November is a beautiful time of year to be on the Georgia Coast. With an average high of 66 and low of 54, and hurricane season behind us, November has perfect weather for exploring barrier islands, morning boat rides, and nighttime shooting on the beach. Also, the bugs are still months away!
So, whether we’re exploring the history and nature of Daufuskie, photographing birds from the Little Tybee dunes, or shooting the architecture and beauty of Tybee Island, this is a workshop designed to help you expand your photo skills, and explore your possibilities. And we are proud to have Molly Roberts as our instructor. Please see her bio below.
On Thursday and Friday, Sundial Charter Tours, an eco tour agency, will be our private tour guide while we boat to the islands of LIttle Tybee and Daufuskie. Sundial Charter Tours is owned and operated by my friend Captain René Heidt, a woman who knows these islands’ history, ecology, flora, and fauna like the back of her hand. She is also a master naturalist. She and her Captains, who are also well versed in these waters and islands, will guide us on private tours of Daufuskie Island (Thursday), and Little Tybee Island (Friday). With no more than 6 students per boat we’ll have plenty of room to shoot as we move along the creeks and estuaries.
We’ll stay on Tybee Island. We’ll meet at The House for communal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, projections of our work, and great conversations.
For student accommodations, Tybee has lots of good, safe, clean hotels and AirBnBs for your choosing. Many right on the beach, and with reasonable rates. If you’d like to share a hotel room, or an AirBnB, just let me know and I’ll put you together with another student seeking the same.
Molly Roberts will give a presentation of her career in photography on Wednesday evening during social hour. She’ll also lead us on all the tours, and in the Saturday group review. And, during our days please feel free to ask her questions, or for any guidance you might require.
Molly Roberts
Molly Roberts is a documentary photographer, visuals editor and curator residing in Baltimore, Maryland.
Roberts’ 35+ year career includes creating visuals and managing contributing photographers at The Washington Post Magazine, USA Weekend, Smithsonian Magazine and National Geographic Magazine. She is the recipient of multiple awards for her magazine work including, the NPPA award for Best Use of Photography in a Magazine, finalist for National Magazine Award, special recognition for photography features by Communication Art, American Photography, and Society of Publication Design.
In 2019 she was awarded a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation fellowship to study and teach photography and multimedia at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where she received a masters degree in Visual Communication in 2021 focusing on the creative process and the history of the medium.
She has curated exhibits for PhotoWorks, Art Works Projects, University of Texas; Corpus Christi, Women Photojournalists of Washington, SXSE Gallery and Gallery 1448. She works on book projects for independent photographers and National Geographic Books. She has also participated in panels discussions and presentations about the current state of the photographic medium and the future of publishing at Ohio University School of Visual Communication, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Northern Short Course and the Corcoran/GW school of Fine Arts,
Roberts leads workshops in photo editing for long term visual projects and photo books. She teaches photography, photojournalism and photo-editing, recently at Ohio University and Loyola University. Roberts is a regular reviewer and mentor at La Luz Workshops, Palm Springs Photo Festival, Social Documentary Network, and Review Santa Fe as well as the annual Women Photojournalists of Washington portfolio review and Seminar, of which she is a co-director and member of the Board of Directors. She is co-host of the weekly podcast 10fps.net a podcast about photojournalism by photojournalists, but for everyone produced by Loyola University in Baltimore.
Molly fell in love with photography at age 17 and her love for the medium has been most enduring. “As a teenager, I stumbled upon the work of Robert Frank and Diane Arbus in the Harvard Square bookstore and time stood still. I decided it was the most revolutionary art form I’d ever experienced and I wanted it in my life. Since then I studied photography at UMD with John Gossage and along the way with many other generous mentors and creative souls. I have worked as a photographer for newspapers, magazines and books. I have edited books, magazines and special issues. I’ve judged photo contests and given lectures. Mostly, I’ve just enjoyed a life made richer by photography, a medium that is wonderfully suited to explore and make sense of the world and the issues that surround us.”
Past collaborations with SXSE Gallery and Magazine include the exhibitions,The Women’s Show, Picturing Self and Others, and Southern Landscapes. Workshops with SXSE include, Photo Editing for Long Term projects, and the Yucatan Peninsula, Merida, Mexico workshop.
Molly lives in Baltimore, in an artists community where her studio is a sanctuary of photobooks which she is happy to share with her fellow creatives and the gallery associated with the community is a never ending source of inspiration and lively collaboration.
What previous workshop participants are saying….
I have been on several trips with Nancy McCrary and they never disappoint. She always engages photographers who are helpful and willing to share their knowledge. Her attention to detail with regard to accommodations, meals, daily outings, and other logistics is thorough and she attracts talented and considerate photographers. Nancy herself is a wonderful artist and very accessible. Her workshops appeal to any level of photographer. There are always professionals who attend, but if you’ve only just begun she encourages everyone to share knowledge. The groups she leads are supportive and I learn something new every time. After having photographed full-time for a decade, I rarely attend workshops anymore. That being said, I always love going to ones Nancy organizes since they are always in beautiful places and so much fun. –Lynne Buchanan
I was fortunate to attend my first South [x] Southeast photo workshop in April to Tybee Island, Georgia. My experience was magical. Our daily excursions by boats to the nearby barrier islands were led by seasoned naturalists who also happened to be our captains. They went out of their way to ensure that we had the opportunity to encounter as much wildlife as possible and to view the variety of ecosystems that exist in this fragile environment. It was a feast for the eyes. Our trip to Little Tybee Island was the highlight for me. Walking within the pristine landscape and seeing Oystercatcher’s nests with eggs on the beach was transformative. This experience would not have been possible without the careful planning on the part of Nancy McCrary. Nancy does an excellent job at organizing an experience that is sure to delight all who participate. –Beate Sass
ITINERARY:
Wednesday – Tybee Island
We’ll arrive at Tybee island, get settled in, and have some time to explore the island in the afternoon.
We’ll meet at 4 at The House where we’ll get to know each other over wine and cheese before Molly Roberts gives a presentation on her work in photography. A Welcome Dinner will follow.
Thursday – Daufuskie Island
Daufuskie comes from the Muscogee language and means “sharp feather” for the island’s distinctive shape. Long before European colonists arrived to the New World, native peoples called Daufuskie Island home as evidenced by artifacts dating back some 9,000 years.
Golf Carts and a map will be our sources of land transportation once we arrive on Daufuskie Island. We will split up into groups of 2 or 4 and, using maps, head out on our own for 2 hours of shooting. Molly will divide her time between the golf carts! We’ll send you off with water and a brown bag lunch. We will have @4 hours of shooting before the return boat ride to Tybee.
Points of Interest:
Mary Dunn Cemetery
Bloody Point Lighthouse and Museum
Moses Ficklin Cottage and Oak Tree
White School House
Mary Fields School
First Union African Baptist Church
Mary Fields Cemetery
Oyster Union Society Hall
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and Jane Hamilton School
Haig Point Lighthouse
Strachan Mansion
Birds of Daufuskie:
Wood Stork
Sandpipers
Anhingas
Snowy Egrets
Bald eagles
Gulls and terns
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Harlequin ducks
Osprey
Thursday early evening (6-9) we’ll meet at the house for pizza and night shooting on the beach. It’s an early morning on Friday!
Friday – Sunrise and Sunset on Little Tybee Island
Rise and Shine! We’ll meet at the public fishing pier on the back river on Tybee at 5:30 am when we cast off over the creeks and marshes on our 30-minute trip to Little Tybee Island for sunrise. Brown bag biscuits, and hot coffee will be provided. This is a 2-3 hour trip returning @9 am.
Little Tybee, owned by the state of Georgia, is an uninhabited barrier island lying just to the south of Tybee Island. It is made up of salt marsh interspersed with hardwood hammocks and fronts the Atlantic Ocean with pristine beaches. It is an undisturbed nature preserve with no hotels or other dwellings on the island.
The only way to get to Little Tybee is by boat or kayak.
Birding on Little Tybee may include: roseate spoonbill, reddish egret, and the curlew sandpiper. Osprey and bald eagles nest on the island. In the winter large numbers of shorebirds gather to rest on its beaches including whimbrels, dowitchers, and piping plovers. Egrets, herons, ibis, and storks are numerous and there are a few nesting spots on the island for these birds. In the summer oystercatchers, Wilson’s plover, and the endangered Least Tern nest on its undisturbed beaches. These birds are easy to see but you are requested to stay away from the posted nesting sites.
Tides change drastically every 6 hours on Little Tybee Island, a pristine, uninhibited nature preserve owned by the state of Georgia. Bird watchers will be in for a treat as exotic species of birds are a common sight.
We’ll meet again this afternoon at 5 pm for another boat ride to Little Tybee for sunset and full moon rise.
Saturday – Free Day until 4
Saturday is a free day to explore Tybee, take a ride into historic Savannah, edit your work for the afternoon’s critique (!), and go back for those images you may have missed on the first visit.
We’ll meet at the house at 4 for a group critique.
Followed by a Farewell Dinner, and the last nighttime shots on the beach.
Included In the Fee:
The instruction and guidance of Molly Roberts.
The House to hang out in – plenty of coffee and tea, and places to curl up, chat, or edit. Social hours in the evenings, and a few dinners will be held here, also.
Wednesday social hour food and beverage
Wednesday’s Welcome Dinner on Tybee
Two Private Boat Trips to Little Tybee Island (sunrise and sunset)
Casual Dinner at the house before nighttime shooting at the beach
Private Boat Trip to Daufuskie Island, S.C. (6 hours)
Golf carts and maps to find your way around the island while shooting.
Social Hour Food and Beverage at The House
Group Review lead by Molly Roberts
Farewell Dinner
Not included in the fee:
Transportation to and from Tybee Island, Georgia
Night-time Accommodations on Tybee Island during the length of the workshop
Meals not listed above.
Alcoholic beverages other than those offered during social hours at the House.
Fee:
$2600 if paying by check. Please send a reservation request via email to nancy@sxsemagazine.com and I’ll provide more info.
$2700 if paying by debit or credit card. 3.8% has been added to cover card processing charges. Click HERE.
PLEASE NOTE: We strongly suggest you purchase travel insurance for last-minute change of plans. I have use Allianz many times with no problems.
Questions? Please just send me an email – nancy@sxsemagazine.com.
Nancy McCrary is the publisher and editor-in-chief of South x Southeast photomagazine,(sxsemagazine.com), an online and in print magazine featuring fine art photography from emerging and established artists. She is the director of South x Southeast Workshops (sxseworkshops.com), and the gallerist at South x Southeast Gallery, online (sxsegallery.com). Prior to SxSE she worked in a range of positions with other niche magazines such as Contents, Pop Star, Georgia Music Magazine and, her personal favorite, Advertising Director with International Tattoo Art for 14 good years. During the years of 2004-2012 Ms. McCrary was co-director of SlowExposures, a photography festival and juried exhibition celebrating the rural South.
She, and a menagerie of dogs and cats, live on her 4th generation family farm in rural Georgia where she shoots only photos.
