Beaufort, Port Royal, and the Sea Islands. Just saying the name invokes images of palm trees and history. This coastal corner of South Carolina, halfway between Charleston and Savannah, is one of my favorite places on the east coast to walk around with a camera in my hand.
My first visit was in 2015. Since then, I’ve returned half a dozen times. And during each visit, I capture another favorite photo. Sometimes, it’s just one photo. A sunset or a plate of food or a bird standing in the rain.
And that’s why I keep returning. I love the salt-tinged atmosphere and the friendly locals and the gorgeous landscapes. It’s like the beginning of my photography career capturing photos of college sports – no two games are ever the same. Every time I visit Beaufort, I capture a new favorite photo.
Browse through my collection of favorite travel photography captured in Beaufort, Port Royal, and the Sea Islands. And bookmark this page because I’ll be returning again soon to capture another favorite.
Welcome to downtown Beaufort. The two-lane Bay Street is the “main street” through the downtown corridor. Local restaurants, gift shops, and antique stores line the street. It’s the perfect place to spend a day.
I spent my first evening in Beaufort watching this spectacular sunset from Chambers Waterfront Park.
It’s not Spanish and it’s not moss. But it is pretty.
St. Helena’s Graveyard is one of my favorite places to roam for photography.
Fort Fremont Historical Park offers a rare chance to explore inside remnants of a coastal defense entirely at your leisure.
It was a long way to the top of the Hunting Island Lighthouse – the only lighthouse open to the public in South Carolina.
Hunting Island State Park is a wildlife haven, so I always travel with a long lens to capture photos like this one.
Sunset looking across a boardwalk trail to a secluded observation deck in Hunting Island State Park.
The Beaufort Inn is a gorgeous property. The Carriage House is my favorite place to stay at the expanding boutique hotel.
The Arsenal was built shortly after the American Revolution. It’s a remnant from a time long ago when state militias were required to defend the locals. Today, it’s the home of the city’s history museum and a gorgeous photographic subject.
The Old Sheldon Church Ruins are one of my favorite photographic subjects in South Carolina. Unfortunately, the recent addition of a black metal fence to protect the integrity of the ancient site has ruined many photography angles. But I think my most recent photos turned out great.
It took me two hours to capture over two hundred individual photos and another two days sitting at the computer stitching them together to create this composite image of the Old Sheldon Church Ruins. It was worth every minute.
