The Lowcountry
This was a long one! I don't normally take breaks so long, but I am really glad we spent all the time we did. My wife and I joined some great friends on a journey south. As a matter of fact, it's as for into the southeast as I have ever been!
Sorry for some of the mobile photos. I only got the big camera out a handful of times. Part of this was because I didn't want to carry it, and part of it is because sometimes I just want to look at stuff and be with friends. Most of the photos I took were quickly edited using Google Photos app. (I was the passenger for this trip so I had time)
Our very first stop was the Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, near Charleston South Carolina. The grounds are beautiful. A long dirt road of live oaks covered in spanish moss greets you(after paying $20 a person). The tour of the home was very nearly my favorite part, mostly because it was air conditioned! The Gullah Geechee performance on Slave Street after that was absolutely incredible. Here are a few shots of the grounds of Boone Hall Plantation. All taken with a Galaxy s4.
First photo is of some small plants growing in the bricks of the buildings on Slave Street. Slave Street in the Boone Hall Plantation is where all the skilled slaves lived(blacksmiths etc) while all the non-skilled slaves like field workers lived out in shacks in the fields. The history here is insane.
Top of a building on Slave Street.
The gardens in front of the main house.
And one from the sweltering enclosed butterfly garden...
After that we were off to Tybee Island in Georgia. Its close proximity to Savannah made for a busy beach but granted us quick access to an awesome downtown and River Walk. We took a ghost tour(which was more of a history tour but I did get to try out the electrometer-ghost detector thing), ate some pretty incredible food at pretty much the best restaurant ever, and, most importantly, got to spend our days basking in the heat of the sun on Tybee Beach. Below you will find camera phone images of a really cool oooooold cemetery in Savannah, a shot of the Tybee Island Lighthouse, and a long exposure of the Tybee Island Pier. Clicking any image will take you to the full(still small) gallery.
After hanging out in Tybee Island and Savannah, we headed south out of Georgia into a little area in rural Florida called Paisley. My friend's brother put us up there for a few days and I gotta say, I'll come back anytime he lets me.
More mobile, sorry. Didn't get the real camera out much in Florida:)
Even though Dwight(red shirt) and I were well behind Michael(shooting) we weren't totally sure we were in the safest place(his bullets can go ANYWHERE).
Two natural features really stood out to me in Florida. 1. the absolutely incredible cool water of Alexander Springs(no photos I was too busy snorkeling). 2. Monster Spiders.
After leaving Florida, we headed BACK up to Charleston, South Carolina for a couple days. We all put lots of miles on our shoes here! The hotel we were staying at was 1.5 miles from the good stuff and valet parking only. So we walked to everything! Both the mornings I was there I walked to Waterfront Park, so I had a good three miles of walking in BEFORE we started walking everywhere! Fortunately the weather cooled down a bit.
Walking around Charleston you'll find history EVERYWHERE! Take the below photo for example, this appears to be some kind of working communication device from the late 20th century.
Another thing that just blows my mind is the Market, or Market St. It used to be slave street. It used to be the actual place where slaves where brought in from Africa and sold. And while there are lots of local artisans doing the place well, modern America hasn't let it go unscathed...
And of course I had to get a pack of Necco Wafers, and of course it ended up looking just like it did when I was a kid(seriously who eats the gross colors?)
Alright, enough fooling around. Here are the images I took on the two mornings I was in Charleston. My feet were chock full-o-blisters so it was hard making the walk down to Waterfront park at 5:30 am, but the trip would not have been completely satisfying without a few good ones. The second morning had better sky color, but both were nice.
While this thing is totally awesome, it is somewhat difficult to shoot if you are into the 'technical' side of photography. The water falling on all sides and big circle shapes really exaggerate any poor techniques(of which I have many).
Before heading back to the hotel on the first day, I took this 10-minute exposure of the Arthur Ravanel Jr. Bridge.
Then, on day two, I had a much nicer sky to work with. Deep blue sky matched really well with the color of the fountain lights. I light painted the fountain just a bit to keep detail in the bottom and very top.
Then with the light increasing on the last day, I opted for a little more context with the scene.
Thanks for looking... can't wait till my next visit further south:)
