STUDIO 1250 | Fine Art Wedding Photography | Charleston Weddings

As the sun slowly descended in the sky, a sense of peacefulness filled the air and the only sound I heard was that of the squirrels rustling through the fallen leaves. I walked graciously through the gardens, absorbing every ounce of what I was seeing and feeling. Spanish Moss dangled from the oak trees and young turtles swam together in the swampy waters of the Azalea Pool. I was surrounded by Southern beauty, just as the settlers found it many years ago. The sun glimmered through the branches as I continued down the pathway. It wasn’t long before I saw the historic Middleton House still standing in the distance. The house was originally built over several phases during the 18th and 19th centuries. However, most of it was burned by Union soldiers toward the end of the Civil War. Twenty one years later, an earthquake brought it to the ground. Now, all that remains is the south wing of the house. I continued beyond the house down the curved terraces toward the Butterfly Lakes, two distinct lakes shaped in the form of a butterfly’s open wings. I ventured further down the path which lead me toward the stables. I passed by horses, chickens, and cows; I even fed a friendly peacock who was enjoying the evening along with me. I spent almost 3 hours simply walking around and capturing the place as I saw it, as I felt it. After returning to the car, I was satisfied with everything I had seen and experienced. If you can’t be around mountains, Middleton is definitely the next best thing and my new favorite place.

Yesterday I spent the evening at Middleton Place, capturing everything as I saw it. My experience was so amazing that I had to go back for more. Earlier today, I spent the afternoon bicycling along the beaches of Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. The sky was crystal blue and the warm weather gave a refreshing feeling from the cold weather we’ve had this past winter. Finally, I thought, summer is here. I love being outdoors, especially since most of my day is spent working on the computer. I enjoy hiking, bicycling, kayaking, and most of all, taking pictures. A lot of photographers I know don’t use their cameras for anything other than business. Not me, I can’t put mine down, I absolutely love taking pictures. I look at it this way…with a camera, I’m able to capture what my eye sees, I’m able to capture it so I can remember it. I do this because otherwise how else will I ever remember the beauty that I experienced. Over time our memory fades and the best things are merely vague blurs of what actually happened. We remember that it was beautiful but our mind fills in the blanks for the missing elements from the story. I’m able to capture exactly was I see with my camera and therefore I have an exact representation of what I saw. I enjoy photographing places like Middleton Place because I am able to capture the subtle details such as the dangling Spanish moss or the sun shining in through the trees. And this place was absolutely great for that. As I ventured east on the path, I was in awe the moment I first saw the Inn at Middleton. Tall ivy growing up the sides of the buildings, beautiful modern block style structures. I was absolutely in love with it. I felt like I was able to capture exactly what I saw and the warm comforting feeling the place gave me. One day I’m going to stay there for a night and experience the full effect. Once again I explored the area as the sun went down and spent yet another 3 hours photographing the east side of Middleton. I got lots of great photos but unfortunately I couldn’t post everything on here. Hopefully you enjoy what you do see. But to see everything, you’re going to have to explore Middleton for yourself and see the beauty that surrounds the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States.

Go to Middleton Place for more information and details.

On Thursday night I headed out to the Silver Dollar to photograph High Tide. High Tide is a new local band here in Charleston and a very good one at that. The band consists of Bubba Bryant, Jake Wisse, & Jamie. The lead singer, Bryant, is also known for his 5 years on Army Wives, playing the character Jeremy Sherwood, he is now done with the show and continues to expand his acting career as well as his singing career. I’ve never seen the show but everyone speaks highly of it. High Tide definitely knows how to get the party started and everyone there loved them! Be sure to check out their Facebook page to see where they’re playing at next.

There is something about coming to Tennessee that just makes me wanna listen to country music. Perhaps its the mountains or the sight of a little kid swinging on a wooden swing hanging from a tree, not really sure but being here has that effect on me. Don’t get me wrong, I love ALL types of music but certain moods make me want to listen to particular kinds of music. Some of my newest country favorites include “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It,” both my Easton Corbin, and “Wish it Would Break” by Dierks Bently, and lastly “Southern State of Mind” by Darius Rucker. Those are such good songs, plus there are about a 100 more that can’t be over looked.

For 8 years I’ve been wanting to go back to Callalantee and now I’ve finally been able to. Callalantee is a ATV ‘park’ that has over 200 miles of trails, which is more than I could probably ever ride in a year. I drove up for the weekend to go riding. I spent the night with family in Bristol the night before and then headed out early in the morning to hit the trails. I had a such a blast riding again and exploring the trails. I’m super glad I was able to drive up.