1.  Q  -  Didn't you have a studio on Sam Rittenberg Blvd?  A - Yes we had a studio there West of the Ashley for about 15 years and a studio in Florence years before that.  We decided to close the West Ashley studio in the fall of 2008 so that I could pursue new phases of my life and my photography.  Since much of my work had evolved out of the studio and  onto location the closing of the physical studio West of the Ashley was an important milestone in the evolution of my creative journey in photography.  The challenges and rewards of working on location have been an exciting boost to my creativity. 

2.  Q - Where do you shoot?  A - For starters,  I still do some studio work when it is warranted.  For this I use a studio location downtown.  For locations we have an unlimited variety of places from beaches to woodlands areas.  When working with families and children it works quite well for me to come to your home or other familiar location.  Children especially always respond well to being photographed in their on environments on their own turf.   I carry portable lighting and background gear so that if necessary I can set up a portable studio in your location in nabout 15 minutes.   The end results are the same as if you were photographed in a studio.

3.  Q - Do you still shoot weddings?  A - I do under the right circumstances.  Most of my wedding events are booked through an agent at "A Charleston Wedding".   I've probably shot more weddings (well over 1000) and produced a similar number of wedding albums than most photographers will.  So I've accomplished more in the wedding category than most will ever do.  I love working with couples on weddings as long as they like what I do.  In order for us to create a really beautiful result we have to have a respectful working relationship and a great rapport.  When this happens the results can be incredible.  I don't have to compete with the poorly trained weekend wannabes so I don't.  Likewise I don't do multiple events on a weekend so if i'm working for you I will be there for you to create beautiful images on your day.  

4.  Q - What  makes you different than other photographers A - Clearly experience, over 35 years of photography to be exact.  I've managed a color lab, ran my own custom Black & white lab, taught college level basic and advanced photography courses as well as professional lighting courses as well as digital photography workshops for other professional photographers through PPofA.  Of course, the Gissendanner Photography Studio, West of the Ashley prospered for 15 years with as many as 4 employees working at one time.   My portfolio consist of several hundred thousand images of a variety subject manner spanning 35 years of time.   All of that experience makes a different when I squeeze the shutter to capture the image.