Photography has always fascinated me; the ability to capture a moment, a place, a feeling…

I spent my college years studying history and cultural anthropology. Ibelieve that much of what I do in photography is directly related to my education. I want to figure out what it is that a person, place, or thing is “trying to say,” and then go about recording whatever “it” is.

Breaking into photography was a natural progression for me. A good family friend – Pat Marince – gave me my start by spending countless hours mentoring me via the internet. For a brief stint I assisted Damon Smith, shooting weddings. For the past couple of years I have assisted Matthew Scott. Pat opened the world of photography to me, Damon showed me how to hustle, and Matt showed me “the light(s).” Thanks to all.

While perched on a sidestage shooting Bela Fleck at MerleFest in front of 50k+ people, I realized nobody was shooting the 50k+ people. Everybody was shooting Bela Fleck. I came back the next year with a business partner and shot the guests, the volunteers, the sponsors and the main acts. Flash forward 100’s and 100’s of corporate events later totaling 250,000 images and I ironically realized I needed to learn the basics. After working with maybe 20+ photographers and shooting for some of the biggest companies on the planet I met Jason Kaumeyer. Sharing our different skillsets has shown me, personally, the value of color management, purposeful photographs, and the value of accrued knowledge from a variety of sources.

Partial client list for Paul Cheney

IBM, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Mitchell Crosby, Food+Wine festivals in Charleston, Park City and Steamboat, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Wildcatters, Sundance, SEWE, Spoleto, Piccolo Spoleto, the Ravenel Bridge Engineers and Builders, Charleston Fashion Week, Charleston Magazine, Beach Company, Megadock, Gibbes Museum, Preservation Society, Mitt Romney, PGA, UBS, Family Circle Cup, ChazzFest, Merlefest, HarvestFest, Rawle Murdy, Davis Advertising, Anheuser-Busch, City of Charleston, PDA, Pearlstine, Iverson Catering, Cru Catering,. Duvall Catering, All Occasions, White Tuxedo, Cru Catering, Absolutely Charleston, MUSC, Roper St Francis, Tenet Health Care, GE, Hermes, American Cancer Socity, American Heart Association, Circle of 1824, Taste of Charleston, Scottish Festival, Wine Under the Oaks, Osyter Festival at Boone Hall, Maritime Festival aka HarborFest, MegaDock, Patriots Point Billfishing Tournament, Entertainment Cruises, Team Sage, etc.