Dorian Photo Report - Charleston, SC
Words and photos by Sean Rayford
From atop the steps at the Confederate Museum on Thursday in Charleston, I found elevated shelter - relatively protected from the winds and rain of Hurricane Dorian. Three blocks behind me, on East Bay St. power lines dangled in flood water. Small flames danced at the intersection with Market St. They exploded with brilliant flashes and puffs of smoke as folks watched from inside Meeting at Market like it was a fireworks show. Facing King, the winds bent the palmetto tree fronds on the empty street as a giant ant, about the size of a motorcycle, invaded the scene before me. It crawled across the buildings from right to left, with little concern for physics.
CHARLESTON, SC - SEPTEMBER 4: Scott Ray, left, and Braden Vick walk along the Charleston Battery on September 4, 2019 in Charleston, South Carolina.
An ant was in my camera.
In disbelief and grasping tightly with my pruned fingers, I shook the camera. It was all I could think to do. “Fuck it” I said to myself, and returned to making photos. I never saw the giant ant again.
Linked below is the photo report I made working with Getty Images, Sept 4-5, 2019, primarily in Charleston, as Hurricane Dorian brushed along the South Carolina coast. It appears that the city was spared from flooding on Thursday afternoon because Dorian pushed the water away during high tide.
