Photography – Page 5 – U.S. Pictures – Bill Swartwout Photography

February 11, 2022

New England Fall Foliage

The Coast of Bar Harbor, Maine Is Ablaze in Colorful Splendor

Autumn is an awe-inspiring time of year in New England, an area in the northeastern United States. While each region in the six state area experiences this colorful shift, Maine and Vermont are said to boast the most beautiful and respected foliage in the world. Enjoy New England fall foliage via the medium of photography.

Leaf Peeping in Bar Harbor New England Fall Foliage — New England Foliage is ablaze in a yellow, red and orange palette provided by Mother Nature.

Visiting New England in the fall is wonderful! The weather is cool, but sunny, and the brisk air just invigorates you. There really is nothing like the coast of Maine in October when it comes to vibrant color everywhere, and a favorite stretch of coast on which to experience this phenomenon has got to be Bar Harbor and environs.

Fall foliage along the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine, is awash in palette of color as far as the eye can see. Bar Harbor’s park like setting and brilliant fall foliage make it one of the most attractive and interesting places to visit during New England’s autumn season, or any season. Thanks to Mother Nature all this beauty is free for everyone to enjoy.

New England Fall Foliage Bar Harbor, ME — Fall is a great time for a visit to New England. Cool weather and beautiful fall foliage, create glorious colorful scenes like this one from Bar Harbor, Maine.

Tourists from all over the United States, as well as from faraway foreign lands, come to see the spectacular fall foliage coloring. We viewed scenes such as the one above while on a cruise on the www.RoyalCaribbean.com ship, Grandeur of the Seas. Many are photographers who capture the scene with their cameras – but few can capture Mother Nature’s glory like friend, colleague and New England native, Jeff Folger (AKA Jeff Foliage) and his wonderful New England Fall Foliage photography. I find his “New England From Above” collection to be beautiful and utterly fascinating.

The links below will take you to larger images and the variety of substrates available as wall art.

Link: Bar Harbor Maine Fall Foliage

Link: Bar Harbor Fall Foliage

Link to: Bill’s full Gallery at Pictorem

Link to: Jeff Folger’s New England Foliage at Pictorem

Soak in the crisp fresh fall air with breathtaking wall art photographs of New England fall foliage. Bar Harbor, Maine is one of America’s cherished destinations and photographic wall decor brings a spot of the ocean, mountains and foliage right into your home or office to be enjoyed all year long. Yes, leaf-peeping can exist in your home during every season.

February 3, 2022

Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Tracks & Ties

The the remaining tracks of an abandoned railroad make for interesting scenery.

The Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad use to carry passengers and freight from Conway to Myrtle Beach. The line has been abandoned since the 1990’s but the remaining tracks make for interesting scenery. The old railroad bridge cannot be seen in this particular view but it’s out there. You can visit this scene while walking the Riverwalk along the Waccamaw River as it flows through Conway, South Carolina.

Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Abandoned Tracks

The next time I am in Conway, I plan to hike along this old railbed to cross the river and photograph the old swing-bridge. The photograph below is in black and white which helps bring out the texture of the decaying railroad ties and the overgrowth of trees and brush that is reclaiming this thoroughfare – taking it back to nature.

Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Abandoned Tracks Monochrome — Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Abandoned Tracks in Black and White

Use the links below to see more of these images and how they look on different wall art substrates. There are prints, framed prints, canvas presentations, acrylic and more.

Link: Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Abandoned Tracks

Link: Waccamaw Coast Line Railroad Abandoned Tracks Monochrome

Link to: Bill’s full Pictorem Gallery

Link to: Bill’s full Fine Art American Gallery

Little information remains about the Waccamaw CoastLine Railroad. I could find only bits and pieces of information and one mention of abandoned trackage. The Atlantic Coast Line served this line when it was first constructed by the Waccamaw, Conway & Aynor Railway between 1916 and late 1919 to serve lumber and naval stores traffic. It was then acquired by the ACL in December 1919 and became an extension of the Myrtle Beach Branch. The line survived as a freight only branch until the early 1980’s when passenger service was briefly revived with various excursion trains operated by Inland Rail Tours. At some point the name was changed to Waccamaw Coast Line – probably around 1987 but service continued for only a short time and was discontinued in the early 1990’s.

Overall, the WCL RR was an obscure experiment in intrastate railroading that didn’t last all that long. But at least it had a good run while it lasted, even if only a handful of people were aware of its existence and, that, is what may have been what caused its demise.

January 31, 2022

Waccamaw River at Conway South Carolina

An idyllic river scene like this can be found along the Riverwalk at Conway.

The Waccamaw River begins its 140 mile trek toward the sea from Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina to Winyah Bay, an estuary that connects with the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown, South Carolina. About half way along its journey it flows through Horry County and the City of Conway, SC where this photograph was taken. The river is wide and deep enough to be navigable and was once a watery thoroughfare for steamboats.

Factoid: The first steamboat to ply the waters of the Waccamaw River was a Confederate troop ship, the Francis Marion.

Black and White waterscape scenes are often quite striking as wall art in the right home decor setting. What do you think – do you like this Black and White presentation?) Please leave a comment below.)

Waccamaw River in Conley South Carolina in Black and White

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Use the links below to see these images as wall art on a variety of substrates, one of which may just attract your interest.

Link: Waccamaw River in Conway South Carolina

Link: Waccamaw River at Conway in Black and White

Link to: Bill’s full Pictorem Gallery

Link to: Bills Fine Art America Gallery

The Waccamaw, along with the Great Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee and Little Rivers, all served as important transportation routes for Horry County, South Carolina. For Native Americans and early settlers alike, the rivers of this geographic area were essentially the Interstate Highways of today. This area was fortunate to have a navigable river system because it provided Horry County, Conway and environs easy access to the world beyond.

The era of steamboats on the Waccamaw faded about 1920 or so. However the river remains a vibrant natural resource part of the environment and maintains its beauty for people today to enjoy visually and recreationally. You can see vistas like this when strolling along the famous Riverwalk along the riverside in Conway.

January 30, 2022

Lurking in the Marsh at Murrells Inlet South Carolina

A Great Blue Heron hides among the marsh grasses fishing for a meal.

Fishing is a way of life in Murrells Inlet, and not just for those make their living at it. Fishing, both within the creek and in the ocean is a part of the history, a bond with the place and even among the inhabitants – both the humans and the lesser beasts and critters.

Marsh Grasses and a Great Blue Heron at Murrells Inlet in South Carolina

As the fishing depends on the fish, so the fish depend on the marsh and the entire ecosystem. This symbiotic relationship gives rise to some beautiful and unique scenery – that often looks as good in black and white as it does in full color.

Lurking in the March at Murrells Inlet in Black and White

From the time of its formation about 6,000 years ago, the Murrells
Inlet saltmarsh has been a source of food for local inhabitants. Native
Americans depended on the marsh for the seasonal provision of clams,
oysters, and fish, a tradition which persisted through colonial and
plantation times, and continues today. In the 20th century, recreational
and commercial fishing broadened and increased local dependence
upon the marsh.

Click the links below to see the wall art substrates available for these photographs.

Link: Lurking in the Marsh at Murrells Inlet SC

Link: Lurking in the Marsh at Murrells Inlet Monochrome

Link to: Bill’s full Gallery at Pictorem

Link to: Bill’s Gallery hosted by Fine Art America

Saltmarshes like Murrells Inlet provide a rich and sheltered habitat for
fish, from baitfish like Mummichog and striped mullet on up to gamefish of the nearshore ocean, such as grouper. (Just naming two of many examples here.) This is because of the abundance and variety of food available within the marsh, and the relative absence of large predators (that Blue Heron notwithstanding). Scientists have found that more than 75 percent of nearshore ocean fish use the marsh at some stage of their life-cycle, for spawning, for juvenile growth and/or for a seasonal food source.

From an environmental standpoint, maintaining a healthy marsh is essential
to maintaining a healthy ocean fishery. The long view values not only the fish, but the marsh that made the fish and, of course our friend, that long-legged fishing bird, lurking in the marsh.

January 29, 2022

Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge

This historic Bridge in Conway, South Carolina carries travelers across the Waccamaw River.

Built in 1937, the Waccamaw Memorial Bridge (also referred to as the Conway Memorial Bridge) is a historic plate-girder bridge in Conway, Horry County, South Carolina. This plate deck girder bridge, with Gothic-style arches is designated a memorial to Horry County soldiers who served in America’s wars from the Revolution to World War I. This bridge was built to relieve the traffic congestion of the original one-lane bridge as popularity grew for the Grand Strand resort of Myrtle Beach. It was listed under National Register of Historic Places on October 12, 1999.

Conway Memorial Bridge over the Waccamaw River in Conway, Horry County, South Carolina.

This photograph was taken while enjoying a walk along part of the Conway Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a sculpted boardwalk with railings along much of the town’s waterfront on the Waccamaw River. If you, one day, get to visit Conway, be sure not to miss a stroll along the river.

Conceived a the height of the Great Depression and at a cost of $370,000, Horry County’s fifth bridge across the Waccamaw River was constructed just prior to the years of World War II. The Waccamaw River Bridge carries Business Route U.S. Highway 501 over top of the Waccamaw River connecting North Conway to Aynor/Yauhannah, South Carolina.

Waccamau River Memorial Bridge in Black and White — The Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge in a Black and White Presentation

Click the photo above or the links below to see wall art with this image along with an assortment of home decor items.

Link: Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge at Conway, SC

Link: Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge at Conway in Black and White

Link to: Bills Full Gallery at Pictorem (Free Shipping)

Link to: Bill’s Gallery with Fine Art America

What’s that, Myrtle Beach? You’ve been under stress from the lack of a second bridge crossing the Waccamaw River for half a century? Well, we’ve got just the thing to lift your spirits: The Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge! This historic bridge is located in Conway, South Carolina, and carries travelers over the Waccamaw River. It was built in 1937 as a replacement for the original bridge (built in 1921), which could not accommodate all of the travelers to and from Grand Strand resorts. The new bridge was designed as a plate deck girder bridge in a Gothic-style arch with reinforced concrete piers, abutments and wing walls. In 1998, the State of South Carolina designated the bridge as a memorial to Horry County soldiers who served in America’s wars from the Revolution to World War I. This made it one of two bridges in South Carolina with such designation (the other is located near Kingstree). The bridge spans 1,024 feet (312 m) across the river, including approach spans. It measures 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and 8 feet (2.4 m) high.

January 25, 2022

Food as Art – and Nourishment

Some food looks better than it tastes.

Some food tastes better than it looks. Some may look interesting and taste interesting, too.

Here’s a stack of Onion Rings from a restaurant in St. Joseph, Michigan named Clementine’s (yup, you guessed it, OhMyDarling.com). This tower of Michigan Onion (bet you didn’t know Michigan is a major onion-producing state) onion rings was about the best we’ve had – anywhere – ever. Artistically, the tower also has merit and would look great in a vertical wall art presentation in one’s kitchen or casual dining area.

How about some red hot chili peppers to spice up that blank wall in your kitchen? Hot peppers are all the rage these days – just look at the gazillion jars of hot sauces available at any gourmet market. These peppers, in blazing bright red, photographed at a farm market in Delaware, are the epitome of chili peppers and would certainly brighten up any place you decided to display them as wall art. Or what do you think about these depicted on coffee mugs or maybe even hot chili pepper throw pillows.

Red Hot Chili Peppers from a farm store in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Then there is always popcorn. Right? How about this as a design element in itself. Everybody likes popcorn and this display of Carmel Popcorn, while photographed at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, might be found in just about any beach town – anywhere. Can you imagine how challenging this would be as a jigsaw puzzle. Absolutely and, yes, this is available as a quality jigsaw.

Caramel Popcorn on display at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC

Click the links below to see a bit more about each image and/or to browse/shop for wall art (for you kitchen, perhaps) or for a home decor item as a conversation piece.

Link: Best Onion Rings Ever

Link: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Link: Caramel Corn Behind Glass

Link to: Bill’s Food As Art Collection at Fine Art America – where you can see many other examples of “Food as Art” that may get your creative juices flowing.

January 22, 2022

CSX Locomotive 5292 in Baltimore

Engine 5292 is seen crossing Warner Street by the Ravens’ Football Stadium.

Photographing near the Warner Street crossing in South Baltimore I caught this CSX 5292 General Electric Evolution Series Locomotive deadheading from the rail yard to who-knows-where. This section of track is the only entrance and egress to the Locust Point terminal and the Riverside Yard of the railroad division of the CSX Corporation in South Baltimore, Maryland. It is a safe place to watch and photograph passing trains and equipment.

CSX Engine 5292 at Warner Street Crossing — CSX Engine 5292 at the Warner Street Crossing Railroad Signal Bridge in South Baltimore

Warner Street is just south of the M&T Bank Stadium, home to Raven’s Football. In the rail photograph below you can actually see how close the stadium is to this railroad/street crossing. This “environmentally friendly” engine produces about 4,000 horsepower is one of the most efficient locomotives on rails today.

CSX Locomotive 5292 at Raven's Stadium — CSX Engine 5292 with Ravens’ Football M&T Bank Stadium in the background

So what is the “CSX” in the name depict? In 1980 the Chessie System merged with the Seaboard Coast Line and formed the CSX Corporation. Word has it that the “X” is the “multiplier” math symbol and gives the merged companies a multiple of size, strength and service.

Click the links to see more detail and and to shop for wall art and/or a variety of home decor items imprinted with these photographs.

Link: CSX 5292 Warner Street Crossing

Link: CSX 5292 Locomotive in Baltimore

Link to: Bill’s Trains and Railroads Collection at Fine Art America

Link to: Bills Pictorem Gallery (w/ Free Shipping)

Observe above, in wide-angle, the beauty of a CSX Locomotive 5292 General Electric Evolution Series. Engine 5292 is seen crossing Warner Street by the Ravens’ Football Stadium in South Baltimore, Maryland. This photograph is one way to bring back vivid memories of Baltimore’s past and present.

January 21, 2022

Sun Setting in the Trees of Assawoman Bay

Every sunset is different even if you view them from the exact same location.

The setting sun disappears into the trees at the western edge of Assawoman Bay at The Point of the Live Bayside Community. This golden sunset is in southern Delaware to the west of Ocean City, Maryland, and Fenwick Island, Delaware.

As the sun sets, atmospheric factors begin to play a much larger role in determining what features of the sunset we can see. Where we are in relationship to the horizon will greatly affect how much of the sun will be visible above the horizon. The same can be said for atmospheric conditions. If a sunset has a lot of clouds and haze, less of the sun will be visible. If it’s perfectly clear, this will allow more of the sun to shine through and illuminate additional parts of the sky. In essence, all sunsets are different because every atmospheric condition is different, but there are certain tendencies which we can observe as consistent patterns.

A black and white presentation of a gorgeous orange-sky sunset may lack the color but the monochrome emphasized the shading a detail of the trees. B&W also “works” in a more modern decor environment and even in a business office.

Sun Setting in Trees of Assawoman Bay Monochrome

Click the links for more information and to browse or shop the variety of wall art and decor items available.

Link: Sun Setting in Trees

Link: Sun Setting in Trees in Black and White

Link to: Bill’s Fine Art America Gallery

Link to: Bill’s Pictorem Ocean City Gallery (w/ Free Shipping)

I have been to this exact location on several different occasions over the years and I have never seen a sunset from this vantage point that can quite match this one.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that so many sunsets can look so different. But if you’ve ever watched one in the same spot over several days, you get to see all of the different ways the sun can set on a warm summer evening or at the end of a frigid wintry day. This golden sunset is in southern Delaware to the west of Ocean City, Maryland, and Fenwick Island, Delaware.

This is probably my favorite sunset. It couldn’t have been any more perfect. The sun prints the water perfectly while the clouds are there to add some drama to the sky. This shot reminds me of being on vacation and seeing these gorgeous sunsets day after day. I hope you enjoyed this beautiful example of one of nature’s splendor!

January 20, 2022

Indian River Bridge Clouds Wall Art

The Indian River Inlet Bridge near Bethany Beach, DE appears different every time we are there.

These clouds predict the onset of a storm but, in this case it was just an illusion. It was 40 degrees and windy, up from a low of 19, when this photograph was captured.

The George W. Cullen Bridge over the Indian River Inlet is located between the coastal towns of Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach , Delaware. It is surrounded by the public beach, marina and campground facilities of the Delaware Seashore State Park.

In addition to the full color version, this is the black and white presentation “Indian River Bridge Clouds” and is unique in its own right.

Indian River Bridge Clouds in Black and White

Use the links below to see larger versions of the Indian River Bridge Clouds and to browse or shop the variety of wall art and home decor items available.

Link: Indian River Bridge Clouds

Link: Indian River Bridge Clouds in Black and White

Link to: Bill’s Indian River Bridge Gallery at Fine Art America

Link to: Bill’s Indian River Bridge Gallery at Pictorem (w/ Free Shipping)

When I wanted to photograph the Indian River Inlet Bridge near Bethany Beach, DE I knew that weather could be an obstacle. Sure enough, before sunset a warm front arrived, with at layers of clouds moving in from the west. But this time Mother Nature played a trick on me. The sky was filled with these ominous clouds and snow flurries started to fall, much like in this photograph. Even though it was cold and the wind was blowing, I had to wait until everything came together. I was hoping for a bit more color. But this cloudy scene doesn’t lack interest – in my opinion. Toned sky, ragged clouds and stark and empty rocky jetty on the north side of the Indian River Inlet are what makes this scene so striking!

January 18, 2022

Sunrise Over Fenwick Island, DE

While the silhouetted trees may look like the Serengeti, it really is coastal Delaware.

Of course, we do not find lighthouses in the desert, but here we do see the Fenwick Island Lighthouse in silhouette – just to the right of the rising sun. Some photographers will add a “flying shore bird or two” into scenes like this. But not here, that seagull is doing a photobomb on his own volition, without realizing the importance of his appearance.

A sunrise is suppose to be full of vivid color, right? Well, not always. Often, a black and white presentation helps to define textures and outlines. Monochrome images are also useful in modern home decor and/or in an office setting. This landscape seems to work well in both color and B&W. What do YOU think. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments area at the bottom of the page.

Sunrise Over Fnwick Island DE in Black and White

Click these links now for more information, see larger images and to browse or purchase.

Link: Sunrise over Fenwick Island

Link: Sunrise over Fenwick Island in Black and White

Link to: Bill’s Fenwick Island Collection at Fine Art America

Link to: Bill’s Fenwick Island Collection at Pictorem (w/ Free Shipping)

Sunrise over Fenwick Island by Bill Swartwout. This photograph depicts the sun rising above the Atlantic Ocean and above the town of Fenwick Island, Delaware. This is one of a kind photograph is available digitally printed in vivid color or black and white on archival fine art paper or museum-quality canvas.