DWHCS 2015 – Best year on record

November 26, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

The build up to every year of Dancing with The Horry County Stars put a spotlight on the Early College High Scholl program. And this year the local High School has had an exceptional year, voted top High School in Myrtle Beach and 204th Nationwide. With the support of local businesses and sponsors expect even better things to come in the years that follow.

One of the fundraising events, Dancing with The Horry County Stars just entered its eighth year and I have been privileged to have shot every single one from its inception. Somehow they seem to be able to keep raising the bar and this year was no exception, the one-night event and sponsorship’s for table and guest seats grossed over $165,000. The biggest year to date and with the incredible line up of talent it really should be no surprise to see how this has become ‘The event to see’.

The audience were entertained with an incredible Michael Jackson impersonator to start the show and he really set the pace for a thrilling evening with culminated in a dance off between the two top scoring teams to decide a winner.

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: Destination Wedding and Romance at The Dye Club

November 12, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

When it comes to my fine art passions, I’ve learned to love seeing out of state phone numbers, and especially those out of country!

I love destination weddings. I love being the photographer to welcome couples to the Myrtle Beach area. This groom initially contacted me because he wanted to buy a fine art print from SeaBlue Restaurant for his bride to be, Wendy. Then he asked if I shot weddings. Needless to say, everything progressed from there. We customized a unique package for them that included less pictures than I usually deliver allowing me to produce the documentary style they desired and emphasize fine art pieces in my post production.

Just picture it: The Dye Club with their beautiful Royal Oak furnishing’s and tasteful elegance. When it comes to fine art, what more could you ask for?

The Dye Club is a private country club that sits near a beautiful lake on one of the top local golf courses. It has a very low country classic style to it. Crafted into a single level structure, it has rich decorations, a gold leaf ceiling and a large wrap around veranda porch. Though the day had threatening clouds, the weather never altered the couple’s mood. They were super laid back and more than anything looking forward to the reception. They said “I do” between rain showers to a backdrop of beautiful colors with a close group of family and dear friends. To get that fine art feel, we moved around the property using the blooming azalea and gardenias for Wendy’s bridal and the couple’s portraits. In a beautiful irony, the wedding colors and Joe’s tux matched all the blossoms around The Dye Club, an unplanned phenomenon!

Both Joe and Wendy wanted a non-stop party. Joe Durivage, of Myrtle Beach DJ’s, guaranteed a rockin’ party and everyone danced, literally until midnight. The toasts, the dip, the dancing, I tell you Mounties know how to have a good time! One thing I will always take away from their wedding will be how intimate it all turned out. It was truly the little things that mattered, and oh those little things, how wonderful they are. The bride’s daughter was the maid of honor, and the groom’s best man was his son. In front of their dedicated friends and family, a memorable wedding gift was given. The bride’s daughter presented a source for future memories – it was a hand-made carved wooden photo album, delicate in the most loving way.

How did I pick the favorite photo? Well, it was hard…scroll down to find out

Sunnyside Plantation: When a Hurricane Attends a Wedding

October 22, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

In this case, Joaquin was fashionably late and luck acted like a lady at Sunnyside Plantation

I work in a lot of different conditions and scenarios. I am a documentary-styled photographer, after all. I constantly try to push my limits and break my barriers by shooting in new and challenging settings. However, Hurricane Joaquin definitely tested my normally cool and calm demeanor. I was worried the entire week prior: Would my couple be able to host their celebration outdoors? Would the 20 inches of planned rain stall off long enough for them to say, “I do”? Would we get flooded out and have to scramble up the moss covered live oak trees? or Would they simply have to move the 200 guests to another last minute location?

Luckily, that was not the case. Rain sprinkled as the bride got ready and miraculously everyone remained calm and collected at Sunnyside Plantation. We danced around the wedding family – sneaking candids and spicing up our photography with the bride’s custom engraved Converses and “Gangsta” socks.

The ceremony began with the groom and the couple’s two dogs walking to the alter. When the bride emerged from Sunnyside’s front door, everyone broke into smiles and cheers. When their officiant asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?” never has their been a more appropriate response! From the side of the guests’ seats a “woof woof” arose that declared with certainty that “Who” was Him! We all broke into laughter, the timing was perfect! Catch the wedding video to see for yourself!

Oysters and craft beer entertained the guests for the cocktail hour. In the meantime, we photographed the newlyweds against Murrells Inlets’ marsh under heavily overcast skies. As always, we hugged and congratulated the couple, encouraging them to share a few moments by themselves. As we returned to the tent, the family shenanigans had begun with a group pyramid pose – apparently their family tradition at every gathering.

Joe Durivage of Myrtle Beach DJ’s disco’ed the dance floor with over 120 songs, encouraging everyone to bust a move and get their groove on. Everyone was dancing, even the whip and nae nae rain dance appeared and my assistant and I naturally boogied down with the crowd (I’m not known as the dancing photographer for nothing). Southern hospitality, BBQ, and speciality drinks combined with the ‘happy go lucky’ attitude of all the guests made this one of the most fun weddings ever.

If I described how the night felt as I was packing up, it would be like this: a cake topper with the bride and groom high five-ing one another. That is Allison and Roddy: best friends, husband and wife, and devoted dog lovers. Congratulations and best wishes to the awesome couple!

Wedding photography in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina wedding photographer, wedding photojournalism, event photos, Sunnyside Plantation, Murrells Inlet wedding, Fine art wedding images

Vendor list

Sunnyside Plantation – http://www.facebook.com/SunnysidePlantationSC

Inlet Affairs – http://inletaffairs.com/

Myrtle Beach DJ’s – http://www.myrtlebeachdjs.com/

Marketing: I’m often referred to as the dancing Englishman…

October 27, 2015 by Carl Kerridge

Marketing: Local Networking and Business Referrals

I’m the guy who gets to collaborate with awesome professionals and great clients along the Grand Strand. I strive to create the best work possible, deliver my products and then encourage my clients to talk about me. What do you need to have a successful referral based marketing system? In my experience, the theory stayed simple:

Have passion and be passionate about the services you are offering.
Deliver products with value in a consistent manner that exceeds your clients expectation.
Know who your clients are, and specifically who your clients are not.
Socialize and network. You need the balance in your life of work, home, and play.
Just because you can finish the job, doesn’t mean the relationship has to be over.
Be thankful. Practice, prep up, and meaningfully say “Thank you.”

Passion & Product

I believe that passion is a huge part of having a successful referral based marketing strategy. Simply put, you just aren’t going to be able to deliver the highest quality product if you don’t care about it or the people you’re delivering to in the first place. In the process of working with and for my passions, I want my work to speak for itself by consistently exceeding my clients expectations with the final products I deliver. This could mean simple things like buying gift baskets for couples, paying attention to presentation materials, and researching what will actually make a difference to the clients I am interacting with.

Clients

I choose to really like the people I work for and it’s a priority for me to tailor the experience to each individual client. How my clients feel when they first meet me sets the standard, it’s my job to keep and go beyond that level of expectation every single time. Sometimes it is as simple as delivering images one day ahead of schedule or surprising them with a “gift product” in addition to what they ordered. Another way is to include them in my business functions and updates with regular social media posts and newsletters. With the upcoming launch of my new art series premiering in November, I want and encourage my clients to come join me in a night of celebration, enjoy some wine and one of my favorite past times ‘dancing’. For me it boils down to this – it is my clients who mean the most to me, and they are who grow my business.

Socialize

Here’s a prime example of how referral based marketing has worked for me. It’s a brief case study of my contract with our local Coastal Carolina National Bank. My initial contact with CCNB wasn’t through making a deposit. For the past 8 years I have photographed Dancing With The Horry County Stars. It is a fund raising opportunity for our local Early College Education Program. I love getting to know the dancers and coordinators at “Star Events” and in 2014 a member of CCNB was one of our dancing stars so when the bank needed new professional business and lifestyle portraits, the organizer of DWHCS suggested me to the Board. After seeing my work ethic and style from DWHCS, CCNB’s dancing star vouched for my quality and character and hey presto another job landed from a business connection.

Continuing the Relationship

My intention has never been to finish a job then say, “Well yep, thanks, hope you have a nice day too,” and show them out the door…It often takes time to establish great connections and relationships with businesses and keeping the channels of communication open after a photo shoot will often lead to additional future projects. In the case of CCNB the marketing director was great to work with, she introduced me to the work-family of the banking institutions as well as their affiliates. So far this has lead to photographing portraits for Purses for Purpose and a partnership with Tideland Health to host a yoga event. I remember the marketing director coming in for a photo shoot with the Pelican’s infamous Splash and saying, “Today, we’re doing yoga!”. This same philosophy applies to wedding and portrait clients and has created sustainable and consistent for my company.

At the end of the day,

I remember and I am so thankful to be surrounded by such an amazing circle of inspirational business professionals. I am thankful for the local networking and referrals that I consider priceless gems. Please note that I’m not bashing direct marketing or companies the specialize in the world of social media. Their merits are obvious because companies wouldn’t have marketing teams if that approach weren’t effective. This article is my testimonial on the benefits of using referral based marketing. It is my strategy in the sample area of Myrtle Beach and as the years have progressed, I preferred to keep this my main marketing system.

Myrtle Beach photographer, Studio Photography, Splash, Pelicans Baseball, Yoga day, CCNB

I would love for you to answer this one question. How has your business model shaped itself? Leave your comment below with one key example, thanks!

Carl Kerridge is a location and destination photographer based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He specializes in wedding,event and commercial photography. He is passionate about the fine art and photojournalistic aspects of photography. Traveling in and out of the United States, Carl has dedicated the past 15 years to studying/experimenting with his craft, teaching educational workshops, and advocating a global awareness through art. To learn more, visit his Website, follow him on Instagram or connect with him on Facebook.