Lets talk about southern charm. Nothing says southern charm like Charleston South Carolina, specifically downtown Charleston. Wow. The entire place just radiates class, just like our couple Gino and Danielle. Gino and Danielle had an incredible vision of what they wanted their engagement photos to look like.

High end. Timeless. Black tie. Maybe a little bit of old Hollywood sprinkled in. Kala and I definitely had to do our homework for this shoot. We also got to break out all the gear, and as any good photographer knows gear doesn’t make or break the photos, but it sure is fun to use. Not only did we need both of our cameras, but we also brought along our film camera and the polaroid too! Kala made fun of me because for over half the shoot I had 3 cameras and my bag hanging off me, I looked like a side show juggling cameras all evening.

Oh man was this a fun session. After choosing our locations we were able to get to work. A little different than our typical session. We don’t usually plan on shooting over an hour after sunset, but since half of our session was going to be in hotel elevators and lobbies.

Gino and Danielle met through their work, both being insurance agents for the same company, Danielle moved to North Carolina from Massachusetts. Looking at them you can just tell they were made for each other. Sometimes couples just fit together, and Gino and Danielle are a couple that just fits together.

While they insure individuals everyday, these two ensured that they were going to rock this session from the start. I mean nailing some iconic shots that I feel like deserve to be on the cover of a magazine.

It is almost ridiculous that they made our job this easy. Pretty sure GQ magazine was inspired by Gino. The man made being in front of the camera look like he could teach a class. Real fast fact. Danielle found her engagement dress 45 minutes before they arrived at the session. Their outfits complimented each other. Absolutely gorgeous.

Next part is hilarious, has never happened to us as professional photographers before. Once we finished outside in downtown we went to one of the historic hotels right down the block. We were informed by the security guard that while the couple could take photos in the lobby professional cameras were not allowed, but interestingly enough, our 50+ year old film camera and 30 year old polaroid cameras were not considered professional gear, so the session was saved!! 

Even though we made the workaround we wanted to try again and have some photos with cameras made this century, we went to another historic hotel across the block. No restrictions and the front desk clerk said she would even hold the elevator for us if we wanted her to, WIN!

We are so excited for Gino and Danielle’s wedding in September. We cannot wait to celebrate with them at Highgrove Estate.

Film Photos for the WIN!

Not just film style, actual film photography. Perfectly imperfect film. Be sure to check out the photos below when the film camera is all we could shoot with!