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Fake National Emergency Protest: Columbia, SC

February 18, 2019 - Tootsie Holland (above) says that president Trump’s recent declaration of a national emergency is only part of the reaso...
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Photos: No one is above the law protest - Columbia, SC

November 09, 2018 - Yesterday’s firing of U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, and the appointment of Matt Whitaker as a...
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Queef headlines "Bohemian Rhapsody" celebration

November 06, 2018 - In the upstairs Pastor’s Study at Lula Drake on Sunday night, Queef headlined a live musical celebration of the new film...
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Eighty 5 @ Eff 1.four @ the SC State Fair

October 17, 2018 - I added a Nikon 85mm f/1.4 D lens to my kit last year for portrait work. It’s the older version that was in production f...
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Photos: State Fair Traditions with Cameron

October 16, 2018 - Standing next to the Matterhorn, my friend Cameron asks, “Sean, when will the fair be back?” And so begins, and ends mo...
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Adam Cullum: 1981-2018

September 06, 2018 - Having worked at New Brookland Tavern for over a decade, Adam Cullum has been a consistent reminder of the amazing cogs...
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Photos: "Get Out of the Road" - Chapin Labor Day Parade

September 04, 2018 - After the first few hundred yards of the annual Chapin Labor Day Parade, Rep. Joe Wilson found himself holding on to a.5...
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Photos: BrickUniverse wows Lego fans in Columbia

August 12, 2018 - “I started putting some stands together with the north end zone seats and when I put in the walkway - you start to get a...
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Soda Citizen: Sean Thomson loves satanic crabs

August 07, 2018 - Sean Rayford: If you participated in organized crime, what would your role and nickname be? Sean Thomson: Something bor...
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Photos: Brookland Beach Bash - West Columbia, SC

July 08, 2018 - Like a dog wiping it’s ass across the carpet, the back end of a tandem kayak slowly took on water Saturday afternoon whe...
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Photos: Hasher battles Congaree River to fetch beer for friend

July 02, 2018 - “Shit happens mate,” explained Dan Cooper when asked about the last stretch of his journey yesterday on the rivers in Co...
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"DTF: Down To break kids out of detainment Facilities"

July 01, 2018 - In unison with nationwide “Families Belong Together” marches and rallies, planned in over 600 cities, several hundred de...
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Photos: Summer grilling with Kristian Niemi

June 08, 2018 - “We are here to grill steaks today,” explained local restaurateur Kristian Niemi last night at City Roots Farm, “The rea...
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Photos: Kinetic Derby Day - West Columbia, SC

April 22, 2018 - "Earlier today, we had kind of a breakdown just off the start line with the "Savage Lung." We learned that Kent Sutcliff...
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About Last Night: Flogging Molly at Music Farm

March 02, 2018 - Getting an early start on St. Patrick's Day celebrations, Celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly kicked off their "Life is G...
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Photos: Moms demand closing the loop

February 28, 2018 - After morning meetings with state lawmakers concerning gun legislation for the upcoming session, representatives from Mo...
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Onesie bar crawl stumbles through the Vista

February 25, 2018 - As three elderly women waited the in the lobby of Carolina Ale House last night, the front door swung open and a boister...
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Two a.m. mandatory bar closing hearing stretches into afternoon

February 20, 2018 - Some residents near Five Points say that drunk college students have urinated in their gardens, passed out naked on thei...
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About Last Night: Confederate Fagg at Art Bar

February 19, 2018 - Celebrating his retirement from the U.S Army, Confederate Fagg drummer, Packer, and bandmates Teabag Balzac, Spanky Swat...
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About Last Night: Bask, Abacus, Vacation State, Galaxy Chief

February 18, 2018 - "Sean, can you do me a favor?" asked my friend Ryan, a former co-worker at New Brookland Tavern. "Sure," I responded. I...
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Photos: Mardi Gras Festival Columbia, SC

February 11, 2018 - A show at the Elbow Room was my alibi on two occasions in 1998. The first instance occurred when my neighbors in Preston...
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Photos: Mardi Gras Parade Columbia, SC - 2018

February 10, 2018 - Like Bourbon St. on steroids, revelers flocked to the Rosewood neighborhood this morning for the annual Mardi Gras parad...
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Photos: Accident scene of fatal Amtrak crash in Cayce, SC

February 04, 2018 - This morning in Cayce, SC, not too far from the state farmers market on Charleston Highway, an Amtrak passenger train cr...
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Pass the #DreamActNow Rally at SC Statehouse

January 31, 2018 - As the sun went down yesterday in Columbia, SC about 75 people gathered at the South Carolina Statehouse to rally in sup...
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Soda Citizen: Alex Strickland of Abacus/Bathe

January 31, 2018 - Sean: Do you believe in aliens? Alex: No. I want to, but I just don't. Do you believe that they don't exist or just ha...
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Photos: King Day at the Dome - Columbia, SC

January 15, 2018 - The South Carolina NAACP hosted the annual King Day at the Dome this morning in Columbia, SC. Following the statewide pr...
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Photos: New Year's Eve at New Brookland

January 01, 2018 - Over the last decade, the annual New Year's Eve Covers Show at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia has grown to be one...
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Photos: '68, Whores at New Brookland Tavern

December 07, 2017 - '68, Whores, Alistair Hennessey (not pictured) performed at New Brookland Tavern last night in West Columbia, SC. The t...
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13 Practical and Affordable Holiday Gifts for Photographers [$10-$250]

November 23, 2017 - One of the best things about photography - and most creative endeavors - is the unending process of learning. In celebra...
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Photos: Susto at The Music Farm Columbia

November 20, 2017 - Charleston's Susto performed at the Music Farm Columbia and will be heading back out on the road during the month of Dec...
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Photos: First Week at Catitude Cat Cafe

November 16, 2017 - PHOTOS AND WORDS BY SEAN RAYFORD University of South Carolina grad Andres Ortega had a nice job in corporate America.
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David Bazan at New Brookland

November 16, 2017 - David Bazan performed last night at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia. Upcoming shows below: Nov 16: The Earl – Atl...
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Photos: Elmwood knows how to Halloween

November 01, 2017 - Children laughing in every direction. Music coming from three. A shriek from a frightened skeleton wearing a tutu and an...
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Photos: Third Eye Blind last night at Music Farm

October 28, 2017 - The last time I saw Third Eye Blind my friend Fred punched my not friend Larry at a stadium show in D.C. It rained durin...
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Photo of the Day: Is it Halloween yet?

October 26, 2017 - A server waits for a drink from the bar at Grill Marks in the Vista on Thursday, October 5, 2017. Photo by Sean Rayford...
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Photos -The Making of The Theta Girl

October 24, 2017 - NOT SUITABLE FOR WORKPLACE VIEWING - Adult content ahead When I walked into the bathroom my friend Jaime Clark was pain...
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Photos: Protests against Richard Spencer - Gainesville, FL

October 20, 2017 - Three Texas men with extremist ties have been charged with attempted homicide after firing at a group of protestors yest...
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Photos: Anti-Trump Rally in Greenville, South Carolina

October 18, 2017 - Dressed as Lady Liberty, black tape sealing her lips, Miranda Anderson stood next to Brent Hutcheson on Monday night in...
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Photos: Jam Room Fest with Guided by Voices

October 15, 2017 - You know something’s afoot when a dude walks past you on Main Street in Columbia wearing a Merge Records t-shirt and you...
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Photos: Opening Night at the SC State Fair

October 12, 2017 - Cameron’s favorite amusement ride at the SC State Fair is the Musik Express, a Matterhorn/Flying Bob style ride with the...
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Photos: Last night with Manchester Orchestra & Tigers Jaw

October 07, 2017 - Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra booked their first out of town gig in Columbia, SC and singer Andy Hull, along with his b...
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Photo of the Day: "Brookland" Takes Shape in West Columbia

October 05, 2017 - Construction workers build the $40 million mixed use "Brookland" project in West Columbia on Thursday, October 5, 2017....
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Photos: Columbia responds to need in Puerto Rico

September 30, 2017 - “One is running out of food and the other is running out of water,” says Yanira Rivera about family members who are batt...
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Overnight shooting in Columbia's Vista at closing time

September 16, 2017 - After talking with law enforcement outside of The Empire Supper Club on Lady St. in the Vista early Saturday morning, a...
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Photos: DACA Prayer Vigil - Columbia, SC

September 06, 2017 - "God of love and justice, you are the god of all peoples of every nation and yet no nation. For you do not recognize our...
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Photos: Friday night at Hoechella - Columbia, SC

August 27, 2017 - So far this weekend, I’ve made photos at an Apache helicopter team’s deployment to Afghanistan, a youth golf skills tour...
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Photos: Sneak attack finishing move on the dance floor

August 24, 2017 - It was a sneak attack from behind. Energized by the crowd’s appreciation for his jive, sporting a black fanny pack and a...
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Photos: Total Solar Eclipse - Columbia Fireflies vs. Rome Braves

August 22, 2017 - Yesterday I got to pick where I went to cover the the great American eclipse of 2017. I chose minor league baseball. J...
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Photos: Soda City preps for eclipse

August 21, 2017 - I hear something weird is going on this afternoon in Columbia, SC. Here's how folks prepared. Photos: Tourists Flock To...
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Photos: Billboard battles lasers on banks of the Congaree

August 20, 2017 - Last night hundreds gathered on the eastern banks of the Congaree to take in a laser light installation that will cris c...
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Soda Citizen: Mike Busbee

July 27, 2017 - Mike Busbee and I made this photo for an interview as part of a regular series with Columbia artists. We never got aroun...
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SUV knocked off corner of Gervais St. Bridge, flash floods strand motorists

July 24, 2017 - Isis Davis was working her shift at Palmetto Outdoor yesterday evening waiting for customers to return tubes after a tri...
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Sipping on Capri Sun backstage at Girls Rock (Photos)

July 23, 2017 - While I overheard one comment that the green room wasn’t even green, I saw no other dissatisfaction from anyone backstag...
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First Week: Duck Donuts [photos]

July 15, 2017 - Some of my earliest memories from childhood involve eating donuts in the Australian Outback. My family had moved from Ma...
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Photos: Activists Raise Confederate Flag At SC Statehouse 2 Years After Its Removal

July 11, 2017 - “LOOK AT THOSE SNOWFLAKES WITH THEIR PARTICIPATION TROPHY! BOOOOOO!!!!!!” shouts a protestor with a bull horn as a man d...
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Photo of the Day: Debbie and the Skanks at NBT

July 09, 2017 - Deborah Adedokun and Joe Buck Roberts perform at New Brookland Tavern Saturday night in West Columbia, SC on July 8, 201...
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Photos: American Dream Car & Bike Show with Plies, Jeezy and Rick Ross

July 03, 2017 - Before yesterday I hadn’t been to a car and bike show concert combination since I was the de facto “manager” of a rap gr...
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Photos: Lake Murray Fourth of July Boat Parade

July 02, 2017 - Adorned with a few American flags and some streamers, a single boat passed by a few families who had gathered yesterday...
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Photos: Party at the Library - Columbia, SC

July 01, 2017 - “Sarah created this amazing sea monster that was grabbing a boat and it was delivering it from the sky. Our monsters… mi...
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Photo of the Day - Woodwright’s Shop Host Roy Underhill

June 27, 2017 - Roy Underhill talks with a crowd at the Columbia Museum of Art as a guest of the museum's ArtBreak program this morning...
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Photos: Make Music Day in Columbia SC

June 22, 2017 - If you passed through Five Points in Columbia yesterday you may have seen Joe Robinson celebrating Make Music Day walkin...
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Soda Citizen: Tyler Morris Listens to Phish

June 16, 2017 - Sean: If you are eating peanut butter, how or with what are you putting it in your mouth? Tyler: With a spoon. Or in a...
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Photos: Confederate Memorial Day - Columbia, SC

May 10, 2017 - A small group of men and women stand around the Confederate Monument at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, SC. W...
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Photos: March for Science - Columbia, SC

April 24, 2017 - In coordination with Earth Day celebrations on Saturday hundreds of cities across the globe participated in pro-science...
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Photos: Antiwar Protestors Piss Off Old Man

April 13, 2017 - I wasn't out in front of the South Carolina Statehouse again for a another protest. The antiwar protestors just happene...
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Photos: Town Hall meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham - Columbia, SC

March 26, 2017 - Some hide -- U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC. Some plant supporters in the front rows and have donut holes and coffee -- Tom...
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Photos: New Millwood Ave. Mural Connects Artists with Neighborhood

March 22, 2017 - Watching four street artists as they painted a new mural on Millwood Ave., a 59 year-old neighborhood man sat across the...
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Photos: Spirit of America Rally! Fake News?

February 27, 2017 - Shawn Herzog (below) helped to organize a pro-Trump rally on President's Day a week ago in Red Bank, SC. On Monday, he j...
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Photos: The People's March on Columbia, SC

February 21, 2017 - In January of last year, Henry McMaster, then lieutenant governor of the state of South Carolina, introduced then candid...
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Photos: One detained by police at Wells Fargo during NoDAPL protest in Columbia, SC

February 04, 2017 - Holding a pink protest sign that read, "I Stand with Standing Rock," and some paperwork from the bank, Stephanie Godbolt...
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Soda Citizen: Lindsey Vidal, back from church retreat with pink hair

January 07, 2017 - Sean: Everybody is talking about snow on Saturday. What are you gonna do if it snows? Lindsay Vidal: I hope all my appo...
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Soda Citizen: Jessica Bornick - Accomplice in high school paddle theft

December 14, 2016 - Sean: Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Jessica Bornick: No. If you had an imaginary friend, we’d need a name and...
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Soda Citizen: Josh Bumgarner vs. the Giant Duck

December 13, 2016 - Sean: Would you rather fight one donkey-sized duck or 100 duck sized donkeys? Josh Bumgarner: I’d probably go with the...
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Soda Citizen: Aaron Graves on What Makes a Good Donut

December 12, 2016 - Sean: What makes a good donut? Aaron Graves: A good yeast donut or a cake donut, you can dunk it. The cake or the yeast...
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Photos: Anti-Trump Protest in Columbia, SC

November 12, 2016 - Just before I left Friday night's Anti-Trump protest in downtown Columbia, a couple hundred demonstrators held hands on...
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Photos: All-American Halloween in the Soda City

November 01, 2016 - I went to Autozone last night around 8:30 p.m. and picked up a camouflage hat with a black and white American flag patch...
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"Inundated" - A visual journey through historic flooding in 2015

September 29, 2016 - Not long after light broke on the morning of October 5 of last year, I pulled a u-turn at Harden and Gervais streets. On...
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Photos: Pride in the City - Columbia, SC

September 04, 2016 - Yesterday morning I got up at four a.m. to drive over to Gate 2 at Fort Jackson. Another in many recent newspaper assign...
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Photos: Football means that Halloween is coming

August 22, 2016 - There was a high of ninety one today in Columbia, SC and my roommate remarked how nice it was when he walked out of the...
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Capitalist at house show convinces photojournalist to change career goals

August 08, 2016 - When I ran into Summer Ruisseaux on Friday night at New Brookland Tavern she was a bit apprehensive about hosting a hous...
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That time I threw 50 cheddar cheese cubes into the crowd

June 24, 2016 - Back when Susto's Justin Osborne fronted Charleston's Sequoyah Prep School I used to tend bar at New Brookland Tavern wh...
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About Last Night: How I Shot It - Say Brother at New Brookland

May 23, 2016 - I've been shooting shows at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia since 1998. That's ridiculous and I don't know how I f...
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Sea Farming in Rhode Island - #AvoidPollen in the Ocean State

April 01, 2016 - "This dog's name is Clamcake, you don't get more Rhode Island than that," explains Steve Medgyesy, who handles marketing...
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Shamelessly Hot - Burlesque on State Street

February 13, 2016 - "The word deflowered sounds like this pretty word but it's like this horrible thing. Some bad thing that somebody does t...
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World News: King Day at the Dome - Columbia, SC

January 19, 2016 - On Martin Luther King Day and just in front of the Confederate monument at the South Carolina State House, members of th...
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The Year in Photos / by South Carolina photojournalist Sean Rayford

January 07, 2016 - In Andrews, South Carolina on October 9, 2015 Davey Morris showed me around his neighborhood where floodwaters from the...
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In Photos: Soda Citizens Celebrate Famously Hot New Year

January 01, 2016 - I felt for the folks last night celebrating New Year's Eve when I watched a girl finish a Bud Light at the front of the...
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Photos in the News: Nov. 29 - Dec. 5, 2015

December 07, 2015 - It was day three of my flood coverage when the sun came back out. I woke up early and photographed the attempts to repai...
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Photos in the News: Nov. 22-28, 2015

November 29, 2015 - All the lights were off in the room where I saw Prince and Sugar Ray in 1997. Not in the same evening though. For the ne...
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Photos in the News: November 15-21, 2015

November 23, 2015 - A week ago this morning, I was preparing to cover a student organized walkout and protest at the University of South Car...
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Invisible Man sneaks into party - accused of being a "Booty Bandit"

October 30, 2015 - "Welcome to the place where all the creatures meet The last building to your left on a dead-end street Youll find skel...
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Columbia to New Orleans to Shreveport to Dallas

October 23, 2015 - Since Sunday, I've been meandering across the southeastern United States, spending most of my time in New Orleans. The w...
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Photos: Opening Night at the 2015 South Carolina State Fair

October 15, 2015 - As I walk past the newly raised rocket on opening night at the South Carolina State Fair, a man with a selfie stick trie...
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Robot Photographer at Museum Space Party

August 14, 2015 - Recipe for Killbot 2000 Two moving boxes One large bag full of random shit from Radio Shack including lights, an exh...
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Bizarro World: Columbia, South Carolina - July 5, 2015

July 06, 2015 - It's getting weird. Nevermind, it's always been that way.
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Happy Fourth - Embracing Our Mistakes

July 03, 2015 - I'm hovering over my "food set," balancing on a chair in my dining room with my camera in one hand. I rarely shoot food,...
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Thousands wait in blasting SC sun to honor Clementa Pinckney

June 24, 2015 - Six days following the "Holy City Massacre," the body of South Carolina Senator Clementa Pinckney traveled down Main Str...
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Prisoners of our own history: A tale of two South Carolina cities

June 23, 2015 - It's been less than a week since Dylann Roof shot and killed nine parishioners at the most historic church in the Holy C...
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An Instagram Guide to the Soda City: Columbia SC - Vol. 2

June 16, 2015 - If one were to judge my travels in and around Columbia, SC by this edit of Instragram photos I've made during the last t...
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Soda Citizen: Katie Sheridan - Glittoris

June 01, 2015 - "Kind of like the Power Puff Girls but sluttier," explains Katie Sheridan as we lay the groundwork for a cartoon show fe...
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"Seizure-inducing pedal tornado...¿music? from Columbia, SC"

May 26, 2015 - Alex Strickland, vocalist of Abacus (and Bathe) spent ten days on tour in March 2014 alongside Sein zum Tode to SXSW and...
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Queen of Sheba meets Swamp Metal in Soda City West

May 24, 2015 - Kicking off the Memorial Day weekend on Friday night in West Columbia, it seemed there was little more personality reari...
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Behind the Scenes: "Walmart Parking Lot" by Can't Kids

May 22, 2015 - Among other things, Bono is terrified of a vacuuming werewolf. Or at least that's what I gathered from the ET Anderson f...
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'A flute with no holes is not a flute, And a doughnut with no hole is a Danish.'

May 20, 2015 - Model: Shannon Watson Make-up: Lindsey Vidal Hair Stylist: Topher Carnes Yoga Instructor: Brenda Ingbretsen-Way
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Soda City Stand Up: Portraits of Columbia, SC Comedians

May 19, 2015 - "CAN YOU PICK IT UP?" I shouted from across an overgrown parking lot on Sunday evening at Columbia comedian Joe Coughlin...
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About Last Night: Of Montreal at Music Farm - Columbia, SC

May 16, 2015 - I'm balancing between a Red Bull table and a metal stool during Of Montreal's headlining set when Tyler Morris of E.T. A...
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About Last Night: Toro y Moi at Music Farm Columbia

May 14, 2015 - What are we going to complain about now that Columbia has a venue to accommodate it's very own hometown indie rock super...
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Grocery Store Parking Lot

May 13, 2015 - Grocery store parking lot - West Columbia, SC - Wednesday 10:34 AM - Tortilla chips and salsa, eggs and cheese.
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Mudbugs. Mudbugs. Mudbugs.

May 05, 2015 - I ran into my friend Chris, operator of Hippy Do-Da Creations a local hand-crafted jewelry vendor inside the artists' vi...
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Sun in the Morning - Columbia, SC

April 30, 2015 - "Mine all mine - Wander - Away we go." Even the chicken factory looked beautiful this morning.
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Perfect Storm: Vinyl Fans Converge on Art Museum

April 27, 2015 - When I first arrived at the Eighth Annual Greater Columbia Record Fair yesterday at the art museum, I climbed the stairs...
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"A Great Way to Start the Day"

April 21, 2015 - Some would perceive an unseasonably cool Tuesday morning and riverwalk impeding high waters of the Congaree as an inoppo...
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"If That Boat Sinks We'll be Participating in the Rescue."

April 06, 2015 - "When they come around that red marker, that's when they let loose with the profanities," explains my captain as the sai...
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Welcome to the EasterCat Columbia Alley Cat Race/Crawl/Hunt

April 05, 2015 - I knew this wasn't your average sporting event when my friend Katie showed up and showered a participant with champagne...
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About Last Night: Defeater at New Brookland Tavern

April 03, 2015 - There are 7,070 miles between Columbia, SC and the hometowns of the five bands who visited New Brookland Tavern last nig...
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Larry Bird and the Two Story Beer Bong at St. Pat's Fest

March 16, 2015 - My arrival to the St. Pat's Fest couldn't have been more appropriate on Saturday afternoon. Larry Bird being confronted...
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Photos of J. Roddy Walston's Hair at St. Patrick's Day Festival

March 15, 2015 - J. Roddy Walston and the Business was the last band to perform at yesterday's St. Patricks Day Festival. Here are a bunc...
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Insert Sports Cliche Here: SCHS Basketball Championships

March 09, 2015 - Shooting sports can be grand. Especially when win or lose, it's the last game of the season - and some careers. Sixteen...
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An Instagram Guide to the Soda City - Columbia, SC - Vol. One

February 19, 2015 - I love Instagram. I mean come on, if you told me 10 years ago that I'd be able to walk around with camera technology lik...
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Mardi Gras Kills Camera

February 14, 2015 - Things were going well on Saturday afternoon. I was able to catch the Mardi Gras parade through Rosewood and General She...
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Reno Turns Forty - Doesn't Fight Entire Bar

February 13, 2015 - A few weeks back Reno Flowers Gooch and I were in Tiger Town Tavern in Clemson, SC and when some college kids asked me a...
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Dreher Students React to One Fourth Quarter Possesion - Photos

February 11, 2015 - In the final minutes against their rivals from AC Flora, Dreher students watched with great anticipation - as the teams...
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Life Hands Gamecocks Severe Beatdown: 91-0

February 01, 2015 - "You don't want to get chippy with these guys, they know how to make you hurt," explained a former USC rugby player roam...
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Life in the Pit with Christian Metalcore

January 17, 2015 - Last night in West Columbia, throngs of young Christian metalcore fans wrapped around New Brookland to catch the Sioux C...
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South Carolina Edges Alabama in First SEC Win of 2015

January 14, 2015 - Despite being outscored 9-0 to start the game on Tuesday evening in Columbia, SC, the Gamecocks were able to snap a five...
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“Clouds are high flying Fog”

January 05, 2015 - At times on Saturday night, a miniature waterfall developed over the back exit at New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia.
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The Angry Whale's Year in Music - Photos - Vol. Four - 2014

December 31, 2014 - For me, 2014 has most resembled the journey our elementary school kickball used to take during homeruns and when someone...
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The Angry Whale's Year in Music - Photos - Vol. Three - 2014

December 31, 2014 - It's the morning of the final day of the year and we've only reached June of 2014 in this 365 day music narrative. That...
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The Angry Whale's Year in Music - Photos - Vol. Two - 2014

December 30, 2014 - Welcome back. If you've been following along with the narrative, we're about a third of the way through 2014 and picking...
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The Angry Whale's Year in Music - Photos - Vol. One - 2014

December 28, 2014 - Against Me! at New Brookland Tavern At first, I thought that I might be able to cram a years worth of my music photogra...
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Columbia, SC Responds to Michael Brown Decision - Photos

November 26, 2014 - About a hundred people gathered at the foot of a thirty foot christmas tree and a confederate flag on Tuesday evening at...
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Soda Citizen: Brian Timmons of fk mt.

November 21, 2014 - Sean: Draw me something in this space in five minutes or less. Brian: Anything? Yea. Goddamnit. Anything as long...
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Vista Lights Reminds Us it's Time to Buy Gifts

November 21, 2014 - If you were traveling around downtown Columbia last night and were detoured from your usual route, you can blame the ann...
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Ville de Soude Photo du Jour - Monday - November 17, 2014

November 17, 2014 - Getting the tree straight. Monday - November 17, 2014 - 10:58 am - Main Street - Columbia, SC 200mm - f/4.5 - 1/500...
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Saluda River Explodes With Color - Columbia, SC

November 15, 2014 - The past five days my alarm has sounded in the morning and I've thought, "I should get out and make some photos on the S...
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Happy Halloween - DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR!

October 31, 2014 - BOOOOOOOOWWWWHIHHHHHIIIIPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOWWWWHIHHHHHIIIIPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!! DO NOT USE THE ELEVATOR! I was next...
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Microphone Perplexes David A. During Ivadell Set

October 28, 2014 - Ivadell's Josh Gilley watches as OG David Adedokun tries to rescue the vocal mic last night at Foxfield on Rosewood in C...
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Superchunk praises Soda City dance moves at Jam Room Music Fest

October 12, 2014 - "The drums exploded and our amps are down, but Mathew's got it wired and we're coming around." The sounds of Superchunk...
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South Carolina State Fair Gracefully Kicks Off 2014 Season

October 09, 2014 - Fascinated by the organization of shapes and colors and avid observer of human behavior - the fair for me is heaven. The...
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US Congressman Joe Wilson Eats Donut Outside Gas Station

September 23, 2014 - I once had a donut problem. It began as a grade schooler in Mt. Airy, MD when I participated in a community pool swim-a-...
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Dance Party Erupts on Main St. During Pride Fest

September 22, 2014 - On Saturday afternoon the South Carolina community celebrated the annual Pride Fest by turning Main Street in the capita...
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Roaming the Sidelines at the Palmetto Capital City Classic

September 16, 2014 - On the final weekend of August I had a newspaper assignment to photograph the Palmetto Capital City Classic, the season...
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Soda Citizen: Bakari Lebby at Diarrhea Planet

September 14, 2014 - I met up with Bakari before the Diarrhea Planet show at Art Bar the other week. Before I could get the questions rolling...
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Rude Awakening - Aggies Clobber Gamecocks 52-28

August 29, 2014 - Before being steamrolled by Texas A&M on Thursday night to kick off the college football season, South Carolina was ridi...
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Ville de Soude Photo du Jour - Monday - August 25, 2014

August 25, 2014 - Monday - August 25, 2014 - 2:37 pm - South Carolina Statehouse - Columbia, SC 200mm - f/2.8 - 1/8000 - ISO 200
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50 Awesome Moments from the Dixie Youth World Series - Lexington, SC

August 16, 2014 - I had forgotten the implications of being an out during the last inning when your team is losing an elimination game or...
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Soda Citizen: Curt Heiny of Archnemesis

August 07, 2014 - A few weeks back I got a phone call from Curt Heiny, an EDM producer from Columbia, who makes and performs under the mon...
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Soda Citizen: Dylan Dickerson of Dear Blanca

August 02, 2014 - I tracked down Dylan Dickerson of Dear Blanca at last night's Arts & Draughts to not talk about their new record or the...
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Ending an Era - Final Regular Season Game at Capital City Stadium

August 01, 2014 - “The bassoon is one of my favorite instruments. It has a medieval aroma, like the days when everything used to sound lik...
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About Last Night: Oathbreaker, Cult Leader and Steely Dan

July 30, 2014 - Just before Steely Dan took the stage last night at the Township Auditorium, I had a conversation with a venue employee...
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Regulators Throttled by Greensboro Roller Derby

July 21, 2014 - It was a pretty close match at the Columbia Armory on Saturday evening between the Richland County Regulators and Greens...
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"The only reason for making honey is so I can eat it"

June 23, 2014 - Just on the inside of the the doorway to the runway it was like a colony of bees. Make-up artists and hair professionals...
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Meet Columbia SC Engagement Photographer Sean Rayford

June 23, 2014 - I often get questions often about what type of photography work I do in Columbia, SC. My background rests in photojourna...
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Columbia Fashion Week Kicks Off in the Vista - Photos

June 19, 2014 - Columbia Fashion Week (previously Columbia Style Week) kicked off it's third annual event on Tuesday night at Studio Cel...
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Blondes defeat Brunettes with 4th Quarter Heroics - Photography

June 15, 2014 - As they entered the fourth quarter trailing by two scores things weren't looking so hot for the Blondes in their Alzheim...
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Sunsets in the Soda City - Episode One

June 11, 2014 - On Tuesday morning I had an assignment to photograph South Carolina women's basketball coach and three-time Olympic gold...
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Spaghetti Taco dumped for Joe Biden Special - Can't Kids Album Release

May 15, 2014 - Last week Can't Kids introduced a new item to the Beezer's menu, a staple in most young Soda Citizens' diets. The "Joe B...
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"Bizarre Celebrations" - Soda City Gets Weird with Of Montreal

April 20, 2014 - For a few minutes on Thursday night, patrons at the Columbia Museum of Art were teleported to Antarctica with a large he...
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Man Finds Sweet Chair on River

April 18, 2014 - It's that time of year again and humans are starting to explore the banks of the South Carolina midlands river system ag...
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Someone's Mom Rips Beer Bong at St. Pat's Festival - Photos

March 17, 2014 - "MOM! MOM! MOM!" I could hear the chant behind me funneling through the chaos of St. Patrick's Day in Five Points, Colu...
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13 Lucky St. Pat's Moments with Humans Posing for the Camera

March 17, 2014 - Sometimes the humans react in strange and awesome ways when they see me with a camera. A long time ago (think Jesus time...
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Mardi Gras at City Roots - Soda City Style 2014

March 04, 2014 - As the sun crashed across the City Roots Farm near Owens Field Airport on Saturday, groups of children played on piles o...
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Can't Remember the Weekend - Ep. 4 - Rainbow Pooping Unicorns

March 03, 2014 - The premise of this photoblog is a pursuit of rainbow pooping unicorns. Saturday morning I came pretty close, when I sho...
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"Rear Naked Choke" - Caged Chaos at the Jamil Temple

February 24, 2014 - Alex Larmey, a combat engineering army officer who recently served in Afghanistan, came down from upstate New York to fi...
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Can't Remember the Weekend - Ep. 2 - Hump Mountain Roller Derby

February 10, 2014 - On four Friday nights each year Soda citizens gather downtown at the Columbia Museum of Art to listen to live music, dri...
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Snow Penis Bandit Strikes University Hill Neighborhood - Photos

January 30, 2014 - GO COCKS! The University Hill neighborhood in Columbia, SC separates the Five Points bar district from the USC campus. I...
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Soda City Begins Snow Freakout

January 28, 2014 - There's been a buzz of excitement during the last 24 hours concerning the possible accumulation of snow in the capital o...
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Vultan's Theme: Attack of the Hawk Men

January 08, 2014 - "Pathetic Earthlings! Hurling your bodies out into the void without the sligthest inkling of who or what is out here. If...
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Photo evidence shows Soda City told 2013 to suck it - Pt.1

January 07, 2014 - In 2014 I promise to photograph more mosh pits, more portraits and more action figures. Hopefully all at the same time....
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Bear Attacks Man at SC State Fair - Uses Ladder as Weapon

October 10, 2013 - I somehow feel that my life is now more complete because I saw a bear attack a human with a ladder. It was "part of the...
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West Columbia Apartment Fire Claims One Life

September 13, 2013 - We could hear the firetrucks screaming past New Brookland Tavern in West Columbia about 30 minutes before doors were to...
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"Two Star Hotel" A Book of Photography by Sean Rayford

August 09, 2013 - My favorite photography medium to work in is now "book" - followed closely by buttons. I'm happy to announce that...
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Weird Al Yankovic Ruins Birthday Party

June 21, 2013 - "Was it dark or light beer?" "That's awesome if that is your first question - and it was a PBR." So begins my phone co...
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Soda City Salutes Legendary Rockafellas' Music Club

May 20, 2013 - I saw three notable bands at Rockafellas' during my freshman year at USC before the music venue shut it's doors: Machine...
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Unicorn sighted at Kenny Chesney Concert - Photo

May 13, 2013 - I spent the Saturday before last hanging out at Williams Brice Stadium photographing the Kenny Chesney concert. Most of...
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Guitarist John Vail Suffers from Bangover - Photos

April 29, 2013 - "The Bangover lasts about three days. The first show, you lose your mind [onstage]. And then the next two you are in ago...
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Drunk Guy at the Festival & Hula Hoops - Photos

April 23, 2013 - The drunk guy at the festival has always been a side attraction for me, orchestrating a ballet of intoxication that is o...
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Clowney Catches TD Pass - South Carolina Spring Game Photos

April 14, 2013 - Jadeveon "Hammer of the Gods" Clowney was standing next to me on the sideline in sneakers and shorts when the quarterbac...
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Go Fish! Springtime in the Soda City - Photos

April 09, 2013 - I'm experiencing a strange personal dream episode of MSNBC's Lock Up. It's as if the hand of god has reached down throug...
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Mardi Gras in the Soda City - Columbia SC - Photography

February 15, 2013 - I would compare Columbia's third annual Mardi Gras Festival held at City Roots, to the long running St. Partick's Day Fe...
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Welcome to the Soda City: Jan 16-21 - Columbia, SC

January 23, 2013 - I found out about last Wednesday night's show at Cult Classic after running into a band from Miami outside of Drip Coffe...
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How the Soda City Rocked in 2012 - Part 3 of 3 - Concert Photography

January 02, 2013 - "Could you take my picture - cause I won't remember." -'Take a Picture' by Filter (1999) Can you blame me? Here's th...
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How the Soda City Rocked in 2012 - Part 2 of 3 - Concert Photography

December 26, 2012 - Shoot for the Moon. Hopefully, Santa was able to fit that 400mm AF f2.8 down the chimney the other night and you woke u...
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The Final Days of the Soda City - Columbia, South Carolina - Photos

December 21, 2012 - I spent the final week before the end of the world wandering around Columbia observing how my fellow citizens of the Sod...
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How the Soda City Rocked in 2012 - Concert Photography by Sean Rayford - Part 1 of 3

December 17, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina By my rough estimate - come New Year's Eve - I will have seen over 600 bands play this year an...
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Almost Halloween in the Soda City - Photos

October 27, 2012 - It's not quite Halloween in Columbia, South Carolina but it's Friday night and we're living in Zombie Town Soda City sty...
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Scared Shitless: The Diving Pig at the South Carolina State Fair

October 23, 2012 - Friday - October 19, 2012 - Columbia, SC "Awe come on pig. Just jump in the darn water," pleaded the former strip club...
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Ghostface Killah Headlines First Night of Cola Con 2012 - Photos

October 06, 2012 - Columbia Museum of Art - Friday, October 5, 2012 - Cola Con I spent most of the evening at the Rock 93.5 Fall Out Festi...
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Photos - The Sheepdogs at New Brookland in West Columbia, South Carolina

September 26, 2012 - I didn't expect to see anybody at New Brookland Tavern when I dropped by mid-afternoon on Tuesday to double check my wor...
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South Carolina Gamecocks Defeat Clemson Tigers - Soccer - Sept. 19, 2012

September 18, 2012 - College sports rivalries are so much fun, especially when your alma mater comes out victorious over those nasty orange h...
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Photos - Famously Hot Music Festival - Day Three - Columbia SC

August 27, 2012 - August 26, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina Sunday was the final day of the Famously Hot Music Festival at Finlay...
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Photos - Famously Hot Music Festival - Day Two - Columbia SC

August 26, 2012 - August 25, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina I have come to the conclusion that some of the happiest people on earth ar...
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Photos - Famously Hot Music Festival - Day One - Columbia SC

August 25, 2012 - August 24, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina As I walked across the perpetually soaked concert lawn of Finlay Park yest...
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Welcome to the Soda City: Columbia, South Carolina - Part 2

August 16, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina: July 31 - August 11, 2012 A few months back I moved over to the west side of town, a mere 9...
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"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

July 25, 2012 - From here on out I will be naming my cameras after Hall of Fame baseball players. I'm thinking that if I can give the tw...
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Click. Click. Clunk. It's Dead... 10 Ways to Cope With the Death of Your Camera

July 18, 2012 - Monday, July 16, 2012 - Columbia, South Carolina I stood at the top of the South Carolina state house steps and looke...
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Cult Classic Punks - The Hottest Day Ever in South Carolina

July 05, 2012 - June 30, 2012: Columbia, South Carolina It was the hottest day known to history in the state of South Carolina. Here in...
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Guns & Ammo: Hunting the Slurtoth in rural South Carolina

June 25, 2012 - June 22, 2012 My co-workers from the New Brookland Tavern like shooting guns and one of them just got an AK. It's also...
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Welcome to The Soda City - Columbia, SC #1

June 07, 2012 - Columbia, SC: June 5-6, 2012 Welcome to The Soda City. The first post in a regular series that is simply a product of...
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Flaming boobs at the Pretty Things Peep Show

May 22, 2012 - Monday, May 21, 2012 - New Brookland Tavern - West Columbia, SC You may recognize the Pretty Things Peep Show from NY I...
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Gin Blossom's singer: "Take a picture of that girl's legs"

May 07, 2012 - Rosewood Crawfish Festival - Columbia, SC - May 5, 2012 I'm pretty sure it was mid-song, during an instrumental interlu...
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La Dispute, Balance and Composure, All Get Out and Sainthood Reps

May 01, 2012 - Dudes in vans. Sunday, April 22, 2012 - New Brookland Tavern I have been bartending at New Brookland Tavern for too lon...
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"I lost my job today and that's worth celebrating" -Tim Barry

April 23, 2012 - April 17, 2012: New Brookland Tavern On a hobbled picnic bench in a parking lot next to an abandoned motorcycle co-op g...
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What I did yesterday instead of filing my taxes

April 18, 2012 - I filed an extension yesterday and decided to use the time I would have spent dealing with our unreasonably complex tax...
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When Unicorns Poop Rainbows - An introduction to the Angry Whale

February 27, 2012 - I've heard people talk about unicorns dropping out of the sky and then pooping rainbows. You might say those people are...
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