Monday, June 13, 2005

Photo Shoot: St. Simons Island!

One of coastal Georgia's Golden Isles, St. Simons Island, offers many unique opportunities for the photographer. Spanish explorers were the first to set eyes on these islands more than four centuries ago. Among the many photo ops available are:

1. The Atlantic Ocean. As with anywhere along the shoreline, the marvelous ocean and beaches provide many photographers with some outstanding pictures. There is a pier going out into the ocean and a shopping village near the ocean. Plan to be at the pier with your photographic equipment for sunrises.

2. St. Simons Lighthouse is still a working lighthouse and is more than two centuries old. You will be able to snap some great pictures from the front of the lighthouse looking up toward the top of the structure.

3. Tree Spirits. Look around for them yourself or ask a local where to find them, but these are faces carved right into trees. The sculptor did these to honor sailors who died at sea and there are a few of the tree spirits spread out around the island.

4. Bloody Marsh Battle Site is where Spanish soldiers were defeated by the British in the summer of 1742.

5. Fort Frederica was the first military outpost in Georgia, build in 1736. Only a portion of the fort remains standing. It was originally built to protect the island from the Spanish menace from the south in Florida. Also at the Fort Frederica site is a small visitor center and museum. The foundations of many of the old houses that stood in this Colonial town can be seen.

6. Christ Church is breathtakingly beautiful and once again will offer lovely photos. Take a moment to relax here when you're finished with your camera. There is also a hiking trail here for some nature pictures.

7. You will cross the Marshes of Glynn when you are traveling to the island from Brunswick. Take a moment to read about these marshes in the poem by the same name before traveling here.

8. Gascoigne Bluff is where oak was gathered to build two rather famous items, the warship USS Constitution (a.k.a. Old Ironsides) and the Brooklyn Bridge. These grounds in the past served as an Indian campground and the home to a monastery. It was the Headquarters for the Navy during the Civil War and the site of a sawmill operation after the war.

9. Various antebellum plantations on the island offer some great photo opportunities.

10. Live oaks draped with Spanish moss. What more needs to be said? Beautiful photo ops with these!

11. Take a Salt Marsh Nature Tour if that is the type of photography you wish to do. There are various options on which tour to take, so the best thing to do is go to the tour office and tell them which kinds of photographs you wish to take. They will be able to suggest which of the tours will offer the best opportunities. There is even a tour that goes out at sunset, so be sure to consider what it is you want to capture in your pictures.

12. For some totally different photos, try one of the Ghost Walks of St. Simons. The walk lasts for ninety minutes but you will need to check the schedule because they do not operate every night. You never know what will end up on your film or digital display!

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