Category Archives: Charleston

Charleston SC

04/9/13

Springtime in the Lowcountry

Springtime in the Lowcountry

Springtime in the Lowcountry

He witnessed the beauty for a moment and then looked away.
When he turned his head back around… it was gone.

 

Spring finally arrived in the South Carolina lowcountry (low-lying region along the coast) as plantations and gardens awash with color boast abundant varieties of flora, including azaleas, irises, wisteria, dogwood, and others. The lowcountry possesses an ethereal beauty that is unlike any other, bringing thousands of visitors to the area every year just to witness the fleeting spectacle.

Walking around Magnolia Plantation with my camera last week, I bumped into one such visitor carrying a point-and-shoot camera and a bewildered expression on his face. We greeted one another, and then he confessed his extreme frustration at leaving his good camera equipment at home, lamenting, “I just didn’t expect this. I’m not sure how impressed I was with anything…until I saw this—right here, right now! This is amazing!”

03/22/13

Saturdays at Charleston Farmers Market

As an artisan of the Charleston Farmers Market with my photography business, Susan DeTomi Photography, I meet amazing people every Saturday. I interviewed some customers last year, both local and from all around the world. This video illustrates why people love the market and keep coming back every year. Come visit us on April 13, when the CFM season begins, and every Saturday after that from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Enjoy the video!

07/25/12

Ode to Angel Oak

Angel Oak, John's Island

Angel Oak

I, Susan DeTomi, wrote the haiku that follows, relating my infatuation with a tree—yes, a tree—a Southern Live Oak, specifically referred to as the Angel Oak located in Johns Island, South Carolina.

The Southern Live Oak is a magnificent tree with curving branches that reach out in every direction and then arch up again toward the sky, and the Angel Oak is the granddaddy of them all.  Measuring 65 feet tall with limbs stretching out to 180 feet at their widest point, tip-to-tip (according to Wikipedia), the Angel Oak has been around for 300 to 400 years and has quite a following. Each time I visit the tree, I witness the awe and admiration surrounding it. Visitors from all over the world are snapping pictures and can often be seen hugging the tree, hoping to absorb some of its strong life force.

And so I wrote this haiku, a sort of ode to the Angel Oak, untitled, which speaks for itself:

 

04/3/12

April Showers

Couple under umbrella at Middleton Place

April Showers

Although it seldom rains around Charleston, when it does, there is almost a refreshing sense of renewal in the air. Instead of wanting to run indoors, it makes you want to press your face to the sky and feel the cool droplets splash on your skin.

Strolling around Middleton Place last week, dodging rain showers throughout the morning, I turned a corner to find this couple, framed with azaleas, sharing an umbrella while live oaks formed a perfect canopy over their heads.

09/17/11

Edge of the Hurricane

Hurricane Irene at Kiawah Island

Edge of the Hurricane

On the edge of Hurricane Irene, in the early evening of August 26 just before the sun started to go down on Kiawah Island, SC, a rainbow emerged between a thick band of eerie gray clouds enveloping the shoreline and the sun-streaked sky.

The rainbow lingered for a few moments and then disappeared into the night, stealing the last rays of sunshine with it, leaving behind a mere notion of its presence. After taking her respite on this coastal paradise, Irene, too, set her sights farther East and tumbled along towards more prominent shorelines.

08/12/11

Welcome to Impressions Photoblog!

Welcome to Impressions, a photoblog featuring the photography and writings of Susan DeTomi. Some posts feature photographs from Susan DeTomi Photography highlighted by creative writing and others feature articles on photography-related topics. This blog allows me to express and blend two forms of art that I truly enjoy—photography and writing.

The photographs featured in some of the blog posts represent a small sampling of the photographs I take for fun and in connection with my photography business, Susan DeTomi Photography, based in Charleston, South Carolina. Although I specialize in color, nature, and macro photography, I also have a collection of black-and-white photography as well as new media art. You can visit me at the Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square on Saturdays, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM, to view or purchase my work, which includes matted and/or framed fine art images and cards created with archival materials.