Lake Jocassee in South Carolina is my favorite lake to visit in the summer. The water is clear, the shoreline is undeveloped, and there are many small beaches, waterfalls, and rock cliffs for photography and swimming!
Not far from Devil's Fork State Park is a large sandy beach which I paddled out to one morning before sunrise. I had taken photos of the sunrise from here before with the canoe but any waves in the lake made it difficult to get a sharp image of the canoe. I was determined to succeed this time and used a rock on a rope to anchor the stern of the canoe and tied the bow to a tree which had fallen into the lake to keep it relatively still. I was very happy with the result as it allowed me to get a good shot before dawn with the moon still visible in the sky and several other photographs as the sun rose over the lake.
Another favorite spot is just a short hike behind the tent sites at Devil's Fork State park. There is a rock overhanging the lake making the perfect launching site to jump off into the lake for a refreshing swim. It is usually very crowded during the day but early in the morning I had the place all to myself. I had a great time trying to time my leap perfectly with my 10 second timer, jump after jump after jump... Looking back on it I could have used Sony's Time-lapse or Motion Shot application but I was having too much fun!
