This is a scene that The Wild Images Team encountered many times, and so it was only natural that eventually we would bring our camera equipment over and attempt to capture it. But several elements had to come together for us to be here in the first place. It all started with Savannah being one of our high priority target towns to visit. We had researched it thoroughly, and it looked to be a great photographic location. So we planned a trip that took us through Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by Durham and the Outer Banks in North Carolina, then onward to the Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, followed by the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. After this, we continued westward across the deep southeast, eventually reaching New Orleans for a long stay, before turning northward up to Pittsburgh for Independence Day. Then it was over to a stay in downtown Chicago before heading out to Badlands National Park and another very long stay in Yellowstone National Park leading up into Fall. While we have been to most of these locations multiple times, this particular trip does stand as the only time so far that we stayed in either Charleston or Savannah. And so we were determined to make the most of it. Not that it takes much to keep The Wild Images Team motivated during a photography trip. But we had the extra excitement of new, unexplored locations that we just had to go and discover. And when we stay in a town or a city, it is mandatory that we completely immerse ourselves into its culture. This involves very long days of walking around the streets, especially those that are off the beaten path and away from the more touristy areas. Not that tourist areas are bad, we visit there too, but we have noticed that around those locations the shops and restaurants tend to be more mainstream to appeal to the tastes of a larger variety of individuals that may be unsure about and unfamiliar with local fare. So we like to make sure to find our way into regions more dominated by the locals, and often find ourselves asking residents about their favorite locations, shops, and restaurants. We have found many hidden gems this way, and hope to find more in the future. For our visit to the Historic District of Savannah, we stayed in the Historic District Hampton Inn, which is located on top of the Yamacraw Bluff, overlooking the Savannah River. As Diamond Club Members to the Hilton Hotel Chain, which includes Hilton Hotels and Hampton Inns among many others, we are hooked up wherever we stay, including reduced room rates, access to the Diamond Club locations, access to rooms kept available in completely booked hotels, and complete choice of room location. So here in Savannah, we were given a suite on the top floor, facing the Savannah River, next to the rooftop pool. As we have mentioned before, when we visit a town or a city, we park our vehicle and we walk everywhere that we want to visit. When we say that we walk everywhere, this includes within the hotel. That is, we are those people, the ones who take the stairs even if the room is on the forty fifth floor. Now, buildings in Savannah are nowhere near that tall, five or six floors max, but that does not change what we do. So this stairwell in the image above was seen by us multiple times a day as we left in the morning and entered later. The red rails contrast sharply with the gray steps and yellow walls, and spiral downward in colorful geometric patterns. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the Historic District of Savannah such as the haunting photo of houses of Calhoun Square through Spanish moss, this view of an ornate house from Lafayette Square, and the mystical aura surrounding the Forsyth Fountain in Forsyth Park, each of which are available for sale in our store. Savannah blog posts have documented as a boat is dwarfed by the massive Hapag-Lloyd Budapest Express, an evening view of the Savannah River terminals and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, the amazing story of the Florence Martus Waving Girl Statue, the very detailed National Maritime Day Monument and a photo of its associated Propeller Club Dedication plaque, the perfectly framed view of the William Jasper Monument, the very functional historic armillary sphere of Troup Square, a lucky shot of a ghostly woman in a green dress standing in the doorway, an image of the geometric spiral patterns that fill a stairwell, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome catching some rays and then doing the backstroke in the rooftop pool. In the nearby Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, the Wild Images Team has captured many other images including the colorful walkway with lights through humidity, a photo of the ornate house through trees branches, and in the bay where the Schooner named Pride sailed through, each of which are available for sale in our store. Charleston blog posts have documented when The Wild Images Team sought refuge from a historic downpour, which subsequently flooded the Charleston streets, that led to the stranding of our Coordinator Christina, photographed on a humid night as Christina poses in the steamy view, and then on a drier day as Christina rides the ferry to Fort Sumter, which formed these reflective wake trails towards the fort, the Battery District where ornamental balustrades line the street along East Battery, a late night view through the back gate of a house in the Battery District, and then an image of decorative folk art in a courtyard. In the somewhat nearby North Carolina, The Wild Images Team has captured photos such as the Cape Lookout Island scenic backdoor view of the lightkeepers house which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from North Carolina include the standard vegetation as Cape Lookout Lighthouse is framed by pine trees. In the somewhat nearby Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, The Wild Images Team has captured images including the wispy clouds over ornate Front Gates of the Governor’s Palace and a night time view of Josiah Chowning’s Tavern with waitstaff, each of which are available for sale in our store. Colonial Williamsburg blog posts have documented where dianthus barbatus also known as Sweet William grows in the Governor’s Palace Gardens, the day our Travel Gnome jumped the Governor’s Palace wall, was quickly taken into custody by a guard, and sentenced to serve time in the stockade, to which The Wild Images Team was also sentenced thanks to our Travel Gnome, and during a freer time the moment that a couple is married in a jumping the broom ceremony.
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