Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Charleston, South Carolina for a few days, and it’s this coastal city that will serve as the backdrop for the second entry in my series on street photography and my experience chasing candid shots in new places.

As you might remember, I’ve recently relocated to the East Coast, and have taken up residence in Asheville, North Carolina for the time being, so my partner and I decided it was time to take advantage of our newfound proximity to the Atlantic.

Below I’ve put together some recommendations as far as where to shoot if you’re after street photography in Charleston, South Carolina, some ideas for gear to pack and techniques to try out, and of course a little info on the city and its history as well.

As always, I’ll include my favorite shots from the trip, and we’ll talk a little about the process behind them too!

A Little About Charleston

Charleston is an old city with a rich history known today for its pastel color palette and elegant antebellum houses. It played a role in many important historical events like Blackbeard’s blockade of the then “Charles Towne” harbor in 1718. The city was also sadly known as a major slave-trading port and the site of the first shots of the Civil War. 

The mood in Charleston today is generally very laid-back. I found it very lively in many of the areas we visited due to its large tourism draw. Crowds of visitors pack the busier streets window shopping and exploring during the summer, making for a never-ending supply of great street photography frames. I’m unsure if tourism dies down in the hotter months or during the winter, but when we visited in early June, it was generally busy, though surprisingly easy to navigate both in the car and on foot during the entirety of our mid-week to weekend visit.

Given our proximity to the city, we drove into Charleston rather than flying, so I can’t speak about the local airport in this instance, but I can say that parking was overall easy for us even on Friday night and Saturday.

The only major points I have related to preparing for your Charleston visit are these:

• Weather: It’s hot. I mean really hot. If you’re from the area, you’ll already be well aware, and probably well acclimated. However, if you happen to be someone who grew up in a place like Denver which has a dry climate with moderate summers (guilty as charged), you’ll struggle with the crushing summer heat that Charleston experiences. I would highly recommend packing light, breathable clothing for your trip and staying as hydrated as possible.

• Prices: It can be expensive. There is a big upscale dining and shopping scene in Charleston and the prices of things- especially food- caught us off guard more than once. Be sure to save up a little extra cash for your meal budget if you plan on eating out a lot, and research the menus and prices of your restaurants before you commit to sitting down at a table.

A Short Guide to Candid Street Photography in Charleston, SC

Charleston is a beautiful location and has tons of great street photography spots. It has a gritty old-school East Coast city vibe and reminded me of what I can only describe as a coastal Philly in many neighborhoods. Cables and powerlines hang across the streets like you often see in older cities, and the row homes lining the street create a perfect eclectic backdrop for some really fun street photography compositions. 

You’ll likely come away with frames that appear to have been shot in an entirely different location- the pastels and palm trees in the background being the only clue that they weren’t.

The high-volume tourism industry creates large crowds of people on vacation, which translates to subjects who are generally more laid-back than normal. I didn’t experience any confrontation whatsoever while shooting, even when photographing subjects head-on. As always though, use your best judgment, put your safety first, and respect the people you point your camera toward.

King Street

The best place to start, and probably the easiest location to grab candid street photos, is on and around King Street. King Street is one of the busiest parts of the city, and stretches on for many blocks, creating a circuit that you can walk up and down for hours without fear of getting bored. 

From Spring Street to Marion Square, there are more restaurants than shops, giving you ample opportunity to snap subjects in a dining setting through the windows. I didn’t spend much time in this area, though I would recommend stopping by during peak meal times to give yourself the best luck possible.

From Calhoun to Broad Street, is where most of the shops are located. This is where I spent most of my time exploring. I greatly enjoyed the endless supply of subjects and had a lot of fun getting a little closer than normal, and worked on blending in with my surroundings as I snapped away. 

Ideas & Recommendations

• I suggest a wider lens here. Anything from 18 to 35mm (full-frame or equivalent) should work great here. There are a lot of tight spaces, and I absolutely feel that I missed certain shots using my 45mm equivalent prime lens. This of course is subject mainly to preference and your shooting style, but I will say that King Street is a location that features a considerable amount of close-quarters encounters and compositions. 

• Also consider using a setting like aperture or shutter priority mode here to avoid missing shots, as this is a fast-paced shooting scenario.

Marion Square

Marion Square is located in the middle of King Street. It’s a beautiful park that hosts farmer’s markets and other events regularly. Do your research on what’s happening in the square before you visit, so you can be sure to catch any events going on. The Saturday Farmer’s Market was one of the big highlights of my visit! Street performers were out, and the vendors, stalls, and shoppers were a lot of fun to capture

Ideas & Recommendations

• Again, a wider lens is probably advisable here, but I would throw out an honorable mention for your standard 24-70mm zoom lens in Marion Square as well. While using a zoom lens is not a recommendation made often for candid street photography work, the park is rather large, and there are some compositions to be found farther away. In addition, if you’re into shooting more than just street, there are some unique views of two old church steeples rising above the trees in the distance (pictured above).

• This location is also a very fast-paced shooting experience during an event and is even more densely packed than King Street just outside. 

Charleston City Market

One of the more popular attractions, and just off King Street, the City Market is a long indoor/outdoor market filled with shops and absolutely packed to the brim with tourists during the day. It is a mandatory stop if you’re looking for good candid street photography locations. 

The area around the market is worth walking as well, as you can shoot into some of the shops from outside the market, capturing shoppers and storekeepers from a different perspective.

Ideas & Recommendations

• Again, a wider prime will serve you well. This will be a similar experience to shooting on King Street, though with even tighter quarters. I really don’t recommend anything over 50mm for this location, especially inside. 

• An ultra-wide lens would really let the architecture shine if you’re interested in more than just street photos!

• Fast, fast, fast. Compositions will appear and disappear in a split second. I would actually recommend manual exposure mode over a priority mode for this location, however, as the lighting will not change as much as outside on the street. The market is mostly shaded, with patches of light that can create a dramatic spotlight if you happen to time your shot right. Your settings should not need to change much as you walk through this area. 

The French Quarter, Rainbow Row, & Battery Park

Rainbow Row is a very popular destination and shows up in photos pretty regularly when you search for info on Charleston. To be honest, this area was all but deserted when we visited, and the best shots to be had were mainly of the historic houses and architecture. 

Scenes like this are a lot of fun to shoot, but it’s definitely a very slow-paced area in contrast to the marketplace and King Street, as it’s mainly residential.

That being said, this part of town is a blast to explore and can be as short or long of a visit as you like. There is often a nice breeze coming off the harbor in Battery Park a little further East, and lots of signs and plaques to read. It’s a nice shady spot for a break later in the afternoon!

Folly Island & The Morris Island Lighthouse

Close to Charleston, Folly Island is a wonderful place to explore and spend some time in the sand. If you’re able, please do yourself a favor and catch a sunset while you’re here, preferably at the northern tip of the island, where you’ll also have an unbeatable view of the Morris Island Lighthouse.! 

You can drive most of the way, but there is a short sandy hike at the end of the road, which will bring you to a beautiful, hidden, beach and the most easily-accessible viewing area for the Morris Island Lighthouse.

While this is primarily a street photography blog, this is a set of shots I’ve been chasing for a long time due to the distinct lack of lighthouses in Colorado, so I’m throwing them in here before we wrap things up.

Side note: The island must have known how excited I was for these shots because the conditions did not disappoint. I’m happy to report that my time viewing the lighthouse happened to take place during one of the most profoundly jaw-dropping sunsets I’ve ever had the privilege of witnessing. 

Sunsets are always a little bit better by the ocean, and I consider myself very fortunate to have had the chance to see the sky light up over both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. 

Ideas & Recommendations

• A standard zoom will serve you well, but a 70-200mm might be more helpful for capturing the lighthouse in the distance. I shot all of the images you see here with a 28-75mm lens, (42 - 112mm on aps-c) so I wouldn’t say the long end of the 70-200mm range is strictly necessary, though you might find 70mm on a standard zoom to be a little restrictive for certain compositions. 

• Faster apertures, will of course be greatly beneficial during a sunset. I don’t travel with a real tripod (just a miniature one for the odd self-portrait), but this would be a fantastic time for one if you do. 

• If you don’t carry a tripod, utilize your camera’s IBIS if you have it, and/or high ISO capability as best you can here, as 70mm and beyond are long focal lengths to be hand-holding at lower shutter speeds. 

One last thing…

For the sake of my own mental health and relaxation, I made sure to leave my camera behind one day while we kicked back at the beach. This is something I highly recommend everyone does now and then- I think it’s almost as important as the photography.

Closing Thoughts

Charleston turned out to be a really fun location for candid street photography work! While it’s certainly not discussed in the usual sphere of holy-grail locations like New York City or London, I’d argue it only means your shots will be more unique. There’s also something to be said about the city’s other attractions. It’s a great spot to combine a vacation with your photo trip, as the city is only a short drive from some fantastic islands and beaches.

If you’ve managed to make it this far into the article, I appreciate your time! I always look forward to hearing from readers, so feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts or questions on what I’ve put down here. 

Like with any of my travel or photography guides, I can only speak to what I’ve personally experienced. There are tons of spots I didn’t have a chance to explore, so don’t forget to do your own research before you go, and let me know about all the places I missed so that I can add them to my list if I get the chance to revisit Charleston one day soon.

You can contact me via email at nick@gunairy.com, or alternatively shoot me a dm on Instagram at @gunairy. Thanks again for reading!

- Nick