A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about the Great Smokey Mountains. The RQ (Redneck Quotient) is always just a tad higher than I prefer. I guess it has something to do with the proximity to Dollywood, the Grand Ol’ Opry, and the heart of Appalachia. Regardless, we were in the mood to avoid crowds today, especially … Read More “Tuckaleechee Caverns” »
Today was a Great Smokey Mountains day. We started by driving up to Mingo Falls, which technically isn’t in the National Park. The trail up, included an incredible staircase, but the waterfall was quite nice. After the falls we headed into the park proper. There was an obligatory stop at Mingus Mills, then a side … Read More “From Cherokee to Townsend” »
With Tropical Depression Barry threatening, we had a leisurely start to our vacation travels. This trip, we’re going to see a big hole in the ground. We’re hoping to make our way to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, exploring the backroads of Appalachia along the way. The first leg of the journey took us up I-26, then … Read More “From Greenville to Cherokee” »
This is incredibly addictive, probably even more so than Google Earth was for me when it first came out. These folks have frozen a moment in time of life on the streets in these five cities, and the ability to view that moment from multiple perspectives is very compelling. Collections of "sightings" have popped up … Read More “More Googley Goodness from Streetview” »
The Google Earth blog had a link to the technology behind Google Maps’ new Street View feature. The technology was created by Immersive Media, and features a camera with eleven lenses arranged in geodesically on a sphere. The camera not only takes still images, but does video as well. Immersive Media has put several demos … Read More “Immersive Media” »
Back when I was teaching pinhole photography to seventh grade students, my father-in-law gave me an old Singer Graflex camera that he owned. This is the classic version, seen in use by photojournalists in old movies all the time. I have no idea how old this thing really is, but I believe it still works. … Read More “Old Singer” »
Just when I think Google Maps can’t get any more amazing (or scary), they come out with something new. This time it’s "Streetview." Streetview is available for only five cities in the US – Manhattan, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. I haven’t checked any foreign cities yet. If you zoom into one of … Read More “Street View” »
It has been said that my brothers and I look like triplets. Well, I’ve found a way to have that experience even when they’re not around. I can clone myself, thanks to a free program called Groupshot from Microsoft. Have you ever taken a picture of a group of people, only to find that one … Read More “Just Call Me “Agent Smith”” »
After my brief side trip to Freedom Weekend Aloft, I continued my trek southward in search of ghost towns. I had mapped out a series of towns and villages that might be potential targets, starting with Owings, near where I grew up. What I had thought to be abandoned buildings were anything but. When I … Read More “Ghost Towns – Rethinking a Project” »
I was just getting started on my trek to look for ghost towns in South Carolina, when I spotted balloons in the air. Freedom Weekend Aloft was in full swing for this Memorial Day weekend, and this year they were holding it in Simpsonville. I figured it was worth a diversion, so I took … Read More “Freedom Weekend Aloft” »