Cherry Grove

So there I was on the pier at Cherry Grove taking about a zillion images of the beach and the cottages when I spotted a wedding taking place on the beach. It was a beautiful day for a wedding; there was a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. I hadn't seen a wedding on the beach for years, not since little Mary K got married years ago, so I thought I'd just watch for a while. The longer I watched, the more I laughed. I couldn't help it. Then I started taking pictures because I knew this was going to be a post on my blog.

Remember this was the middle of March and the beach was not crowded. Most of the people behaved as though this happened all of the time. I guess they were trying to mind their own business and not intrude. People continued to walk their dogs and play in the sand. But there was one man who was not going to let a little thing like a WEDDING stop him from what he had on his list to do that day...search for metal, i.e. gold! For the sake of anonymity, let's just call him Floyd.

Here's Floyd at the beginning of the ceremony. Trying to act nonchalant, as if nothing is going on. But wait, there's more.

He continues his quest for gold. If you want to know more about this "hobby," go to www.aquaexplorers.com/metaldetectingbeachhunting.htm


Then he moved...and woke up!

He stops for a minute to watch the proceedings.

Floyd realized that this was going to take longer that he wanted to wait. The ceremony was over, but the picture-taking began. He figured there was no way he would be able to search that area so he starts to leave.
Bless his heart. Bye Floyd, you made my day.

Meanwhile back at the ceremony...I'm not getting this shot. One, she's getting her dress wet, and two, does she really want a shot of her back side?

I'll bet they're trying to figure out how to get those people out of their 2011 Christmas card shot.

This is the last image I shot before racing off to find Floyd. I think I might trade my camera for a metal detector. On the other hand, I'm getting kinda good at sneaking around so I might look into private investigating. So much to ponder.

Leading Lines

Last weekend, Tom and I went to the beach. Tom went to party and I went to shoot. As soon as we arrived on Friday, I dropped him off at a restaurant to meet some friends, and I hit the road to begin my adventure. I love trying to get different shots of the beach. I mean, how many different shots can you get?

To add a little pressure to this adventure, my photography instructor assigned different types of composition for us to experiment with. Yes, I'm taking another class. Every time I take a photography class, I learn something new. The instructors focus on their expertise and that makes it interesting. Some are more nuts and bolts and some are more creative. This instructor is a combination of both. He brings a lot of humor into the instruction and makes it fun. Back to the assignment. I chose to work on leading lines. The concept is for the line to draw the eye into the scene. Here's the first shot.

I've taken this shot several times. There are millions of lines in this shot, so I wanted to get closer and get more of a side view. Well, when I did that, I looked over the side and look what I found.

Oops! Nevermind. Not wanting to disturb anyone and really wanting to stay alive, I quickly decided to change my location and move on down the beach. I tiptoed to the car and drove south towards Myrtle Beach, hoping to have time to get to Litchfield or Pawley's Island. In addition to looking for leading lines, I was also looking for beach letters. (See blog dated January 28 to see what I'm talking about.) As I was driving south on Ocean Boulevard, I spotted this hotel near Windy Hill. It was colorful and yes, it had leading lines. I also saw the reflection of the sky and clouds in the windows. It would have been great to get the ocean in the reflection, but I would have had to have a crane to swing on, or perhaps a high-rise and a very, very, expensive camera lens. So for now, I'm happy with the clouds.

Continuing down Ocean Boulevard, I approached an area where the Ocean Forest Hotel was located many years ago. After the hotel was demolished a walking path and a small park were built. There are two small beach huts on the same property and I guess during the season they sell drinks, snacks, etc. Attached to one of the huts, in the back facing the ocean, is a staircase with a sign posted. And, yes, it has leading lines. It's a joke. As far as I know there is no nude bathing in Myrtle Beach. At least not while you're sober.

I didn't make it to Litchfield on Friday, but I did go on Saturday. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and there were only a few people walking on the beach. Maybe because it was so darn cold!

In a few weeks, we'll be back at the beach. Hopefully, it will be warmer, there will be little or no breeze, no one will be walking on the beach, the sea oats will be green, and the new beach fences will have aged a little. I'm not asking for much.