Heavy Metal

Door and Wall, Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film)



A heavy metal door opened against a bright yellow wall
 makes a graphic image at Fort Moultrie.

Built in 1809, this fort was one of four that defended Charleston Harbor,
the most famous of which was Fort Sumter...
where the American Civil War began.

Porch Perspective

Curving Porch, Sottile House, College of Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



From the curving Victorian porch of the Sottile House,
 a lovely view can be had of the College of Charleston campus.
 Much of the campus in this area is landscaped like an arboretum,
 featuring both native and introduced garden specimens.




 

Still Providing

Shrimp Boats, Shem Creek, Mt. Pleasant, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



A cluster of shrimp boats lines Shem Creek.
 Although fewer boats line the creek
 than in previous years, shrimpers still strive
to provide fresh seafood for our local restaurants.

Backlit

Curving Scroll, Saint Philip's Churchyard Gate, Charleston, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Backlighting illuminates a walkway behind this ornate gate
 at Saint Philip's churchyard.




 

Amazing!

Young Chelsea Contemplating Life, Folly Beach, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Film Photography)



Life is precious. It passes too fast.
Our children grow up seemingly in an instant.
Then they are gone, pursing life's adventures.
Our daughter has grown into an amazing woman.
Today she is embarking on a new life adventure... marriage...
 not surprisingly, to an amazing man.

Curving Steps

Curving Staircase, Hunting Island Lighthouse, Hunting Island, SC
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view)



Inside Hunting Island Lighthouse, a staircase vortex
 offers a curve for abstract photography.

Throwback Thursday - Psychedelic Nature

Little Miami River, John Bryan State Park, Yellow Springs, Ohio
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Kodachrome Film.)



Aging film can produce unusual color. This image,
 shot on Kodachrome film back in the 1980's,
 shows purples, blues and aquas that seem to be
straight out of a psychedelic dream.

Jasmine Door

Door and Confederate Jasmine, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Sweet scented Confederate Jasmine blooms profusely
 around this single house entry in Charleston's Historic District.

Picturesque Palladian

Drayton Hall, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The ancient live oaks around Drayton Hall provide perfect
 framing for the historic and picturesque colonial mansion.
It is a classic example of Palladian architecture in North America.

Misty Monday - Lone Paddler

Lone Paddler, Folly Beach, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Paddling among the waves near the Folly Beach Fishing Pier,
 a solitary adventurer braves a cold, misty sea.

Bernini Angel

Bernini Angel and Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



An elaborately sculpted angel by the Italian Baroque artist
 Gian Lorenzo Bernini makes a fine counterpoint to the
 simple rounded form of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome.

Surgeon's Warning

Tobacco Field, near Maggie Valley, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



Curving rows of tobacco march across a field
on an Appalachian farm near the Great Smoky Mountains.
This pretty view belies the fact that this is where addictions begin.

Abandoned

Deadwood and Morris Island Lighthouse, Folly Beach, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Dead trees along Folly Beach offer interesting
foreground detail, with the abandoned
Morris Island Lighthouse serving as a backdrop.

Beneath the Palms

Garden Path, near The Battery, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A stone walkway leads past sego palms and palmetto trees
 in this enchanting Lowcountry garden.

2014 Spoleto Festival USA

Detail, Porch Ceiling and Molding, Sottile House, Charleston, SC  
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)




The image above was selected as this year's Spoleto Festival USA
ticket brochure cover. It's an abstract detail of a
porch ceiling (green) and its elaborate crown molding.
Shown below is how the artists at Stitch Design Co. rotated
 and cropped the image to fit their design. 

2014 Ticket Brochure Cover



Spoleto Festival USA begins this week in Charleston.
It is one of the world's largest international art festivals
 and lasts a little over two weeks.
You can see a copy of the entire ticket brochure here.

A Graphic Oak

Angel Oak, John's Island, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view. Velvia slide film.)



A sprawling limb of the ancient Angel Oak
 provides an ideal leading line into this photograph.
The giant live oak is estimated to be about 500 years old.
I am excited that this image was recently featured
on the National Geographic Travel blog.

Misty Monday - Above the Ridges

View from Clingman's Dome, Tennessee  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved (Film)



Morning fog veils Appalachian mountain ridges
 as the rising sun illuminates their softened edges.

Home on the Range?

Mesquite Tree and Rock Formation, Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An old mesquite tree stands in the front yard
 of what looks like a gargantuan rock house.
I wonder what giant lives there?

Hansome George

Window Display, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film. Click on image for larger view.)



George Washington never looked so good.

A Myriad of Anemones

Tide Pool, near Cape Perpetua, Oregon  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Velvia slide film.)



I used a polarizing filter on my lens to clear the water's surface
 of reflections so that this myriad of sea anemones could be seen
 in the tide pool.