March 2015

I love working with other artists. It allows our studio to go beyond capturing what we see to create something we only imagined. Shelby Bass is a UNC senior art major and the president of the UNC student art club. She is also an entrepreneur as a freelance graphic designer and is making the world a better designed place one project at a time. Shelby is the talent behind our 13 foot UNC globe chalk art featured in this post.  Exum Photography was commissioned by Allison Reid, the Dean of Communications at  UNC’s law school, to create the cover art for their fall/winter Carolina Law magazine. The cover needed to illustrate the international reach and influence of the law school faculty and students. The overhead concept looking down on mother earth came from Alison. Blending the UNC logo with the globe was a late night brainchild for me. Making it come to life on the bricks outside of UNC’s Hanes Arts Center was all Shelby Bass and a few art school recruits. If you think we shot this image with all 18 students and faculty at once, then the Photoshop work  by Griffin Davis was a success. Actually, each of the subjects was shot separately to improve our chances at getting a great portrait of everyone. Not too mention that trying to schedule around everyone’s busy schedule would have been nearly impossible. After shooting more than 26 faculty and students, 18 people made the cut to fit proportionally around the globe.

Exum Photography is proud to be shooting product for Southern Tide apparel company based in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded by Allen Stephenson at the age of 23, Southern Tide offers a collection of high-quality clothing with a classic Southern style. Stephenson wanted to take all the modern design elements of today’s youthful trends and tie these in with his love for old Southern culture and lifestyle to create a brand that stood for craftsmanship, clean lines, classic design and rich heritage. The first product, the Skipjack polo, set a new standard in comfort, fit and design. Southern Tide offers a collection of apparel ranging from unique sport shirts and casual pants to classic sweaters, swimwear and polos. The brand is the leader in youthful Southern style. No matter where one lives, anyone with an appreciation for classic design, good fit and craftsmanship, combined with an affection for the coast and old-world heritage, will quickly fall in love with the charm of the Southern Tide brand. Photography by Steve Exum and Griffin Davis of Exum Photography. exumphoto.com southerntide.com

When you mix camping, canoeing, fishing, fire-making, pocket knives, fireworks, guns, and a rope swing on an Eastern North Carolina river with a group of fathers and sons you get high adventure.  On this annual paddle trip, our group tackled a short length of the Lumber River south of Lumberton, NC. Paddle newbie, Brian Grajzar, and his son, Brad, joined my son, Sawyer, and I to test our outdoor survival skills. Brad and Sawyer are both 11 and the joined a group of 4 other young boys. This trip was highlighted by getting our boys to help with campsite set-up and breakdown, cooking and cleaning and safe river seamanship. Best parts were target shooting with BB guns and a 22 rifle brought by father and son, Dustin and Sawyer (#2). I managed to hang a makeshift rope swing with Brian’s solid baseball throw over a pine tree limb about 40 feet up. Despite the 50 degree water temperature, our boys jumped at the chance to swing and swim. The swing action peaked when Brian, our newbie father, made an attempt and got his ankle hung in the rope. As he dropped into the chilly water of the Lumber, his back slapped first and he hung upside down head submerged. After giving our group a good scare, Brian quickly recovered uninjured, other than a cherry red back. Many thanks to Stratford Donnell and Cleve Nordeen who scouted this river a few weeks ahead of our trip. This was a perfect stretch of the river with ample camp sites. Our crew discovered an island honoring it with the name “Leaning Pine Island.” I’m sure we will see this stretch of the Lumber river in the coming years.  Photography by Steve Exum and Stratford Donnell.