Snow blankets the banks of the Saluda River in Columbia, SC, following a snow storm on January 10, 2011.

I hope these posts about snow in Columbia aren’t getting redundant.  I’m doing my best to mix it up and shoot new, and interesting things every time it snows here. I’m getting some really good practice in seeing the world a bit differently in similar situations.  The fact is that I can’t remember a time in my 29 years of life that it has snowed three separate times in less than a year, much less two separate times in 15 days.  This is something that is completely unheard of in the Palmetto State.  I’m not going to speculate where all of this white wintry stuff is coming from, but rather enjoy the fact that I have the time, and the ability to photograph it.  Click “More” below to see the gallery.

The past two times it has snowed in Columbia I have concentrated my efforts on photographing the scenes of the city.  While these winter photo excursions have yielded some really nice results, I wanted to do things a bit differently this time and focus on one of my favorite things about Columbia… the rivers.

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I have spent a lot of time trekking up and down the banks of the Broad and Saluda Rivers during good weather, and know these locations very well.  Getting to some of these locations can be treacherous in good weather, so to challenge myself a little bit, I decide to see if I could get there and make some nice images during bad weather.  It should be said that no photo is worth risking your life or your safety, and I did take appropriate safety precautions.  If I didn’t know these areas, and know how to handle myself in these kind of conditions, I would not have attempted it, and unless you know what you are doing both outdoors, and with a camera I would not suggest trying this the next time it snows.  With all that being said, I had a lot of fun, challenged myself, and hopefully made some images you enjoy looking at.

The view from the dock at Charles house on Mosquito Creek, near Bennetts Point, SC.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend some time on the coast at one of my favorite places in the world, my friend Charles’ river house on Fenwick Island.  The best thing about Fenwick is that it is private, and with the exception of about 5 houses which are all owned by members of the Baldwin family, it is completely un-spoiled by the meddling of man.  Wild, un-touched, and completely cut off, this is the perfect place for me to get back in touch with my personal vision, explore, and have an adventure fishing off-shore, and have deep philosophical discussions with others much wiser than I.

The sun sets over Mosquito Creek on Fenwick Island, near Bennetts Point, SC.

Having the ability to create and share images like these, from places that most of the world will never see, and adventures that most will never have, has become one of the forces that drives my photography in recent months.  At one point in time, I had thought it was about just telling the stories of the people which inhabited these places, however, as I have seen so many places around me become over developed, mistreated, and forgotten my goals as a photographer have shifted.  With that thought, I have created the Coastal Print Collection over on my digital archive, and I invite everyeone to take a moment, and flip through the collection of images that are there already, and will be growing in the coming months.

Sunrise over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Prepping the boat for off-shore fishing, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

A Palmetto and Live Oak trees draped with Spanish Moss are silhouetted by the first light in the sky, as the sun rises over Bennetts Point in Green Pond, SC, on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

Finally, if you have a place that which is holds a special place in your heart, with natural beauty that may be in danger of disappearing all too soon, that you think I should visit, photograph, and spend some time exploring, let me know.  If I make my way there a signed print from what I find, could be on its way to you.