Morning on the Fondamenta

Morning on a Canal in Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia slide film)


A quite morning on a canal in Dorsoduro finds walkers strolling along the fondamenta (canal walkway). The fondamenta serve as foundations for the ancient buildings of Venice.

A Touch of Heaven

Dawn, Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Velvia slide film)


On a chill autumn morning, dawn suffuses the sky with warm hues. From atop Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the still air was so cold my fingers could barely operate the camera. Yet, there was such an unmatched sense of peace and tranquility, a touch of heaven.

Timelessness

St. Michael's Reflection in City Hall Window, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


At Charleston's "Four Corners of Law", a symbol of God's Law (St. Michael's Church) is reflected in the window of a symbol of Man's Law (City Hall). The image has an ageless aspect... it could represent the modern era or 150 years ago when Charleston was at the epicenter of the American Civil War. Or even further back during its antebellum times. This sense of timelessness is augmented by the ghostly appearance of the city's iconic colonial church in the window.

Spiked Coffee

Sign, The Gnu's Room Coffee and Books, Auburn, Alabama
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Click on image for larger view)



In Auburn you can keep up with the latest news at The Gnu's Room
 while sipping coffee with a splash of whiskey....
that's a Saturday with oomph!

A Fine But Improbable Balance

Hanging Shaker Chair (Image Inverted), Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


A Shaker chair poised on a wall peg seemingly defies gravity.

If you're feeling confused, you may want to view this while standing on your head...

Three French Windows

Three French Windows, Elliott Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)


Wandering the streets of Charleston during the quiet of daybreak is usually rewarding for photographers. Catching the morning light just right transforms an ordinary scene into something magical. I like the way this old brick wall frames these three French windows. The slanting light adds a pleasant patina of warmth and texture.

Bonsai Bonanza

Bonsai Tree, North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The Carolina Bonsai Expo is held October 13th and 14th at the North Carolina Arboretum. If you enjoy bonsai, this event will be a bonanza for you.

By the way, don't sigh if you spy the shy Thai guy with a bonsai on the lanai.
Just say hi, then wave bye.

Evening Glow

Lamp on South Battery and Clouds, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



A lamp glows at twilight along Charleston's South Battery while the evening's last light colors clouds hanging above the harbor.

Passing the Time of Day

Great Egret, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Cloud watching.

Golden Headstones

Old Headstones, First Baptist Church, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Early morning light slants between the narrow gaps of houses into an ancient churchyard, illuminating a row of old headstones. The churchyard belongs to the First Baptist Church, established in Charleston in 1689.

Hand in Hand

Two Palmetto Fronds, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Two palmetto fronds entwine in a harmonious partnership.

Seaside Celebrities

Sea Stars, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Starfish

No Tresspassing

Sign, King Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)



Just kidding.
Everyone is welcome here!

South Battery Piazzas

Piazzas, South Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Piazzas of antebellum homes face Charleston Harbor,
catching cool breezes and sunset's golden hues.

A Tuesday Twist

Curving Tree, Ship Harbor Trail, Acadia National Park, Maine
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Click on image for larger view)


Turning away for a day from color photography;
a post in black and white,
with a twisting tree as the subject.

Dancing Light

Shrimp Boats, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Light from the setting sun bounces off a shrimp boat window then reflects off the rippled surface of Shem Creek. The reflected sunlight appears to bend 
as it dances on the water.


My apologies for falling behind on my blog visits. I have a heavy shooting schedule this time of year, but will catch-up with everyone soon enough.

In the mean time, thank you for your visits and your patience.

A Remembrance

Tomb Sculpture, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Contemplating a love immortal.

Beam Shadows

Beam Shadows, Bohicket Marina, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


Rays of sunshine cast shadows 
across textured concrete beams at Bohicket Marina.

A Hint of Fall

Sycamore Trees, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)


A few early autumn leaves fall to the ground in Charleston's Waterfront Park. This weekend heralds the official beginning of autumn in North America. 
But here in the Lowcountry we still have about a month of warm weather left until it really begins to feel like fall.

In the meantime, happy autumnal equinox to all,
 and to all a cool crisp day!

A "Who-Done-It"

Prone Body, Merry-Go-Round, Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



Early one morning,
 in the ancient city of Roma,
 in a deserted Piazza Navona,
 by a motionless Merry-Go-Round,
lay a mysterious body,
 still and quiet... deathly quiet.

Who-done-it?

Not a Sea Flower

Sea Anemones in a Tide Pool, Seal Rock State Park, Oregon
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


Although it may look like a flower, a sea anemone is a marine predator. Around its mouth are tentacles armed with poisonous stinging cells used for self-defense or capturing prey. If I were a small fish, or crab, or errant toe, I would not want to make an enemy of anemone.

Three Amigos

Three Yellow Boards and a Cloud, Old Depot, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved   (Click on image for larger view)



If you were a yellow board,
 hanging out with your amigos,
and bored...
what would you do for entertainment?

Camouflage

Marsh Grass at High Tide, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In this image is a dragonfly,
 blending in with blades of silhouetted grass,
nature's camouflage at work.

Churchyard Gate

Gate Scroll and Saint Philip's Church, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In this low angle image, Saint Philip's Church forms a backdrop for its ornate churchyard gate.
It is the cover shot for the next issue of Traveler of Charleston magazine.

Impression of a Sunrise VIII

Sunrise, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



And now, time for something completely different... another installment of my Impression of a Sunrise series. I made this image using a sudden, quick, side-to-side camera motion, and a relatively long exposure. It is version number eight in the series, all taken on the same morning.

(A word of caution: too many attempts at an "impression of a sunrise" may lead to vertigo, whiplash or involuntary tics. Please consult your physician before attempting this photography trick.)

A Temporary Escape

Benches, Roper St. Francis Meditation Garden, Charleston, SC
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


The Meditation Garden at Roper St. Francis Hospital offers a quiet and serene setting to escape the stress and travails of hospital realities,
 even if only temporarily.

Elliott Street Light

Elliott Street at Sunset, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)


Sunset's golden light paints the stucco facades of these 18th century 
row houses along Elliott Street in Charleston.

I See the Green Sea

Eroding Jetty and Atlantic Ocean, Folly Beach, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved 
 (Click on image for larger view)


From inside of the remains of an old weathered jetty,
I see the white clouds in the blue sky and
I see the green sea.

Modern Conveninces

Lantern and Yellow House, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky
  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


During the era of the Shakers, this lantern would have been aflame with an oil burning wick. But these days a light bulb does the work.

Bent Blade

Salt Marsh Grass, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


A bent blade of grass is essential to this
 minimalistic composition of marsh grass.

A Pyramid in Charleston

Pyramid, Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)


The W. B. Smith Pyramid is one of about 30 surviving pyramid mausoleums in the U.S.  It was built during the exotic Egyptian Revival period of the mid-19th century. 

The beautiful and gothic Magnolia Cemetery contains the graves of prominent South Carolinians, and in particular many who perished during the American Civil War, including the crew of the CSS Hunley submarine. 

It is a favorite place of mine to explore on occasion, to search for unique or atmospheric photography. Today's image is published in this month's issue of Charleston Magazine.

Inky Waters

Wave and Boardwalk Reflections, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Like a pen and ink drawing,
the shadow of a boardwalk creates serrated reflections
 in the wave patterns of Shem Creek.

Caladiums

Caladium Detail, Nathaniel Russell House Garden, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Candidum caladiums, also known as Angel Wings, grow in Charleston's tame courtyard gardens this time of year. What I remember about caladiums before moving to Charleston is seeing large displays of them in Cincinnati's Krohn Conservatory, a steamy glass enclosed hot house that featured many tropical plants. That makes sense because caladiums are originally from the humid forests of South and Central America, which gives you an idea of our climate here along the coast of South Carolina.

Ever Swim in a Quarry?

Old Quarry and Reflection, near Micaville, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Where did you swim as a youngster?

 When I was a kid, I never had the luxury of an abandoned, water-filled quarry, out in the countryside, to jump in and swim around. Nope. I was city born and bred, in the Midwestern heartland, in what is now considered the Rust Belt. All we had were old soup cans to go swimming in. Sometimes if we were lucky, we had rusty paint cans to splash around in, or newspaper-lined shoe boxes. Yeah, those were the good ole days!

Italian Light

Lantern and Shadow, Rome, Italy  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


Near the Piazza Navona in Rome,
 a lantern provides an ornate shadow
 created by the painterly light of Italy.

Ribbon of Blue

Multnomah Falls, near Portland, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)



Resembling an aqueous ribbon of blue, a cascade of mountain water freshens the day at Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.

Strength

Beneath Folly Beach Pier, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)


The ocean is a mirage,
an illusion of velvety softness.
The pier is clear and strong,
a sturdy support for barnacles below,
and people above who wish to fish,
or stroll upon the promenade at eventide.

At Rest

Red Canoes, Whitewater River, Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


These well used canoes are at rest for the day,
but come tomorrow will be ready to play.

Bridge

Ravenel Bridge at Night, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)


A column, a pillar, a pinnacle of strength...
A Pharos, a beacon, a bastion of light...
A Pisa, an Eiffel, a towering spire...
A mast, a sail, a ship in the night.

Your Face

Face Shaped Ironwork, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)


I took a fancy to your face...
the beautiful curves, the strength, the inner glow...
the uniqueness of you.

Connections

Old Car Door Handle, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)


I try to imagine all the people whose hands have grasped the handle of this old car through its long life time. If one believes in six degrees of separation, the "friend of a friend" concept where everyone is linked by six steps or fewer, then I am connected to someone who knew one of these people...
and you are connected too.

Cloth Hall

Cloth Hall, Old Town Krakow, Poland  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film)


This elegant facade is the entry to Krakow's Cloth Hall. It has been the center of various trade in the old market square since the Renaissance. It is believed to be the oldest shopping mall still in use.

If only Walmart looked this good, the world would be a touch more stylish.

Tideland Tale

Tidal Marsh, Edisto Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


As the soft light of dawn rises, high tide fills this marshland on Edisto Island.  There are many sea islands along the South Carolina coast. In the novel Prince of Tides, Lowcountry author, Pat Conroy, tells a tragic tale of the ebb and flow of the Wingo family, who live on a fictitious sea island called Melrose Island. For movie buffs, the book was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture, nominated for Best Picture (not to be confused with this picture, which is not a best picture, but a nice picture nonetheless).

A Purging of the Land

North Fork Toutle River Valley, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Velvia slide film)


Reminiscent of a Dantesque landscape, shaped by purgatorial smoke, ash and fire, what once was a densely forested river valley was dramatically purged by the violent eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Although it will take many lifetimes to restore this valley to its former lushness, life is slowly, persistently returning, offering hope for the return of a renewed paradise among the mountains of the Cascade Range.

Inspiration

Carnival Fantasy Cruise Ship and Dolphin, Charleston Harbor, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Click on image for larger view)


How often has nature been a model for human endeavor? When prehistoric peoples first watched dolphins plying the freedom of ancient seas, it no doubt inspired them to one day do the same. We have progressed far since that time.

Beyond the Known

Car Port Reflection, Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Our physical world consists of myriad universes, ranging from the infinitely small to the infinitely large... from the known to the not yet known. What lies beyond the known may exceed our wildest imaginings.

Flash Mob

Garden Statue Shop, Augusta, Georgia  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




Following instructions given in a viral email, 
a sudden gathering of lawn ornaments pose at a local nursery.

A Summer Veil

Boats and Fog, Northeast Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved  (Click on image for larger view)


Early morning mist drapes a thin veil over Mount Desert Island, partly concealing boats moored safely in harbor. Along the coast of Maine, fog can occur with regularity, at any time of year, even on warm summer days in August. This is the view from a hilltop garden that I featured in a post earlier this month.

Bridge Wednesday - Leaning Toward the Weekend

Bike Rider, Ravenel Bridge, Mount Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


You may ask, "Why Bridge Wednesday?" Well, Wednesday marks the midpoint of the work week for many people. And a bridge works nicely as a metaphor for linking one point to another... in this case connecting the early part of the week with the later. Combine these two with a biker tilting around a turn on a bridge, and presto!, I have us collectively leaning toward the weekend.
Ha! Obscure perhaps, but surely symbolic.

Simple Gifts

Horse and House, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)


A curious horse gives me an equine stare at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Realizing I have no feed bag to offer, he soon loses interest, leaving me to admire this fine limestone and clapboard house of simple construction.

Shakers represent the epitome of simple living. They are famous for plain and practical furniture design. They are also noted for music of unadorned melody, and a "shaking" style of dance, which were central to their communal way of life and faith. One of the best know Shaker hymns is "Simple Gifts". If you ever heard the tune, you would probably recognize it immediately... it was incorporated into Aaron Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring.