About a month back I spent some time at the Pinckney Wildlife Refuge photographing the sunset and other assorted beauty. You may remember this photograph of the sun setting at Pinckney from earlier in this evening. This particular photo was taken not too long after that one was taken, but you can see what a big difference just a small amount of time can make. Gone are the blue hues and most of the clouds.

Pinckney Island is a pretty cool place to spend a few hours with a camera. When I went I was only able to see a small portion of the island but I have been told by regulars and natives to Hilton Head that there is much more to be seen than I did. So, I will probably plan another trip back to see what I missed. There is a trail that goes on for a few miles into the island. I may try to take a bike and help ensure that I get to see more of what Pinckney Island has to offer.

The other morning I went out to Tybee Island to photograph the sunrise. The sunrise itself turned out to be a little bit of  a bust compared to the day prior, which I wasn’t there to photograph (blah). As the sun was coming up there was absolutely no color, just grey. I was on the verge of hanging it up and going back home, but decided to stick it out awhile to see if anything good might happen. Every landscape photographer has a horror story or two about giving up on a landscape too soon and seeing an awesome scene in their rear-view mirror. So, stay put, see what happens. I mean, it wasn’t like a chore, you can’t beat watching the sun come up on Tybee Island. The sun breaking the horizon out over the Atlantic is a site to behold…when there are not a thousand and one clouds blocking the view.

Scenes like this are a perfect use for high dynamic range photography. Most of the photographs on my website are high dynamic range photographs. It really makes the colors pop and the textures come to life. There is no way you could get a photo like this from a single exposure. It isn’t happening. I have seen a thousand and one photographs of Tybee Beach and very few of them can actually make me feel like I am there. One more reason I love shooting high dynamic range…

Taking People Photos and Model Releases

So, when I took this photo I was walking around with a friend of mine. I told her I would use this photo on my blog at some point and she asked/said “You can’t use someone’s photo on your blog without their permission though.”  That is a common misconception. You can absolutely use a photograph you took of someone without their permission as long as you follow a few rules. First, the photo has to be taken in a public setting. Two, you cannot use the photograph for commercial purposes. In other words, I cannot use this photo in an advertisement  without a release from the gentleman pedaling this cab around. Of course if he was riding away from me and I couldn’t identify him I would be able to use the photo for whatever I wanted without his permission. So, there ya have it.

Yesterday morning I decided to head out to Tybee Island to photograph the sunrise. The day prior, the most amazing colors I have ever seen were coming from the direction of the rising sun, but I was driving into Savannah for a meeting. So I had to glimpse them in the rear-view mirror. I was hoping for a repeat performance, but it wasn’t meant to be.

When I arrived at Tybee Island, camera in hand, the sunrise was still about 90 minutes away. I used that time to take some long exposure photographs and play around with some light painting. As it got closer and closer to the actual rising of the sun I realized that it was going to be a bust for the most part, definitely not the color I had seen the day before. I decided to stick around and try to make the most of it.

At the point in the photograph below, there was a young boy who walked right into frame as I was trying to photograph what little color the sunrise was giving me on Tybee. Normally I really don’t like having people in my photographs and go out of my way to avoid them. However, this kid just stood there for over 5 minues, watching the color fill this part of the sky. I went from mildly annoyed to filled with happiness. Here is this young kid, in the world of computers, video games and other digital distractions, taking a few moments to be mesmerized by the beauty of nature. More people should be out experiencing this. It is one aspect of being a photographer I really love. It brought me back to July and August when my girls and I would head out to Tybee at sunrise to watch the sun come up, which brought a tear or two to my eyes. There is something spiritual about it, I cannot describe it, you just have to experience it…

Insomnia – Great Way to Photograph Sunrise

Lately I have been having a helluva’ time sleeping. Stress, anxiety…it really takes a toll on you. I have been a nervous wreck for about 2 straight weeks, blah. However, I have found that the lack of sleep I have been experiencing has been contributing to an increased number of photo-shoots at sunrise. Who would have that?! Haha…

River Street is a popular place here in Savannah. Its cobblestone streets, historic buildings, restaurants and shops keep people filing into the streets most hours of the day. It is a fun place to spend a few hours taking pictures. Night-time, especially, is a great time to head down to River Street with your camera. Make sure you have a tripod and you are sure to get some great photographs.

If you want a different perspective of River Street, especially at dusk and dawn, head over to Hutchinson Island..the island in the middle of the Savannah River. From there you can take in the whole length of River Street and get some great photographs of the Savannah skyline. One of these days I am going to sneak into the hotel over there, head to an upper floor and try to get a photo of Savannah from up high. Will it work? Who knows, but it is worth a shot!

The First African Baptist Church, located on Montgomery Street in Savannah Georgia, was organized all the way back in 1773. This church is very historic and has great character. I spent about an hour in the church last week taking some photographs for a client here in Savannah and of course I couldn’t pass up getting some photographs for myself. The more I learned about the history of the church and the ‘hidden language’ of the church, the more I wanted to know. From the carvings on the original pews from the church’s early days, to the beautiful stained glass, to the holes in the floor (the congolese cosmogram) used as breathing holes for slaves utilizing the underground railroad, there was history everywhere for the attentive visitor.

Many of the features of the Church are original including the lighting fixtures and the Pipe Organ, which is the oldest in Georgia.

The Ceiling

If you notice the ceiling, it is designed as a 9 patch pattern. This was done on purpose to resemble a quilt. During the days of slavery the Underground Railroad was used by thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of slaves as they made their way north to freedom. The Quilt was a sign of safety and designated this place as a safe house along the Underground Railroad.

Visiting the First African Baptist Church

The First African Baptist Church offers tours of their historic building. You can contact them at (912) 233-6597 for more information. They offer these guided tours on every day of the week except Sunday and Monday. Of course things could change so give them a call. I can highly recommend a tour of this great historic place in Savannah.

This is the Sanctuary at the First African Baptist Church in Savannah Georgia. This historic congregation dates back to 1773.

Located in Chippewa Square, in Savannah, is the General Oglethorpe Statue, honoring General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah. This is a great statue to photograph at any time of the day but my favorite time to photograph the Oglethorpe Statue in Savannah Georgia is in the morning. At sunrise Chippewa Square glows with gorgeous orange light. You need to see it.

On the Oglethorpe Statue,, on all four corners, are small sculptures of Lions holding shields. It is one of those touches that help make this a pretty awesome statue in Savannah. Many people walking through Chippewa Square take time to photograph the Oglethorpe Statue, but they usually do not take the time to spend an extra minute or two examining these lions, looking at the details.

The other night I got a text message from my friend Scott Kublin about photographing at sunset. Of course I wanted to, we just were not sure where to go. Scott came up with the idea of photographing up in Hilton Head, and it turned out to be a great idea. Not only have I never been to this location, Harbour Town, but it was a pretty neat place.

The lighthouse at Harbour Town is an interesting subject. Photographing it was a no-brainer, but all of the boats in the foreground made it a challenge. There are two things we had to consider. One, the sailboats’ masts were in the way when shot from most angles. Two, the boats were constantly swaying back and forth. When you are photographing at night your shutter will stay open, allowing the sailboats to appear like they are moving, in other words they were ghosting. So, it was a little tough to get everything in frame, find the right angle and eliminate the moving of the sailboats. Between getting most of it right in camera and fixing the ghosting in post seemed to take care of those problems. The picture turned out pretty cool, but I may be a little biased.

The other day I had the chance to photograph inside of a very historic church here in Savannah. I was honored to be able to get inside with my camera as photography inside of the church is not allowed. The first time I went in with a tripod I was asked to not take any photographs. So when I was given the opportunity to get inside this church with free reign, I jumped on the chance!

So, at this point you are probably asking…What Church is it? Well, I want to know how much you guys know about Savannah. Below is a photograph I snapped while inside of the Church. So, I will give you all a few days to try and figure this out…What Church did I photograph?

Leave a comment below. If anyone gets it correct I will send you something special! Oh, and at the request of the management at the church, none of the photos I took at the church will be for sale. I know you are probably used to being able to buy your favorite prints, these will not be for sale…sorry.

The Sanctuary inside of the Church

If you want to view a photograph of the sanctuary inside of the First African Baptist Church just click the link. Many of the details and fixtures inside of the sanctuary are original to the church. The Church is one of the most historic places in Savannah, and quickly became one of my favorites. I hope to go back some day and photograph it in more detail.

The other day i had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful house in the Landings Community in Savannah Georgia, on Skidaway Island to be exact. I have photographed many many homes and houses over the years for real estate agents or people who just love their homes, so I was looking forward to photographing a beautiful home here in Savannah.

Below are some of the photographs I took at the house. All-in-all, I took over 10 gigs worth of photographs at this house. I spent about an hour walking around the house taking photographs of everything I could. It was an absolutely gorgeous house. I had the photographs back to the owner in about 36 hours.

I love photographing homes. Not only is it good fun and my style of photography produces excellent results for the home owner, but helping the home owner do what needs to be done, such as selling the house, is extremely satisfying.