About

I’m Stephen. As is the case with most rational people, talking about myself has never exactly been in my repertoire. It’s still as awkward as your first ever Monday 8 A.M. lecture when the professor throws you the classic curve ball telling you to stand up, state your name, where you’re from and an interesting fact about yourself. Just when you thought middle school icebreakers were dead and gone, you get bamboozled and it comes back around to smack you in the face at the university level. It’s the worst. People still can’t believe I’ve never had a PB&J, but I digress. 

I was born in Gastonia, (aka Charlotte) North Carolina. We tend to piggyback off of our neighboring city’s well known acclaim. Moving along into the later years, I attended and graduated from North Carolina State University (shoutout to the Pack) with a degree in Agriculture. Yep, that’s right. Pigs, horses, cows and whole lot of soybeans. How on earth does one’s interests shift from farming to the polar opposite of creating things through a camera? Well, just keep on reading and I’ll probably, most likely but definitely tell you.

Upon graduation, I soon found myself visiting the biggest gem to ever exist…The FA at the Garden City Chapel. A glorious beach shack consisting of fishing rods, surf boards, exposed wall insulation, several depictions of Michael Scott, a tonnn of sand, a few mice, a concoction of smells from wet suits, board wax and pan cooked redfish, and a vibe unlike anything I had ever experienced. A few of my brothers worked this operation and told me I could bum the couch for the weekend. That weekend turned into 2 weeks. That 2 weeks turned into me quitting my post grad job 2 months later and irrationally moving to Garden City full time.

Growing up, fishing had always been one of my biggest interests, along with camping and traveling. From my initial liaison in the FA, I began to fish Murrells Inlet more and more. Somehow from these experiences, I came up with the idea for a brand. It started as a clothing brand, but I soon realized it was much more. After a long tenure of trial and error, the day came when I was finally able to catch my first ever redfish. The moment was surreal. It happened with one of my brothers (sup, Berry) after we had put in so many hours to find them and how to get them. It was at that moment that I knew if there was any way I could use the brand and business to share this feeling with other people, I was going to do it.

After a ton of thought, preparation and help from the people I love, the business evolved into a fishing charter company. In an effort to set ourselves apart from the local competition, I knew we need high quality content that would represent the service we offered to our customers. So, I got my first Nikon D3200 for Christmas just over 4 years ago and started snapping away. I soon found myself behind the lens more than behind the rod. The obsession set in.

Through my time with photography, not much has changed from the core ideal that was formed on the boat the day of the first redfish. Now I get to capture the feelings, emotions and joy others have, just like the feeling I got to experience. Whether that’s through fishing, a momentous portrait shoot or branding content, that’s what I try to show through what I shoot. 

Man, that bio turned out kinda lenghty. Definitely got off the hinges a bit. Thanks for sticking around, daps to you. At the end of the day, there’s a narrative in all of us. Endless diversity deserves to be shared beautifully. But, enough of my story, let me start to tell yours.

-Stephen

*A concise list style bio for those wanting to get the scoop without having to read all that stuff up there*

-Name: Stephen Christopher

-Age: 24

-Current Residency: Surfside Beach, SC.

-Interests besides snapping photos: Fishing, traveling, camping, and cooking.

Musical Tastes: Jacques Webster, A$AP Rocky, Odesza, deadmau5, Judah And The Lion, Bad Suns

TV: The Office, Parks and Rec, Rick & Morty, New Girl, Stranger Things

-Films: All Lord of The Rings, Hell or High Water, Nolan Films, Whiplash, Sicario, The Revenant, Hereditary, DamNation

-Food: Literally any smoked meat (pulled pork, brisket, etc.) sushi and hibachi. Japanese cuisine ftw.

-Beverages of Choice: Water, OG Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Shiner Bock, PBR and Nattys. And rum. 

-Photo preferences: Outdoor lifestyle, fishing/hunting, brand content, portraiture. 

-Random Things: I love bags. Duffells, backpacks, shoulder slings…you name it, I dig it. I love blankets. Huuuge blanket guy. Being comfy is key.