Anniversary Photos at Table Rock | Semeen and Shehzad

I spent a perfect spring evening with Semeen and Shehzad right before their one-year wedding anniversary. We took photos at one of my favorite South Carolina parks, and one of my favorite places in South Carolina: Table Rock State Park in Pickens. I love that Table Rock Mountain is so easily recognizable from a distance, and I love that we can take photos with both water and mountains here.

Semeen and Shehzad had met before Shehzad came to the US for grad school, but they stayed in touch from across the world. Over the years, they became very close, and they knew that they wanted to get married and live in South Carolina together. When Shehzad came back to India, he proposed to Semeen. With Covid regulations in place in India, they opted for a small wedding just a week after their engagement so that they could be married before Shehzad came back to the US. As the Covid situation became more complicated, Shehzad ended up not being able to fly back to the US for four months! They made the best of the situation and spent that time adventuring together around India and Europe until they could move to South Carolina.

We originally had a different state park in mind for these photos, but when it was time to go, it appeared this park was already closed for the day. Shehzad suggested Table Rock instead. This is one of my favorite parks and I even had my own family photos there, so I agreed. They decided to have one outfit that was more American-looking and one that was more Indian-looking. Shehzad wore a kurta, which is like a long shirt, and Semeen wore a dupatta, which is like a shawl. I loved the sparkle and color the dupatta added to the photos!

When I first met Shehzad through the photography club at Clemson, he had only lived in the US for a few months. He said he loved taking pictures of the trees in the fall because he had never seen trees change colors before and he wanted to show everyone in India how beautiful it was. When we got to Table Rock, there was a tree with beautiful pink blossoms that I knew I wanted to use in their photos, but of course Shehzad pointed out an orange tree along the water too.

Enjoy Semeen and Shehzad‘s anniversary photos at Table Rock State Park!

Want photos like these? Click here to get started, or check out some of my other work below!

South Carolina Mountain Engagement | Libby and James

Libby and James were engaged in November outside Williams-Brice stadium! They wanted their engagement photos at Pretty Place, or Fred W. Symmes Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville. This chapel is right on the North Carolina border in Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, just down the road from Caesars Head State Park in northern Greenville County.

Since this was the one day Libby and James would be in the area and the chapel was closed for an event that evening, I suggested getting there at sunrise to get better light than if we went closer to midday. I had also heard from other photographers that it’s better to be there at sunrise because the chapel faces east, where the sunrise colors are. I was surprised, but happy, when they agreed to get there that early!

Well, apparently Pretty Place is the place to be at 7 AM on a Sunday, and it wasn’t as intimate as what we were hoping for (read: tons of people in the pews facing the exact spot we wanted in the background). We spent about 20 minutes getting sunrise photos there before we headed back down the road. Luckily, our other two locations only had one car there when we arrived! We took some photos at the Bald Rock overlook and in the trees there before heading to Wildcat Wayside for some waterfall photos!

Enjoy the photos from Libby and James’s sunrise session in the mountains of South Carolina!

Does this look like what you and your partner have in mind for your photos? Use the contact button below to send me a message, or check out some of my other work below!

You May Also Like…

Where to Take Engagement Photos in Upstate South Carolina

Planning Your Proposal

What If You Elope?

Choosing a Trail for Your Photos

Elopement at Red Horse Inn | Heather and Scott

Heather and Scott were married in an intimate ceremony on a perfect fall day in front of the South Carolina mountains!

These days, there’s a lot of chaos and uncertainty that comes with planning a wedding with a large group of people, so Heather and Scott decided to embrace the idea of an intimate ceremony with just each other. Their ceremony took place on the veranda of the Red Horse Inn in Landrum—right off of Scenic Highway 11. I had seen photos of the inn on Instagram, but when I walked up to the ceremony site, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the view from the mountains was.  Their voices were the only sound breaking the silence around us. 

After they signed the marriage license, we got to meet Phinney, the venue’s mini pig. We were given Cheerios to feed him and his tail wagged just like a dog’s! After we took some photos around the venue, we went to their cabin, where they cut their beautiful cake. One of their cake flavors was almond, which is one of my favorites, and a flavor I never see anyone else have at their wedding. We had to take a few photos with their dogs, Brie and Beamer, who were waiting for them at the cabin. 

To finish, we drove about 5 minutes down the road to take some more of their wedding photos at Campbell’s Covered Bridge. This beautiful red bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in the state, and there’s some beautiful tall grass nearby. After we said goodbye, Heather and Scott had dinner together and enjoyed the rest of the perfect fall weather with each other and their dogs. 

Check out some of my favorite photos from this beautiful South Carolina mountain elopement! 

Vendors:

Venue and florals: Red Horse Inn

Officiant: Raya Jackson

Hair and Makeup: Kapelli Salon

Cake: All Good Things

Photo: Christine Scott Photography

Does this seem like the perfect way to spend a wedding day? Click here to get in touch so we can start planning a personalized and intimate ceremony!

You May Also Like:

What to Know About Eloping

Where to Take Engagement Photos in Upstate SC

Clemson University Elopement

Elopement Styled Shoot on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Miss Clemson University Portraits | Ashley

Ashley took home the title of Miss Clemson University 2021! She represented the Rally Cat dance team in the competition.

I was excited to take photos for the Miss Clemson University for the fifth year. This was the first year that the pageant was virtual, which made for a different atmosphere than usual. The contestants didn’t have anyone there to cheer them on, but anyone could watch from wherever. It was pre-recorded, so Ashley got to tell her family that she won before they all watched the live stream. Each contestant submitted a video of their talent, which enabled them to incorporate a few more creative factors into their talent portion. Ashley danced to Something in the Water by Carrie Underwood, and filmed the dance right in front of the Reflection Pond. She took home the talent award in addition to the crown.

Ashley’s Miss Clemson University portrait session was on a beautiful day in mid-April with her three roommates, which made for a fun time. Her red evening gown was stunning against the white blooms and the steps of Sikes Hall. Since she represented the Rally Cats in the competition, we did some pictures by the stadium in her Rally Cat uniform. I have always loved dance action shots, and Ashley had a few really fun ideas. She perfectly coordinated her jewelry with each outfit, and I especially loved her tiger earrings that she wore with her orange top and white pants!

Check out some of my favorite photos from Ashley’s session! You can also see the video of the pageant here, with Ashley’s gorgeous dance solo at the Reflection Pond.

Are you thinking about doing a session at Clemson? Send me a message to tell me your ideas! For more information on photos for the Miss Clemson University pageant, click here.

You May Also Like:

Clemson Elopement | Katie and Matt

Mattie | Miss Clemson University 2020

Clemson Engagement Photo Ideas

Clemson Bridal Portraits | Brittany