Proposal at Caesars Head | Melanie and Karl

I was so excited when Karl told me he wanted to propose to Melanie at one of my favorite places in all of South Carolina: the overlook at Caesars Head State Park!

Melanie and Karl live on the coast and planned to come up to the upstate for a weekend to hike in the mountains. They had heard Caesars Head was beautiful, so they wanted to check it out. Karl and I talked on the phone a few weeks before and came up with a plan for the proposal. I helped him choose a pretty trail near the Caesars Head visitor center that wouldn’t wear them out too much or take too much time. Since it’s hard to get phone signal in that area, we had to make sure we were on the same page beforehand, so I sent him a photo with what I had in mind for where he should get down on one knee:

Note that this was from the first attempt at my very first engagement session. We got all the way up there and the clouds/fog covered EVERYTHING, so we decided to come back a different day. I just sent him this one because it was the widest shot I had of the overlook.

After Melanie and Karl hiked to the Raven Cliff Falls observation deck, they came to the overlook at Caesars Head. Since it was right before Thanksgiving, there were a ton of people on the overlook, so I just stood right there taking pictures like everyone else was. Melanie waited for some people to clear away from the railing so she could take a picture on her phone. When she turned around, Karl was on one knee! The amount of happiness radiating from them in these photos is contagious, and I was smiling so much while I was editing these.  

Karl remembered that Melanie had shown him her Pinterest at one point, and that there were rings on there. He looked her profile up and chose a ring that was similar to the ones she had pinned. I thought that was a pretty good idea! I also like the red box that it was in. 

I had so much fun with these two and I hope you love their photos!  If you’re looking for a photographer, click to read about the engagement experience and the elopement experience!

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My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

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

The Venue Asheville Wedding Styled Shoot

I got to spend an evening in downtown Asheville with some other photographers showing off what some other local vendors can do! 

One of the rooms had ANOTHER French theme!  While the one I did two days earlier was French lavender themed, this one was French countryside themed.  The ceremony space had a hand-painted backdrop that complemented the pastel pink and blue in the bouquet, macarons, and cake.  The delicate colors make me think of Cinderella!  I loved the off-the-shoulder dress and the pattern at the end of the cathedral veil!  Sarah and I took turns tossing the veil for each other and running out of the frame so we could get some pretty pictures of it floating.

The other theme was a woodland theme, with greenery and wood and a color scheme of mostly deep green and burgundy.  For this setup, we had two grooms, a bride, and a sweetheart table.  I loved the way the grooms’ suits, ties, and boutonnieres complemented each other! 

Organizer: Ashley Ricci

Venue: The Venue Asheville

French Countryside

Floral: Elena- Luxe Wedding Designs

Cake:  Emma - Verbena Cakes

Macarons: Beeswax and Butter

Mobile Bar: Bryce -Jack’s 47 Mobile Bar

Hair: Jenna- Atlas Beauty

Makeup:  Powder Me Pretty

Invitations:  Erin -Pretty Words By Erin

Rentals: Nikki -East West Vintage Rentals

Dress:  Amy -Maggi Bridal

Designer: Sincerity Bridal

Suit:  Asos

Custom ceremony Backdrop:  Abby- Abby Lynne Art

Models:  Lucy + James

Woodland

Floral: Lissa- Flora

Cake:  Cakin’ It Up

Hair: Jenna- Atlas Beauty

Makeup:  Powder Me Pretty

Invitations:  Pretty Words By Erin

Rentals: Nikki- East West Vintage Rentals

Dress:  Amy- Maggi Bridal

Designer: Lillian West

Suit:  Mitchell’s Tuxedo

Models: Shane + Mike (couple), Corey (bride)

Ready for wedding photos like this?  Check out some of my other work below or click here to get in touch!

Elope in SC

Upstate SC Engagement Photo Ideas

Planning Your Proposal

Sunny vs. Cloudy Days

Lavender Wedding Styled Shoot | The French Cottage

This styled shoot (a collaboration between wedding vendors to show the world what they can do) was French themed, so as someone who took French for 7-ish years, what’s not to love?  We met at The French Cottage, an elegant little Airbnb hidden in rural Pickens County.  It was set up to look like a ceremony for a micro-wedding, so hopefully this will help you picture how your wedding day might look!  Not only was there lavender everywhere (including some of the models’ hairpieces), the whole color scheme revolved around it, so there was so much purple!  The flatlays were SO much fun to put together, and since I was by myself when I did those, I had the American in Paris soundtrack playing on my phone as I set them up. 

We had two couples and three brides.  One of those brides, Kristy, happened to be there to help with the models’ hair and ended up modeling herself when another model couldn’t make it!  Each bride modeled multiple gowns and I love how different they all were.

This was such a fun day and I’m so happy to have met all these other creatives!  Here are the vendors who made these pictures possible:

Host: Hills Photography Studios

Venue: The French Cottage, Pickens, SC

Floral design and rentals: A Touch of Essence

Hair and Makeup: Katey Atkins, Kristy Hyde

Lavender: Twin Creeks Lavender

Hairpieces: Blushing Gold Brides

Catering: Kyla Woodard

Stationery: Tiger Lily Invitations

Soaps: Christine Wagner McBride

S’Mores: Cavity Kitchen

Illustrations: Cirque 91 Co

Gowns: Aletta Bridal, Belle & Kai

Models: Erica and Brian, Kaylan and Willie, Kalyn, Brittanie, and Kristy

Cake: Batterific Bakery

Macarons and Cookies: SoBella Sweets

Chocolates: My Favorite Sweets

Does your Pinterest board look like this? Check out some of my other work below or click here so we can start planning for your own photos!

How to Elope in SC

Planning Your Proposal

Ridge Asheville Wedding Styled Shoot

Upstate SC Engagement Photo Ideas

Camp Pinnacle Wedding | Lindsay and Tim

After doing Lindsay and Tim’s engagement photos at Clemson this past spring, I was so excited for their wedding! They held the wedding at Camp Pinnacle, where Lindsay’s dad used to spend his summers when he was in school. With a quiet lake and willow trees, it was a beautiful place to celebrate love. The reception was held in the camp gym, which I never would have guessed was mostly used as a gym because it looked so elegant.  Since it was late September, we had the lush green of the summer without as much of the heat. The deep red color scheme was perfect for this time of year and looked gorgeous with the rest of the venue. 

The ceremony took place in the camp amphitheater with a floral arbor in front of the lake.  Their mothers read from Colossians and Bob Marley.  Lindsay and Tim followed a Celtic tradition of tying their hands together to symbolize their eternal commitment to each other.  Lindsay walked down the aisle to Here Comes the Sun and she and Tim left the ceremony to All You Need is Love—I’m always happy to see Beatles songs included in weddings!  Their family and friends--more than just the father of the bride, maid of honor, and best man—all had wonderful things to say about how much they love Lindsay and Tim.

You can feel how happy Lindsay and Tim are in these photos—they’re so smiley and Tim was fist-pumping so much throughout the day.  Check out some of these sweet moments and the vendor team behind this gorgeous day!

Venue: Camp Pinnacle

Photographer: Christine Scott Photography

Assistant Photographer: Simply Marie Photography​
Dress:  The Savvy Bride Boutique​
Officiant: BeLoved Ceremony
Florals: Flowers by Larry​
Hair and makeup: BLOW Salon Studio​
DJ: Carolina DJ Professionals
Event rentals: Event Rentals, Inc

Bartending: The Perfect Mix

Lake Keowee Wedding | Erika and Jameson

Erika and Jameson had an intimate wedding celebration with gorgeous views of Lake Keowee and the mountains behind them.  We started with some portraits beforehand along the water at the Lighthouse Restaurant (a beautiful restaurant where Dan and I had our rehearsal dinner) before the dark clouds rolled in.  We quickly headed to the park, and when there was a little break in the rain, they walked out to the lake for their ceremony.  Afterwards, they cut the wedding cake that Erika’s aunt made for them, picked out koozies, and played cornhole with Clemson boards and beanbags.

I loved how Erika and Jameson valued having their families come together on this day.  When I first met Erika, I could see how much she loved Jameson’s son, Brantley.  He was in almost as many pictures as the bride and groom.  He walked down the aisle with Erika and stood with them during the whole ceremony.  When Erika and Jameson said their vows, Erika made a vow to Brantley as well.   I loved having this sweet boy in some of their wedding portraits and getting his seal of approval on the others!

Check out some of my favorite photos we got right before the storm came through!

Bleckley Inn Wedding | Katrina and McKenzie

The one snow day we had in Greenville all winter just so happened to land on the day McKenzie wanted to propose to Katrina.  The exciting night out he’d planned for the proposal quickly turned into a night in, so he had to think of a new plan quickly.  He put on “Millionaire” by Chris Stapleton and asked Katrina for a slow dance in the living room.  When the song finished, he told her that it was a good time to celebrate.  When Katrina asked what they were celebrating, McKenzie said, “our engagement,” and got down on one knee with this gorgeous vintage-looking engagement ring. 

Katrina and McKenzie’s intimate wedding was on a perfect April day at the Bleckley Inn in Anderson.  They made each other laugh during the ceremony and they had me laughing so much during their bride and groom portraits!  We took some photos out in the courtyard and some others in this little alleyway with flowers and string lights.  Katrina wore a gown with lace sleeves and an off-the-shoulder V-neckline, like a gown out of a 50s movie.  She also had these princess-looking shoes and the garter her mother wore on her own wedding day.  Many of the items they used were handmade, including their engraved tree-like ring box, McKenzie’s feather bow tie, and the succulent décor at the reception.  Katrina and her mom made and designed the decor themselves and set it up with the help of some of their family and friends. All three of their rings are so unique—McKenzie’s wedding band is made from meteorite! 

Thank you Katrina and McKenzie for letting me be part of this beautiful day!

Venue: The Bleckley Inn

Dress, Veil, and Shoes: David’s Bridal

Florals: Wedding Flowers for Rent

Catering: The Bleckley Inn

Officiant: Upstate Wedding Officiant

Decor: designed and created by Katrina and her mother

Invitations: Shutterfly

Cake: Publix Bakery

Arbor and Curtains: Event Rentals

Topper: Adore Your Door Decor

Wedding Favors: Classic Cactus

Succulents: Succulent Cuttings 4 U

Acrylic signs: Sweet NC Collective

Welcome sign: Timeless Accessory Inc

Suspenders: Dochriste

Bowties: Glamour Wedding Shop

Event Rentals: Arbor & Arbor Curtains

Ring Box: Trees 2 Art

Choosing Your Married Name

It’s actually a pretty big decision and I don’t know why I’ve never read a blog post on it. I never heard anyone talk about this, and I never thought to talk with anyone about it, maybe because everyone has such different views on marriage in general and what different name change options would say about you.  Even when you Google “name change after marriage,” the whole first page is about the process of changing your name and not what to change it to. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would have benefitted from reading something like this.

I initially didn’t like the idea of changing my name. This is what I had been called my whole life. I didn’t want to be called something else just because I made the decision to get married. Changing my name would mean having to update everything from my driver’s license to my Amazon shipping information to my paperwork at my job. I really didn’t want to go through all those processes, in addition to having to update pretty much everyone I knew.  The reason I did change my name was because I wanted our eventual family to all be under one name. “The Gows” wouldn’t include me if my last name was Scott or Scott-Gow. People wouldn’t know to associate me with Dan or our future children.  So I eventually decided that I wanted to be a Gow, but what would come between Christine and Gow? 

For other people, there are several factors to consider. I know professors who didn’t change their names so they can still be tied to different works they’ve published. Other professors might marry another professor in the same department and not want to be confused with each other. Some use a hyphenated name. One of my professors made her husband’s last name her middle name instead of the other way around. Some people change their name, but still choose to be known professionally as the name everyone knows. Carrie Underwood, for example, is not known to the public as Carrie Fisher, partially because so many people know her as Carrie Underwood, and partially because she could be confused with Princess Leia.

After deciding what your last name will be, you have to decide what you want your middle name to be. For some people, it’s an easy choice if they don’t like their middle or last name, or if it’s a name that they don’t want to be associated with anymore. I like my middle name and I didn’t like the idea of completely replacing my family name.  Plus, I had Christine Scott Photography going for me, but it would be weird if Scott wasn’t part of my name anymore.  I don’t think I really knew what I wanted my middle name to be until over a month after I was married.

This brings me to the legal process of name changes, which can vary by state.  In South Carolina, you can change your middle and last name to reflect your spouse’s name after becoming legally married.  Based on those rules, my options were Christine Laureana Scott, Christine Scott Gow, or Christine Laureana Gow (side note: Laureana is pronounced Laurie-Anna and it was my great-grandma’s name).   Somehow, I got away with making “Laureana Scott” my legal middle name without anyone questioning me. I don’t know what my plan would have been if I’d been told that wasn’t allowed or if I didn’t have enough space on the form. Another side note: that’s a very long name and kind of a pain when you have to write your full name on stuff.

Here’s where it gets complicated: if you don’t go by your first name, you will need a court order to legally change your name to the one everyone calls you.  This applies to people who go by their middle names, their last names, a nickname, or just another name they’ve chosen for themselves.  According to the South Carolina Legislature’s website, “A person who desires to change his name may petition, in writing, a family court judge in the appropriate circuit, setting forth the reason for the change, his age, his place of residence and birth, and the name by which he desires to be known,” as well as a series of background checks and an affidavit.

If monograms or initials are important to you, that’s something you’ll want to think about before making a legal name change. Remember the Big Bang Theory episode where they name their teams “Perpetual Motion Squad” and “Army Ants,” not realizing what the acronyms would be on their shirts?  Or what if your initials don’t spell anything, but your monogram does?  As for initials, I always thought “Christine S” sounded weird, maybe because it was rare for me to need to be distinguished from another Christine, so “Christine S Gow” sounded weird to me too. The only times I see “Christine L Gow” are in places like my bank account.  My signature is “Christine L Gow” because that’s what my credit card says and my signature is on the back.  On a side note, Dan and I recently realized that the “G” looks different in our signatures. His G looks like the one on the General Mills logo and mine looks like the one on the Goody hair accessories logo.

There are online services that will automate the process for you. I considered this since the DMV here wasn’t open when I wasn’t at work, but I read some negative reviews about the online services and decided I didn’t want to risk my legal name getting messed up.  I read that you’re supposed to go to the social security office before the DMV, so that’s what I did once I had a day off work.  I believe I was required to bring my marriage license and two forms of ID, which can include your driver’s license, your passport, your social security card, and your birth certificate.  I got there right when it opened and there was already a huge line across the front of the building.  I had some photography work to do, so I brought that with me in anticipation of a long wait.  The wait at the social security office was actually longer than the wait at the DMV, but I was able to sit down right away at the social security office.

I hope this has provided some insight to you as you get ready for this big change! Check out some other wedding inspiration below:

3 Tips for Choosing Engagement Session Outfits

While I love all the excitement and details of a wedding day, engagement sessions are unique in their own way.  Not only is it intimate, it also gives couples a chance to showcase their personalities and stories through the location and outfits they choose.  In this blog, I’m sharing a few tips on what to wear!

I believe that photos that make us happy are mostly because of how we feel at the time the photos were taken.  I want everyone to feel their best before they even see me, so I give everyone a portrait guide before each session.  Much of that gives some insight to help you decide what to wear.  I recommend having two outfits, but some couples choose to wear one, either because they really like it or because they don’t want to take time out of the session to find a place to change.  Here are a few tips to help you narrow down your options.

1.       Dress comfortably.

You don’t want to remember your engagement session as the day you wore a top that was too tight or an itchy sweater.  If it’s 100 degrees, try to wear something that’s won’t make you sweat more.  If it’s 25 degrees (like in Katherine and Anthony's session, pictured above), make sure you have layers under your outfit and gloves to put on between photos. A scarf and a peacoat can be just as pretty as a sundress.  Check out my Pinterest board for some of my favorite outfits for cold weather sessions!

Wear comfortable shoes! Take it from me: after I finished my graduation session, it was about a half mile walk back to my car. I really didn’t want to make the choice between wearing the shoes that hurt me for the whole session and walking barefoot. If you’re dying to wear a certain pair of shoes for your session, make sure you have a more comfortable pair to change into if you have a lot of walking to do.  Here’s a tip that I picked up from my high school color guard days: carefully placed electrical tape on the insides of your shoes can save your feet a lot of pain.

2.       Coordinate with each other.

You can coordinate colors without matching, like the “red top, black pants” my cousins and I would wear for our family pictures at Christmas when we were little.  You could choose a color scheme, such as wearing different shades of blue or both of you wearing something red and black.  You could also complement each other’s outfits.  If your favorite dress is purple and your fiancé(e) doesn’t have anything purple, you can choose an accessory in a similar color to something they do have. 

 Matt’s blue shirt and red tie both complement the flowers in Amethyst’s dress. Her dress also was perfect for this April session and looked beautiful with the colors of Disney’s Polynesian resort! Which brings me to #3…

3.       Consider the location.

You can coordinate your outfits with the color scheme of the location.  If there are lots of fall leaves at this location, you could wear warmer hues to complement them.  If your session is in the snow (which would be amazing), you could wear bolder colors to stand out.  Tori and Michael’s first outfits complemented the colors of the desert garden so well, and their second outfits showed off their matching shoes while coordinating with the sunflowers.

If you’re newly engaged, I hope this helps you feel more confident going into your engagement session! Click here to set up your own engagement session or see more of my blog below:

Caesars Head Engagement Session | Sierra and Remington

I have a lot of pictures to take in the wonderful month of October, and the first were for Sierra and Remington’s engagement session in the mountains!

When I first met Sierra and Remington in July for Sierra’s graduation photos at Clemson, they told me they were about to celebrate their 4th anniversary as a couple.  Right before that day came up, Remington told Sierra to make sure her trunk was shut because he got something out of it earlier and he wasn’t sure if it had closed all the way.  Thinking he was at work, Sierra opened the trunk to find three boxes with letters and pictures of them together.  Remington came from behind the house and proposed!  How pretty is the ring he picked out? And yes, I looked all around for red and yellow leaves before Sierra and Remington got there so I could do a fall-looking ring shot, even though it was still a few days before the fall temperature kicked in.

Sierra and Remington told me that they really wanted their pictures to have a pretty view, so I suggested a few places I’d been to in the upstate.  They chose Caesar’s Head, which became one of my favorite places in the whole state of South Carolina after I did an engagement session there last fall. Sierra and Remington drove up from Newberry and the sunset did NOT disappoint!  There was a small group of people who had come to the overlook to see the sunset, and I heard one kid say, “They look like they’re getting married!”    

I’ve found that people in other states tend to forget that there’s more to South Carolina than Charleston, but Charleston doesn’t have a view like this!   Check out some of my favorites from this session with an awesome couple in a beautiful place.

Digital Files, Prints, and Albums

Seeing your images for the first time is always such a fun experience, but deciding on what to do with the images can be difficult.  You probably value being able to share them on social media or hanging your favorites in your home, but what else is there to consider?  Here are some of the benefits of having digital files, prints, and albums.

Digital Files

When I was in middle or high school, a friend mentioned not having any baby pictures.  I couldn’t understand why since my family had so many pictures of me from when I was little.  His parents did take pictures of him when he was little, but his house had burned down when he was in elementary school, and any pictures that were in that house were gone.  This was before digital photography became the norm, so any pictures they had that were taken before the fire were either copied from photos given to friends and family, or from the school’s database of school pictures.  

This is the biggest reason why I never think twice about offering digital files.  Yes, I would be able to print them off again if you asked, but by that point, you’ve probably gone through the pain of telling so many people about this horrible thing you went through, and it would probably be easier if you didn’t have to go through that again with me. Another reason is that it’s always nice to be able to share your photos with so many friends and family members at once and to have them on your phone whenever you want to show someone, and you can get more prints if you need to years after I’ve given you the files.  But only having digital files isn't ideal for every situation.

Prints

When I got engaged, my grandma, who was losing her memory, asked me every time we talked on the phone what my ring looked like.  My grandma didn’t have access to a cell phone or a computer, so she couldn't see a digital file unless someone came and showed it to her. My ring was kind of hard to describe, so I texted a picture to my aunt, who I knew visited her often.  Still, my grandma would ask me during every conversation what it looked like, insisting that my aunt had never shown her the photo, even though I knew she had several times.  I printed off a photo and mailed it to her, along with some photos from our engagement session.  That way, they could hang on the fridge she passed every day, and she wouldn’t forget what my ring looked like or whose ring it was. 

So why would you want to order prints if you can just print the digital files yourself?

The short answer I give in my portrait guide is that I give you the option to order prints from a professional lab so that they’ll last longer over time and look closer to what you see on your screen.  Plus, it’s easier than downloading the photos and re-uploading them to wherever you’re printing them.

As for lasting over time, I always think back to the section of the athletic hallway at my high school with all the photos of teams that won state titles.  The color and clarity on some of these photos was pretty typical for the years printed on them—large, pixelated photos with overexposed faces from the 80s and 90s, and then smaller black and white photos from the 70s.  Then there was an ivory-colored piece of paper in a frame, where you could see outlines of something if you got really close to it in good lighting.  It was on a wall that faced away from the windows, presumably moved away from the sun a few years too late, but it was still there as a reminder that some team had won a state title sometime.  I'm not sure that any teachers could tell us what the picture was, but I was sure that the team members would be upset if they came back to visit and the important picture of their winning team was all but gone from the wall.

As someone who took lots of photos of the Clemson football team, color accuracy in photos is important to me.  I’ve seen so many pictures where the purple in their uniforms looks blue—I remember watching a “Purple Out” game against Duke on TV and it was so hard to tell whether the fans were wearing blue or purple.  I’ve seen lots of photos where the orange in the football uniforms would look like Tennessee orange, Texas orange, or even red.  I worked hard in my editing to make sure the colors in my photos looked like what I saw in person.  Still, I soon realized that this didn’t always matter if I was printing from the least expensive print source I could get to, because the print could be more yellow or blurry than the file I sent.  In college, I'd either pick up smaller prints from a pharmacy in a flimsy envelope, or the larger ones would be mailed to me in a cardboard tube.  Not even millimeters separated my prints from whatever could be happening outside.  What if a bigger package fell on it?  What if I spilled something on the envelope on the drive home?  Well, I can assure you that the prints that come from my galleries come from the same lab as the photos that hang on my walls.  They came in thick boxes with tons of layers, and you can see that our wedding colors are CLEARLY purple and orange.

Albums

Let’s go back to my grandma:  my dad made my grandma an album of family photos he had scanned, dating back to before my grandparents were married.  He said that when he showed her the photos, she was suddenly able to recall specific details about the photos.  Around that time, I made my sister's wedding album as her wedding gift, and my dad asked me to make another copy for my grandma.  I sometimes had to describe my cousins' weddings to her, even though she was at all of them, and we wanted her to remember how happy she was at my sister's wedding.  The album had pictures of the extended family, my sister’s accessories, and the sign they got with their names and wedding date on it.  She could pick it up from her coffee table and remember what my sister’s new last name was, the date of the wedding, who was there, and what everything looked like.  And someday, my sister and her husband won’t remember that day so well, and they’ll have the album to show their kids.

I decided to make my own wedding album because it’s something I like to do.  And I did make it…a year after my wedding.  It wouldn’t surprise me if other couples planned to make their own and just never did.  Unless you’re like me and you’re obsessed with detail shots, you probably won’t have prints of your shoes and rings hanging on your wall, but you would want to have some photos in your album that highlighted some of the important items from your wedding day, like any heirlooms or the lace on your veil that you love so much.  You wouldn’t hang pictures that included every guest, but you’d put some of them in an album so you can remember who was there.  Plus, looking through my grandparents’ wedding album is so much fun because everything was so different back then, and it’s only when I look at those photos that my family and I see how much I look like my grandma.

My approach to delivering photos has always been to serve you the best I can without making things too complicated for you.  Everyone has different photography needs, so hopefully this has helped you get a better idea of what your needs are.  Thanks for reading!

Want to talk about your vision for your wedding photos? Let’s set up a time!

The Pines at Sheltowee Wedding: Samantha and Tim

Samantha and Tim's wedding was one of those days that you'd picture if you imagined a peaceful summer wedding in the south.  They were married at the Pines at Sheltowee, under the shade of the trees with the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky right behind them.  

The barn was elegantly rustic on the inside with big windows everywhere to let in plenty of natural light for Samantha's bridal portraits.  Her gown had a beautiful lacy train and she carried a bouquet in a pastel pink and blue palette, while her bridesmaids carried baby's breath.  The reception hall, where Samantha's family served food they made themselves, was decorated with hints of blush.  The clouds rolled in during the wedding ceremony, keeping the sun off of everyone on this 90-degree day.  The rain held off until after the ceremony and it only began sprinkling towards the very end of the bridal party photos.  Luckily, the sun was back out during the golden hour, and you know how I love the way golden hour sun lights up hair like Samantha’s.

Their dog, Tux, walked down the aisle with Tim’s parents and sat quietly for the ceremony and some pictures.  Since Tim is a herpetologist (someone who studies reptiles), his brother and best man mentioned during his speech that he was only allowed to have one room in the new house for critters.  It only made sense for their getaway car to have drawings of some of the many animals he’s worked with. 

I had always imagined that Kentucky would kind of look like West Virginia, where I first started to be conscious of taking “good” pictures of the mountains that would show people who weren’t there exactly how beautiful something could be.  After many years of learning to take better pictures, combining a backdrop like that with the joy of a wedding makes me so happy.  Samantha and Tim’s wedding perfectly combined those two and more.  Here are some of my favorites from this gorgeous Kentucky day!

Venue:  The Pines at Sheltowee

Photographer:  Christine Scott Photography

Dress:  Bridal and Formal, Inc.

Florist:  The Master’s Bouquet

Cake: Root-A-Bakers

Music: Jessika Brust

Tuxes (not including the dog): Men’s Wearhouse

Downtown Greenville Christmas Engagement Session: Noel and Graham

Graham proposed to Noel last December.  Between that and having a name like Noel, how could we not have an engagement session in December in front of a Christmas tree?

We didn't know until that day that we had scheduled the session on the day of the Christmas parade, so after spending a while looking around for parking and wondering whether we'd be able to get to the tree, we found a parking garage (where we were given candy canes), and we discovered that the tree wasn't blocked off after all! There was a crowd of people near the tree.  When we asked if they were waiting to take pictures there, they said they just wanted to watch, and then they left when we were finished.

We were offered hot chocolate, we heard Christmas music playing, and we saw Christmas lights turning on.  Only the weather could have made the day more festive, but we couldn't complain about it being 60 degrees and sunny.  As we walked through Falls Park, it started to seem more like a fall engagement session.  There were still a few trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves left, which also complemented the outfits they'd picked out to go with the Christmas tree.

Noel and Graham have been together since high school! I heard them say "I love you" so many times during the session.  Things like that are what make engagement sessions so much fun!

Caesars Head State Park Engagement Session | Alexis and Skylar

Take 1:

Alexis, Skylar and I decided on Caesars Head State Park for their engagement session. None of us had ever been there, but the pictures looked gorgeous. The forecast said it would be cloudy with a 15% chance of rain. Apparently when the elevation is that high, "cloudy" can mean intense fog, so I had to turn my headlights on and drive slowly, even though it was 3:30 in the afternoon.  It's hard to get phone signal around there, so I knew I had to just push through and meet Alexis and Skylar at the top to discuss what to do.  It was raining when I finally met them, even though the weather channel still said it wasn't. We looked out onto the overlook...

...and decided to come back another time. 

Take 2:

There was a freezing cold wind when we came back, but it was sunny and we could see everything.  Here's what we saw from the same overlook this time:

Alexis loves elephants, so Skylar gave her this plastic elephant when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

He stuck with the theme when he asked her to be his wife, only this time, there were real elephants involved.  They took a trip to the zoo and he got down on one knee in front of the elephant exhibit.  Since he didn't actually give her an elephant this time, they bought this little elephant at the souvenir shop afterwards to commemorate the day.

Of course, Alexis had some other cute elephant figurines to incorporate into their session.

The sun made for some amazing rim light through the trees, something we wouldn't have had if we tried to shoot in the fog.

The sunset was perfect, something else we would have missed out on if we'd tried to shoot on that cloudy/foggy day.

There was so much laughter during this session on both sides of the camera.  I had such a fun day with them!

"Never Mind the Great Ideas, Just Life Itself"

When I was a freshman in college, I was part of a play with the theatre department called Hotel Cassiopeia by Charles Mee.  There were many parts of this abstract play and its existential dialogue that pulled at our heartstrings, but one scene stood out to us as we prepared for our final performance, the last time we would all be together onstage, the last time we would play a part in this story, and when the beautiful experience of putting together this show would all come to an end.  Here’s the dialogue from that scene (exactly as it is written):

MATTA
What sort of future do you see?
what sort of future of humanity and of the world

DUCHAMP
what new forms

MATTA
what new visions

DUCHAMP
this will be the job of the artist

MATTA
this will be the artist's only job

DUCHAMP
because the great changes in the world
the changes of consciousness
the changes of our sense of life itself
will not come from the reasoned arguments
of political scientists or philosophers
but from the visions of artists
not by arguing well
but by speaking differently

MATTA
or is this a promise that has failed, or is failing?
new visions are easy to come up with
but the world goes on ignoring the best of them
the world is littered with so many utopias

DUCHAMP
so many visions of wondrousness
so many great ideas

MATTA
and even ideas that were possible at one time or another
beautiful things

DUCHAMP
or never mind the great ideas
just life itself
the moments of life itself
transporting things
things that will last a moment
and then vanish forever
vanish forever
how does one cherish even what has happened
let alone what might have happened
how does one relish it
how does one relish life itself
it slips through the fingers so quickly

MATTA
this is where the work comes from
if one is an artist
from the shooting stars
water in a stream
a love
a young girl
a woman
a ballerina on the stage
snow flakes
the lifespan of a butterfly
all gone

The whole script is available for you to read online here.

One of my first photography adventures (and one of my first meetings with Clemson Photography) was to the penthouse of Clemson House.  Clemson House was built as a hotel in the 50s, but was later converted into a dorm.  We needed special permission to go up there and the view was stunning, especially at sunset.  I met Alex, who quickly became my friend and later became my co-president of the club, my roommate, and a trusted fellow photographer.

We've tried to recreate this picture because I was still new to using a DSLR, but he still likes this one the best, and edited it to look a little more vintage.

We went back to the penthouse with the club a few more times.  We somehow all climbed on the actual roof, which was one of my favorite memories of college.

Photo by Madeline Hemmingson

We played with light after sunset, which was always a good time. 

Playing with the steam from the laundry room coming through the pipe.  Photo by Alex Stewart

Same spot, different day.  Photo by Alex Stewart

Here’s the photo that eventually went on my business card was taken at the penthouse.

Clemson House was Dan’s freshman dorm (where he lived when we first started to become friends) and he eventually proposed to me at the penthouse. 

Photo by Michael Scott

On our wedding day, we took some time to drive to the main part of campus for some pictures.  We went to Bowman to get Clemson House in the background.  We knew for a while that there were plans to demolish it, but we found out a little before the wedding that the demolition would start within the week after our wedding.  Right before it started storming, we took some wedding pictures with this building that meant so much to us and held so many important memories. 

Photo by Photography and Design by Jenny

One day on the honeymoon, not even a week after our wedding, we were just lying on the bed talking.  At some point, one of us was on Facebook and saw a Facebook Live video of the first step of the Clemson House demolition: removing the iconic neon sign.  This was where I met Alex and so many of my photography club friends, and where we climbed on the roof and collaborated on photo ideas we had.  This was where I took so many photos.  This was where Dan proposed to me.  This was where we took some of our wedding photos as the thunder started.  And now we were watching that place go away, and nobody else would get to experience what we did.

We were two of thousands who watched as this iconic part of campus was slowly taken apart.  We saw the Facebook comments rolling in:

“I lived here all 4 years!”

“I was married in the penthouse in 1974.”

“I made some of my best friends on the 4th floor.”

Throughout the day, several Clemson Photography alumni who shared some of those memories with me tagged me in some Instagram posts from our trips up there.  We saw that day that even though our connection to the building was unique, we were far from the only ones who felt such a strong connection to this place.

What was unique, though, was that our engagement was PROBABLY the last reservation made at the penthouse, and we MAY have been in the last photos ever taken of the building before the demolition.

Someday, our grandkids will be showing their kids our wedding pictures in front of a building they never got to see in person, and telling them, “That’s back when Clemson House was still there.  That’s where they got engaged and they think they were the last to reserve the penthouse and the last people to take pictures with it.”  If our descendants are Tigers, that’ll be something they can show their friends.  Future Tigers will see those pictures the same way we look at pictures taken with the “Hollywoodland” letters, Old Man on the Mountain, or the Pont des Arts.  I was in Clemson last week and saw that the windows have been removed from Clemson House.  We’ve been married for four months and our wedding portraits are practically already antiquities.

The thing is, we don’t always know when we take a picture that something in it won’t be there in a year.  It could be a building, a person, a connection, a time in your life, or a feeling.  That’s why it’s so important to have pictures, and that’s why so many of us have the drive to give people the best pictures possible. 

Note: Everything in this blog about Clemson House and my own wedding day was drafted before I actually started shooting weddings myself.  I hadn’t published it yet, but now I have something to add to it.

I was recently a second shooter for a major wedding photography company.  With this company, I’m hired to shoot for the whole day and then upload all my RAW (unedited and uncompressed) files for someone else to edit.  The couple receives their whole gallery within six weeks.  One night, a little under three weeks after that wedding, I got a text from the main shooter:

“Hey Christine, sorry for the late text, but can you check your email?”

Well, that’s a text that normally signifies something important.  I nervously opened my email.

“Hey Christine, do you have any pictures of the guy with the glasses?  He passed away and the couple would like some pictures to be able to show at his funeral.”

I froze when I saw the picture he attached.  It was a picture of the groom standing next to a guy with glasses holding his son, the little boy who’d caught the garter.  I remembered that he’d held his son on his shoulders so he could catch the garter.  The main shooter knew that I had pictures of this guy because he was a groomsman and I’d been assigned to take pictures of them getting ready and take group pictures of them.    I couldn’t even remember this guy’s name, but I apparently had some of the last pictures ever taken of him.  I knew that I’d have a picture of just him and the groom and a picture of him getting ready with the groom.  I looked through my pictures and saw pictures of him dancing with his young daughter at the reception, and then a few of him holding hands with his wife as they danced around their son and daughter.  They just seemed like sweet photo ops at the time I decided to take them, not very different from photos from other wedding receptions, but now they were so much more than that.  These moments were how he would be remembered because there are pictures of them.  

Things happen and it’s sometimes hard to explain to other people what life was like before then, but seeing pictures on a wall or in an album doesn’t always require an explanation. The groomsman’s children are 8 and 4.  They won’t have as many memories of him as they’d like, but they can look back on pictures of him to remember how he smiled or that day they all danced together at the wedding reception.  I won’t be able to show my future children where Dan proposed to me, but they’ll be able to see pictures from that day, and they’ll have a better understanding how perfect of a view that was for a proposal.  This is why I do what I do: of course we want to remember the significant events of life, but the little moments that aren't pre-planned or talked about are just as important to us to remember.

"Never mind the great ideas, just life itself." 

-- Charles Mee, Hotel Cassiopeia