There’s snow in the overnight forecast. It’s coming from the south. What? Is this something that actually happens? We wake on the morning of January 22nd with no real plans. We—my mother (also a photographer) and I—just want to see snow on the beach. In all the places that we never thought we would see snow. The novelty of the thing will be both the subject and the motivation today.
My instinct is always to go to the wildest place possible in the landscape: somewhere where I’ll have to put in some degree of effort to reach the image. I guess it’s a desire to set myself apart, to develop a brand or style around seeking, finding and presenting these types of images. One of the weird benefits of shooting with another person, however, is disregarding the pattern. Or, at the very least, restricting the absent-minded chase of the same old same old. I’m forced to compromise. And that requires more thought about what’s possible. The resultant image is often different, better as an outcome.
As we set out in the dark of morning, the primary concern was, “can the truck handle these conditions.” Check. We’re good. I think (fingers crossed). Okay, what subjects can we include with snow? Should we be formulaic and go to Bodie Island Lighthouse because it’s one of the most recognizable icons in the Outer Banks? Why or why not? How far south should we drive and still be in snow? Any benefit? What about a fishing pier? Does the pier need to have the lights on or off? These were the discussions we carried.
We landed on Jennette’s Fishing Pier in South Nags Head. Accessibility was high. Safety was generous. The wind chills were fairly raw on this morning. However, the car remained close. The yellow/orange lights were on at the pier and they provided a nice contrast to the blues of predawn. The only remaining questions were, “will there be any snow on the beach? and “What does wind do to snow?”
It was a tale of two sides at the pier. The northern side of the beach and primary dunes were largely barren of snow—or the snow had been completely covered with blowing sand. The wind almost unbearable. On the south side of the pier, there was snow, in the dunes and on the beach itself. I worked frantically to frame up a few shots before the virgin snow was marred with many footprints. We were not the only ones enjoying an early and rare snow day! It was a very unique experience: snow on an Outer Banks beach!
Lens: Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @56mm
Tripod: Really Right Stuff TVC-33
Date taken: January 18, 2025
Settings: f11, 1.3 second, iso 64
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