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.
As quickly as spring burst upon the scene a week ago, so we watch it fade again. A few days ago, my calendar was clear for the afternoon, so I decided to take one more foray into the country for the season until next time. A friend and I drove from Charleston to visit the Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal, but were unimpressed. We were looking for spring landscapes and although there were many birds and alligators to admire, it was otherwise ho-hum. With a little help from Google, we found the Old House Plantation near Ridgeland (also known as the Daniel Heyward Plantation), birthplace and burial site of Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of SC’s four signatories of the Declaration of Independence. Nothing much is left of the original buildings except the family cemetery and surrounding brick wall. The house was destroyed by fire in 1865. The driveway and Avenue of Oaks are really beautiful although the azaleas had peaked already.
After we had wandered around for awhile, we headed for home via Tomotley Plantation and the Old Sheldon Ruins. The Sheldon Ruins have been further “ruined” (at least for photographers) by the addition of an ugly black fence that surrounds the remaining structure. One can understand why however, since some people just can’t seem to resist defacing these historic relics that we should be actively protecting.
Yes, we are choking on pollen and sneezing all day, but the upside of Spring in Charleston is the beauty all around us. These images are pretty typical of what we are seeing at every turn. Enjoy!
Spring in the south is a wonderful thing. For refreshing the soul, try driving randomly through the area of Ridge Spring, Johnston, and Monetta in upstate South Carolina while the peach orchards are in full bloom. Every year I am compelled to take that run up Highway 78 from Charleston and every year I am so glad I did.
On a whim, my road trip buddy and I decided to drive down to St. Augustine, Florida for a couple of days. An easy cruise down the I-95, and as we drove further south, we noticed that the onset of Spring became more evident in the greening up of trees and marshes. There is so much to do and see in this quaint and very historic town. Here are just a few of the places we visited in our short time there.
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.
