Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge

On my drive back up to Athens from Sapelo Island my wife and I stopped off at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, located on the coast of Georgia south of Savanah. It is a bird sanctuary that was established in 1962 when it was transferred by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield.

Harris Neck has saltwater marshes, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland. With this variety of different habitats you get a wid rangs of bird species flying through there all of the year.

The park service also does controlled grass burns in the area. While driving the last bit of the park (you can drive through the refuge in certain areas and park to walk to other areas) we came around the corner to observe a spectacular site, an area with low lying grass amongst a pine forest. The color of the grass contrasting with the burnt bark of the pines made for a great photographic opportunity. And then the added bonus of some sunlight peaking through the clouds made for an unbelievable photographic opportunity. I had a lot of fun taking pictures of this part of the refuge.

Next time I am in the area I will come prepared to photograph some birds. This time around the swarms of mosquitoes put an end to that thought.

If you would like some more information on the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, here are a couple of links:
http://www.fws.gov/harrisneck/
http://www.stateparks.com/harris_neck.html

Sapelo Island part 4

Another nicety of having to go down to Sapelo Island is the beach. I have never been on a beach as nice as the one on the south part of Sapelo Island with NO ONE else there. The beach is completely empty, devoid of annoying people. What this does is make for a perfectly peaceful area to rest and relax or even take some photographs.

Even better are the two lounge chairs someone has left for anybody to use. All you need to do is drag them down near the water where the wind blows the pesky mosquitoes and no-see-ums away from you, and just relax.

Sapelo Island part 3

Now here is the huge bonus for having to drive down to Sapelo Island, the Island itself. It is beautiful. The island’s natural habitats include upland maritime forests, freshwater ponds, dunes, beaches, sloughs and salt marshes. These habitats create areas for many plants and animals to flourish.

There are many natural hiking trails you can follow or you can just go down the beach and enjoy it in solitude. Either activities are very relaxing and well deserved after a hard day’s work.
While on Sapelo Island this time, I was able to take a few good photos of bird and insect life. The butterflies where in abundance along the sand dunes because of the many wild flowers blooming and made for some amazing awe filled viewing.

If you want to find out more information about Sapelo Island here are a couple of nice sites
http://www.sapelonerr.org/index.htm
http://www.uga.edu/ugami/

Sapelo Island part 2

To get down to Sapelo Island I will usually drive South on 129/441 to interstate 16 where I then exit off and take 23 to 57 and from 57 to the ferry. But, this time I got stuck behind a house. Yes that’s right, a house. And to top it off I was the first car to get stuck behind it.

So, to get to the ferry on time I cut across on 278 at Madison to then went down 15. That turned out to be a very nice side trip.


First off I got a great photo of an old red barn with an old truck parked in it. Secondly I got to drive through some of the prettiest and well kept, architecturally speaking in a Historic preservation way, cities/towns. This started with the city of Greensboro through Sparta, Warthen, Sandersville, Wrightsville and then Adrian. If you have the time I recommend the drive, you just can’t see towns with this type of Architecture that often.

It would be an amazing photography project to go and document the architecture in these towns, even if it was just the city hall buildings. I will have to try and make time somewhere and try it.

Sapelo Island part 1

On October 25, 2006 I had to travel down to Sapelo Island to document the R.J. Reynolds Estate Greenhouses at the University of Georgia’s Marine Institute. Our office manages the different projects that have to deal with master planning, new construction and infrastructure, and Historic Preservation.

Part one of this series of Sapelo Island will be on the greenhouses that were built by the Wm. H. Lutton Company in the early 1920’s. The greenhouses are actually one structure, but they contain 13 different environmental zones, with each zone considered to be one greenhouse. The greenhouses are an amazing example of a well designed structure which is still structurally sound after all these years.

The greenhouses are 5,250 square feet in size on the interior with an additional two exterior courtyards and a two story Gardener’s Residence that is 1,360 square feet.

At the time of these photographs, the greenhouses have been abandoned for over 20 years.

The following are some of the photographs I took from the site.

A view from the hammock

This past Sunday I finally had some time to just relax. I got all of the chores that needed to be done, finished, along with it being a nice day out and there being no mosquitoes flying around to suck me dry I went and lay in the hammock. AAAahhh, nice and peaceful.

I might not get many more of these days this week, what with the predicted rain all day, everyday this week. So, I will have to keep coming back to these photos to relax now.

200th Anniversary Celebration of Old College

Today, UGA, had the 200th Anniversary Celebration for Old College. Which is the oldest building on Campus. The event went nicely, with just 4 speeches and then a mass ribbon cutting. Along with this being the 200th anniversary it was also a celebration for the completion of the latest renovation done to the building.

I was able to get a couple nice photos, along with the many other photographers that were at the event. And here are a couple of them.

Riding the bus to work in Athens, GA

I usually ride the bus or walk to work, here in Athens, GA. Either way it is a minimum of mile walk. And I love doing it. I love that I live only a couple of miles from work, I can walk to work or take the bus if I am more in a hurry and that I don't have to commute.

So to celebrate riding the bus, here is a photograph I took while riding the bus to work the other morning.

Real World Casting in Athens, GA

Yesterday, MTV, had Real World Castings in Athens, GA. This event made for some great photography opportunities, while at the same time making for a great place to people watch. Here are a few photos I captured later on in the day.

An interesting event that would happen while taking these photographs, was how the people would act. Once they saw me, and would think or say "Hey, Real World Photographer" their attitudes would completely change. And they would start to "ham" it up. Too funny.