When I first floated the idea of an extended winter stay in the Outer Banks, my primary curiosity was whether I’d be able to shoot worthwhile landscapes given the dormant landscape features.  It turns out, everything on the ocean side looked similar.  The soundside, on the other hand, was a hue of brown.  These browns, however different from the lush greens of growth season, did become a beautiful burnished orange during first light that I found quite beautiful behind the lens.

On this particular morning it was extremely cold.  The freshwater pond behind the Historic Bodie Island Lighthouse was frozen over with ice.  Likewise, the wooden boardwalks were slick with frost.  To sum up my experience, I found winter to carry it’s own beauty.  The scene was valid.

This is the third iteration of the Bodie Island Lighthouse.  Located just south of Nags Head, the Bodie Island Lighthouse is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  It is a roughly 160-foot conical, brick structure with an operational fresnel lens.  Each lighthouse in the Outer Banks features a unique daymark and a unique nightmark to differentiate.  The Bodie Island Lighthouse has horizontal black and white stripes (daymark) and a specific on-off sequence with the fresnel lens (nightmark).

Camera:  Nikon D810
Lens:  Nikkor 17-35mm f2.8 @ 22mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  January 22, 2019
Settings:  f14, 1/10 second, iso-64