my story
Since photographing my first wedding in 2009, I’ve had the honor of documenting hundreds of couples in love around the Charleston area and worldwide (12 countries so far!). I specialize in artistic, authentic, and timeless photography for weddings, elopements, and fellow lovers of adventure.
Based in beautiful Charleston SC, with family in the Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Northwest USA, and friends located around the world, I have an outstanding flexibility for travel to any destination of your dreams. I’m not sure yet where my next adventure will take me, but hoping it’s with you. Let’s go ♡
• Aries • INFJ • Enneagram 9 • Year of the Snake (Earth) • Currently on repeat: Glass Animals • Most Likely Watching: IASIP • Fave Celebrity: Aubrey Plaza • Neglected Hobby: Drawing • Currently Reading: The Amory Wars • Favorite Treat: Biscoff cookies! • Weakness: Always trying to do too many things at once •
Life can often feel like you get more than your fair share of switchbacks and detours. It's frustratingly slow going; you're hacking blindly through the underbrush, you're worn out, there's a rock in your shoe and your pack's too heavy and it seems impossibly steep. But the hardest hikes always have the best views, don't they?
I spent over 10 years in a cubicle as a corporate Graphic Designer. Don’t get me wrong- it was a cool job and I loved my work: I was creating product lines from scratch, designing branding, labels, packaging, and advertising, all the way up to the finished product photography. The items I created were being sold under major brand names in stores worldwide… but I was being immensely overworked and taken advantage of. The hours were around-the-clock (working with suppliers overseas), my boss was terrible (understatement), and the stress was killing me (not an understatement).
I couldn’t give up on my budding photography business though, and deep down I saw it as my only way out. I photographed weddings nearly every weekend, and edited through way too many all-nighters. And to avoid going crazy from working practically 24/7, I started traveling: one big trip per year, all my vacation days at once. I kept my head down, bit my tongue, saved obsessively (somehow I survived on cereal, soup, and PB&J sandwiches), and slowly booked up enough freelance gigs to exceed my salary. And eventually, finally, I felt safe enough to leave corporate life behind.
chasing waterfalls
EXPLORING SILVER FALLS, OREGON
with SKYLAR & JIMMY
VIDEO BY:
@jimmy.coonan
@skylarcoonanphotography
how it all started
My start in photography was an unexpected one. Sometime during my first year of college, a good friend from high school sent me a message out of the blue and asked me to photograph her wedding.
The most photography experience I’d had up to that point was on disposable cameras at summer camp. So of course, I told her I couldn’t do it; I knew literally nothing about photography. She went on to tell me she couldn’t afford someone with more experience, and she believed in me– that she knew I would do great, because I was “artsy.” No pressure, just get a few snapshots, and be there as a friend. After a bit of convincing, I decided that if I was going to attempt this, I was going to give it 200% effort and do the best I possibly could. I saved up all summer working at Longhorn Steakhouse, researched about 100 articles and videos, and finally bought my first camera and lens: a Canon T1i and Tamron 18-270mm. About two weeks after it came in the mail, I did my first-ever photoshoot: the wedding.
It was fun yet terrifying. (And painful– literally– I wore 2″ high heels.) Most of it was shot in auto while physically holding down the pop-up flash. Editing took a month of all-nighters after classes and closing shifts at the restaurant. And I felt so bad about the pictures that I didn’t think she should even pay me at all. I turned over 500 half-decent shots and decided photography wasn’t for me; I’d sell my camera and stick with drawing.
But as a couple weeks went by… I started getting messages from strangers who had seen the wedding pictures, asking if I would take their pictures too. I told them I didn’t know anything about photography, but if they still wanted me to try, I’d give it my best shot!
Since then, photography has grown from a hobby, to a side job shooting weddings on weekends, to part of my day job shooting advertising for global brands like Burts Bees and Febreeze, to my own full-time business photographing wherever the journey takes me. And I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for one good friend who believed in me out of the blue.
