It’s All in the Details

Sometimes, when you go out to photograph, you will find it most productive if you focus on the details rather than on the big picture.  This was the case one morning during our most recent visit to Charleston, SC.

My husband and I ventured down to Waterfront Park hoping to capture

a great sunrise.  As the case sometimes is, the weather conditions were not cooperative in producing the kind of light that would help create a great image of sunrise in Charleston.

Instead of going back to the hotel, discouraged, we went to Plan B.  Plan B was to utilize the diffused lighting conditions of the overcast morning to photograph details of the buildings in Charleston.  The details available to be captured in downtown Charleston are abundant.

We just started driving around the city.  I was looking for something that drew my attention.  When I saw how the light was absolutely glowing on the side of one of the buildings, I knew I had found my first subject.  I spent some time photographing the details around the windows until I had both horizontal and vertical compositions of this wonderful subject.

Our next stop was a street of residences in Charleston.  There are detail shots at every turn.

I was drawn to the different textures of the wall surrounding one of the residences.  I turned my camera to it and worked to make a composition that included the tree.  It was extremely breezy, so I had to be careful to get a shot with the ferns not in motion.

In the same general area, I also saw one of my favorite doors in Charleston.  There are photographers who specialize in photographing the doors and other detail shots in Charleston.  Many of these types of shots are sold at the Market downtown to visitors to the city.

The next time you are out shooting, be sure to photograph the details of the place you are visiting.