South Carolina | Sara Garland

A Vacation and a Camera: The Rule of Thirds, Part HOME

In the interest of not having to do any more math, I’m going to use this post to wrap up my Road-Trip-a-Palooza Adventure Quest 2017.

Just in case you’re late to this here party, I started out in Arkansas, drove from one end of Tennessee to the other, twisted and turned through portions of North Carolina, drove across South Carolina and stopped for a spell in Charleston, then took myself down the coastline through Georgia to Vero Beach, Florida. (You go, girl.)

Now I had to get myself home.

I’ll admit, though, it was tough to leave the photography opportunities…

McKee Botanical Gardens...beautiful! — I love Spanish moss…

I decided that the best way to do this was the more direct route, so I set out for Atlanta on Day One of the return trip (which was actually Day Sixseven-ish of the total days on vacation? I think? Math…help me out, here.).

The Florida Turnpike. From what I understand, the sections I traveled have the some of the longest expressway distances between exits in the country. (My bladder agreed.) You find fun wherever you can on long drives. So, naturally, I chuckled when I got on the turnpike at a little place called Yeehaw Junction.

The theme for this blog post is "Interesting Road Signs." — The theme for this blog post is “Interesting Road Signs.”

I probably looked like a total amateur stepping out of my car at the service plazas with my toll ticket in my hand. I refused to let go of it. For starters, it said “Yeehaw Junction,” and I was still getting a kick out of that. (Yep, I’m from Arkansas, the land that gave us towns named Turkey Scratch and Possum Grape…but I still got a kick out of Yeehaw Junction.) Secondly, I didn’t want to pay any more than I had to at the tollbooths. If it was in my hand, I wasn’t losing it. Case closed. (For the record, I didn’t lose it. You go, girl.)

I made it through Florida by the noon hour, and I pulled off the now-interstate for another scrumptious highway hamburger in Georgia. The conversation at the drive-thru windows made me believe that I was being mistaken for someone else.

Drive-Thru Conversations:

First Window: That’ll be $7.05.

Me: (Handing over crisp ten-dollar bill.) Here’s a ten.

First Window: Here’s your change…and your Coke. Thank you. See you tomorrow.

Me: Thank you…o…kay…

Second Window: (Server hands me my bag-o-burger-and-fries.) Here you go, ma’am. Thank you. See you tomorrow.

Me: (Quizzical look on face.) Thank you?

(I didn’t see them tomorrow. I know that has to be part of their training, but it still threw me for a loop. Very friendly, though.)

Moving on…

Georgia. Lots of Georgia. Warm. Very warm.

Signs. Fun signs.

See, I'd always been told that the TV lawyer's name was Perry MASON. — I’d always been told that the TV lawyer’s name was Perry MASON. Oh, well.

I mentioned that it was warm, very warm in Georgia. Indeed, the temperature had risen quite a bit during the day and when I was about forty miles outside of Atlanta…on a Thursday afternoon at RUSH HOUR, my tire light came on. I did what any independent, skilled traveler would have done.

I called my mommy.

The car hadn’t been doing anything funny (as far as I could tell…with the exception of the navigation system misinterpreting practically everything I said). As we talked, I formulated my plan for when I stopped at the hotel. I knew I’d be able to make it that far since I couldn’t really spot any significant problem. As luck would have it, my hotel was situated on a road lined with every single car dealership you can imagine, and I was informed that the hot weather had indeed been the culprit behind the lighting of the tire light. Disaster averted.

So, I stopped in Atlanta, had dinner, went swimming, fell asleep, woke up, and fed my inner news nerd before heading home. I’ve been to Atlanta in the past, but there was one place I’d never been and I had to see it:

Breaking News...I found a parking spot in downtown Atlanta! — Breaking News…I found a parking spot in downtown Atlanta and I only circled the block once!

After a morning of some tourist-type stuff in Atlanta, I headed back to my regularly scheduled time zone, meandering my way through Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. I regret that I did not devote more time on this part of the drive to photography, but I was really starting to get exhausted and ready to be home.

My first and only layer of windshield bugs piled up on the very last hour of the trip. It was then that I knew I was home.

Thus ended Road-Trip-a-Palooza Adventure Quest 2017. Whew.

*For a transcript of this adventure, please send…oh, wait. This is the transcript. Never mind.

A Vacation and a Camera: The Rule of Thirds, Part Two-ish

As I was saying…

We’re now up to Day Two (wait…it might be Day Three, depending on whether or not the first day of travel really counts, but since I’ve already counted it for the purposes of my story even though I’ve driven to Nashville lots of times, we’ll call it Day Two/Three).

Day Two/Three started out early, but not quite as early as Day…umm…the previous day. (Math. Darn that math.) The reason it started out so early is because I had driven myself into a traffic and parking nightmare in and around Charleston, South Carolina on a Saturday evening. I never quite made it to Folly Beach, although I did buy the t-shirt. So, if you see me in my Folly Beach t-shirt, it’s slightly false advertising.

I woke up early so that I could see the sights in less-crowded conditions. Not only did that part work, it also meant that I was able to capture some sunrise photographs.

I had my choice of benches at 6:00 a.m. Plenty of places to sit...and park. — I had my choice of benches at 6:00 a.m. at White Point Gardens.

Charleston architecture is stunning. Great photography opportunities.

I was looking forward to the chance to photograph these trees. It was worth checking out of the hotel before their complimentary breakfast was served to take this stroll.

With the second third of my trip down to Florida finished, it was time to start my third third. (Math again. Ugh.) It’s worth mentioning that I left the road map stuff up to my new car’s navigation system instead of burning data from my phone. Any time I wandered off the beaten path, the car would try to calmly talk me out of it. I would try to tell her (yell at her) that I was hungry or needed to buy gas, but she kept talking. She was very persistent. As further proof that she needs to work on her listening skills, however, she would occasionally say, “Pardon?” as I was SCREAMING addresses and ZIP codes at the top of my lungs.

My third third took me along the East Coast all the way to Vero Beach. When I reached Savannah, Georgia, I decided I wanted to see Tybee Island. In particular…the lighthouse. I grew more than a tad worried about my navigation system when she sent me out on a road that felt like one small step above gravel…and then I saw a HUGE cable suspension bridge in the distance that I was supposed to cross. (For the umpteenth time…I HATE HEIGHTS. Yes, I realize the irony of this statement coming from someone who was crossing that bridge to see a lighthouse, but you can admire a lighthouse from the ground.)

Found the lighthouse. Climbed alllllmost to the top before the heights thing got me down (haha). Tybee Island, Georgia…more great photography opportunities!

The signage directing traffic to the lighthouse from the main highway is a bit obscure; my esteemed not-such-a-good-listener-navigator sent me to an RV park before I decided to stop listening to her and look for the little turtle signs. I was in for another surprise once I found the lighthouse. I paid my admission fee, and the guy that was working at the booth told me that the “admission fee also gets you into Battery Garland across the street.”

“Battery what?” I asked.

“Battery Garland.”

Cool.

Say, that's my name, too! — Say, that’s my name, too!

I haven't researched this any further yet, although I doubt I'm related to this guy. Still...I should have asked if they had a Garland discount. — I haven’t researched this any further yet, although I doubt I’m related to this guy. Still…I should have asked if they had a Garland discount.

After that stop, it was on to the Sunshine State!

Haha, right. I didn’t go through any rain on that ENTIRE DRIVE until I was about twenty miles from the Florida state line. From there, it was intermittent rain for the rest of my trip.

I somehow managed to make it through Jacksonville with my bumpers in tact, although the “new car” smell was finally beginning to fade with each fresh hamburger. After a few more hours of driving, though, I’d finally made it somewhere that I’d be staying for more than one night…Vero Beach! And…it was time to check out the water.

The friend I stayed with apologized many times about the weather. Like she could help it. I was just glad to be out of the car and standing at the Atlantic Ocean in this photo. — The friend I stayed with apologized many times about the weather. (Like she could help it.) I was just glad to be out of the car and standing at the Atlantic Ocean in this photo.

I’m getting exhausted just recalling the driving part of this whole expedition. I think I’ll take a break. Up next…Part Three-ish!

A Vacation and a Camera: The Rule of Thirds, Part One-ish

Back in the spring, I started thinking about taking a road trip as a way to see some different places and get some new photography experiences under my lens. A friend had graciously offered to let me stay with her in Florida for a few days, and she also offered a suggestion:

“Take the long way.”

Naturally, I asked her, “What’s the long way?”

You see, Arkansans tend to flood the same stretches of the Gulf Coast each summer (although I did pick a less-frequented area of the panhandle last year just to see something new and avoid the high-rises…and it was worth it…but I digress…). I was headed to the Atlantic side this time, which is quite a trek by road from here. So, the long way could have been anything from a practical, direct route to taking a slight detour through Niagara Falls.

Once she described the possible route, my resourcefulness kicked in and the little hamster wheel in my brain began turning. (That thing can get going pretty fast when an idea materializes. The poor little imaginary hamster gets quite a workout.)

In photography, one of the basic guidelines of composition is the rule of thirds. Essentially, when you are deciding on where to place a subject in a photo, you think of the space as a grid divided into thirds (both horizontally and vertically, creating a tic-tac-toe type of setup). This keeps you from placing virtually all of your subjects–by default–in the center, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but your results are more interesting and varied by using the rule of thirds.

I took the rule quite literally with this photo I took on my vacation. This print is available in my Etsy shop, and the link is available at the bottom of the post. — I took the rule quite literally with this photo from Vero Beach, Florida. (This print is available in my Etsy shop, and the link is available at the bottom of the post. Be sure to look for it. Yes, I’m advertising my Etsy shop. However, there’s more vacation-y stuff here to read. I promise.)

I decided to compose my trip in a similar manner, breaking the long way to the Treasure Coast into thirds. (I’m also breaking my account of the trip into three-ish parts. We’ll call this…Part One-ish. Oh, and my eventual destination was Vero Beach, Florida.)

I left on a Friday afternoon. The first third of my trip was a relatively short one–Nashville, Tennessee. I love Nashville. I love Tennessee. I’m going to do a better job next time, though, of leaving the house on “not-weekends.” Had it not been for a sleeve of Saltines being within easy reach, I probably would have starved before I made it to my brother’s house that night.

(The words “I-left-on-a-Friday-afternoon” should help you figure out the traffic situation.)

I’ve made the trip to Nashville many, many times. Going east of Nashville, however, was new territory for me. And that was part of the plan that I had meticulously written out on a sheet of paper listing all of the places I wanted to stop and see.

I left at five o’clock the next morning on the second third of the trip (driving EAST directly into the SUNRISE…big mistake…ouch), and that sheet of paper lasted until somewhere near Asheville, North Carolina. Once you’ve been tied up in Saturday traffic at every possible interstate interchange, looked at your gas gauge and (unfortunately) picked the exit that had less amenities than the next one three miles down the road, and gotten hungry twenty-seven more times than you expected, you just start wanting to get where you’re going. I did, however, LOVE the scenery in Eastern Tennessee/Western North Carolina…even if I didn’t have the chance to take very many photographs of it.

The Welcome Center was beautiful. That part of North Carolina is beautiful. (Beautiful is such a beautiful word, don't you think?) — The Welcome Center was beautiful. That part of North Carolina is beautiful. (Beautiful is such a beautiful word, don’t you think?)

Alas, I hardly had the chance to take any photos in North Carolina, but the views were stunning.

I continued driving with my meandering destination for the day being Charleston, South Carolina. When I drove into South Carolina, I stopped again and took in the scenery (and a few brochures). Very friendly welcome center, lovely views.

Looking back towards North Carolina from South Carolina. I saw all kinds of geographical changes on my drive that day. — Looking back towards North Carolina from the South Carolina state line. This was my first trip to the Carolinas, and I wasn’t disappointed.

By the way, every single convenience store I stopped at was selling fidget spinners at the checkout. I overheard one mother in South Carolina telling her child that he did not need a fidget spinner, and I wanted to thank her on behalf of grownups everywhere, but I was too tired to do anything other than pay for my coffee.

In typical “me” fashion, I ended up rolling into Charleston in the early evening on a Saturday night. Many of the locations I had wanted to visit and tour were closed, so I had to save my photography for the next morning.

Did I ever see some beautiful photo opportunities the next morning, even if they weren’t on my original list…

Charleston, South Carolina is such a uniquely beautiful city. I am not a morning person, but I sure am glad I woke up early to capture this photograph.

Coming up in Part Two-ish…the third third of the trip to Florida. (Can someone help me with my math? I’m getting confused.)

*Some of the prints from this post are available in my Etsy shop:

Vero Beach Sea Oats: https://www.etsy.com/listing/526304756/beach-photography-color-photography?ref=shop_home_active_1

Charleston Sunrise: https://www.etsy.com/listing/524657098/color-photography-sunrise-palmetto-trees?ref=shop_home_active_4