For several years I’ve been over-wintering in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  There’s a set of conditions that will always have me driving north towards this bright yellow Art Nouveau home at Corolla Historic Park:  calm (no wind) and clear (no clouds).  In my limited experience, these two conditions rarely stick for long, the result, more often than not, of shifting wind patterns–an hour or two of relative calm while the wind switches from its predominant northeast winter blow to perhaps a more southwesterly orientation.  There’s a window in this shifting process, short, where the water-dominated Outer Banks becomes a mirror, reflective.

Whalehead Club is an architecural residence designed in the Art Nouveau style that was popular at the time of construction (early 1900’s).  Art Nouveau emphasizes natural forms and draws inspiration from the natural world, though I’m not sure where the bright yellow comes in.  Perhaps the abundant sunshine of the Outer Banks?  Either way, color theory begs me to showcase this warm yellow home against a cold blue backdrop.  And I prefer a cloudless sky, as a featureless backdrop focuses attention on the subject.

The Whalehead Club was built by Edward Collings Jr. for his wife Marie Louise Label Knight in 1925.  Everything about the home is a celebration of wealth and the unique attributes of this coastal landscape.  The Whalehead Club sits, now, within Corolla Historic Park, besides the Currituck Sound and the Currituck Lighthouse.  This location is a premier sunset-viewing spot within the northern Outer Banks.

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @38mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  Janaury 05, 2024
Settings:  f11, 15 seconds, iso 100