Last year, for my 29th birthday, I snowmobiled to a forest service cabin in southwest Montana.  This year, I made things extra special, by sleeping in the back of my car while parked in some abandoned gas station on a shady side of town near Hunting Island State Park.  And nothing says 'I'm 30' like waking up in the back of your car with a really sore neck!

First, I made a quick stop for food and some bridge photos in Charleston, SC with some good friends that I knew back in Montana(who have now relocated to SC).

Clicking any image will take you to the gallery where the image is located.  From there you can purchase downloads and prints. 

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge at DuskA long exposure of the Arthur Ravanel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.

The above image was shot using a B+W 10 Stop ND Filter to allow motion in the clouds.  The 10 Stop Filter is a new purchase for me, I felt that this filter will allow me to really expand my photography in different ways(and as always, a fun learning experience)

The below photo was shot with only a polarizing filter, notice the difference in the clarity of the clouds and grass.

Arthur Ravanel Jr Bridge

After that, I was off to Hunting Island State Park, one of my favorite places to be... after a night in the car...  

The clouds were moving really fast, and the wind was howling, but the temperature was very nice.  There were short bursts of color that were quickly dowsed by grey skies only to return again.  Here is the first set from the morning, taken early enough to have a little color and even a star or two!

Sunrise on Hunting Island State Park

Hunting Island State Park Boneyard

As the skies got brighter, I mounted the BW 10 stop filter to allow a really long exposure.  In the below image, you can see the sun peaked through the clouds very briefly during the 3 minute exposure.

Long exposure of the Hunting Island Boneyard

Hunting Island BoneyardHunting Island State Park in South Carolina

After this little outing, some thunderstorms were coming into the area pretty quickly.  And since I really wanted some time on the kayak I headed up to Congaree National Park to try my luck on the river there.  I wasn't there but for a few hours but really enjoyed the scenery.  There were lots of downed trees that made navigating the river somewhat difficult.  And there isn't a whole lot of color this early in the year, so it's just kind of a brown/grey landscape.  But I can't speak highly enough of the park and the people working there, it was a great experience and has free entry.

Congaree National Park

:)