Capturing the Wonder
of Kiawah through Photography
“To me, photography is an art of observation … I’ve found
it has little to do with the things you see and everything
to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt
Story and photographs by Kimball Kraus
H
ow DO photographers see things...especially
The serendipitous moment above occurred when the
photographer was taking a walk.
The photo below uses both a leading line and foreground
interest to draw the viewer in.
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here on Kiawah, where every day is a visual
feast, and the opportunities for capturing
beauty are limitless? There are always
passionate photographers here, both visitors and residents,
who are devoted to trying to capture the wonder of Kiawah.
Many of us belong to the Kiawah Island Photography Club,
where we are fortunate to benefit from the knowledge and
experience of fellow members, as well as the outstanding
professional photographers who come here to speak and
lead workshops.
One of the keys to catching the beauty of Kiawah is
learning to see things differently. Whether you are using a
camera on your phone, or a DSLR or mirrorless camera, these
tips may help you get better results when taking photographs
on Kiawah:
Be acutely aware of your surroundings. Whether in a
boat, a car or a golf cart, or walking or biking on the beach,
a trail, a path, or a bridge, there are always opportunities for
witnessing the wonder of Kiawah. While shots of our beach
sunrises and sunsets can be spectacular, there are many other
options for interesting subjects such as birds, animals, marsh
and dune grasses, cloud formations, shells, shadows … even
sand patterns (top left).
Look for foreground interest and leading lines.
Compelling landscape shots typically have both something
interesting in the foreground and “leading lines” which draw
a viewer’s attention into the photograph. On Kiawah, we
have abundant leading-line options such as waterways, paths,
bridges, and shorelines, and foreground interest possibilities
like grasses, shrubs, fences, and dunes (bottom left).
Naturally Kiawah