Amanda Class of 2017
Get Ready For it... THESE ARE AMAZING!!!
Now before ya'll swoon over these locations,they are incredible aren't they? Our little 3 hour road trip landed us in some on the most beautiful locations in South Carolina. No, i'm not telling where the spectacular gardens are, they deserve to be kept hidden gems.
When we arrived to the gardens, we had only two and a half hours until they closed, not to mention there is 300 ACRES- yes I said acres of gardens.This beautiful pond was one of the first things we encountered!
NO Joke this place is the most beautiful place I have ever been too. My Husband, kids and myself stumbled upon a Groupon deal to visit this place in the spring. We spent the entire day there and didn't cover half of it! This spot with the hydrangeas was my absolute favorite!
Look at all that moss!!! The trees on this plantation are aged to perfection, the gardens are immaculately kept. It is all a non for profit and I am so happy they have preserved all of it's beauty for us to enjoy!
One and a half hours in we finally discovered the first restroom after you left the entrance. We had a quick wardrobe change and then went back at it... Only one hour left to finish our shoot and make it back to the gates! Not these gates (there was so many original beautiful black iron gates) but the main gates, the ones that can lock you in at night (that wouldn't be such a bad thing with all this beauty)!
Now to another one of my favorite spots, this is a very close second.... the more I think about it, it may just be my favorite. I wonder how old these trees are? Could you imagine riding in your horse and buggy to your home and this is your driveway. This once was someones driveway. Pure nature at its finest. By the time we got to these trees we had 15 mins to make it to our car... We made it our just in time and we were very happy to be sitting in the AC.
Don't worry I can tell you about the Castle, Yes, I said Castle!!
There is something strangely mesmerizing about Atalaya Castle, the 30 room mansion perched on the edge of the dunes and overlooking the ocean at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. The park was once part of the estate of the renowned sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington. She and her husband, Archer Huntington, bought four former rice plantations and built Atalaya Castle, a Spanish-Moorish style compound. They used it as their winter getaway, a place where Anna Huntington could get some relief from her tuberculosis and work on her massive artwork in the bright sunshine. The park's seemingly unending beach, abundant wildlife, and haunting castle made it the perfect place for Huntington to create these beautiful images.
After the Castle we headed to the marsh, a long stretch of a breathtaking marsh, only passable by this two lane jetty. It had tiny knee high wooden rails and skinny sidewalks. If your walking the sidewalk there is nothing between you and all of the wildlife. I mean honestly I got a little nervous when I seen the sign saying watch out for the gators.... and then right after I seen the sign I heard something scurry right beside me ( I almost had a heart attack). Me on one side of this path, Amanda on the other side with many cars passing between us. It was a risky situation but we just couldn't pass by all of that beauty with out capturing it. We finished up as quickly as we could and hopped back in the car to take full advantage of the AC.
We had the best day! I couldn't have been any happier than I was getting to shoot in these amazingly perfect spots. It is truly incredible the beauty God provides me as my canvas.
Now about the beautiful girl in these photos, I don't even know where to begin. First I want to say congratulations to this sweet girl for graduating. She has definitely deserved it. I am so proud of her! Knowing her since she was born and watching her overcome so many obstacles and turn into the beautiful women she has become has truly been amazing! From wanting her mom to send her back when I found out she was a girl (I wanted all of the girly attention to stay on me), until now, I wouldn't change a thing. As her family, friend and mentor I wish her only the best in everything she does. I hope you have enjoyed a small sneak peek of our huge day! With over 800 images taken and almost 200 kept, I couldn't narrow this sneak peek down any smaller!
Amanda as my flower girl in my wedding 11 years ago! She was 7 in this photo, that's 2 years younger than my little one... Geez, I hope she doesn't grow as fast as this one did.... Okay, now I must go Pinterest how to stop childhood growth. Just Kidding, i'll just cherish every moment I get with them!
Until next time!!
