Stormy Sunset

After leaving work one evening last week and getting ready for a drive down to Valdosta, GA, the stormy skies leftover from a passing storm made for a beautiful double rainbow and a gorgeous sunset. I pulled over a few times to get some images.

I'm told the sunsets in Charleston in the fall are particularly beautiful, but this is one of the best I can remember since moving here last October. Looking forward to seeing many more.



The double rainbow going over the Cooper River - tricky to do the colors justice, but gorgeous all the same.


Shooting through the windshield while driving over the Ashley River Bridge - love these lampposts and the contrasting sunset.


Shot through the window, grabbed a palmetto in the foreground while passing by!


The ominous sky, I've always had a thing for clouds.


View down the Wappoo Cut, heading toward John's Island.

Blue Angels in Charleston

A few weeks ago the Blue Angels - Navy F-18 jets - came to Charleston and provided some great entertainment in the sky. A good friend was kind enough to take me out on his boat to enjoy the show from the Cooper River on Saturday - it was my first air show and it was very impressive. All of the rumbling vibrations outside of the studio all week had me curious and my expectations were most definitely met.

I went out to Mt. Pleasant and watched the show again on Sunday with some close friends visiting from Massachusetts - a different vantage point provided for some nice images to complete the flying collection.

I apologize for being behind in the blog recently - I have kept up with my shooting, just haven't had the time for all of the editing. Trying to catch up these next few weeks so keep checking, and that means you E.D.



This large plane, a C-130, started off the show and we were just passing through the Ashley River heading toward a place to anchor for the afternoon.


Tons of people lined the edge of the Battery for a good view of the show as the C-130 flew over the right side of them.


The C-130 made a high, steep ascent into the air over the Cooper River Bridge to end his part of the show.


1, 2, 3, 4


Four F-18's fly over the Cooper River Bridge.


Pretty sweet synchronized dive.


Diving still.


All six F-18's fly by while in a very tight formation.


Nice to see the writing underneath these six as they fly right over us in tight formation - these pilots have tremendous skills.


Cool split after the dive.


View from under the Cooper River Bridge at Waterfront Park in Mt. Pleasant.


Blue Angels and Palmetto trees.

The end of the show on Sunday with all six of the Blue Angel fighter jets screaming through the sky together in very tight formation.

Old School Pin Ball

My apologies for slacking in the blog recently...I've been shooting, just not posting. I will try to make up for it this week with lots of fun new posts.

Tonight I found my way to a pool place with some friends where they had some serious vintage pin ball machines. I've never seen anything like them before, super cool. Designed with singular metal buttons to push to designate specific plays and the count for three, four or five in a row, like in board games, it brings you back in time.

These two guys were enjoying their games at Emma's in West Ashley. They said the games must have been around for 40 or 50 years. My friend Mike, 54, said he remembered playing on these exact pin ball machines when he was a teenager. "I would save all of my soda bottles and trade them in so I could play pin ball," he said. How cool!?!


Lining up their shots....

Details of the machine...

Small metal buttons to make it all happen....

Detail shot of the metal buttons.


Getting ready to shoot the ball....this part of the machine is basically still the same today.

Practically looks like Vegas here!

Some guys bang on the machine to help guide the small metal balls into the desired number.


Getting ready to strike!

Shootin' Pool

Last November I joined a pool team and we play at a pool hall here in Charleston every Thursday night. It's generally a good group of people looking for some fun competition and a night out of the house with a variety of friends. I've grown to really look forward to my Thursday nights playing pool and decided it was a good subject to feature on the blog.

The lighting was pretty tricky in the pool hall, and flash really wasn't the way to go, for multiple reasons (too big of a dark room so it wasn't the best quality without slaving to other strobes, and also during play it's much more distracting to the players). I kept it simple with ambient light but after editing the shoot I decided it served better as a black and white piece.

Thanks to my teammates for being such good subjects and laid back about the photography, as well as the team we played - our team lost, badly, but we had a good time as always. Enjoy the pics and get out and shoot some pool one night.



Shot over-head that I got while standing on a chair. I was waiting for the moment when I could get multiple players shooting on table and I was happy with this frame.


Trae, one of the team's captains, practicing before the games started for the night.


Rob, a new member on the team, an old air-force guy, and a damn good pool player, lining up a shot. And yes, he's usually this serious.


Cues lined up along the lovely wall...but the three is a good number and it's a good detail shot to add to this collection.


Brian practicing on the empty table, letting me sit my camera right on the table before he takes his shot - a fun perspective.

Shooting Brian over-head with a hail-mary approach on my part. Came out well.


Dave, my fellow New Englander on the team, keeping score for 9-ball.


Thanks to Katja and Rob, I had some pics of myself from the night - nice work you two.


Trae getting serious lining up a shot in one of the last games of 9-ball for the night.


The over-all pool hall - there's more than 25 tables available.


John, captain of the other team, disappointed with missing a shot toward the end of the night.


Andrew, who joined our team this week, racks up the balls for his 8-ball game.


Trae in good position to make his shot and run the rack.


Trae chalking the cue, something that you see people do somewhat compulsively at times, but it makes a difference when you shoot, especially if you're any good.


Katja, one of the other "token chicks", and a member of the other team, practicing on the side during the game.


John, lining up the 7 during his 9-ball game against Trae.


Our 9-ball score sheet at the end of the night. There's a lot to keep track of, and this sheet reads that we lost.


Brian, Rob and Andrew looking over the score sheets and not looking too pleased with our team's performance for the night. Hope it wasn't because of the photo coverage.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

I went for a drive around downtown Charleston today, searching for primarily detailed architectural photos of many historic homes. It was a pleasant, sunny afternoon and I ended up with a few fun shots after about 45 minutes of cruising around town.

There is much more to photograph, and from many different vantage points, but the Charleston collection has begun and it's inspiring me and motivating me to continue shooting to build a complete gallery one day. Enjoy.


Looking down Wentworth Street, through the windshield.



Pulled over to photograph the empty horse and buggy tour guide passing by on Meeting Street. Loved the tree behind them.


An afternoon sun reflection in windows on Meeting street. Just liked the three windows and the yellow reflection and the scuffed walls.


A couple lays together, inter-locked, on a bench in the park at the Battery. I found this to be a unique and intimate moment.


An American flag hanging on a porch of one of the larger homes South of Broad, lit by the setting sun behind the home.


Two homes along Rainbow Row on East Bay Street.



Rainbow Row on East Bay Street.



A young girl reading a book with her bike laying on the grass in the cold, afternoon sun on Concord Street.


A side street off of East Bay with a beautiful wall and window on this home.



The Citadel campus, with cadets walking through campus in the background.



The Citadel as the sun goes down - heavily adjusted to bring out blacks and deep blue.