I’m Going to be Sick

First off, I apologize for any dizziness or uneasiness you are feeling by looking at this picture. It literally makes your head spin a bit doesn’t it? The effect is called zoom burst. It can be a bit tricky but essentially you just set the camera to where it will have a longer open shutter period, and then smoothly rotate the barrel of your zoom lens while the camera’s shutter is open. There are some really cool shots you can get with this method with some practice. Neon signs are pretty cool to shoot, or anything that you want to add a little movement to, without really caring about sacrificing sharpness. This shot is of some trees in Botany Bay on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

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Medusa Tree

I took this shot while I was on vacation at Edisto Island, South Carolina. The name of the beach is Botany Bay, and it is a little off the beaten path. Botany Bay is a Wildlife Management Area that has only been maintained by the Department of Natural Resources since 2008; and as a result, the beach is pretty unspoiled.  As you walk toward the northern end of the beach, you start to see more and more oak trees stranded out in the ocean. They refer to this section as “the boneyard” because there are no leaves or anything on the branches, and the driftwood on the beach is bleached out. It’s an amazing place for photography. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get here for a sunrise, and I had not been doing my HDR stuff at this time either, so this is just a pretty standard picture.

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Sunburst

This shot was from one early morning on a vacation to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We had split an ocean view condo with another couple (our friends from Memphis). Greg, knowing I would probably be up early taking pictures sometime, told me that if I get up in the morning to take pictures of the sunrise, then I should wake him up as well. The next morning, I just happened to wake up earlier than sunrise, so I thought, “I should really get out there to get a picture.” I knew we didn’t have any time to waste, knowing approximately how soon the sun was going to come up, approximately how long it would take to get my stuff, get out to the beach, and set up, and knowing how long it normally takes Greg to get going in the morning (he is a born and bred southerner afterall…)

                We gathered our stuff quickly, and after sprinting through the parking lot & pool area, made for the show. I wasn’t entirely sure how the pictures were going to turn out because I really didn’t have time to put in my contacts; so I relied on my autofocus, and my semi-blurry vision, hoping they would come out good later on. As a result, I have a series of shots that document that entire sunrise, but I think I like this one best.

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Run Forest

This shot is taken on the road to Botany Bay on Edisto Island, South Carolina. I’ll have more photos later of the amazing trees in the water on Botany Bay (The main attraction), but for now, here’s a shot of the huge Oak’s on the road into the Botany Bay preserve.

I love how the old growth oak trees formed this natural tunnel and the light filtered through the branches & spanish moss to illuminate the ground in ever-changing, random patterns. This area is amazing because of the awesome natural elements, but also because (at least when I was there) there weren’t very many people there to get in the way of making a great shot either.  

As I was setting up for the shot, I think I could hear that old pickup truck chasing Forest Gump down the dirt road…

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