From the beautiful Brookgreen Gardens in Myrtle Beach, SC. If you are ever in MB…stop by for a nice walk and enjoy the views!! Some info from the web… Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in South Carolina. The 9,100-acre property includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures placed in them, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several ecosystems in nature reserves on the property.
Brookgreen Gardens was opened in 1932, and is built on four former rice plantations, taking its name from the former Brookgreen Plantation.
Category Archives: South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, SC – Pier (HDR)
Unfortunately, this year we did not get a chance to head to Myrtle Beach for the summer vacation. I love to visit there!! Summer is almost over, so I wanted to flashback to this beautiful sunrise on this day in Myrtle!!! Hope you enjoyed your summer!!
Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 400
Exposure: 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/4
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, NIK HDR Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Myrtle Beach, SC – Apache Pier (HDR)
Here is a shot I took a few weeks ago while on vacation in Myrtle Beach. It is of the Apache Pier in North Myrtle Beach. I woke up early this morning to try and catch a sunrise shot…but Mother Nature decided to add an early rain storm this day to the coast! In the distance it was starting to get dark and I did see a few lightning strikes…but no luck catching any before the rain arrived. This shot is a bit different…a view from the Pier, not from the beach looking at the pier.
Sorry gonna keep this short…just arrived home late last bite after being away for 2 weeks….whew! Had a chance to take tons of new pics…if I total my CF cards…it may be 50 GB! Yikes! Guess I know what I will be doing for the next few days/weeks after work!! LOL Enjoy your day!! Catch up time begins!!
Talke Photography Settings:
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – Brookgreen Gardens (Fractalius)
Finally…a shot I have always wanted to try!!!! The American Bald Eagle is the symbol is the United States of America. I have always seen shots form other people and was hopeful one day to get mine! We were in Myrtle Beach for vacation and I had wanted to visit the famous Brookgreen Gardens. I will post am HDR shot and tell you more details soon. At Brookgreen there is a small zoo. I noticed they had Bald Eagles on the list! Nice! We arrived and they were in a netted enclosed area. Ugh! Tough to shoot through nets! Then I noticed a hole about 3-4 inches in diameter on the front face of the net (there on purpose)…maybe for people to take photos?? I stuck my big Nikon 70-200 though it (hoodless as it would not fit with the hood)…perfect! They had a male and female hanging out and I snapped away!! I love Fractalius and couldn’t wait to see how it would work with a bald eagle! A little photoshop fun…and a cool shot!! Fractalius is one awesome plug in for photoshop!! For some reason I always feel so sad for zoo animals…I know they are fed and kept safe, but these magnificent birds should be flying free.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – Jet Ski Dolphin Tour
We just returned from a few days vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. The pic above is not mine…it is from the tour guide. I wanted to tell you about this amazing tour!!! Def a Place 2 Explore!! We had heard about this Jet Ski Dolphin Tour from my wife’s friend and they had told us that it was amazing. We looked online and found a few places in MB that offer it. As we were staying in North Myrtle…we found Thomas Outdoors Water Sports. Only 10 miles from our hotel. I called and made reservations (as they are needed) for 8 AM this past Tuesday.
A small little place, but 12 jet ski’s lined up and ready! My wife and I each rented one. If I can recall it was $135 each jet ski. Each jet ski can hold up to 3 passengers…prices per ski! Nice! I had my daughter on my lap for the entire tour. Vests are given to you when you arrive. So for the first 30 mins you fill out paperwork and they give you a quick class on jet ski safety. This was my first time ever on a jet ski! I listened closely! After the class you are off to get on board your ski!
The tour was 2 hours long and it takes about 45 mins to cruise down the inlet to the ocean. One they way we stopped twice…once near Goat Island and the other time on Bird Island (parked and walked the beach for 15 minutes). Soon after Bird Island you enter the ocean and the waves are nice and big! After 45 minutes on the ski, I got the hang on turning and making slight jumps. So as soon as we hit a big wave…my little one and I hit a big wave and got some air! Of course we were splashed big time! Great fun! On the tour you have to ride single file for safety reasons and everyone was doing a great job!
When you arrive in the ocean we found a shrimp boat ahead. We made a bee line for it and all pulled up behind. These shrimp boats are collecting shrimp and any other fish or other critter caught in the net are tossed overboard back into the ocean. The dolphins have learned that following these boats equals an easy buffet! As we pulled up I roughly counted 15-20 dolphins following this boat. From here you are free riding and following any dolphin you can find! WOW! How truly amazing!!! To see these magnificent creatures swim right next to you is truly unreal!!! Your eyes cant believe what they are seeing! The closest we got to a dolphin was about 3-5 feet. I am sure they smart enough to avoid the skis, so maybe if you are very lucky…you can touch a fin!!! We cruised behind the boat for about 20 minutes and then it was time to turn back.
Single file we went back to Myrtle Beach. The ride back is quick and fun!! I opened it up to about 40 miles and hour in certain sections. When we returned…they offer pictures of the shots they took while on the tour and…we bought the CD for $25.00. We also brought our own water proof Kodak Cheap camera….but man did those pics stink! Glad we bought the CD! One amazing morning that I will never forget. If you are in Myrtle Beach or any location that offers a similar tour…do it!! Fantastic! Jet Ski Dolphin Tour are a must Place 2 Explore!! The pic above is me and my little one….my wife was right behind us! You can see the dolphin popping out of the water. So cool!!!!!
We had a great group and wonderful tour guides!!! Thanks Thomas Outdoors!!! We will do it again next year!!!! Loved it!!!
Myrtle Beach, SC – Under the Boardwalk (HDR)
Its time for summer vacation…we are hitting Myrtle Beach again. This shot was from last summer’s visit. I love HDR pier shots…hope to find another pier this year? Myrtle Beach is a fun spot to get away. I plan to hit a new spot this time…called Brookgreen. Looks beautiful!!! Perfect for IR and HDR. Details in a few weeks. Hope you have fun plans for the summer! Life is a beach!!
Talke Photography Settings:
- Camera: Nikon D300
- Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
- Setting: Aperture Mode
- Focal Length: 19.0mm
- ISO: 200
- Exposure: HDR 5 exposures (+2 to -2)
- Aperture: f/4
- Gear: Tripod, Cable release
- Post Process: Adobe CS4, Photomatix
Myrtle Beach, SC – Kiss Coffeehouse
When I was younger I belonged in the KISS Army! I know dating myself again. I had all the records of KISS….yes, records. Even before 8 Tracks…yikes I may be old!? LOL So when we visited Myrtle Beach this past summer we stopped on by the Broadway at the Beach shopping area and walked around looking for dinner. Unbeknownst to us….we walk by and see this coffee house! How classic! The KISS Coffeehouse! I had no idea such a place existed. So we went in an checked it out. Memorabilia and merchandise are all over the store…and you really can get some great coffee! I grabbed a T-Shirt and took a few pics. If you are in Myrtle Beach go check it out! You may Rock-N-Roll All Nite!!
Talke Photography Settings:
- Camera: Nikon D300
- Lens: Nikon 18-200 VR f/3.5-5.6
- Setting: Aperture Mode
- Focal Length: 18.0mm
- ISO: 200
- Exposure: 1/1000 sec
- Aperture: f/4
- Gear: Hand Held
- Post Process: Adobe CS4, Topaz Adjust
Myrtle Beach, SC – Apache Pier
NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24, HDR in Photomatix
I posted a similar shot at the Apache Pier in North Myrtle Beach, SC a few months ago. This one was before the sun came up and it the lights on the pier reflect nicely in the water. The other shot was a bit later in the AM. Either way…piers in HDR are perfect! There is also an Apache Pier Restaurant if you are in town.
I truly enjoy visiting Myrtle Beach for vacation. Hope you can make it one day! I took this shot with a tripod and cable release, post processed in Photomatix. Hope your day is a walk on the beach!
Myrtle Beach, SC – Sunrise
NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24
A nice way to start a week with a beautiful sunrise from Myrtle Beach, SC. This was a summer shot taken around 6:30 AM in North Myrtle Beach. I wanted to catch the sun in between the pier legs…and hoped to get a reflection on the water.
Here is some info from the web: Myrtle Beach became a town in 1938 and became a city in 1957. It’s name comes from the wax myrtle, a shrub that grows abundandtly in the area. History records that the first tourists here were a party of Spaniards from Hispaniola, who landed about 50 miles north of present-day Myrtle Beach and, in 1526, eventually established the first European settlement in the U.S. about 30 miles to the south. That settlement, San Miguel de Guadalupe, was abandoned the following year, though, and the group returned to Hispaniola. In the next three centuries, the region’s population grew, but slowly. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people began to “vacation” here, although it was quite rustic. Houses and camps were sparse, and there were only few permanent residents at the turn of the century. But, drawn by the ocean, sand and trees, people began to call Myrtle Beach “home” as the 1900s progressed. Today it is one of the nicest easy going vacation spots in the USA!
Enjoy and have a great week!
Myrtle Beach, SC – Lifeguard Station (HDR)
NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24, HDR in Photomatix
Summer is coming to a close and what better way then a nice HDR beach shot of an empty Lifeguard station and empty beach chairs. Although this was taken during the summer with a lucky early AM rise allowed me to get this shot…and about 10 minutes of waiting for people to pass. =)
It was a great summer, hope you all had the same. I miss Myrtle Beach! I will be back again next summer! I set up this shot with a tripod, cable release and 5 exposures…post processed in Photomatix. I will look forward to cooler temperatures soon! We had the hottest summer in Texas ever this year. Stay cool!
Places 2 Explore 