I was hired on assignment to meet and photograph an older gentleman by the name of Thomas Williams. I was given a little background on who he was and what he does, but no description prepared me for his workspace, his craftsmanship, or his stories.

Workplace

When I arrived at his home, a handmade sign greeted me: “Fresh eggs for sale.”
His grandkids are playing in the yard. But Thomas himself was not in sight.

I called his phone. He answered

“Come on back,” he said. “I’m in my office.”

Just come on back as if we had been friends for years. I walked toward the sounds of chickens clucking, preparing my eggs, and machines grinding.

Rounding the corner, I found it: his office.
A makeshift roof, a tarp strung up protecting him from the sun. The floor and walls were covered in sawdust. Not just from today, but from years of shaping wood. History lived here. Dust from decades. Sweat (but never blood—he told me he’s never cut himself). And within it all: stories, tools, memories. A man at work in the middle of his legacy.

Craftsmanship

Thomas Williams lives in McClellanville, but he’s known throughout South Carolina for sculpting both large and small pieces out of wood. His work isn’t just sanded and smoothed; it’s carved with purpose, shaped into the animals he loves, or the ones you love.

This isn’t a skill he picked up later in life. It’s part of his family’s legacy. Thomas learned to work with wood from his father and, over time, made the craft his own building alongside his brother, refining the art through decades of practice.

Stories

I spent a few hours with Thomas. In that time, we traded stories.

And in those stories, I came to understand him more clearly. Not through quotes, but through rhythm.

Thomas is a simple man, in the best way. He wakes up and carves walking sticks from sunup to sundown. He takes care of his family by doing what he loves. There’s peace in that. There’s power in that.

And to him, he’s already won at life.

Until next time.

– The Camera and I