Friendship and a Photography Gift!

January 22, 2016 by Carl Kerridge

2015

Plays back like video film, spotlighting highlights in my friendship, personal life, and business growth. I can honestly say that we hit all of our goals last year, and I learned more about myself and the breath of my business than in any of the past 15 years in business. Becoming the Regional Director for South Carolina’s Professional Photographers of American has also added it’s charm, stressing the importance of staying inspired and recognizing the need to grow with a community of photographers.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the quality that comes from separating the person from the contract.

I want to talk, for just a minute, to all the lovely couple’s I had the pleasure to document this year. You have been inspirational to me. I want to let you know that I recognize your love in it’s many shapes and forms and that I see it’s most important element is friendship. Friendship is the foundation for hope and gratitude, it unlocks the door allowing for a deeper and more human connection. You were the greatest of friends to each other, that’s how you impacted me. If there was a theme for 2015, for you guys it would be rain…and the good omen it brings.

Every couple I met, I saw you and your stories of triumph, even against the odds. You would be able to hold it down even if it was in the midst of a hurricane. In your happiness, you all reminded me how grateful I am to have found my partner and how deeply rooted our friendship is at our love’s core.

So I want to say a special ‘Thank YOU’ and I want to pay it forward.

When you guys met me, I wanted to provide something for you that is so dear and special to me, something that goes beyond the business/client relationship. It’s called a ‘human experience’ and I have been creating more emphasis on building a friendship with my couples because I want it to be that personal. Getting personal allows me to get closer with confidence, to get to know who you are, and to be able to tell your story instead of only handing you pretty wedding images.

So let’s have some fun together to start off 2016. As a token of appreciation, I want to offer a special give away to my remarkable couples:

The couple with the greatest number of voting comments on this post will receive a stunning retouched 16×20 print for their first year as newlyweds. In addition, any couple that has over 50 votes will receive a $50 gift certificate to our A La Carte menu items. To all my readers, feel free to leave some love too because your are equally valued to me.

Tay and Roosevelt

Sarah and Davis

Wendy and Joe

Kathy and Alan

Hillary and Adam

Allison and Roddy

Mary and Stoney

Amanda and Cash

Emily and Joey

Stefani and Justin

Michelle and Patrick

Every individual who comments will be entered into a separate giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card. Share to Facebook, Tweet about this post, and get creative with spreading the word!

I love a good laugh and I’ll be counting comments on ONLY this page’s comment section – one per person – until February 11th.

The Winner will be announced Friday, February 12th!

Everything isn’t about the perfect pose or the magazine-style shot. For me it’s about creating a memorable experience, one that my couples and clients will remember forever. I do this in hopes it will lavish a future that distinguishes between a photograph and a memory.

The Lucky Yoyo and Rabbit’s Foot

December 10, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

When it comes to connection and this new couple, I am lucky and…

I have Mrs. Cheryl Saito to thank for our introduction. She’s a local wedding coordinator whom I’ve collaborated with and created professional photography for in the past, including her oldest daughters wedding. After introducing me to Amanda and Cash, the couple decided to book their photographer a year in advance. To all new couples out there, I highly recommend this for two reasons. One, you guarantee you get the photographer of your choice and two, you have time to develop a relationship with your photographer – something I am lucky to have time for with many of my couples.

Our first meeting was at Abuelo’s and I quickly found out that we had more in common than I could imagine, we had all worked in the restaurant/service industry, liked margaritas, and had the same taste in music. They wanted to put most of their investments into making their wedding fun. Their most important aspects were the photography and having a live band. Talk about lucky, when I heard Tru Sol Band was their choice, it was just meant to be!

We put together a customized package, and Amanda created a Pinterest board to show me her tastes and style. Having plenty of time to discuss all of their ideas and working with them for Engagement photo’s made it super easy to work with them and it allowed me to gain their confidence in my style and professionalism.

Amanda and Cash were initially shy when it came to the camera, believe it or not, I had the pleasure of shooting their first professional portraits together. I couldn’t believe it was their first time! They were so nervous about what to expect, but as we walked through the session, in downtown Conway, they started to blossom out of their uneasiness. By the end they were joking, having a good time and they were noticeably more relaxed.

Then the wedding rolled around, it was so fluid that the day couldn’t have gone any better. We already knew one another, they were comfortable with me, and we all just moved together through their sacred day. It was lovely capturing a traditional Greek Wedding ceremony at The Breakers Resort. The reception? Total party animals! The groom became the party stopper with the wicked dance moves. Where oh where did that shy guy go!. The bride was beautiful and having a blast, and the brother….well the boy was the comedian, that’s for sure!

The most memorable part of their celebration was the line of communication and connection. The father of the bride hit every heartstring in the room, mine included. His toast wasn’t designed as a tissue moment, but everyone was crying as he told the story of him and his wife’s first date. He symbolized how special he thought this new union was going to be. “How special he knew his wife is, and how he felt the same way about Cash being the same person for his daughter.” The he presented the new couple the most unexpected gifts, the very same gifts he exchanged with is wife so many years ago – A wooden yo-yo and a rabbit’s foot.

Lucky tokens handed down from the past to the future. It was a coming together of a new family, a new future, and I was lucky enough to bear witness to the intangible emotional presence amongst us. If there was anything at all that connected human to human, it was there in that room. At that moment and for a split second, all there ever was, was love.

Young love: Wedding at the Train Depot

November 21, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

As a photographer along the Grand Strand, I thoroughly enjoyed this once in a lifetime wedding at the Historic Myrtle Beach Train Depot. The train depot is cherished in the hearts of many locals. It began as a transport hub, bringing families to the coast. Through its journey, the depot was always a part of travelers’ memories. It’s restoration was its own love story, one that blossomed with patience, determination, and everlasting merriment. As the City of Myrtle Beach would say, it is an, “active link to the city’s past and a focal point of its future.”

Speaking about past and future, I personally knew Roosevelt before his nuptials. He supported me and my wife’s venture in to charity work under Global Awareness Project. I was not surprised when the train depot’s timeless history spoke to our sweethearts wedding plans too. The couple mixed the vintage style of the Train Depot with a multi-cultural guest list and used the area’s natural attractions and landscape to personify the wedding theme of “Endless love.”

The beauty and innocence of young love is a powerful emotion – it can leave you speechless and with very wet handkerchiefs. There’s something about when a bride lets a tear slip during her vows, it has its own volume in silence. Those tears of joy became contagious.

Don’t think this crew doesn’t know how to party, though! I saw friends doing impressions for song lyrics, female friends hoisting the groom in his photo, and “cheers” springing up in regular intervals. Tempered with laughter, the reception showered us with sass, class, and attitude!

As I relive the day, I just want to say, “Cheers with happiness and longevity to this beautiful union.”

If you would like to see more and learn about Carl Kerridge Photography, please visit my Website or find me on Facebook. Want to know my favorite photo from the day? Well of course, I’d save the best for last.

Fine Art Photography: Rain on the Wedding Day

November 19, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

Love and Fine Art-

It has no limitations and touches gently in every way.

Before I was contacted about the wedding, I knew Hillary from SeaBlue Restaurant. When I saw her, I always felt as if I were chatting with a friend. When I first met Hillary and Adam together, their personalities just bubbled in front of me. The fact that they knew my fine art from the restaurant was great. They loved my style from the get go, they wanted fine art compositions, lots of black and whites and to have fun, tons of fun.

One thing I remember from their engagement shoot was how easy they were to photograph together. It was obvious which way he was going and which way she was going. They just molded together. As a wedding photojournalist of Myrtle Beach, every image spoke volumes of their dedication to and for each other. And the morning of their wedding? Smiles, jokes, and (of course) shots!

It’s one of the best good luck omens for there to be rain on the wedding day. The sky kept at bay as the bride and groom said their “I do’s,” and their family and friends “returned to the sea” blessings and best wishes for the happy couple. We ended up waiting for the limo to pick the bride and groom up. In the meantime, I shared a nice moment with the couple just talking about their favorite things. It was just another chance to get to know them better. Then… we started placing bets on how the party was about to go down.

Arriving at SeaBlue Restaurant for their reception, the coupled entered with a dance that set the mood for the entire evening – light-hearted, fun, and hilarious entertainment. Everyone was on the make shift dance floor, tables were moved to the side and even the furniture became a prop to help you shake it – which gave new meaning to Momma’s got her groove, and Papa’s got a brand-new bag.

You should know that it did, indeed, rain.
How do you pick a favorite image? It gets harder the closer I become to my couples. Scroll to the bottom so see the beauty between them!

If you would like to see more of my fine art pieces visit my Website or find me on Facebook.

Wedding and Romance on the River in Myrtlewood

November 13, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

An Epic Wedding: Beach, bubbles and Daddies’ hot red mustang!

I remember when I walked up to the bride’s room for pre-wedding photos, Sarah met me in her dad’s shirt. I should have known then that he was going to be the main character of the day.

Hilariously, the bride and groom were getting dressed in the room next to each other but made it very clear that they were not to see each other. Before sneaking out of the hotel, we made sure to hide the groom in the bathroom. Well, maybe we didn’t get to that extreme, but we were making sure to keep him well away from the windows as we headed ocean front at the Myrtle Beach Hampton Inn for the bridal portraits.

Painting the setting for the ceremony? A hard wood compass pointed the bride and groom towards their next heading. As guests strolled in they left their thumb prints in the family tree book, and they exited with a bubble walk to the bride’s father’s cherry red mustang. With a giddy looking smile the Father of the Bride pulled away with an extremely thirsty couple in the back…and it was paramount for Dad to stop at the next gas station for Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi.

Having been a wedding photographer for 15 years in the Myrtle Beach area, I knew the reception extravaganzas were going to be tailored to my style of wedding photojournalism. Myrtlewood danced with lights and festivities for this romance on the river. However this day celebrated more and more the longer I stayed. I found out that the couple was sharing their special day with the bride’s cousin. It was his 21st birthday and the Father of the Bride took full advantage. He encouraged everyone to party like crazy, handed the cousin take his first shot of Tequila and was the poster child for promoting mischief. It was awesome to spectate!

How could we forget the element of surprise, the stunning view, your husband borrowing one of your bridal accessories, the MJ dance moves or all the laughter! I mean we had an epic cake smash – a bold move, he got her first.

Scroll down for the favorite photo of the day that captured the love and playfulness between husband and wife.