Kids holding up Will You Mary Me signs - Huntington Beach State Park

Surprise proposal during family and maternity portraits

This was such a fun recent family photography session that I wanted to make a quick blog post about it. I’ve done many surprise marriage proposal over the years in Myrtle Beach. However, I’ve never done one, that combined maternity portraits and family pictures at the same time! I was actually contacted by the expectant mother to setup just a regular family photography session. About a week before the session, I was called by the father. He had an idea for a surprise proposal at the same time. All of his kids were going to be in on it and …

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Touching noses backlit by the sunset in front of the dunes - Huntington Beach State Park

How to do an unforgettable surprise marriage proposal in Myrtle Beach

I photograph many surprise marriage proposals yearly in the Myrtle Beach area, and so far, everyone has said yes to the proposal! From proposals in the pouring rain, sunset rides on horseback, the couple’s kids holding “will you marry me signs in the background” to literally jumping for joy, I’ve captured so many unforgettable memories. I get many emails asking for help setting this up, so I thought I would make a blog post with my usual recommendations and how I photograph the proposal and engagement pictures afterward. At the end of the post are about 50 photos from a …

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Engagement pictures with the dogs - Myrtle Beach State Park

2020 romance in Myrtle Beach – Favorite engagement pictures of the year

Covid-19 has messed up a lot of plans this year. But it didn’t stop many determined couples from getting engaged in Myrtle Beach during 2020. As things get busy during the summer, I don’t have as much time for posting to my blog. So I thought I would make a quick, end of the year, blog post highlighting a number of different Myrtle Beach area engagement sessions. You can also check out a couple of pre-lockdown engagement session from last Spring here. I had a variety of different, already engaged couples, coming to the Myrtle Beach area for pictures. As …

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Bride looking into the eyes of the groom behind the castle - Atalaya Castle - Huntington Beach State Park

Rainy summer wedding day at the Atalaya Castle in Huntington Beach State Park

It’s great to be getting back into wedding season in the Myrtle Beach area. I was a little worried that work would be very slow this year. This summer has been jam-packed with family beach pictures and even small weddings. It seems like most of my weddings, for the rest of the year, will take place with just some social distancing modifications. Some have had to reduce the number of guests, and some have moved the receptions outside to comply with venue requirements. So far, all my weddings have taken place without any issues. For Rylan and Sarah’s wedding, the …

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Closeup portrait of man and woman looking into each other's eyes. - Huntington Beach State Park

Spring engagement season in Myrtle Beach

March is always busy time in Myrtle Beach for engagement pictures with couples getting married later in the year. I just wanted to post some quick pictures from two recent engagement session. To see more of my recent sessions follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Pamela and Mike – Engagement pictures at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club Pamela and Mike wanted a garden look to their engagement pictures with a lot of oak trees and moss. Their first thought was Brookgreen Gardens, however I explained the extra cost and suggested the Caledonia Golf & Fish Club as an alternative. Caledonia …

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Family on the foliage covered walkway to the beach - Huntington Beach State Park

Family portraits at Huntington Beach State Park for my previous wedding clients

I’ve had a really busy summer this year with family beach photography. It’s good to be busy, but I won’t mind when things slow down a little and the kids start returning to school. I don’t get to post family pictures to my blog very often. However, if you follow me on Instagram, I’ve been trying to post 10 quick pictures from many of my recent family sessions. So if you like to keep up with my work, please follow me there! I wanted to post this recent session because they were also my previous wedding clients. In fact, you …

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Happy family of 6 laying in the sand together - Huntington Beach State Park

Family portraits at the Huntington Beach State Park with a happy family of 6

I had a lot of fun taking portraits of this family of 6 at the Atalaya Castle area and beach in the Huntington Beach State Park. Even though it was hot and a little windy, the family was very happy to be taking pictures and had great smiles from the beginning. We have had some very hot weather in Myrtle Beach the last couple of weeks, but near sunset time and by the ocean the heat isn’t too bad. I’m still really happy with my decision to switch away from the Myrtle Beach State Park to the Huntington Beach State …

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Splashing in the ocean  - Huntington Beach State Park

Engagement portraits at the Garden City Pier and Atalaya Castle

These engagement portraits were for a fun couple getting married very soon in August.  I always prefer doing engagement portraits for a couple before I photograph their wedding, that is why I offer a discounted engagement session for wedding clients.  It’s a nice way to get to know each other and make sure that they like my style and I know what they like as well. The Garden City Pier is special to this couple so they wanted to do some of their engagement portraits at the pier. I told them it was going to be crowded and difficult to do …

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Maternity portraits of man and woman sitting by the dunes - Huntington Beach State Park

Maternity portraits at the Huntington Beach State Park and Atalaya Castle

I had a lot of fun taking maternity portraits for an expecting mother and father last week at the Atalaya Castle and beach in Huntington Beach State Park. I’m still happy that I made this park in Murrells Inlet my regular location for family pictures vs the park in Myrtle Beach. As the sunset moves to later in the day, the traffic is not that bad driving down to the Murrells Inlet area. This mother was due to have her child in about four weeks, but even though it was a little tricky for her, she did a lot of …

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Brothers laying in the sand - Huntington Beach State Park

Mother with her two sons | Family pictures at Huntington Beach State Park

This year I’m again encouraging my clients for family pictures to make the trip to the Huntington Beach State Park if possible. Because of a recent hurricane, the dunes are very damaged at the Myrtle Beach State Park and they have roped them off to protect them. Also, in the summer, the Myrtle Beach park is very crowded. Because of the crowds, sometimes the park rangers are unfriendly with us photographers. The Huntington Beach State Park doesn’t have a pier but it has the Atalaya Castle and a beautiful beach with nice dunes. If you are looking to take some …

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