S. Carter Studios

I grew up in Seattle, WA. I’m a proud fan of recycling, Mariner’s baseball, beautiful snow capped mountains and Ivar’s clam chowder. When I was in high school my family relocated from Seattle to Ridgeland, South Carolina. Two BIG words : Culture & Shock. There were a lot of differences and accommodations to be made by the locals as well as our family BUT I had the opportunity to make wonderful friends and truly learn how to appreciate a little rest and relaxation. I go back to South Carolina about every six months or so to visit some great friends I have there. This time I decided to try and mix a little business with pleasure. Enter: Lauren. I’m going to give Lauren the biggest fan residing in the great lowcountry award. She all but spearheaded my trip down there and rallied the troops to try and get as many sessions as possible! I loved working with her, her brother and a best friend, Jennifer. Here are some photos from our mini sessions!

Lauren and her younger brother Jeremy took photos as a gift for their mom!

Gotta love those Carolina pines!

and mother to be Jennifer (with baby London coming soon) and her daughter Rylynn.

We finished with a few of the ladies together.

We’ll keep you posted on possible mini sessions in Ridgeland, SC, when we plan our next trip!

I know it’s been a while since I posted but it’s certainly not because we haven’t been busy. If you like to stay on top of our new content then I would encourage you to become a Facebook Fan, you’ll get a chance to see the latest content first! There are about 8 sessions/weddings on there that have yet to debut here. I know it’s sad but we’re working on it! So, anyway! Let me introduce you to Devin & Katelyn. They are some of the best clients a photographer can dream of. Not only did they really come ready for anything but they trusted me completely and even agreed to a sunrise session! I hadn’t really thought they’d take me up on it when I offered but I am so glad they did. We had a great time wondering around taking beautiful pictures before most people even brush their teeth. We finished our photo date off with breakfast at Market at Main.

Between lots of laughing & comments about hairspray we talked about our families, challenges of married life and what we hoped God would do with our lives. It was like being with old friends! So, please feast your eyes on S. Carter Studios first ever sunrise engagement session! Seriously, leave them some love for being this good looking at 6:30 am.

If you found yourself driving over the overpass into Lynchburg and wondering who those crazy people on the side of the road were taking pictures, well, proudly I’ll answer, it was US. I think they’d agree it was totally worth it.

After a quick outfit change (which was clever to pull off at 7:30 am in Lynchburg) we were back in action at a more relaxed location.

one of my VERY favorites!

Bling, Bling.

We went down by the water and I asked them to just go and have fun, this is what I got in return lol

Take a look at the slideshow for more photos from this awesome session!

Devin & Katelyn – Engagement Session from sabrena deal on Vimeo.

It was such a pleasure to spend time with you guys. Thanks for letting me celebrate with you!

It’s a little ironic that Emily, Sharon and I were dodging raindrops on the day that we took these bridal portraits and that there were plenty of rain drops to be found on her wedding day as well. She was such a lovely bride & I think it could be argued had one of the most beautiful and unique weddings between crazy flash flooding, steady drizzle and one of the most gorgeous sunsets Virginia has to offer. Well, enough about her wedding, here some of her lovely bridal portraits that we kept unwraps until now!

She looks just like a princess waiting for a prince…

just to tease you a little, here’s a preview from her wedding! Unless you’re a Facebook Fan, in which case you would have seen this photo before they’d even left for their honeymoon!

Sometimes my couples will call me, on the verge of purchasing a pocket cam (industry code for camera that fits in the pocket as opposed to massive thousand dollar cameras and lenses hauled around at weddings/events), and ask what I suggest. So I thought I’d go ahead and do this week’s take a look on that very subject. We’ll get the first part out of the way and say that I always, always recommend Canon cameras. My very first digital camera was a Powershot and I’ve been ever so brand loyal since! I’ve even gotten my family to purchase three or four as well as several friends. Wait, there’s got to be a way that I can start making money off this…. I have several Canon DSLR’s but it’s my Canon Powershot SD880 that is always at arms length! Let’s show off a few images taken with this camera before I do some serious bragging.

This one taken in Mystic Connecticut (thanks for the extra day Jen & Matt)

This one of our little house of love taken during storm 2 of Snowpacolypse 09-10

This one taken to show texture and in celebration of a trip to Georgia to see our family.

Fireworks last 4th of July.

Virginia Tech monument to those who were killed April 2007.

So what are the things I love about this camera? Well, it has facial recognition, image stabilization, 4X optical zoom, video capabilities, 10 megapixels (really anything over 6 on a pocket cam is just silly), selective color shooting (picking only blues to show in color and everything else in gray scale , etc) and a sweet 3 in LCD screen & can go up to ISO3200.  Another reason that I love it is that it’s resiliant. I’ve had the camera for 2.5 years and in that time it’s travel all along the eastern coast as well as down to Brazil where it took the photo below.

The battery life on this thing is incredible, if I used it daily, I would only need to recharge it once a month! I don’t use it every day so I recharge it about every 2 to 3 months. Now, for the best reason of all: one day it took a swim inside my purse. Let me explain, I carry water bottles around with me. One particularly sad day my water bottle tipped over. This wouldn’t be a problem except that I’d forgotten to properly screw the top on and it flooded my purse. You can imagine my distress as I fished my wallet, iPod, cell phone and camera out of the bag. Even after being submerged & then left alone to dry for three days in a bag of rice, this little camera just keeps on kicking! We had actually bought a new one and took it back once Frankenshot was resurrected!

I haven’t seen them in Best Buy (which is where I originally purchased mine) but here’s a link to a few you can purchase from Amazon.com! They come in silver or gold, but do yourself a favor and get the silver! It was a graduation gift to myself but was also the camera we took on our honeymoon. I promise you won’t regret it if you go with any of the Powershot cameras.

So, here’s one final picture, taken recently (months after the disaster) of me and our new intern Julie, she’s the cute blonde one, lol!

Nathan and Courtney were the first couple to sign up for our engagement mini sessions & they came with ideas & style! I loved that they took so much ownership during their session and were flexible and completely trusting of my ability to help them celebrate this crazy time in their relationship. That’s really a win win combination for anyone! I always get a little nervous when shooting for another photographer but was excited to be able to encourage & discuss the biz with Nathan! Enjoy some photos from their session!

Courtney didn’t wear shoes at any point of the session which turns out is how she normally rolls and usually Nathan doesn’t either so we had him take them off. I  love this image, it just makes me think, “All you need is love.”

Congratulations you crazy kids, I think you’ve got what it takes to make it!

Today is a slightly sad day in S. Carter Studios history. We’re saying goodbye to our very first intern: Jenny. I remember the first time that she emailed me, about a year and a half ago, just asking if we could get together for coffee and a few questions. I’m not sure that either of us knew what God had in mind from there but I can tell you that looking back, I’m not sure what I would have done without her! Instead of having some photos of her (because she’s asked me for a rain check ont hem) I’ve decided to encourage you take a look at some of her work!

Just take a look at what she’s done over the past year: edited over 15,000 photos, packed and repacked camera bags and batteries, helped pack and move an entire office, swept the office floor, gift wrapped albums, organized random props, seen me get a speeding ticket, slept in a king size bed with me, done my dishes, dealt with irritating mothers of the bride, battled demanding priorities, moved bookshelves into the creepy basement, entered hundreds of receipts, started a new company, entered the blogging sphere, carried gear, done your first wedding by yourself, began to twitter, and developed a complete identity for paper napkin photo!

She’s pushed me to be a better photographer, to be a clear communicator, to not take anything for granted, to really live the things that I say I believe and to be organized and focused. I’ve been encouraged by her joy, hard work, commitment, sense of humor, willingness to try new things, ability to rise to meet the challenges put before her, humility, and love for other people!

I have seen her grow so much in shooting, editing, and professionalism. I am proud to suggest her to potential clients because I know that they can trust her to do her very best and I know that you’ll honor the Lord with the talents and gifts that he’s given her.  So, Jenny, you’re officially an S. Carter Studios internship survivor and I couldn’t be more proud to be able to say that I was a part of your journey!

I’ve known Brenton for a while, we marathoned it in his little truck on the way back from Nate and Bekah’s wedding! That was a long but fun trip, plus it ended with fireworks, literally, so how can you beat that. After that I’d see him around, always with this bubbly young lady who I anticipated, after a while, would end up being Mrs. Brenton some time in the future. They got engaged earlier this year and when we started scheduling our engagement mini sessions I was hoping it would work out for us to celebrate their engagement together! Everyone should have engagement photos, or at least that’s my opinion. It was a pleasure to hang out with them on just one of a few weekends before they tie the knot! As it turns out my wonderful intern (though sadly not after tomorrow) Jenny is taking their wedding photos so you can keep your eye on her site for some pictures after they say I do!

He makes her laugh, I believe this was the story about discussing a mammal of the donkey family in 4th grade. I had to laugh at that one too.

Just 5 days until they tie the knot! Best of luck to you both!

Josh and I love to go exploring, it’s really something that we’re great at as a couple. Wandering around and finding cool things. So we decided a few weekends ago to discover Bedford, VA. It’s about half an hour from where we’re located in Lynchburg. One thing you must know about Bedford is that it shuts down around 5:00 pm, even on Saturdays. So we originally were feeling like our explorations were going to be a bust until we found this little gem. Take A Look at Bella Books!

It looked awesome even from the front, they had great and unique items inside but what made it even better was the pricing! Where some stores would take advantage of the cliental, Bella Books goes out of its way to find new homes for its products! So, if you’re in the market for table placements for your wedding, favors for the bridal shower you’re throwing, props for the next engagement session you’ve got planned, or just great books and cool decorations for your house we suggest you visit Bella Books. And don’t worry, they don’t close until 9 pm!

About those prices…seriously, green glass plates, a set of three for $12?

They have all kinds of stuff, kitchen ware, wall decor, china, jewelry, chairs, desks, cabinets and more. Plus their inventory is always being updated so no trip is wasted because you never know what they’re going to get in!

I’ll leave you with one last image, this China that I was almost begging Josh to let me get because it was simply beautiful! The entire set was less than $600.00, the teapot alone is worth more than half of that!

Sadly, Bella Books isn’t online but if you go to visit please let them know that a) we sent you & b) they need to get a website! haha. We had a great time there and can’t wait to return!

They began dating while he was on tour with his band. She’s got two addy awards to her name almost graduated name. I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated at the idea of taking pictures of a couple of rock stars. As it turns out, rock stars are just like people! Daniel and Emily were casual, friendly and more than happy to hold hands and do anything for a great shot! We shared cupcakes and it was instant friendship. I can’t wait to see what they’ve got up their sleeves for their end of July wedding!

Sometimes photographers have dreams, like a client saying they have an original polaroid camera with just one picture left in it that they are willing to trust you with. Dreams like this come true sometimes…

I cannot wait for their wedding, just learned yesterday to expect five classic muscle cars at the wedding. H-yes, I’m excited! Here’s to July 31st!

Well, I suppose Angi really doesn’t need an introduction. If you’re a regular then you’ve seen her engagement caught on film &  slideshow, a slideshow from her shower’s photobooth, and a Hand Picked project created for the shower. I thought it was about time for me to share other shower details! I’ve been dreaming of being a bridesmaid for a few years now, I know it sounds silly, people don’t usually look forward to spending upwards of $400 or more to be involved with a wedding but I just think a bridesmaid is a very special person there for the bride to depend on and to help her accomplish the wedding of her dreams! So, I loved that part of my bridesmaid responsibilities included planning and executing a bridal shower! The theme was spring time, especially since it was primarily planned during a particularly cold and snow winter, and we were able to have 4 of the 9 bridesmaids in attendance! That’s a pretty impressive feat seeing as how we’re spread out over the world, literally!

Jimmy Cakes created the perfect cake! Funfetti & strawberry, her very favorites.

She loved it!

and cut it with a big scary knife.

Thanks to Jenna for grabbing some pictures of me, evidence that I was really there!

Angi & Solomon are moving to Thailand shortly after their wedding so we had a Create A Date themed shower where guests brought creative date ideas and the funds to make them happen! Here are some details!

We stored the ideas in the little album and she read through them all during the shower.

We also created a bouquet made of advice for her!

and tried to make things a little easier on her by filling out names and addresses on envelopes for thank you cards!

I really truly enjoyed pulling it together, with the help of some lovely ladies! I can’t believe how fast her wedding is coming up. Oh, and a heads up that some of her engagement photos will be posted on the blog soon! Here’s a sneak peak.

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