I have photographed the onset of Spring at this location many times over the years, so this year I tried something a little different. There is a genre of photography called ICM (Intentional Camera Movement), which I have been playing with. It involves using longer shutter speeds and moving the camera intentionally while the shutter is open. It’s kinda hit and miss at the moment for me, but I’m enjoying the new challenge. Here are a few examples.
One of my favorite genres of photography is family portraits. There are specific lenses that are designed for portraiture, with the main purpose of separating the subject from the busyness of some backgrounds. This 135mm F1.8 Sony lens does a wonderful job of achieving just that. Here area few of my favorites from this session.
The Sol Legare and Kings Flats area has an incredible history. “During the Civil War, the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of the first sanctioned African American regiments in the Union Army. The 54th fought on this narrow strip of land in 1863 during the Battle of Sol Legare. While fighting to free enslaved Americans during this battle, the 54th lost 14 men, with an additional 17 wounded and 12 missing. A mere two days later they went on to fight in the Battery Wagner battle (which you can see in the movie Glory starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman). In the late 1800s, newly freed enslaved Americans settled on Sol Legare to farm and fish. Many of its current residents are direct descendants of these original settlers.For more than 100 years, the Seashore Farmers’ Lodge on Sol Legare served as a community building for meetings, school, church and funerals.” (quoted from Rheosgear’s blog).
I have frequented this area over many years now. Back in the day, I would visit Thomas Backman at his seafood dock. He would usually be found working on his boat, Backman Enterprise, getting it ready to put back to sea. Sadly that never happened, since he passed away suddenly a few years back, and now the old shrimp trawler sits in mud most of the time, dreaming of better days. Here is a photo of him, taken back in 2011.
I went back down that way today, and took the following photo. Sadly his dock is now a jumbled mess of planks in the marsh, thanks to the battering of many storms and high tides. I guess some day this property will be sold and reimagined as a cluster of condos. Time marches on.
I was happy to have the opportunity to photograph this event for the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, and a very colorful and engaging evening it was. The 5pm show was totally sold out, and a great time was had by all. Here are a few of the photos.
Summer is almost over and most vacationers have returned to their homes. I don’t enjoy Folly when it is crowded but love to spend time there out of season. Yesterday was a beautiful warm evening and it felt good to walk the beach again. I have so many images of this shoreline, as do many of us locals, but it never tires, and they are never the same.
I had fun photographing a family of three generations who spent a week at Folly Beach celebrating the grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. It was hot, and it’s sometimes challenging to accommodate the spread of ages in such a large group, but these guys were troopers and we came away with lots of images that will provide happy memories for years to come.
So many people love Charleston for so many reasons. I could try to enumerate, but I would be digressing from the point of this post, which is to announce a new little “crafty” business that a friend and I are busy with. Folks who visit Charleston (and locals) are always looking for gifts that depict the charm of Charleston, whether it’s for friends and family far away, or for someone who has everything they need already and has a birthday looming. These whimsical items are so southern, so charming in their design, so easily light and “packable”, and best of all, so unique. Do you have an attractive bowl cover for the salad you are bringing over to your neighbor’s house for dinner? Do you have an good looking Charleston themed bread sack for that fresh baked loaf that you plan to bring to the family lunch on Sunday? Well Ta Da!!! Problem solved. Here they are.
Winter can look bleak sometimes. Not much color anywhere. Seems almost as though everything and everyone is resting, waiting for Spring. So it seemed on my walk around the historic downtown residential part of Charleston the other evening. My images definitely needed a little editing help, so I played a bit with software and came up with these whimsical renditions of classic Charleston cameos.
It was a beautiful day and I didn’t have much that I had to do so I decided to do it at Middleton Place, one of my favorite low country plantation properties. I bought a very expensive lens (Sigma 135mm F1.8) that I was not sure that I wanted to keep. Running out of my return window time, I ran it through its paces in an effort to make a decision. I think I am going to keep it.
I’ve been busy with some Corporate headshots lately. If you need any portraits updated for business, acting, entertainment, or any other reason, get in touch with me through my website, www.vanessak.com
