No trip to Charleston is complete without a visit to Folly Beach for sunrise. It has a photogenic wooden pier that adds interest to sunrise and if it is a dud sunrise like this one you can go under the pier and take photos of the waves around the pilings. I was about to leave, … [Read more…]
Botany Bay is a favorite spot for photographers to take sunrise shots. It is known for these dead trees or boneyard, that are often in the surf. There used to be three trees, but a winter storm this year took one out to sea or added it to the many trees littering the beach. I … [Read more…]
This bridge is the most photographed subject in Magnolia Gardens. It is not my favorite item to photograph because it is very white, which to me does not fit in with natural settings. I decided to photograph it in infrared to honor the whiteness and give it some company. This is an abstract reflection of a … [Read more…]
One of my favorite places at Magnolia Plantation is the Audubon Swamp. The name comes from John Audubon, who visited there to find bird specimens for his drawings. Audubon came to shoot birds, so that he could paint them. Most wildlife artists, pre civil war, would draw or paint stuffed birds. Audubon used fine shot to … [Read more…]
Spring in Charleston is usually several weeks ahead of the NC mountains where I live. We try to go there every year to get a head start on photographing flowers outdoors. Magnolia Plantation http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/is the oldest public garden in the USA, first opening in 1870. The plantation itself has been around since 1676. Many photography … [Read more…]
My first Lensbaby lens was a Double Glass. Lensbaby is a small company in Portland OR that makes special effects lenses. Their motto is ‘See in a new way’. Instead of customer support, they have customer happiness. Thier lenses connect to many popular camera bodies using a Composer Pro, which holds their various lenses like … [Read more…]
Wild turkeys wander regularly through our neighborhood. Their families have probably lived here longer than we have. They are not the most attractive birds, but they are integrated with humans. This winter there were several groups that would occasionally join together into a rafter (according to James Lipton In his book on bird groupings, An Exaltation of … [Read more…]
When we first moved here 11 years ago, we joined the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC). We were new to hiking in mountains and wilderness areas and wanted to know the best places to go and how to do it safely. CMC has been around for over 90 years. Members helped build and now help … [Read more…]
Schoolhouse Falls is a lovely little falls with a tight series of small cascades falling 20 feet at the end into a large pool at the bottom. It is located in Nantahala National Forest in an area called Panthertown Valley, about a 45 minute drive from Eastatoe Falls. It was being logged in the 1920s … [Read more…]