Category: News

Bagged some new Aerials yesterday afternoon

It had been awhile since I had been up in the chopper shooting aerials. Somehow Winter is not very inspiring. The marsh grass is brown, and more importantly, it gets cold up there without doors and heating. That all changed yesterday afternoon. It was sunny and mild (if a little breezy), but that just adds to the challenge of trying to keep your horizons level! Here are a couple from our route from Signature Airport in North Charleston, downtown Charleston, across Shem Creek and up to Isle of Palms, across to Boone Hall Plantation and back again. Thanks as always to my skilled pilot, Kyle – you’re the bomb.

Historic Downtown Charleston
Wando River Bridge (I-526)
The Old Pitt Street Bridge, Mount Pleasant
Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant
Shem Creek, Mount Pleasant

2nd Sunday on King Street

Continuing my current Spring theme of playing tourist in my town, I joined the happy throng of pedestrians on King Street this afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and you could tell folks were thrilled to be outdoors in this gorgeous weather. It was almost a celebratory atmosphere. I know we complain about the flooding, about the bugs, about the heat, but seriously, there are worse places to live than Charleston. I for one feel fortunate to live here.

A Tourist in my own Town

The weather has been dull and blah for awhile, the way it often behaves when the seasons change, so when the sun peeked out for a day recently, I spent some time wandering the streets of beautiful historic Charleston, and remembering again why so many people visit.  Here are some cameos of the classic Holy City tourist experiences.
 

The Eclipsed Wolf Moon Over Charleston

So along with several other crazy photographers all over the US (and the world for that matter), I struggled with equipment in the dark and the cold for over 4 hours, while at the same time being completely awestruck by the progression of the earth’s shadow as it glided silently across the face of the moon.  This is a composite image of an almost fully eclipsed Wolf Moon suspended over the Charleston skyline.  Magical!

More from Wandering through Western North Carolina

Just love a road trip and there are not many prettier places to wander than Transylvania County.  Here are a few more gems.  Some of the locations, such as Hooker Falls in the DuPont State Forest, and the cascades at Eastatoe Falls I knew about and sought out, but others I serendipitously stumbled upon along the way.

The Biltmore House decorated for Christmas

Since I was near Asheville over the weekend, I took the opportunity to visit the Biltmore House while it was still decorated for Christmas.  I wasn’t particularly interested in spending time in the grounds because it was cold and windy.  A better time to spend exploring the grounds would be the fall season.  Anyway, I did want to photograph some of the Christmas decor – I don’t think any of these ornaments came from a Walmart!
 

Heads up for Total Lunar Eclipse later this Month

About this time last year I was getting ready to head out to Joshua Tree, California to watch and photograph the epic super blood moon total eclipse.  Well, on January 20th/21st I won’t have to travel further than my back porch because (weather permitting) we will be able to watch the entire show from start to finish here in Charleston.  I love these celestial productions, so predictable now given our advanced knowledge and technology, but mysterious and awe-inspiring nevertheless.  Here are a few photos of the last lunar event, the moon in various stages of eclipse.

Return to Historic McLeod Plantation

I haven’t visited McLeod for awhile and today was the kind of day suited to photographing this special place.  Contrary to what one might think, it’s challenging subject material, notwithstanding the beauty of the ancient oaks and grounds.  I have spent countless hours there over many years, and always go back, trying to find something I may have missed before, or an opportunity for some unusual lighting conditions, etc.  These images are nothing special, I’m not really sure what I am trying to find here, but just for the record ..

Wild Evening at Folly Beach

Today we saw wind gusting up to 40mph, and at the beach you can count on experiencing the full force of the weather.  This evening was no exception as I fought blasts of blowing sand and rain squalls.  Still I needed the fresh air and exercise and this desolate iteration of Folly is infinitely more interesting than the crowded Summer version.  Unfortunately it was distracting enough for me not to notice that my cellphone dropped out of my pocket somewhere along the way.  I missed it as soon as I returned to the car and retraced my steps in an effort to find it in the increasing darkness.  No luck, so I’m incommunicado for at least the weekend.  Gosh, I won’t even know what time it is!!