Part of an ongoing series about some beach somewhere; Folly Beach, South Carolina is a tourist haven. Vacation rentals line both sides of the road that runs from end to end of the six mile long barrier island, which is a twenty-minute drive from Charleston. It is riddled with restaurants, gift shops, kayak rentals, and everything under the sun…that…you can do under the sun. Almost every square inch of this island’s dry land has been developed.

It feels like chaos every time I’m there.

But, there’s a beautiful calmness amongst all of the bustle and pastel-colored stilt homes, where the tide visits twice a day. The ocean's currents at Folly Beach shape sand bars and bare tidal pools, as the island constantly changes shape.

These photographs were made under harsh summer sun, where I used the sun’s specular highlights shimmering on the water’s surface to expand the contrast within what would ordinarily be a fairly low contrast scene. By doing this, I was able to assign the sand a much darker tone, which gives the resulting photographs a dramatic mood.

These delicate exposures took careful positioning of the camera, working with the changing tide and sun’s location throughout the day.

Enjoy!