I have had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember, but things really started to get serious when I took a computer graphics class in my senior year of high school. We used these giant Sony digital cameras that saved the images onto a floppy disk that was inserted into the camera. It amazes me how far technology has come since then. My 18 year old self would probably laugh if I told her that my cell phone can take photos with 12x the megapixels! (And that I have the entire Internet at my fingertips. Without dialup.)
After high school I found a job at a retail portrait chain in the mall. We had to wear utility vests and a colorful hats with a spinners on them... for $7 an hour. I moved up the retail ladder fairly quickly and over the course of the next 7 years I managed studios in New York, Myrtle Beach, and San Diego. In 2008, I made the decision to move back to Myrtle Beach and start my own business. I opened my first portrait studio in 2012 (the same year that I had my daughter!) and moved into a beautiful 1,300 sq ft space in The Market Common in 2013.
Being a small business owner certainly has it's challenges but I feel so lucky to be able to make a living doing something that I really love!
Hey, I'm Crystal!
Photographer. Mother. Obsessive Netflix-watcher. Lover of glitter, coffee and chocolate.
Did you know that Starbucks makes their peppermint mocha in a frappuccino?!
#addicted
So. Much. Coffee.
I have the coolest daughter in the whole world. And clearly, she thinks I'm hilarious.
#coolmom
I met the love of my life at Match.com.
During a free trial. On the first day.
#winning
Meant to be together.
Photo Credit: Karma Hill Photography
If home prices weren't in the millions, I'd move there tomorrow. Maui is a place that finds it’s way into your heart and never leaves.
Maui changed my life
I wear flip flops in winter.
Because... Myrtle Beach.
#beachlife
I have 2. They snore, they snort, they sleep 22 hours a day. And they'll do almost anything for a piece of pepperoni!
Pugs are awesome.
Pepsi should be a food group.
McDonald's french fries taste like sunshine and pure happiness.
I love hugs. I hate feet.
I have tons of photos of my daughter. Tons! But it's rare that you see me in front of the camera unless it's a selfie.
Photographer's Syndrome
Chapstick and my iPhone.
And my camera, of course!
I couldn't survive without...
The New Kids On The Block still rock my world. I finally got to see them in concert in 2008! #dontjudge
Hangin' Tough
Double chocolate Milano cookies are a perfectly acceptable breakfast meal.
(Just don't tell my daughter!)
Because... adulting.
join me on instagram!
My Instagram feed is a mix of my personal and professional life. And by "mix" I mean a few photography posts and a ton of pictures of my daughter, my pugs, and my dinner.
