Second Row

Who is going to the beach this weekend? I took this aerial photograph of Figure Eight Island on a brisk January day a few months ago and we were just about the only people on the island. I guess this qualifies as a selfie — I'm on the back deck of the house directly behind the little marsh beach on the second row. 

I imagine Figure Eight Island is going to be a really fun place to be this weekend as everybody jets out to the coast for some R&R!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Kalik Light

Here's to the weekend! ... And to the Monaco Grand Prix! Huge props to Max Verstappen for his victory in Barcelona and here's to hoping he can keep up the momentum! 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Wake

A week ago today, my wife and I took our first cruise to celebrate our anniversary. We sailed from Charleston to Nassau and back over the course of five days. I have to admit, my expectations were really low based on horror stories I have heard from others but we really enjoyed it.

Our room was on the stern, right in the center of the ship. The room was far from tiny and we had a huge private outdoor terrace/balcony with a tremendous view of the ship's wake as we sailed along. We spent a lot of time just relaxing on the balcony, watching the wake as the water changed color from dark green in Charleston harbor to deep blue in the Atlantic to blue-green in the Caribbean. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Soaring Over Hogsmeade

This photograph is part of an architectural series at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. The painstaking effort that must have gone into making each of these buildings perfectly imperfect — both inside and out — is really astounding. Hats off to the engineers at Universal Studios!

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

El Castillo de Alcañiz

A few weeks ago, I wrote about our stay in the Alcañiz Castle under the Spanish Paradores program. Here's the view from our balcony, looking down the wall of the castle. It was an amazing place and a tremendous travel find. It's probably the least expensive European "hotel" that I have ever stayed in — and it's a castle!

This photograph was captured with a Canon IXUS 30 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Spring Snack

It's spring and that means the deer are coming out of the woodwork in North Carolina's High Country. I cheated on this photograph a bit, though... this deer is one of the captive deer in the Grandfather Mountain sanctuary. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Palms and the Mosque

I hope everybody isn't getting tired of my Morocco World Showcase photographs. I just think the place is so awesome! 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7 and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Tampa by Night

Tampa is a beautiful city and it really photographs well at night! Seems an appropriate photo for a Saturday!

This photograph was edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Sunny Siesta Key

There's nothing like a day at the beach! One of the coolest features of Siesta Key Beach is that each lifeguard tower is a different color. It makes catching up with your friends a lot easier! We set up camp next to the green tower. I know a bunch of people in this photo but it's pretty hard to pick them out from up here. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom.

South of Broad

My wife and I were married 15 years ago today! I'm taking it back to where it all started with today's post.

This is the tip of the peninsula in downtown Charleston, known as "South of Broad" because it is all south of Broad Street. The area to the left is the French Quarter. The history in this area is as thick as the summer air and just as intoxicating. It's a magical place and I have felt its draw since my first visit when I was six years old. Naturally, it's also where I chose to propose to my wife and begin the most magical journey of my life. 

I proposed to her on a bench in that park in the top of the photograph. I was going to do it at the famous gazebo in the center of the park but it was set up for a wedding and I thought that was a little too presumptuous! 

Here's to a tremendous 15 years and many more! 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone and edited in Adobe Lightroom.