If a picture is worth a thousand words, a really good photograph by somebody who knows what he or she is doing with a camera is worth tens of thousands of words. A special image can tell not just a good story but serve as a channel that peeks into the essence of a person or place.
In this issue, we celebrate Lowcountry photographs by talented photographers who are always keen to find someone or something special. While just about everybody today pockets a camera that can take crisp pictures, not everyone takes great photographs.
Veteran shutterbug Jack Alterman wrote in his photographic book My Lazy Eye that each person or place he shot in his storied career had a definitive image that made it memorable. In the inch-thick book, similar photos, some taken years and miles apart, are paired.
“When I review them today, I realize that one picture triggers a memory of another and when paired together they produce a whole new perspective,” said the photographer, who mostly lives on Wadmalaw Island these days.
A good image excites viewers, often giving a glimpse into a soul, as Alterman noted, “It’s still the secret revealed in a person’s eyes or the light falling on the cornice or a building that forms the essence of a great photograph.”
The prevalence of cameras that can send images around the world in an instant shows how photography is more present than ever before, Charleston commercial photographer Chad Savage notes.
“This accessibility has allowed people to create and share photos on a much larger scale — whether that is something more artistic, professional or just the daily photos of your dog lounging,” Savage said. “Being able to share my work with friends and capture our incredible adventures was what initially sparked my photography obsession. Now it is a constant way for me to push my creativity and learn more about the craft.”
College of Charleston student Joey Izzo, who served as a photo intern at the Charleston City Paper in 2024, said he thought photographs are the strongest medium around today to convey emotion.
“In today’s world, and especially within our own country, it seems as though we are losing our focus on empathy,” he said. “Photos are more important now than ever.
“King Crossing,” by Joey Izzo, (Downtown Charleston), Instagram: @joey_iso “I feel like it is very encompassing of downtown life since I started undergrad at the College of Charleston, and the perspective is what shows that.” 
“Breach Inlet Bonding,” by Joey Izzo, (Breach Inlet), Instagram: @joey_iso “It brings a wave of childhood nostalgia, reminding me of the many summers I spent at IOP and Sullivans as a child.”
“As an aspiring journalist, I realized there is only so much I can convey through writing. Photography drew me in because, accompanied by writing, it truly elevates a story on a human level — something we are in dire need of now.”
For City Paper staff photographer Ashley Stanol, taking pictures is such a part of who she is that she has a hard time remembering when she wasn’t carrying a camera. She also recalled how a mentor, former City Paper photographer Jonathan Boncek, once explained why he loved shooting food photographs.
(Downtown Charleston), Instagram: @shleenutbutter
“What does the Lowcountry and a dog rescued from the jungles of Montezuma, Costa Rica, have in common? They rarely see snow! Guapo was very confused, but I loved documenting his first snow day!”
(July 2022, Mount Pleasant), Instagram: @withsavage
“Growing up in Charleston, I spent a lot of time on the water. It was a big part of my childhood, so having the opportunity to be out on the boat and taking some film photos means a great deal to me.”
“This was because each dish he was photographing were these intricate, perfectly curated, perfectly plated works of art that were designed with the intention to be destroyed,” she said. “He liked that he had the opportunity to capture that moment in time and preserve the cuisine in all of its glory, before it got devoured.
“That concept always stuck with me. Whether I am photographing a person or a plate of food, I always like to think of it as capturing a moment in time, preserving it and letting it live on forever.”
Photographers also engage in a lot of problem-solving and creative thinking related to light and angles when they’re on assignment.
“When you — hopefully — get a photograph that you’re really proud of, it makes the juice that much more worth the squeeze,” she said.
For Moncks Corner photographer Brandon Coffey, using a camera frequently is a kind of therapy that allows him to capture what life looks like today. And that has the added benefit of preserving what things looked like at a given point in time.
“When I first began, my goal was simply to capture photos of the places I visited,” said Coffey, whose photo of an alligator’s tail is on this week’s cover. “Over time, I came to realize how quickly things change and how essential photographs are for preservation and documentation. Capture everything you can before it’s gone — once a moment or view disappears, you can’t get it back.”
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