Photographing at Harbour Town near Hilton Head

Way back in mid-January my friend Scott and I headed up to Hilton Head South Carolina to take some photographs at Harbour Town, a neat little community not too far from Savannah. There was an interesting lighthouse in Harbour Town which we both photographed pretty heavily. This is the only photograph of the sunset I will be posting though. I just couldn’t get many compostions I like. I don’t know if I was in a funk or what, but…blah. I enjoy this photograph, the clouds seem to mimic the piece of land, falling away from it.

Photographing the sunset at Pinckney Wildlife Refuge

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.

Photographing at night in Hilton Head

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.

Photographing sunset at Pinckney Wildlife Refuge

Ever wonder why photographers refer to the hour or two after sunrise and before sunset as the Golden Hours? Just check this photograph out and maybe you will see why. The great warm light that comes from the sun as it is near the horizon cannot be beat.

This photograph was taken up near Hilton Head in Pinckney Wildlife Refuge. I headed up there the other day with a friend of mine. Him and I spent a few hours wondering around the Refuge, including this little side trip into the woods. We were mildly amused when we came across bear traps, you know, those big metal tubes with a trap door on the front..and then became slightly less amused when we came across bear shit. Hmm…

Anyways, this photograph is a prime example why landscape and nature photographers should strive to do most of their shooting during the golden hours. It makes your job soo much easier!

The Moonlit Field near Hilton Head

So this photograph is a little different from me. Usually my HDR photographs are taken during the day time when there is plenty of light. This photograph was taken about 20 minutes after the sun went down. After I processed the photo, it was a little noisier in the sky than I thought it was going to be so I blended the whole sky in at 80% from the -2 exposure. It was a pretty easy photograph.

I really enjoy the color of the grasses in the foreground. I could have masked the non-moving grass back in, but I kinda’ like the blur.