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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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Bride and groom looking at each other framed by a old oak in the background - Pawleys Plantation

Beautiful sunset on the golf course at Pawleys Plantation

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I always love Fall weddings at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club. It’s so lovely this time of year without the heat and humidity. Matthew and Taylor were a fun and relaxed wedding couple with a small bridal party of the groom’s brothers and the bride’s sister. They had my photo booth at this wedding, so I arrived about an hour early to help my wife set everything up. They had a custom backdrop with a wood lattice and some beautiful foliage. I ended up hanging my gold backdrop behind the lattice; this hid the wall in the background and …

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Worth every shot - Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

Maternity portraits for my previous wedding couple at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club

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I always love taking portraits for Ornelie and Matt. I did photography for their African themed wedding in Raleigh a few years ago. Next, their one year anniversary portraits at the Conway Riverwalk. Now, early this year, I took their maternity portraits under the beautiful mossy oaks at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawleys Island. Ornelie and Matt asked me to hold off for a few months on posting pictures of their pregnancy. They mentioned they had a difficult time getting pregnant and they wanted to make an official announcement about it before I posted any pictures. After she …

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Just married couple at sunset with an island in the background - Cherry Grove Point - North Myrtle Beach

Quick review of the Nikon Z6 II with my family and engagement portraits in Myrtle Beach

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I’ve been using Nikon DSLR cameras for about 13 years professionally, and even longer when it was just my hobby. I’m very set in my ways regarding the controls and feel of a classic Nikon camera, and I was very hesitant to make any changes. My main camera bodies have been the D850 and a couple of D750s for a while now. Some of my photography friends told me how much they loved their mirrorless cameras. However, I had a lot of concerns about switching. I will go over some of those below and why I’ve ended up loving the …

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Beautiful ceremony by the river - Kimbels at Wachesaw Plantation

Spring wedding at Wachesaw Plantation with a large bridal party, fun dancing, and sparkler exit

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Annika and Ronnie were one of the many couples in Myrtle Beach that had to move their wedding from its original date because of Covid-19. They even had to change from their original venue to Wachesaw Plantation. Wachesaw Plantation is located a little south of Myrtle Beach is the Murrells Inlet area. This venue change ended up being for the best. The Kimbels in Wachesaw Plantation is one of the best venues in Myrtle Beach for photography. Sunlight filtering through the moss on the bank of the Waccamaw River is one of my favorite backgrounds for pictures. I started out …

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Holding hands under the moss with clubhouse in the background - Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

A great start to 2021 with maternity portraits at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club

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Thinking back on 13 years of photography in Myrtle Beach It’s hard to believe it’s 2021 already. I’m entering into my 13th year as a full time photographer in the Myrtle Beach area. It doesn’t seem like that long ago, I was taking my first family beach pictures with a Nikon D80 and 50mm f1.8 lens. I still had a lot to learn at that time, but I always had a good eye for light and I was good with people so I got a lot of great shots. Thinking back to the most important knowledge I had before I …

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Touching noses backlit by the sunset in front of the dunes - Huntington Beach State Park

How to do an unforgettable surprise marriage proposal in Myrtle Beach

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I photograph a number of surprise marriage proposals each year in the Myrtle Beach area, and so far everyone has said yes to the proposal! From taking pictures in the pouring rain to having the couple’s kids run out after to congratulate them, I’ve captured some unforgettable memories in 2020. I get a lot of emails asking for help in setting this up, so I thought I would make a blog post with my usual recommendations, and how I photograph the proposal and engagement pictures after. At the end of the post are about 50 pictures from a recent beautiful …

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Dip back for a kiss with streetlights in the background and lit by my studio lights - Conway Riverwalk

One year anniversary and bridal portraits at the Conway Riverwalk

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It seems like I’ve had a lot of weddings and photo sessions recently at the Conway Riverwalk. It’s a beautiful alternative location for pictures if you want to get away from the beach. This couple got married about a year ago back in their hometown, but due to weather and other circumstances they weren’t happy with the pictures from their wedding. So while they were on their anniversary vacation in Myrtle Beach, the bride wanted to put back on her wedding dress and take some bridal portraits, as well as some romantic pictures with her husband. As I mentioned in …

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Dip back for a kiss on the boardwalk - Conway River Walk

Wedding at the Peanut Warehouse with sunset pictures on the Conway Riverwalk

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It’s been a number of years since I’ve photographed a wedding at the Peanut Warehouse in Conway, SC. They have done some remodeling and there are now a lot of hanging lights over the large ceremony area. I’ve always loved the rustic look of the warehouse, the way you can see sunlight filter through cracks in the old wood boards along the walls. It is also in a beautiful location, very close to the Conway Riverwalk and under the old Conway bridge next to the train tracks. It is a short walk for the family and wedding party to take …

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Bride on the train tracks - Conway River Walk

Bridal portraits on the Conway River and new Garden walks with the Nikon D850

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I always love doing bridal portraits in the Conway Riverwalk area. After a busy summer of family beach pictures, I get a little tired of taking pictures on the sand. They have been doing construction work on the old Conway Main Street Bridge over a year now, but it now seems almost complete. The workers have repainted the bottom of the bridge a nice shade of green, and it looks great in the background of boardwalk pictures. The only problem is the riverwalk is still split into two sections by the construction, you can’t walk from the north end all …

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