dunes

Summer Family Portraits

This young family was visiting Charleston from North Carolina last week and wanted some portraits taken at the beach. The little girl was a real trooper and quick to oblige with all ideas and suggestions for activities. The baby was somewhat overwhelmed by my camera lens and sobbed inconsolably every time it was pointed in her direction. This called for some sneaky creativity on my part, but on the whole we managed to produce a series of images that they loved. I did add in one of the outtakes just for fun – there were quite a few!

Another Fine Georgia Weekend

Last weekend I spent in the Georgia mountains, and this weekend it was the Georgia coast. A friend invited me down to Jekyll Island and showed me all around this unique piece of coastal heaven. I had visited many years ago, but had come away disappointed, not knowing where I should have spent time and feeling that I had wasted it. This time was different and I was introduced to all the locals’ favorite beaches that the visitors either don’t know about, or are unwilling to walk far enough to reach. On the way back to Charleston, we stopped at Darien to check on the shrimp trawler fleet. Some remain, but not nearly as many as there were years ago.

Different Views & Moods of Oak Island Lighthouse, NC

I have been very busy exploring the Northeastern part of North Carolina over the last few days. Yesterday and today was spent in the Southport area. Southport is a charming and picturesque town south of Wilmington, on the Cape Fear River. Of course I have been taking hundreds of photographs, trying to cover as much of this territory as possible in the time that I have. These images are all of Oak Island Lighthouse at different times of day and from different perspectives. It makes a change from my beloved Morris Island Lighthouse!

The Calm Before the Storm

So today a mandatory evacuation order goes into effect for pretty much the entire southeastern coast ahead of monster storm Dorian, still a powerful category 5 hurricane after roaring through the Bahamas. As I start to pack stuff up and move things to more secure locations on higher ground, I thought I would post these images taken a couple of evenings ago out at Charleston’s Folly Beach. A few clouds scudding across the sky, but a beautiful balmy summer’s night, the calm ahead of the storm. The last stars we will probably see until the storm passes. Prayers for safety for all.

The Wild Side of Folly

Some of my favorite times to experience Folly Beach are when it’s wild and gray and gusty. Sunny days with children paddling and colorful beach umbrellas are great, but so are the days when storm squalls race across the sand and you know you have no chance to outrun them. The clouds are unruly and the sand is stinging, but it’s wonderfully beautiful all the same. This was such a day.