South Carolina in November

[Bruce M. Herman]

I'll be South Carolina in the Thanksgiving time frame visiting relatives. I would appreciate learning of landscape photography opportunities that could be done as a day trip or perhaps an overnight trip from Chapin, SC. Chapin is about 20-30 miles from Columbia.

From the maps, I know that Sumter National Forest (Enoree Ranger District is closest of several districts) is close by. Has anyone photographered there or any of the other districts? Will I be too late for fall colors?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Bruce

[Ed Eubanks]

Hi Bruce-- I'm from Columbia, so I have a little feel for the opportunities there. To some degree, what is available will depend on what sort of landscapes you're interested in, and how far a "day-trip" or "overnight trip" is to you.
Local to Columbia/Chapin (that is, within a 1-1&1/2 hour drive) includes the National Forest that you mentioned; however, Sumter National Forest is fairly flat, and is mostly woods (not "forest" like you find in the northeast-- woods means lots of underbrush, sometimes thickets of thorns and brambles, and generally difficult walking/hiking apart from cleared trails) and would not strike me as being particularly apt for shooting. Plus, if you want that, you can get it faster by hitting the Sesqui-Centennial state park just northeast of Columbia. If you want to go national/state park, and stay in that general area, I recommend the Congaree Swamp National Monument, which is a beautiful cypress swamp, no further than the Sumter National Park, and has fantastic boardwalks throughout, so shooting is a breeze and a pleasure. Or, you might simply hit the lower Saluda River-- just below the Lake Murray dam-- for some good river landscapes (and flyfishing!).
The beauty of the Columbia/Chapin area is that it is so centrally located; within a two-three hour drive from there, you can do seashore-- Charleston, Hilton Head, Kiawah, or any of a hundred small, barely developed islands-- or mountains-- Greenville, SC is a "foothills city" just two hours away, and a bit further north gets you in the heart of the Smokies, including a good stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Or, if you prefer, you could go to the historic cities of Charleston or Savannah, or a number of smaller towns (including Sumter, Newberry, or Orangeburg) with strong historic ties. Columbia itself (and even Chapin) have their share of "cityscapes" worth shooting.
If you do go the way of the state/national parks, be aware that hunting season is in full-swing (especially deer hunting), and Thanksgiving weekend is a strong hunting weekend. It would be safest to shoot after 9am, and before 4:30pm, and wear a blaze-orange vest and hat.
I hope you enjoy my home state-- I think it is one of the best places in the world.

[Bruce M. Herman]

Thank you, Ed, for all of the information. I'll let you know how it goes.