple of winter months when no one wants portraits done outdoors or on the beach. During those months, I always have some things to do, like wedding album layouts and catching up with clients about orders from the previous year, but it’s nice to be getting busy taking fresh pictures again. I seem to be getting an early start this year with some engagement sessions and even a wedding this coming weekend. I’m highlighting the engagement session this time for a couple with an upcoming wedding I’m photographing this summer. It was a freezing and windy …

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