The 2008 AMS Severe Local Storms Conference was held in Savannah GA near the end of October. I never had been there, but knew it was a clean and very old city with a long, rich history around every streetcorner. While the conference obviously was priority, I couldn't let photo opportunities go unused during long breaks and after-hours. Knowing I would be pressed for daylight time outdoors, I scouted out potential photo locations near the conference hotel, using Google Earth, in order to avoid wasted foot time, and to plan for lighting conditions and sun angles. This way I could maximize the experience of both the conference and of my free time!

The historical central part of Savannah, including the hotel area, is compact and easy to walk, with tons of photogenic elements packed into a quickly navigable area. The 1-1/2 hour lunch breaks allowed ample time both to grab a bite and to do some exploring, by foot or car. There also was some sunlight left after any given day's sessions ended. Furthermore, Savannah lights up its iconic monuments and structures nicely at night, allowing for photography to continue long after the sun goes down. And this time, I remembered to pack the tripod... ;-)

Since I had a day shift back in Norman Saturday, my technical day off was Friday; but I didn't want to miss Thursday's conference sessions to travel. So I simply let the day off be my travel day back to Oklahoma. We were making good time for our trip down to Jacksonville to catch the afternoon flight back, so Jason Levit and I briefly explored a couple of interesting places a few miles off the Interstate -- Fort Pulaski National Monument and Jekyll Island (for lunch). Even in the short time we were there, each place was a treasure trove of photographic possibilities, large and small. I hope to get back to Jekyll Island some day. It has a splendid beach -- one of the few relatively undeveloped ones left on the East Coast that isn't in a national seashore or state preserve of some sort.

These pages contain some representative photos of the sights and surroundings of Savannah. Each thumbnail will open a script to view a 500 pixel long shot in its own white border. Please browse with leisure those images that spark your curiosity, and come back again anytime.

===== Roger =====

South steeple of St. John the Baptist Cathedral, through trees	Architecture of Savannah houses	Colonial Park Cemetery - early 1800s gravestones	Forsyth Fountain by day
Horseshoe crab, Jekyll Island	"Terminator" (earth shadow) reflected off glassy waters, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge SC	William Washington Gordon Monument under live oaks, Wright Square	Tidal zone viewed from "kid level" - Jekyll Island
Independent Scottish Presbyterian Church as seen from my hotel room	Driving across the Savannah River bridge near sunset	4 stained glass windows, St. John Cathedral	Hall of arches with cannon, Ft. Pulaski National Monument
Forsyth Fountain by night	Sun setting between cathedral steeples, as seen from dinner cruise on river	Old crape myrtle drowning in Spanish moss	Ripples in tidal sand, Jekyll Island