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Hello blog world!  Boy, has it been a while!  My last blog post was 7 months ago!  Whew!  It probably seems like I have been taking a break from photography, when in reality it has been SO incredibly busy busy busy!  My blog has taken second place.  This gal’s goal for 2013 is to blog more regularly so you will all get to see these amazing people I get to work with.  So please hold me to it!!  In the meantime, please let me express how excited I am that AnnaKathryn and Ryan’s wedding at RiverOaks Charleston has been published on the Southern Weddings Magazine blog.  I could not be more thrilled to be associated with such a wonderful magazine and am honored that it has been chosen for their feature.  I must admit that my favorite surprise when reading the article was when I got to the part where AnnaKathryn responded to this question: “What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on?” She responded with, ”We are so happy we chose to go with Hunter McRae; she captured the beauty of the day and was so sweet and helpful during the whole process.”  You melt my heart, AnnaKathryn!  Thank you so much!!!  I hope all you new brides out there will enjoy finding inspiration in the uniqueness and beauty of their special day.  A big thank you goes out to the amazing ladies over at RiverOaks Charleston for doing a wonderful job and especially to Courtney Potter Cook who shared her super talented eye with me on this day!  Please click here to see the full feature and read about the details and thoughtfulness that went into this truly Southern wedding . . .

Congratulations Mollie + Walsh!!!  Ive been waiting for this wedding since the day we did their fun engagement session, published on Weddings Unveiled blog! I just knew this wedding at Magnolia Plantation was going to be special and oh so beautiful.  I’ll let my photos do the talking but I do want to thank the lovely ladies over at Blue Planet Green Events, who did an outstanding job with flowers and decor, and recognize Cru Catering and Carla Bakes for a beautiful display of goodies!  A few sprinkles in the air didn’t bother anyone, especially Mollie + Walsh, and moving the ceremony inside was a perfect decision.  The atmosphere was cozy, rustic and uniquely personal.  Absolutely perfect!!  Thank you two so much for allowing me to capture your wedding day memories and for being so wonderful to work with.  I hope you all make it all the way down to the party shots . . . complete with . . . ummm . . . wigs (!!!) to match the great James Brown Party Band tunes! Also, big thanks to my editing team and Adam Chandler for helping me out on this one!  Much love Mollie + Walsh!!

JK + Laura are a lovely couple who got married at the beautiful, historic Rose Hill Mansion in Bluffton, SC. I could look at their pictures all day long and never get tired of the natural beauty that surrounded them as they said their vows . . . wise old oak trees provided an abundance of dreamy Spanish moss that gently blew in the wind, witnessing a couple in love. It was simply a spectacular, magical day . . . just beautiful all around!  Leah of Weddings with Leah did a phenomenal job with this wedding.  All you have to do is glance at the pictures to see her attention to detail and how great she is at her job!  She paid attention to everything and ensured everyone had a blast!   Special thanks to Rich Burkhart for second shooting and being a huge help in more ways than one on this day.   At the end of the night, I heard that he provided his own tie to one of the groomsmen who was actually missing his!   Now that’s what I call going above and beyond.  Thank you, Rich! To the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd, thank you so much for allowing me the chance to document this very special day in your lives.  It was truly an honor to capture your memories and to get to know such a lovely couple!

I simply don’t have the adequate writing skills to put this wedding into the words that will do it justice.   It was an event of a lifetime, not only for the bride and groom, AnnaKathryn and Ryan, but to all of the friends and family who were able to experience the fairytale.  I’ll just have to let my photos do the talking.  Be sure to scroll all the way down to the end.  You won’t want to miss the exquisite details. As if RiverOaks Charleston doesn’t provide enough natural beauty, an incredible amount of thought and time was put into the decor by Marianne, Jennigray, Lauren and their wonderful team.  I’ve never seen such an elaborate ending to the night.  The happy couple ran under Citadel swords, through crackling sparklers, down the dock to a boat that would swiftly drift them away to sea as Thai lanterns filled the night sky . . . only to circle back around again to climb off the boat, run back up the dock to an awaiting limo that would whisk them away to their honeymoon.  Ah!!!  What a wedding!!  I want to give an extra special thanks to Courtney Potter Cook, an unbelievably talented photographer, who drove all the way down from Chapel Hill, NC to help me shoot this wedding.  Thank you so much Courtney!! Also, a huge thank you to my very special editing team that is currently in creation.  Love you guys!  Now, I hope you enjoy this magical wedding wonderland about to unfold . . . . and congratulations AnnaKathryn and Ryan!!

Opening Reception Tonight! : July 12, 5:30-8:30-ish PM

“The iPhone is the snapshot camera of today…it is a pencil, a pen, a notebook. It is so accessible.” – Annie Leibovitz

I am a part of an exciting summer project! One of my images was selected for the [Ways of Seeing: Phoneograpy] exhibit at the Rebekah Jacob Gallery at 502 King Street in downtown Charleston.

For those of you who can’t make it to Charleston to see the show, many of these images are on the gallery’s website here.

“Photography is arguably the most democratic medium of the visual arts. Easily transportable in a pocket, smartphones have pushed the medium into new directions as millions-both pros and amateurs-have the capability to record an image with immediacy and intuition. Further, that image can circulate widely and immediately through social media outlets. Ways of Seeing: Phoneography explores the possibilities of smart phone photography, its future as a fine art form, and affects on modern society.”

Leah McCarthy of Weddings With Leah came up to Charleston from Bluffton for a little photo session downtown.  We wanted to get a few great images for her business profile and to spruce up her website and advertising.  I couldn’t help but grab some shots of her adorable family, too, who tagged along to help.  Whenever I am photographing a wedding with Leah, I know it’s going to be beautiful!  There’s no question.  She always does a stellar job and pays the utmost attention to detail.  She’s extremely professional and fun to work with.  I highly recommend her services if you are planning a wedding! She’s one of the best!!  I worked with Leah on the wedding that just got published in Weddings Unveiled magazine and more recently on a gorgeous Rose Hill Mansion wedding that I am going to blog about soon so stay tuned to the blog!

Today was a really fun day to check the mail!  I received the Summer 2012 issue of Weddings Unveiled magazine and eagerly looked through the pages to find Erin and Victor’s Hilton Head Island wedding that I photographed last summer.  Each issue of the magazine features a selection of real weddings from across the South and destinations beyond.  I am so honored!  The magazine did an absolutely beautiful job of displaying the images and the love story that goes along with it.  Thank you so much, Erin and Victor, for having such a romantic wedding and allowing me to capture its staggering beauty and to Weddings Unveiled for recognizing just how special it was. Also, a very special thanks to Leah McCarthy of Weddings With Leah.  She did an amazing job, as always, and is such a joy to work with!!!

AnnaKathryn married Ryan at one of my very favorite venues, RiverOaks Charleston, but we shot her bridal portraits at Boone Hall Plantation.  She’s so beautiful in her wedding gown and this is only just a preview of what’s to come from the actual wedding day!

Mollie and Walsh got married at Magnolia Plantation and I’m anxious to share all the wonderful details of the day put together by the lovely ladies at Blue Planet Green Events.  Coming very soon!!  I hope you all enjoy this cute video produced by Stratton Lawerence from their {photo booth}. I was blown away by Mollie and Walsh’s super fantastic moves on the dance floor to this song as well as many others from the James Brown Party Band.  Head on over to the Hunter McRae Photography Facebook page if your face is in here and you want to tag yourself!

The Persky family traveled to the Isle of Palms from Princeton, NJ and I had the pleasure of photographing all 16 (!!!) of them in Wild Dunes. How blessed they are to have such a large and wonderful family!