Many of the local roads in the ACE Basin go right through the center of the big marshes.
Pretty amazing.
Black And White Morning
Tag Archives: landscape
Found On A Walk
Folly Island, Charleston, South Carolina.
Fujifilm colors.
Marsh Scene, A Stand Off
Both keeping their distance from each other.
Great Egret and Great Blue Heron on a cloudy morning.
Marsh Morning, Sepia
Early morning landscape. Bennetts Point, South Carolina.
Drayton Hall, In The Cellar
Recently we went to nearby Drayton Hall, an 18th century rice plantation. This is the only plantation house on the Ashley River to survive intact through both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, it is a National Historic Landmark.
The Ashley River runs down to Charleston and is the home of many of the largest and oldest rice plantations. These include Middleton, Magnolia, Runnymede, as well as Drayton Hall. The Ashley River was the ‘highway’ of the plantation era.
Built circa 1738 there is a need for constant maintenance and research. I had no idea there was an ongoing ‘dig’ in the cellar area. It was also open for visits. It seems when adding a stabilizing jack it was discovered the original terra-cotta tiles were in place. Also moving a few tiles uncovered a storage area under pavers.
When I found we could enter the cellar out came a few short lens with wider ‘f’ stops to compensate for it being a cellar..’ AKA dark.
Below are images shot from the central area with light from the open doors and windows.
The closed doors here lead to the side of the building. Front and back doors were open for air and light.
Below is the open back door. The tree line seen is on the banks of the Ashley River. We mention shooting on the Ashley, and the marshes there, often in this site. Most times it is from behind Magnolia Plantation which is just a few miles up river from that tree line.
As I shot the cellar I knew the final photographs would be black and white. The format makes the images so much more interesting and the details much cleaner.
Drayton Hall, Charleston, South Carolina.
Found On A Walk
This morning we decided to go to for a walk in the old cemetery area outside Charleston. In town there are many church grave yards, however the old cemeteries are just north a few miles, on what was once plantations land.
The Soldiers Ground section is for Confederate States military (some exceptions). We have just celebrated veterans day and I expected flags to placed on many graves. They were.
This is the first year I remember seeing very few southern battle flags. The battle flag is the cross and stars associated with hate groups and is banned except on private land.
Above is the flag of the actual Confederate Country formed after secession standing besides the grave of an unknown sailor.
I love to shoot in the solitude of the military cemeteries, but have been increasing uncomfortable where the battle flag can be seen. The ‘stars and bars’ flag I’m more comfortable with.
Unless I find it makes people uncomfortable.
The headstone belongs to one of the many unknown sailors buried in this cemetery. During the US civil war Charleston was under a blockade. Multiple ships were lost on both sides in the towns harbor and surrounding waters.
Morning Marsh Scenes 11/2022
The morning I shot these photographs all my previously made plans failed, spectacularly. In short, up at 5, out the door quickly, sun in, fog out, even roads were closed.
Not having my wing woman I… ‘winged’ it.
Things worked out since I had a second camera, some short lens, along.
- Roseate Spoonbill slipped in low and dropped down into the reeds on the next dike.
- Great Egrets became ‘bookends’ at the edge of a marsh.
- And, always around to bail me out. Passing Alligator.
Marsh Scene, 11/2022
A wide shot of an old rice field / marsh.
The far end, what appears to be too straight to be real is actually a dike. Another marsh is behind that goes out to the distant tree line.
I’m not sure how long that dike is. I’ve never tried to measure the distance on a walk. Miles I’m sure, which is pretty impressive since the original dikes were created pre US civil war.