Winner: Fearless Awards | April 2013

Back when I joined Fearless Photographers I knew it would push me... After all this is the big leagues. This isn't just South Carolina, the Southeast, the USA, or North America. Competing in the Fearless Photographers competition means you are going up against the best wedding photographers from all around the world (and Mexico, Italy, and Spain have some absolutely incredible people)!

So yea, I usually just flip though the winning images every couple months and get blown away by all the incredible images taken by the true superstars of the wedding photography industry. But today was different. One of my images was included in the set.... To say I'm excited is a HUGE understatement


What makes this shot even cooler is the story behind it. This was taken during Kelly and Michael's wedding day back in January and with the Michael being a local baseball coach, I wanted to incorporate baseball somehow. So I had them toss the bouquet back and forth a couple times in front of "shoeless joe jackson" until I got this shot!

To check back though all the latest winning images and to have your definition of "wedding photography" completely blown out of the water checkout: http://www.fearlessphotographers.com/best-wedding-photography-galleries.cfm

Winner | 2012 South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year

I'll never forget it. We were sitting on the bus in Miami, just getting back from a fantastic vacation in the Caribbean. Although we had a great time on the trip we had something lurking in the back of our minds. The South Carolina Association of Wedding Photographer's annual competition was happening that same week, and we wouldn't be able to check the results until we got back.

Now that we had cell phone reception again, my wife Debra turned on her phone to see what had happened in the world over the past week. A few minutes later she started to cry. I asked her what happened. She just said, "Never mind you will see soon enough." Concerned that someone had died I bugged her more and she gave in... we had been awarded "2012 South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year" at the competition. And then we just kind of sat there for a moment of disbelief. Then she said it again "you did it babe! your South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year!" ... Had I not been sitting in a congested bus I probably would have tried to do a cartwheel.

So yea. Wow. I guess this is that awkward part where someone has to say a bunch of thankful things to a lot of people. But honestly, if your reading this, then THANK YOU. Really, this wouldn't be possible without the incredible gift God has given me, my awesome wife for all her help during the weddings, and of course some fantastic couples to work with.

Here's a look at our winning portfolio (complete with new fancy logos!):



























































In addition we also won some other awards in some of the individual categories:


1st Place - Getting Ready Category

1st Place - Details Category

2nd Place - Wedding Reception Category

Honorable Mention - Wedding Reception Category

Honorable Mention - Couples Portrait Category

Honorable Mention - Wedding Ceremony Category
So excited!! I also wanted to personally thank the three judges, Jeff Blake, and the South Carolina Association of Wedding Photographers for putting on the contest each year.

If you've got a lot of time to kill you can view the entire judging and awards ceremony on youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/jeffblakephoto
Also, to see the official results or to read more about the contest feel free to visit: http://www.scawpj.com/

We are Fearless | Brides Choice Award 2013

So excited to hear back we have been recently accepted as a part of Fearless Photographers! Haven't heard of Fearless before? It's very selective a directory of the world's boldest wedding photographers for brides and grooms who truly love photography. No mom and pop photographers, no people just getting started in photography, no ordinary everyday wedding photographers. Feel free to checkout my listing here:


It's incredible to be one of only 4 photographers in South Carolina listed (and the only in the Upstate), and to get my name printed along side some of the very best wedding photographers in the world. Seriously, if you enjoy checkout out some top notch wedding photography, you gotta checkout the images on Fearless Photographers.


Also got word this week that we have been awarded the Bride's Choice Award by Wedding Wire. And even better, this is for the 3rd year in a row. Woohooo!

Featured: Town Magazine | December 2012

So privileged to have a couple more images featured in this months issue of Town Magazine!




Congrats to Jenna and Alex for getting their Spartanburg Courthouse Wedding featured:




We also had a full page ad showcasing one of the night shots we did for the new Rick Erwin's ad campaign. Let me tell you, it was difficult being around all that awesome food and not being able to taste it! What a tease! Check it out!




Stay tuned for our best of 2012 post, coming very soon!

Featured: TOWN Magazine

It's always exciting to have a wedding featured in a magazine. But having FOUR weddings featured... in the same issue? That's freakin fantastic!



A big congratulations to Katie & David, Shannon & Bryan, Matt & Sarah, and Chelsea & Brandon for getting featured in the October issue of TOWN Magazine! You guys are the best! Check it out:


Oh and... Happy October!

Featured: Wedding Planner's Survival Guide Book

You know when you get those emails that sound almost a little too good to be true? Yup, it happens to me too... But you know what, sometimes it actually works out!

And here it is! Sitting on my scratched up dining room table! A book with the first chapter written by me!


The Wedding Planner's Survival Guide - Now available on Amazon


A few months ago I got an email from Michael over at Dream Publishing. He had seen some of my work and wanted to feature me in an upcoming book on Wedding Planning. Basically he was looking for wedding vendors in a bunch of different categories (a photographer, a DJ, a hair stylist, a coordinator ect.) to interview about their specific area of expertise! The book was to be called "The Wedding Planner's Survival Guide: 10 Industry Insiders Tell You What You Really Need To Know". Trust me, I know FIRST HAND from the past year of wedding planning that it is definitely something that will stretch you in almost every way and shrink your wallet in every other way possible!



From "How do I set a budget for wedding photography" to "What types of things should I avoid when choosing a wedding photographer?", I covered it in this book. I wrote it from my personal experience to help out future brides and planners help navigate the huge ocean of wedding photographers out there. It's definitly not easy picking out a wedding photographer so I figured that since I happen to be one AND I just picked out a wedding photographer for my own wedding, I might be able to provide a small amount of insight into the process! Hopefully...



Want to see more? Want to buy a copy? Can't afford a copy but want to read it anyways? You can check it out on Amazon here! Better yet, you can even read a good portion of the chapter I wrote online! Just click on "search inside this book" and flip click to the first chapter. Later in the book there are some awesome sections on how to pick out a variety of other wedding vendors, all written by some of the best people in the industry!

While I have to admit its a huge honor to get to write in a book like this, its not all unicorns and rainbows. Now Debra thinks that since I am a published "Wedding Expert", I would be perfect to finish up the rest of the planning for our wedding! I thought the girl is supposed to take care of that stuff! Sheesh!

Featured: TOWN Magazine

Getting your wedding featured in a magazine sounds pretty exciting to me! Maybe I'll have a chance to open a magazine in a few months and see my own wedding photos published...




In the mean time I'll have to live vicariously though Keily & Greg and Staci & Brock. Yup, both of them were published in this month's issue of TOWN Magazine. Check it out:



Want to see more? You can checkout their full wedding at the Warehouse Theator here!


Here is a link to Keily and Greg's wedding at Furman!

Congrats guys!! If your at a local Barnes & Nobles stop in and check out the full spread!

Featured: Shoot 2 Shoot Blog Guest Interview

I recently had the awesome opportunity to be interviewed by the fine people over at Shoot2shoot. So what is Shoot2shoot you say? Basically its a tool for photographers to reach out to other photographers across the country. They also run a fantastic blog that offers some great tips on how to be a wedding photographer run a photography business in general. Being a regular reader of this blog, it was pretty awesome to get a chance to get interviewed for it!



They interviewed me from everything about pricing including: Why is wedding photography so expensive? How do I figure out what my specific wedding market is? How do I set my pricing? If your a budding photographer or just want to learn a little bit more about this important part of running a photography business definitely check it out!

You can view the full article over at: Shoot2Shoot's blog.

South Carolina Wedding Photographer Contest Results

Wow... I am so incredibly blown away by the results of today's annual South Carolina Association of Wedding Photographers contest. As I drove back from Columbia tonight I couldn't help but smile. 7 awards including three 1st place category wins and being named first runner up South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the year. What an honor! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all the judges, past brides, mentors, and God for giving me this amazing skill to capture weddings. Here are the winning images:


Jessica and her mom getting ready at The Links at Stoney Point - Winner 1st Place "Getting Ready"


Leslie and her dad dancing at their Columbia SC Wedding - Winner 1st Place "Wedding Reception"


Meghan and Dalton's bird seed exit at Carolina Country Club - Winner 2nd Place "Wedding Reception"


Wedding Band "Motown Blue" lead singer from Abby's wedding at the Poinsett Club - Honorable Mention "Wedding Reception"


Ariel and Charity's wedding at Grace Hall in Greer, SC - Winner 3rd Place "Group Portrait"










Jessica and Paul's wedding day at The Links at Stoney Point - Winner 1st Place "Wedding Day" (8-Image Set from the same wedding)

I'm so pumped! Wow! So in addition to this I was named 1st Runner up South Carolina Wedding Photographer of the Year based on my overall portfolio. THANK YOU again to everyone who helped me accomplish this and congrats to all the other winners!

To see my results in past years you can click here to see how I did in 2011, and in 2010. Cannot wait for next year!