Flags of all styles, periods, and various stages of decay are in this old civil war era cemetery.

This US flag was tied by threads to some wrought iron fencing.
Not sure, but I think this needs to hang somewhere.
This is not a subtle bird. When they are around you know it. Loud calls, even louder chopping wood. It’s the biggest woodpecker in North America.
However, where else would you look to find one than up a tree? Certainly not down by the swamp water.
I don’t stop and wait around when I hear woodpeckers, this area is too dense for a clear shot. If that red head wasn’t in the sun patch I never would have seen him.
He had dropped down for a quick drink. I assume he waited and watched for a while, not the safest place for him.
A good day to take the long way down to a rookery. I don’t get many low opportunities with Pileated woodpeckers.
Here is a 4 AM project.
The logical thing to do at that hour is pack a bag, a little coffee, and head out for sunrise and early marsh shoots. Today, it was 74 (F) degrees all night, this afternoon around 100(F).
DxO Filmpack software has a few features I wanted to try so I’m staying right here. Most people use NIK SilverEfex for B&W work, I do too. However Filmpack is owned by the same company and has similar tools.
These are from a Charleston 1800’s planters home. The perfect place for B&W.
I guess these are the happy home owners from 200 years ago.
I was not in position when the adult Great Blue briefly landed on the nest. I could see that no food was delivered.
The ‘little guy’ was not happy about the adult leaving without a food drop off.
He was loud and flapping around like a temper tantrum.
This juvenile is the age when the adults really want to be done with them. Feeding them is like a big fight, and dangerous. The young birds attack adults for food.
The other day was the first time I was able to walk behind these two landmarks. They share a back iron gate that is always locked. This day it was open.
St. Johns Lutheran 1734
The front of the building is magnificent too. Like much of Charleston everything is close quarters and hard to photograph. It’s an old town. The back graveyard here gave me a whole new perspective.
Unitarian Church in Charleston 1772
Behind this church it is impossible to photograph. It’s a jungle, by design. Their graveyard is old trees, thick bushes, and benches to rest on…all off an old alley.
Charleston has a large number of churches sitting side by side. Shared graveyards is also common.
With the except of one, the church graveyards have been full for centuries. The old Magnolia Cemetery we shoot came to be as there was no other burial places except at the plantations on the edge of town. In the 1850’s a yellow fever pandemic hit Charleston and the idea of cemeteries, not church yards started. I would call this useless trivia, but that’s the kind of ‘stuff’ floating around my head.
One of those scenes you bump into that just can’t not make some interesting photographs.
Ellen agreed, she was shooting from only a few feet away. Click here to view on PassingByPhoto.
My versions are below…
The small Heron was much more interested in some small critter than us.
The images above are in order so what had his attention must have moved on.
And once again a member of the Heron family shows us just how incredibly beautiful they can be. (BTW, Egrets are members of the Heron family too)