TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING ARCHITECTURE IN CHARLESTON'S HISTORIC DISTRICT -

The Historic District in Charleston, South Carolina is simply a treasure trove of subjects for architectural photographers. For here lie antebellum mansions, 18th-century row houses, beautiful courtyards, wrought iron gates, a French Quarter, and well preserved old churches and buildings.

With all these subjects, it’s no wonder photographing architecture in Charleston’s Historic District is tops on the list for photographers.

Based on all the photographic interest in Charleston’s architecture, I decided it would be helpful to write a guide to some the Charleston’s best architectural destinations such as the famed Rainbow Row shown below.

Note this post does contain links to google maps that will not load on your Iphone if your location is not turned on. To view this post with maps, either turn on location or view on a desktop device.

One reason for writing this guide is that Charleston can be overwhelming to travelers as they try to narrow down where to photograph the city when faced with so many great subjects. It pains me to admit that I missed some very photogenic locations on my first two trips there.

I bet the same thing has happened to some of you when you photographed Charleston for the first time? If you answered yes, please keep reading so you will know exactly where to photograph Charleston’s amazing historic district on your next trip.

Map of Greater Charleston

Looking at the above map, it’s easy to see that the Greater Charleston area is made up of many areas besides its downtown. Within Charlestons’ downtown, lies the Historic District, which is one of Charleston’s prettiest areas and the focus of this post.

Where is Charleston Historic District

In writing this post, I searched for an actual definition of the areas that qualified for Charleston’s Historic District designation but found different answers. So, I took some liberties in this post and defined the district around my list of “Must Photograph Locations” that were close to most of the Historic District boundaries. After all this post is about “Photographing Architecture in Charleston’s Historic District.

Only locations that reside within the blue lines on the above map are covered in this post. Upcoming blog posts will address photography opportunities for other locations within Charleston including the City Market, the Waterfront, Plantations and Gardens, and other locales. Also be sure to check out my Mt. Pleasant Photo Destinations post.

For those interesting in learning more about Charleston’s Historic District, take a moment to read: Charleston Historic District.

Map of Charleston’s Historic District Photography Spots

To help you locate the photo spots I am about to discuss, please refer to the map below. Blue car symbols indicate parking, red house symbols indicate historic homes with tours, and the camera symbols indicate locations for the rest of the photography destinations I recommend visiting when in the Charleston area.

Charleston’s Top Architectural Photo Areas

Charleston’s Rainbow Row

First up and probably the most sought after photo of Charleston is a series of homes on Rainbow Row. These colorful homes are located between 79 and 107 E Bay Street and are within easy walking distance to the Battery and the Waterfront. Here photographers will find thirteen 18th-century houses that are so brightly colored they resemble a rainbow as well as wrought iron gates and courtyards sure to keep cameras clicking for hours.

To learn more about the exciting history of this row be sure to view: Rainbow Row .

For photographers, I recommend allocating a significant amount of time in this area as it will take at least a morning or more to begin to capture these homes and their surroundings.

Photos from Rainbow Row

Charleston, South Carolina is one the United States top vacation destinations for good reason. In addition to beautiful old plantations and beaches, the historic district features stunning old homes with colorful windows, doors, and gates.

RAINBOW ROW PHOTO TIPS

Try to photograph at least 5 homes, four at a minimum. Do not photograph only three homes, even though we are taught to photograph in odd numbers, in this case three homes doe not properly depict the array of colors found in this location. And yes, it may be difficult to include even 4 homes during peak tourist times but it is worth the effort.
Watch for distracting house features such as gutters and garbage cans in the foreground of your composition. However, for anyone interested in some great gutter shots, feel free to contact me as I definitely have a few!
Photograph Rainbow Row both at a diagonal and straight on for different viewpoints of the homes. Both compositions worth well here.
Rainbow Row is best photographed in the early and predawn light. Although late evening light can also be OK, there may be a number of model or wedding photo shoots underway during the evening hours that block a good portion of the Row.
Be aware that on sunny days, once the sun rises, deep shadows can appear on the homes.
Watch for your reflection in the windows of homes when photographing them except if you are particularly fond of reflection selfies.
Avoid this area on weekends if at all possible due to the crowds unless you arrive very early on a Sunday morning.

Charleston’s French Quarter

Charleston’s French Quarter is the small white area shown on the map below. The area derives its name from the large number of French Huguenots that left France in search of religious freedom and settled in the area.

Not only is the French Quarter one of the oldest parts of Charleston but it is also one of the most romantic and photogenic parts of the City. If you are looking to photograph beautiful churches and cobblestone streets, this is the place to be. (By the way, I am a descendant of one of Charleston’s earliest Huguenot families so the area has special significance to me.)

An interesting fact about Charleston’s French Quarter is that a portion of the Historic French Quarter was once an actual Walled City. Despite the fact that the wall has since been covered by pavement, the Wall’s history is fascinating and can be read at: Wall City.

Charleston French Quarter Photos

Pirate House

Huguenot Church

Red Door and Shutter House

Dock Side Theater Stage Door

St. Michaels

Since Charleston’s French Quarter is so filled with beautiful architectural subjects, I have listed some of the “Must Photograph” homes and buildings within the French Quarter to make sure you do not miss these locations in addition to the above photos of the area.

This list is by no means a comprehensive list of all the beautiful places in the French Quarter but should help guide you.

Charleston French Quarter’s “Must Photograph” Spots

Charleston St. Phillips Church

Located at 142 Church Street, St. Phillips Church was established in 1861 making it the oldest European-American religious congregation in South Carolina.
St. Phillips Church was originally built on the present-day site of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church but was destroyed in a hurricane and rebuilt in its present location.
St. Phillip’s tower once served as one of several lighthouse beacons for the harbor.
Photographing both the interior and exterior of this Church should be on every photographer’s list however, please respect the Church’s request to refrain from photography during services. Also please note that the Church asks that no large backpacks or similar items be brought into the church.
Both early morning and late afternoon offer good photo opportunities from different perspectives.

Charleston Huguenot Church

The Huguenot Church on 136 Church Street, aka, the French Huguenot Church or French Protestant Church, is a Gothic Revival church that is independent of any specific religion.
The church has a unique organ called a tracker organ described in the attached article: Tracker Organ.
For photography, the exterior of the Church is not as photogenic as its neighbor, St. Phillips Church but has a charm all its own. If you are able to go inside the church, the ceiling is quite photogenic but I did not find the rest of the Church interior to be very photogenic.

Charleston’s St. Michaels Church

St. Michael’s Church was built between 1751 and 1761 and is the oldest existing religious building in Charleston.
The church is located on the corner of Meeting Street and Board Street at the very edge of the French Quarter.
This outside of St. Michaels is very photogenic, especially the steeple that can be seen throughout the Historic District. However, I did not find the interior of the Church to be worth spending time photographing.
Although St. Michael’s interior is pretty, the Church’s exterior, photographed from both the north and south sides, are the shots you do not want to miss capturing.

Charleston’s The Pirate House

The Pirate House on 145 Church Street is on my Must Photograph list for good reason. The house was built in 1740 and became known as a haven for pirates; even Blackbeard was rumored to spend nights in the Pirate House.
Today the draw for photographers is the large anchor on the home’s exterior in honor of its lurid past as well as it’s red window shutters and doors.
When photographing this home do not overlook photo opportunities of its side and courtyard.

Dock Street Theater

The present Dock Street Theater is a present day theater at 135 Church Street in Charleston’s French Quarter on land with a meaningful history. The land Dock Street Theater is on was the site of what is known to be the very first theater in this country. In fact the previous theater existed when this country only had 13 colonies.
This theater offers a number of photogenic entrances with a side entrance being one of my favorite photo spots. Here subjects include a blue stage door, and stucco walls with blue shutters.
The inside of the Theater is also beautiful but not always open to visitors.

Red Door & Shutters Home

This is a very popular Charleston French Quarter photo spot for those who love architectural features such as doors and windows. It’s red door, window shutters, planter boxs and alley provide a multitude of subjects for photographers and is definitely a “Must Photograph” location.
This house is located on Queen Street just east of the intersection of Church and Queen Streets.
Since this home is in a very busy section of the French Quarter with lots of tourists and residents walking by, it takes a bit a patience to photograph it. To minimize the crowds, photograph the house in the early morning hours. As an aside, I particularly like the light on the home in late April to May.

Philadelphia Alley

Philadelphia Alley is a quaint and picturesque alleyway between Queen Street and Cumberland Street and mere steps from the Red Door and Shutter Home discussed above.
Photos of the entire allow are difficult since it is a narrow north south alley with part of the Alley in deep shadow most of the day.
To create the best photos of this alley, try to plan your visit at midday on a partly cloudy day. Otherwise, try and photograph the alley close to sunrise, sunset, or on a very cloudy day.
For those of us whose visits coincide with sunny days, consider only photographing on side of the alley.
To learn more about how this Alley, check out this article: Philadelphia Alley

Chalmers Street

Chalmers Street is home to the famous Pink House and wonderful cobblestone streets and another Must Photograph destination for photographers.
Warning this street is very uneven so be sure to wear good walking shoes and no sandals to avoid a fall or major discomfort.
Chalmers Street is an east west facing street so plan accordingly when timing your photo visit to the street.

The Battery in Charleston

Charleston’s Battery area is bordered by S. Battery Street, E. Battery Street and Murray Blvd. and lies at the tip of the Charleston peninsula where the Cooper and Ashley Rivers meet. Along the Battery are historic homes and beautiful antebellum mansions including the popular Edmondston Alston House.

Although the Battery today is synonymous with antebellum mansions, the area originally served as a defense site for Charleston. Where else in the United States can you find mansions with cannons next door?

Directly across from the Battery mansions is White Point Garden Park which offers beautiful views of both rivers as well as Ft. Sumter and other sites. I know this post is focused on Charleston architecture sites for photography but I do encourage readers to spend time exploring this park with its historic cannons and beautiful trees.

Photos from the Battery

Charleston Neighborhoods South of Broad Street

I was unsure about what to title this last area on my Photographing Architecture in Charleston’s Historic District blog post but settled on South of Broad Street. It include streets from Broad Street to the North to Bay Street on the South and is bordered by Legare Street to the West. In this area are some of Charleston’s most beautiful residential homes, most with interesting window shutters, planter boxes, colorful doors, alleyways, courtyards, and beautiful wrought iron gates. In fact, a couple days could be spent capturing all of the amazing architecture in this neighborhood.

Photos from South of Broad Street Area

City Hall Stairs

Sword House

Legare Street Red Door

Confederate House

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Here are just a few of my “Must Photograph” favorite locations in the Neighborhoods South of Broad Street.

Broad Street

There are so many photo opportunities on Board Street that I recommend spending at minimum a couple of hours either in the early to mid morning or late afternoon just photographing this street.
60 Board Street, currently an assisted living facility, was once known as the Confederate House and has a very photogenic roof.
City Hall Stairs– Located on 80 Board Street, the entrance to City Hall features a double sided marble set of stairs worth photographing.
John Rutledge Home- The Rutledge Home is located at 116 Broad Street and has a beautiful wrought iron green railing by its stairs that makes for cool photos of stairs and should not be missed.

The Sword House

The Sword House is located at 32 Legare Street and is currently the most expensive home in Charleston.
The intricate sword gate designed by Christopher Wren is truly a magnificent piece of wrought iron work and a very popular photo subject for photographers.
I find afternoon light to work best when photographing this gate.

Red Door Home

Located at 8 Legare Street, this Italian style architecture is believed to be also have a gate designed by Christopher Wren. Additionally the home’s exterior features two massive pillars by the popular red door.
Photograph this home in late afternoon light for best results.
The home’s exterior lends itself to both vertical and horizontal oriented photos that showcase different aspects of the pillars and door.
Do not miss photographing this location!

Nathaniel Russel Home

Located at 15 Meeting Street, the Russell Home offers self-guided tours with the purchase of a ticket at: Tour Homes. On of the best architectural features of this home is its stunning staircase. However as of the writing of this post, photography is no longer allowed in the home.

Legare & Tradd Streets

In addition to the homes mentioned above, Legare Street and Tradd Street are great for walking and photographing more homes with wonderful doors, gates, courtyards, and windows.
In fact, Legare street is known as one of Charleston’s oldest and most beautiful streets.

Meeting Street

In addition to visiting the Nathaniel Russell Home, Meeting Street is home to a number of other beautiful homes worth photographing. The street may not be quite as photogenic as other locations mentioned in this post, but it is definitely a street to spend time photographing.

Parking for Charlestons Historic District

Unless something has changed the Battery also has some non metered areas for parking between the waterfront and White Point Garden Park. In fact, I found this to be a great place to park and explore many historic areas in Charleston. Be sure to arrive early to get a spot.

Final Thoughts on Photographing Charleston’s Historic District

I could keep going but the purpose of this post is to get you to the top spots. If time permits this entire area is chocked full of architectural photography subjects that could take weeks to properly photograph.

I should mention that there are a number of historical buildings that you may notice are not on this list. As I developed the locations for this post, I carefully balanced both historical and photogenic attributes and tried to include only destinations that have both qualities.

I hope the combination the above map combined with photos and location overviews provides you with a brief idea of the architectural beauty that awaits photographers in Charleston’s Historic District.

As always thanks for joining me on this Road Trip Friday photo adventure and be sure to check out my Southern Architecture gallery for Charleston Photos as well as other southern city photos. I hope to see you back in a few weeks when I leave downtown Charleston to photograph the Mt. Pleasant area.

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