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.