Lacey and Kyle

Congratulations to Lacey and Kyle. A few favorites from their day. (Images by Travis Bell, Copyright 2010)

His Two Favorite Things

Congrats to Lacey and Kyle, who were married recently in Newberry. Lacey wanted to give Kyle, who played baseball at PC, a photograph of his two favorite things. Having photographed sports and weddings since I was in my teens, this might be my favorite bridal portrait ever.

The Curse Ends

Saturday's assignment took me to Gainesville to photograph South Carolina vs Florida. Below, Spurrier is lifted up by his players to celebrate the first-ever SEC East Championship.

Historic Win

Saturday's assignment took me to Williams-Brice to photograph the South Carolina-Alabama football game. Alshon Jeffery's 45-yard, one-handed catch, seen below, was one of the best I've ever seen. (Photo by Travis Bell/Sideline Carolina)

You can download a desktop poster of this image at:
http://www.sidelinecarolina.com/desktopposters/jeffery.1.jpg

Shaq Vs Earnhardt Jr.

It was a thrill to serve as the official still photographer for a recent taping of "Shaq Vs." in Charlotte. The episode aired Tuesday night on ABC and was a hit with O'Neal and Earnhardt fans. They are such fun guys to photograph.

Here, Shaq lifts up Jr. after the NASAR driver won the competition. I'm still amazed at how O'Neal was able to fit into his car. If you look near the middle of the image, you'll see the custom door that was built so he could get in from the top. Thanks to the folks at ABC for the assignment.

Kate and Alan

Congratulations to Kate and Alan, who tied the knot at The Millstone at Adam's Pond Saturday in Columbia.

Been wanting to make this image for years at Adam's Pond and it was a thrill to watch all the elements come together.

Thanks to Khristy and the staff at Adam's Pond.

Eleven Years Later

In 1999, I was flying in a Blackhawk helicopter, photographing Gov. Jim Hodges surveying hurricane damage on the coast. Our second stop on the trip was landing on the grounds of The Citadel in Charleston. As we flew in, what caught my eye from 500 ft. in the air was the red and white checkerboard seen in several of the buildings. It leaped out at me and I told myself I was going to one day make a really nice picture on those checkerboards.

I had no idea how hard that would be.

I've photographed dozens of weddings at The Citadel since '99 but never could get inside the quarters to make a picture due to time or clearance restrictions. The Citadel is very strict about letting just anyone on the checkerboard.

At a recent wedding, I finally got a chance to make a picture of the bride and groom on the checkerboard. I'll admit I got chills making this picture because it's something I've been wanting to do for years. The groom spent four years living at these quarters so it meant a lot to him to be photographed there.

Congrats to Mamie and Thomas and thanks for helping me create an image eleven years in the making!

More From Angelica and Tyler

A few more favorites from Angelica and Tyler's wedding. These images show more of the portraits that were created. If you'd like to see moments as they naturally happened, check out the black and white images in the blog entry below this one. Thanks for taking a look!

Angelica and Tyler's Wedding

A few favorites from Saturday's wedding in Lexington. Congrats to Angelica and Tyler!

Dale Earnhardt Jr and Make-A-Wish

Thursday's assignment for ESPN took me to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s residence outside Moorseville, N.C. Earnhardt treated Jeffrey, a teenager from Maine, to go-kart racing, a tour of his property and a visit to the JR Motorsports garage. Jeffrey's wish was to meet Earnhardt through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Below are a few favorites from the day. The images will be used on air when the story is broadcasted and to promote the piece. Thanks for taking a look.

Something Blue Magazine

I'm thrilled to have work featured in Something Blue Carolina Magazine. Photographs from Lauren Bowden's wedding, held in Seneca and at West End Zone at Clemson's Memorial Stadium, appear on pg. 26 of the Spring 2010 edition.

Below are clips from the magazine. Thanks for taking a look!

Thanks...

...for the props from Fits News!

http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/02/16/props-to-travis-bell/

My Father's Darkroom-20 Years Ago

I ran across this photograph recently and thought is would be fun to share. This is an image of my father's darkroom captured in 1990 in Lancaster, S.C. He processed and printed all of his black and white film here.

It's fascinating to think about how technology has changed our lives. We can now send images anywhere directly from our digital cameras compared to the days of having to 'go dark' to process film. No more chemistry or waiting for prints to dry.

Dad ran Bell Studio for thirty years. He picked up photography while in the Air Force. He saw some interesting times in the early 1960s when he was sent to Barksdale AFB in Shreveport. There, he processed film off of the U-2 spyplanes (seen below) during the Cuban Missle Crisis.

Big Win

Wednesday's assignment took me to Colonial Life Arena to photograph South Carolina vs. Florida. Below Gamecock Ramon Galloway celebrates with Gamecock fans after the 77-71 win. (Photo by Travis Bell/Sideline Carolina)

Pelted

Thank goodness it is was just flowers! May, a flower girl in Julie and John's wedding on Saturday in Aiken, decided it would be entertaining to launch pedals at the photographer!

A Band on an Island

Brides…If you’re looking for something unique, then take a look at this.

I did a double take Saturday when I walked outside to the tent-covered pool at The Wilcox Inn in Aiken.

FlashBack (Charlotte,NC), one of may favorite wedding bands, was jammin’ as usual but they were doing it from a stage…which was sitting in the pool!

Yes, the stage was in the pool and yes, the pool had water in it. I’ve shot over 400 weddings since I was 14 years-old and I’ve never seen this before. It created such a great environment for Julie and John’s reception.