Still Waters

Bald Cypress Trunk and Reflections, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The submerged trunk of a bald cypress grows in the still waters
 of a cypress swamp.

Night of the Living Dead

Boneyard, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Remains of a maritime forest at the edge of Folly Beach
 provide a stark portrait in black and white.

Welcome to Monday

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



Time for your Zen moment.

Charleston Crabapples

Flowering Crabapple and Saint Michael's Church, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


The final spring image of this series is of blooming crabapple trees with Saint Michael's Church in the background. This image was selected for the cover of  Traveler of Charleston magazine's spring edition.

Traveler of Charleston Magazine Cover

Azalea Clusters

Coral Azaleas, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Clusters of red azaleas poke through openings in a wrought iron fence to greet walkers. Azaleas were first brought from Japan to the United States in the 1800's to Magnolia Gardens, just up the river from Charleston. Today many varieties flourish throughout the Lowcountry.

Festooned

Wisteria Vine and Cherry Tree, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Flowering vines festoon a fence surrounding the garden
 of a Meeting Street mansion.

Welcome to Charleston

Morning, East Bay Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Morning light softens colors along East Bay Street near Rainbow Row. This image is used inside the Festival of Houses and Gardens brochure on the "Welcome to Charleston" page.

A Complement of Hues

Hitching Post, Meeting Street, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



A colorfully clad group of visitors complement the hues of spring as they stroll along Meeting Street, while an iron hitching post echoes the days when the main mode of transportation was horse drawn carriages.


  

Let the Tours Begin

Tulip Magnolias, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

2013 Festival of Houses and Gardens Cover Image



It is time for the Historic Charleston Foundation's Festival of Houses and Gardens to begin. Spring is in full swing here. Visitors will enjoy strolls through a city blooming with color, with tours of a variety of historic homes and gardens.

One of my stock images is the cover shot for the Festival brochure. The brochure was designed by Lee Helmer Design.

The rest of the week I will post more images of Charleston in the springtime.

Jelly in Deep Blue

Jelly Fish, South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Alien? No. A jellyfish floats effortlessly in a blue light tank at our local aquarium.
Personally, I prefer my jelly with peanut butter, between 2 slices of bread.

Black... & White Mood

Saint Philip's Church, French Quarter, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Saint Philip's steeple rises above a gated brick wall
along Philadelphia Alley in Charleston's French Quarter.
The day was bright and sunny, but when the image is rendered in black & white the mood becomes mysterious.

Impression of a Sunset II

Sunset, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Another edition in my series of sunrise/sunset impressions, this one with a twist of the focus ring and a tilt of the head.

Projected

Door and Gate Shadow, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Front gate scroll work is traced onto an ornate door like a movie on a theater screen by the ultimate projectionist, the sun.

Steamboat Landing

Seagulls on Fishing Pier, Steamboat Landing, Edisto Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Dawn light on Steamboat Creek reveals two seagulls sitting on a fishing pier.
The pier is on Edisto Island, named after a Native American tribe that lived in this area long ago, before settlers arrived.

Night Gazing

Meeting Street Facade at Night, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



I love to search out Charleston's many intriguing details, some of which are more striking after sunset when the city lights come on. These two classical faces gaze from the shadows of 19th century commercial facades along Meeting Street.

Bloomin' Redbud

Redbud Tree, French Quarter, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Contrasting with yesterday's misty Monday monochrome,
this image of blooming redbud hints that springtime in Charleston is here.
Tours of the houses and gardens begin in 10 days!

Misty Monday - Campobello Shoreline

Misty Coastline, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Misty weather diffuses light to create ideal circumstances for recording textures and tones, as in these lichen spotted rocks along the New Brunswick coast.

Spanish Church

All Saints Chapel, San Luis, Colorado  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This desert scene could be mistaken for somewhere in Spain or Mexico, but it is in San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado. The influence of early Spanish settlers can clearly be seen. 

A winding path journeys past bronze statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, one of which can be seen in front of the church.

Nicks and Scratches

Banister, Old Farm House, Village of Lewisburg, Ohio
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



A stairwell detail from a 19th century farm house reveals graduated hues... 
and a few nicks and scratches from the passage of time.


 

A Long Hike in the Woods

Appalachian Trail, Roan Mountain, North Carolina  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A smooth graveled section of the Appalachian Trail 
passes through a spruce fir forest along the crest of Roan Mountain. 
From here, one could walk north to Maine, or south to Georgia. 
Either way, it would be a long, long, long hike in the woods.

Harbor Lights

Charleston Marina and Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Illuminated by night lights, a tranquil scene of Charleston Harbor in the evening shows sail boats in the marina, the towers of the Ravenel Bridge, and in the distance the warm glow of the Wando Terminal, where international container ships come to dock.

Canopy Patterns

Outdoor Stage Canopy, Riverfront Park, North Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



The canopy of an outdoor stage, seen from below, 
is illuminated by the golden light of evening.

Low and Flat

Shem Creek Marsh at Sunset, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



One gets a sense of just how flat our Lowcountry is by the abrupt line of the horizon in this shot of a tidal creek at high tide. The town of "Mount" Pleasant, near where this image was taken, soars a staggering 10 feet above see level!

Lowcountry Symbols

Live Oak and Palmetto, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Symbols of the Lowcountry, a Live Oak festooned with Spanish Moss and a Palmetto, converge in this study of light and shadow.

Dr. Seuss Visits Charleston

Old Planter in Courtyard, Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Thing One
plays hide-n-seek in an old planter
at Middleton Place.

Adorned Door

Ornate Door, Harleston Village, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Wrought iron gates aren't the only things to have decorative patterns in Charleston. Ornamentation adorns old wooden doors and letter slots too.

Formally Green

Topiary, Middleton Place Gardens, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Magnolia Gardens (seen in the previous post) features wild informal gardens. 
Its neighbor down the river, at Middleton Place, features well tended and groomed formal gardens. Either way, you will find green, 
even in the depths of our winters.

China Grove?

Bamboo Forest, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC 
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Soaring poles of bamboo grow thickly together to form a small grove, not in the panda populated forests of China, but in the semi-tropical gardens of Magnolia Plantation. Somewhere in the background I think I hear the music of 
the Doobie Brothers!

Winter Menu

Pool Side Tables, near Harrison, Ohio  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved




On the menu today... fresh snow,
served soft and chilled.

Earth's Flux

Monument Rocks, Kansas  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



In the least expected places, one may find monumental sights, such as this cluster of "chalk pyramids" that rise above the tall grass prairie of Kansas. Formed 80 million years ago, these layers of limestone are full of small fossil shells from when this area was an ancient inland sea. These formations are a reminder that in the big geologic picture, our Earth is in constant flux.

Misty Monday - Pride in the Mist

The Schooner Pride, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



The Schooner Pride was constructed to replicate an old coastal tall ship, the kind that populated Charleston Harbor during the 18th century. Here it sits quietly on still waters, all evidence of the modern world veiled in a thick morning mist.

Skeletonic Ketch

Ship's Ribbing, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



On display at Charles Towne Landing is the skeleton of a ship's hull. A completed and working version of the ship, called the Adventure, is a floating classroom docked nearby. It resembles a 17th century coastal trader, a ketch that would have carried provisions and even livestock in its hull during the era of the early English colony of Charles Towne.

Wave Dancing

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



Dancing shapes of color
 waltz on the wavy waters of Shem Creek.

An Original Olympian

Detail, Quilt of Origins Sculpture, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



To honor the ancient origins of the Olympic Games, a stylized sculpture of a Greek Olympian was created for Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park. 

His arm shadow falls on one of the quilt motifs which recur throughout 
Centennial Park. The quilt was used as a symbol of harmony and union during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. During the opening ceremonies the participating nations gathered in "patches" to form a large quilt.

A Tourist in My Own Town

Middleton Place Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



I visited Middleton Place Plantation last weekend on a photo shoot. I must have looked like a tourist hunting for pictures. While peeking around in the plantation stable yard, a docent noticed me and walked over. She said that if I was interested in the Charleston area she could recommend a photography website she tells everyone about. She said it was called hueandeye.com! 
My jaw dropped. Then I told her, "hey, that's me!"

A little embarrassed, I thanked her, and told her she was awesome. I wanted to hug her, but I had to maintain at least some semblance of professional decorum.

Now, back to the photo... this old oak has a colony of green plants growing on its limbs. This is not part of the tree, but an air plant called resurrection fern. It's normally brown and curled-up, but after it rains the fronds come to life.

East Meets Deep South

Bald Cypress Trunk and Bamboo Reflections, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



It's not often one sees a Southern cypress swamp surrounded by 
tall stands of Asian bamboo. Yet this is the case at Magnolia Gardens, 
where the bamboo was introduced.
It is a botanical instance of East meets Deep South.

Hands On

Handwrought Hand Prints, Auburn, Alabama  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This handiwork of handprints made by hands pressed on a wall make a handsome handcrafted image to contrast with yesterday's handrail. 

(I just learned there are 174 words in the English language that begin with the word "hand". To celebrate this handy discovery, I'm going to ring my handpicked handbells while doing a handstand until the handmaidens learn how to handle the handclasps on their handbags and retrieve their handkerchieves!)

Below the Archway

Hand Rail and Gateway Arch, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,
Saint Louis, Missouri  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



At the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, I laid down on steps below a hand rail and aimed my camera upward. To my delight I found an intersection of lines that made an abstract image worthy of monochrome treatment.

Monarch in Shadow

Detail, Matthias Church, Budapest, Hungary  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved 
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view)



A panoply of curves, arches and florals congregate while a monarch peers from the Gothic shadows of Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary.

Thou Art Lichen To a Fence

Lichen on Rail Fence, Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)




Lichen grows on a timber fence high in the Appalachian mountains... 
behind the fence, a rise of smooth granite.



(Look Laura, a tree and a rock!)

Old Grasses

Gravel Pit Mound and Grasses, near Harrison, Ohio
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Fresh snow provides a soft backdrop for a gathering of old grasses.

Arching Oaks

Garden Lake, Charles Towne Landing State Park, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (click on image for larger view)


Charles Towne Landing is the original location of the English settlement of Carolina. The present day park includes lush gardens and glassy lakes. 
Vaulting limbs of live oaks reach toward each other as they reflect in the lake's mirrored surface.

Centuries Ahead of His Time

2nd Century Roman Statue, Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



God of the River Nile
 tweeting on his smart stone.

Victorian Reflections

Historic Houses along Colonial Lake, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
 (Click on image for larger view)



Reflections of Victorian homes shimmer on Colonial Lake
 as the golden hues of evening light linger.

Incisive

The Needles, Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



Sharp teeth penetrate a moody sky. Rocky pinnacles, called the Needles, 
provide pointed subjects for an overcast day along Oregon's Cannon Beach.

Early Spring at Charles Towne

Red Maples and Split Rail Fence, Charles Towne Landing, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Our warm winter temperatures have brought out early spring in the Lowcountry. These red maples are sending out their catkins, soon to become little helicopter seeds which spin from their limbs to the ground.

This scene is from Charles Towne Landing State Park, the original site of the English settlement of 1670. A decade later, the frustrated settlers moved from this hot, mosquito infested inland area to the breezy peninsula where today's 
city of Charleston thrives.

Lurking

Albino Alligator, South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved

If you've ever wondered what an alligator does all day, this would be the answer... lurk quietly just below the murky surface of dark water swamps, waiting patiently for its next meal.

This rare albino individual is on display at our local aquarium. Its skin is so sensitive that it must be kept indoors, away from the sun. In the wild he probably would not have survived to adulthood. He is not camouflaged

 like his pigmented brothers.

Local Wildlife

Yard Ornament and Fresh Snow, near Harrison, Ohio  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Snowy Egret