The Outer Banks (OBX)

The Outer Banks are a thin, narrow strip of barrier islands off the mainland coast of North Carolina. They differ from other barrier islands in their great distance from the mainland (20-40 miles) and in their shape (cuspate forelands or capes). Two currents–the cold Labrador and the warm Gulf Stream–collide just offshore at one such cape, Cape Hatteras in Buxton, North Carolina.

Wind is the primary driving element in the Outer Banks. It animates everything, giving life to the sand and to the waves, as well as influencing vegetation, water color, and even which insects will be where and when. To live in the Outer Banks is to love weather. All kinds of weather, including, and especially, the harsh weather.

The Outer Banks have always been a place apart, for me. More immediate. More exciting, risky, and adventurous. Somewhere I feel more alive, closer to the things that matter. A place that always leaves me wanting more, time. I’ve never been a local. I wouldn’t call myself a tourist. I’m somewhere between. Perhaps I’m just someone who loves the place.

October 2013. Lighthouses were created as navigational aides for sailers, especially useful during mornings with foggy conditions. While the radiant fog on this autumn morning was minimal, it was suggestive enough to compliment the otherwise favorable conditions and push this photograph to the forefront of my collection with print and licensing purchasers. Radiant fog happens during the transitional months along the coast when warm, moist ocean air mixes with cooler air hanging low over the inland marshes and wetlands. The combination creates a thin layer of ground fog that can be magic behind the lens, and can act as a visual nod towards the historic purpose and function of the lighthouse.

August 2015. It stormed violently as I drove through Nags Head in the dark of morning with hopes of photographing the lighthouse at first light. I thought it was beyond lost–an exercise in going through the motions, at best. It turned out to be one of my favorite mornings I ever spent at Bodie Island Lighthouse. The storms left a tremendous reflecting puddle that mirrored the colorful skies. I do remember, however, how relentless the mosquitoes were. I also remember not caring!

August 2015. Busy skies and lush marsh grass frame up what was my favorite composition of Bodie Island Lighthouse. Low-angled evening light from the west provides a subtle kiss of warmth and color on the landscape elements. The lighthouse was busy with visitors on this evening. Typically, this might’ve discouraged me. The conditions on this evening, however, were just too good to pass. I’m a huge fan of subtle light and gentle beauty, and here on this evening, I found both.

August 2015. I was pleasantly surprised to find flowering Seashore Mallow in great abundance along the marsh boardwalk behind Bodie Island Lighthouse. For the better part of a week it became my morning obsession to capture these tiny flowers with good light. Seashore Mallow open (or bloom) around sunrise and close before the heat of the mid-day sun. It felt like a gift to be amongst these colorful flowers as the first light brought the landscape to life.

August 2015. The classic view of Bodie Island Lighthouse from the viewing platform on the freshwater marsh. At sunrise, warm morning light strikes the face of the structure, the lush marsh grasses, and the wooden elevated boardwalk bringing each element of the scene alive. The changing variable is always the sky. I couldn’t recall the number of mornings I’ve spent tucked within the corner of this boardwalk waiting patiently, hoping for sweet light and interesting conditions!

September 2017. When leading a photography adventure and/or workshop, I always set the clients on the views they find most intriquing. If I do pull out my camera on these trips, I find myself often working compositions that are wildly different from what I might typically. This frame was taken standing atop a wooden bench on the elevated viewing platform behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse while helping friend and photographer, Tommy White, to lead a Mountains to Sea Photography Workshop.

Bodie Island Lighthouse is an iconic and historic structure just south of Nags Head, North Carolina. Part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Bodie Island lighthouse is nestled into beautiful marshlands connected visually to both the Atlantic Ocean and the soundside estuaries. The structure is conical in shape and constructed of brick. A unique daymark–the horizontal black and white stripes–and a a unique nightmark–or sequence of flashes from it’s functional fresnal lens–identifies this lighthouse and differentiates it from other lighthouses guarding this rugged barrier coast. Bodie Island Lighthouse stands at nearly one-hundred and seventy feet in height. This is the third version of the lighthouse, originally built in 1872 and most recently renovated in 2011. Bodie Island was named for the family who once owned the land, and it is pronounced “body” island.

If you’re like me–or many others who venture to the Outer Banks with a camera–Bodie Island Lighthouse will likely be a jumping off point for your coastal adventures behind the lens.

January 2020. Can winter be beautiful? As I began to visit the Outer Banks every January, this became the dominant driving question. At Bodie Island Lighthouse could the elements still speak a confident visual story? After nearly a decade of winter visits, I have my answer. The question has now shifted, for me, to the viewer: what do you think?

January 2021. This particular winter was the wettest I’ve experienced since making winter migrations to the Outer Banks. It rained consistently. The conditions were challenging. However, reflective puddles and fog were readily available. In hindsight, I wish I’d leaned in more to the potential of these particular conditions.

August 2015. Behind the Bodie Island Lighthouse stands an elevated platform viewing directly east over the freshwater marshes towards the Atlantic Ocean. The electric poles along Beach Highway (NC-12) can be seen along the horizon. Calm conditions make this view spicy, creating a reflective mirror to amplify the drama above. This is also a popular birding vantage.

January 2025. Ants are not the primary pollinators of Seashore Mallow (bees and hummingbirds). However, they cannot resist the sweet nectar on display. I found these Seashore Mallow along NC-12 in the Outer Banks, near the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Seashore Mallow, also known as the Salt Marsh Mallow (or more technically as Kostelzkya pentacarpos), is a native, herbaceous plant that thrives along roadsides and within the marshes of the Outer Banks. Salt tolerant, it grows where other plants cannot. The beautiful, pink, hibiscus-like flowers have a long extended bloom season, appearing from May to October. In 1990, the Seashore Mallow earned status as North Carolina’s Wildflower of the Year.

If you’re photographing the Outer Banks during the summer months, keep an eye for compositions that include this wildflower. It’s a strong visual cue towards season, place, and time, as well as a positive indicator of wetland and marsh health.

January 2025. There’s a price to pay for height in the Outer Banks. Trees don’t grow tall. Winds shape the crown of vegetation, as well as carry salt from the sea that can burn intolerant plants. Thus, most vegetation near the sea stays below the height of the primary dunes, no more. This photo was taken along NC-12 on Bodie Island where marshland to the west is used for winter waterfowl hunting. Many evenings, while returning to my rental home from an evening shoot on Hatteras Island, the western sky would burn with a beautiful, intense orange gradient over these natural areas.

January 2021. Windless mornings on the Outer Banks are rare. Temperatures flirting with freezing–even in January–are also rare this near to the ocean. Both happened on this morning. Moisture-laden air created frost on the back-dune of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and thick fog laid like a cold blanket over the landscape. I was surprised, upon climbing the primary dune, to find my reflection within a Brocken Spectre (a circular rainbow). This was an unexpected morning of magic in place. I crave these. | Photo of the Day |

January 2023. I’ve tried just about every set of conditions at these concrete blocks. Imagine my surprise when I returned to the computer with these stormy blue hour shots froom a rainy morning: I actually liked them! Eliminating the sky altogether and simplifying the color palette emphasized the subject, I think. While there’s considerable room for improvement regarding capture, I found an idea that feels exciting.

January 2024. Storm drainage outflow pipe in Nags Head, North Carolina during a pink sunrise. I shot this from further back with a medium telephoto lens and a longer exposure. My idea was to use the color and waves as elements, but to also minimize them to keep focus, visual weight, and power on the blocks themselves.

Outflow pipes. Following the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962, the North Carolina Department of Transportation built a number of outflow pipes in the towns of Nags Head and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina to clear the roads and parking lots of standing water following storm events. Gravity carries the water off streets and out past the initial breakers of the Atlantic Ocean. From the beach, these pipes are mostly buried. What can be seen instead–especially during lower tides–are a set of curious concrete blocks that anchor the pipe below the surface. They resemble a mysterious pathway out and into the ocean, and they make very interesting photographic subjects in the coastal landscape of the central Outer Banks (OBX).

January 2025. I prefer a straight-on, centered composition with the ocean outflows in Nags Head, North Carolina. However, this composition is rarely optimized for the sunrise color, which blooms to frame right. On this morning, I found the spreading color in the sky complimemtary to the disappearing point on the horizon that the concrete blocks lead the eye towards within the frame.

January 2024. Foggy conditions along the coast are a personal favorite, especially at the older wooden fishing piers. This is the Outer Banks Fishing Pier in South Nags Head, North Carolina. Fog completely obscured the horizon and a longer exposure smoothed the Atlantic Ocean. The result was a gentle mystery. The water on this January winter morning, I remember, was freezing on my bare feet as I tried to count the seconds on each longer exposure! | Photo of the Day |

September 2014. The blue hour of a stormy morning at Jennette’s Fishing Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. Early opening hours during the shoulder season allowed access before sunrise. An approaching storm provided a deep and extended blue hour at dawn.

NAGS HEAD_Jennettes Pier Blue Hour Reflections

January 2023. Clear skies left me looking for different interpretations of Jennette’s Fishing Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. High tide washed a wide, flattened expanse of sand on the southern side of the pier. Each wave would leave behind a temporary reflection of the structure. This has been an idea I continue to work every time I visit Jennette’s Pier in the Outer Banks.

Jennette’s Pier was built in 1939 by Walton Jennette. It was the first fishing pier in the Outer Banks. Jennette’s stood in various iterations for nearly seventy years until Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The latest version of Jennette’s Pier was built in 2009 and opened to the public in 2011. It’s now a state owned and operated fishing pier, stretching 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean over sturdy concrete pilings. The structure of Jennette’s Pier is LEED certified and features energy efficiency technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling. Jennette’s Pier is located at Whalebone Junction milepost 16.5.

January 2025. Snow on the Outer Banks is relatively rare. The night before the photographs above, a strong storm swept the Outer Banks with four- to six-inches of snow overnight. Not wanting to navigate too far on untreated roads, I found myself at Jennette’s Fishing Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina. Snow on the sandy beach was certainly an odd sensory experience! | Photo of the Day |

NAGS HEAD_Causeway Roanoke Sound Sunrise

January 2024. I often stay in Manteo during my winter trips to the Outer Banks. Every morning, I left Roanoke Island via U.S. 64 and crossed over the Washington Baum Bridge towards Cape Hatteras National Seashore. On this morning, nearly a full hour before sunrise, calm conditions reflected an incredible sky over the Roanoke Sound along the causeway in South Nags Head. | Photo of the Day |

January 2020. The Washington Baum Bridge catching the first warm light of morning. Baum Bridge spans the Roanoke Sound, connecting Roanoke Island to Nags Head via U.S. 64. For many years, the parking area on the western side of Baum Bridge was known to flood and puddle easily after winter storms making it an interesting place to shoot reflective images.

January 2025. Looking northwest at sunrise, the earth’s shadow leaves beautiful pastels over waterfront homes within the Pirates Cove community of Manteo, North Carolina. This area is part of Roanoke Island along U.S. 64. The waterfront homes view south and east over the Roanoke Sound and towards the Washington Baum Bridge carrying traffic along U.S. 64. Whenever the wind is calm and conditions are reflective, I feel pulled to stop at this location.

January 2024. January is a no-potting season on the internal waters of the Outer Banks. This time period is used by volunteers to clean up lost, derelict and abandoned fishing gear. It’s relatively common to see large stacks of colorful traps near various boat ramps and marinas during this period. These pots caught my eye for a few mornings before I gave in and made some images. | Photo of the Day |

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Light Sunrise Dave Allen

November 2016. Photographer and friend, Dave Allen, works the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse during an exceptionally spicy sunrise over Shallowbag Bay. This replica lighthouse is the smallest in the Outer Banks.

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Overcast

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Winter Sunrises

January 2019. My first overwinter in the Outer Banks I stayed within downtown Manteo, North Carolina. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse was the most convenient subject for first light photography; my lens found it often! | Photo of the Day |

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is the smallest lighthouse in the Outer Banks. And unlike the other original lighthouses, Roanoke Marshes is a replica, built and opened to the public in 2004. It sits about forty yards offshore of downtown Manteo, North Carolina, where, ironically, the town’s sewage and wastewater treatment plant previously stood. The lighthouse features a fourth-order fresnel lens on loan from the United States Coast Guard. It now serves as the centerpiece of downtown, sitting within Shallowbag Bay and the Roanoke Sound. Together with the Elizabeth II ship, the Creef Boathouse, and the fisherman’s net shed, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse celebrates the rich maritime history of the Outer Banks.

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Two Sunrise

January 2020. A return trip to overwinter in the Outer Banks provided more amazing mornings along the downtown Manteo, North Carolina waterfront. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse was once again a frequent subject in front of my lens. | Photo of the Day |

MANTEO_Candle Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse

January 2023. While enjoying a quiet morning along the waterfront boardwalks in downtown Manteo, North Carolina, I was drawn to this evocative scene. It was warm and humid, the salt air heavy with moisture. This candle behind a dew-laden window at Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse felt really moody.

January 2022. Spending the holiday season in the Outer Banks always feels special, for me. Arriving before the annual New Year’s celebrations in downtown Manteo, North Carolina, I was lucky enough to catch the seasonal Christmas decorations still hanging on the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, as well as the Creef Boathouse and Roanoke Island Maritime Museum.

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Blue Hour

January 2025. My favorite conditions at Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in downtown Manteo, North Carolina–aside from dramatic stormy skies–are a winter blue hour on a calm morning/evening. The structure and boardwalk glow with warm light, reflecting into the dark waters of Shallowbag Bay and the Roanoke Sound. It feels warm and peaceful.

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Rainbow

January 2025. I was shooting nearby in downtown Manteo, North Carolina when this rainbow began to develop in the sky. Rushing to get the lighthouse lined up in front of the double rainbow, things got hectic quickly! I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the post-storm light and rainbow, but I was so driven to put a few frames onto the memory card. I wish rainbows weren’t so fleeting! | Photo of the Day |

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Full Moon

January 2025. The Wolf Moon of January rises to the east over the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo, North Carolina. To get both a clear sky and calm conditions in the Outer Banks was a gift on this beautiful winter evening along the downtown waterfront boardwalks.

MANTEO_Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse Deconstructed

January 2025. Low light of evening strikes the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and reflects into the gentle chop of Shallowbag Bay in Manteo, North Carolina.

August 2015. The fisherman’s net shed is a rustric structure along the waterfront boardwalk in downtown Manteo, North Carolina. Together with the replica Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the Creef Boathouse, the Fisherman’s Net Shed serves as a reminder of the rich maritime history of the Outer Banks.

MANTEO_Fishermans Nethouse Vibrant Sunrise

November 2016. While friend and photographer, Dave Allen, worked the boardwalk in front of Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, I snuck over to the Fisherman’s Net Shed to take advantage of the spicy sunrise skies. The Net Shed is part of the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum. It celebrates the rich maritime history of the Outer Banks.

January 2020. Streaks of red at sunrise reflect into the calm waters of Shallowbag Bay. The distant community of Pirates Cove can be seen along the horizon, while the fisherman’s net shed and the waterfront boardwalk in downtown Manteo, North Carolina snakes around mid-frame right.

January 2020. The full Wolf Moon of January rises in the eastern sky behind a mirror reflection of Captain Carl E. Jordan Gazebo along the boardwalk and marina of downtown Manteo, North Carolina. This waterfront amenity and access is what makes Manteo a wonderful home base in the Outer Banks.

January 2020. The Elizabeth II is a 69-foot replica of an English merchant vessel. It sits just across the water from downtown Manteo, North Carolina along the banks of Roanoke Island Festival Park. The large, lit numbers of the coming year sit aboard waiting to bring in the New Year. | Photo of the Day |

January 2020. Frost on the waterfront wooden boardwalk at Roanoke Island Festival Park. My sister and I walked these boardwalks relentlessly during our monthly winter stays in Manteo. Our goal was to stay outside and moving during the short winter days!

January 2020. One of the small things I appreciate about January in the Outer Banks is the presence of wildflowers. These Wood Sorrel wildflowers bloomed in the yard outside of my Manteo rental home. Such a beautiful thing to see wildflowers in the dead of winter. | Photo of the Day |

November 2016. A full moon rises over the Atlantic Ocean behind heavy clouds while the sun sets to the west. Friend and photographer Tommy White and I photographed this scene at Nags Head Fishing Pier in Nags Head, North Carolina while scouting for an upcoming workshop.

NAGS HEAD_Nags Head Fishing Pier Underneath

January 2020. Underneath the Nags Head Fishing Pier. A broken piling shows the power and aggression of the Atlantic Ocean. Wooden fishing piers along the Outer Banks are fading. Costs to operate and maintain versus soaring property values creates a tough long-term equation for these coastal icons.

January 2023. A full Wolf Moon rises above the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the beach in Nags Head, North Carolina.

August 2015. Stiff overnight winds erase all footprints and shape the sands of Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina. Low-angled light gives depth and shadow, making this unique sand dune resemble more exotic and wild places further afield.

JOCKEYS RIDGE_Vibrant Sunset Sand Ripples

November 2016. Sunset from high atop the sand dunes within Jockey’s Ridge State Park Nags Head, North Carolina.

September 2016. Hurricane Hermine transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over the Outer Banks as it moved north. In the wake of the storm, beautiful clouds filled the skies and the sands danced with patterns from the strong winds. This was from within Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head, North Carolina.

June 2024. While on assignment for Southbound Magazine, I made a series of images showing people watching the sunset from the high vantages of Jockey’s Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks. In a flat environment, the height of the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge give big views west over the Roanoke Sound. As the heat of day gave way to the softer light of evening, cars would show up in the parking area as if to a music concert. Chairs, coolers, frisbees and other goodies got loaded up and everyone made their way to the highest dune to witness the end of another summer day in the Outer Banks.

June 2024. On assignment with Southbound Magazine to visually depict Jockey’s Ridge State Park. I wanted to show how wind was the element that brought the sand dunes to life. Using lower light and shadow, I was able to show how wind moved through this lanscape and shaped the place.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is North Carolina’s second most visited state park (as of 2025). It encompasses three distinct ecosystems over 427 acres: The Roanoke Sound, the large sand dunes, and the maritime forests. Jockey’s Ridge State Park is home to the tallest active sand dune system in the Eastern United States. The nearly one-hundred foot tall medano sand dunes are the product of a bimodal wind field, predominant winds–southwest in the summer and northeast in the winter–blowing sand back and forth. The tall dunes protect the nearby maritime forests, and the forests stabilize the dunes. Jockey’s Ridge was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1974 and became a state park in 1975. The park can be found at milepost 12.

June 2024. Many wildflowers grow along the perimeter of the giant sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Others hide within the small bits of maritime forest towards the southwest corner of the park. If you pay attention during the early morning and late evening hours, many beautiful small plants will catch your attention.

January 2025. There are two predominate wind directions in the Outer Banks: north northeast in the winter and south southwest in the summer. The strongest winds are the northeasterlies during the cold months. I walked the deep sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park mesmerized by the natural artwork that wind made within the sands. | Photo of the Day |

January 2025. Using low, warm light to emphasize the beauty of wind within the loose sands at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head, North Carolina.

January 2025. The wind enlivens everything within Jockey’s Ridge State Park. A grass strand sweeps a circle in the rippled, loose sands.

January 2025. After a winter storm dumped several inches of snow at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina I studied the strange but fascinating ways snow mixed with sand.

November 2020. Ghost silhouettes of trees flooded by the Albemarle Sound along the western boundary of Nags Head Woods Preserve, one of the largest maritime forests left on the east coast.

NAGS HEAD WOODS_Duckweed Interdunal Pond

January 2020. Stabilized dunes within Nags Head Woods Preserve give rise to interdunal ponds often covered in the electric green of duckweed plants.

January 2023. Bark Rash Lichen on the trunks of Holly Trees within Nags Head Woods Preserve in the Outer Banks.

Nags Head Woods Preserve is one of the largest remaining maritime forests in the eastern United States. Maritime forest is forest affected by the ocean. At Nags Head Woods Preserve, enormous sand dunes–Jockey’s Ridge and Run Hill–protect the property from the ocean (and winds) reach. The area was deemed a National Natural Landmark (along with Jockey’s Ridge) in 1974. Three years later, in 1977, The Nature Conservancy together with the towns of Kitty Hawk and Nags Head came together to preserve the land and forests. Today nearly 1400+ acres have been protected and remain open to the public. Many rare species exist within Nags Head Woods Preserve.

January 2023. A beautiful grouping of Oyster Mushrooms found within Nags Head Woods Preserve, Outer Banks, North Carolina. Oyster Mushrooms are choice edibles.

January 2019. Sunset scenes along the waterfront boardwalk and Currituck Sound in Duck, North Carolina. The dock was damaged by tropical storm Michael in October 2018, and was awaiting repair at the time of the above photo.

January 2020. The Duck Town Park Boardwalk at sunset. An elevated boardwalk roughly ten feet wide over the Currituck Sound on the western side of Duck, North Carolina provides public access and excellent views of sunset. The boardwalk runs roughly one mile in length, connecting many shops and restaurants. | Photo of the Day |

Duck Town Park and Soundside Boardwalk. A three-quarter mile elevated wooden boardwalk along the Currituck Sound connects retail businesses, restaurants, and recreational piers in the village of Duck, North Carolina. The boardwalk is ten feet wide and features a number of benches, lights, and water access points. The boardwalk faces west, providing excellent vantages along its length to witness sunset. All phases of the town park and boardwalk were completed by 2014. The Town Park and Soundise Boardwalk are pivotal to drawing visitors to the village of Duck, North Carolina, as there are zero public beach access areas within the town limits.

January 2021. Sunrise scenes along the Currituck Sound as seen from the Duck Town Boardwalk in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. | Photo of the Day |

November 2021. Mirror calm conditions create a surreal feeling along the Currituck Sound in Duck, North Carolina.

November 2021. A Cypress Tree within Currituck Sound along the Duck Town Boardwalk displays autumn burnt orange needles.

November 2021. A brilliant sunset sky over the Currituck Sound and a Cypress Tree as seen from the Duck Town Boardwalk.

January 2019. The Duck Research Pier, more formally known as the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), is an 1800-foot research pier for coastal studies. It is a unit of the Army Corp of Engineers. While not public, the structure and surrounding beach has been studied extensively and the data shared widely.

January 2019. The Duck Research Pier sits atop steel pipe pilings filled with concrete. The saltwater has caused oxidation on the steel, leading to really beautiful orange/yellow rusty coloring when viewed closely. | Photo of the Day |

The Duck Research Pier is an 1840-foot structure sitting on concrete pilings wrapped in steel casings. The steel has oxidized, giving the pier a striking orange, rusty color. Many in the Outer Banks call the Duck Research Pier “the steel” pier. It was built in 1977 by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers as a coastal observatory. Known as the Field Research Facility (FRF), the Duck Research Pier is a secure military facility not open to the public. It studies and records data on weather, waves, currents and tides. While access is limited, it is possible to walk underneath the pier along the beach in Duck, North Carolina.

January 2022. Underneath and along the beach at the Duck Research Pier in Duck, North Carolina. The oxidized steel pilings give a unique character to this coastal pier in the Outer Banks.

January 2022. Red skies at sunrise provide the backdrop at Duck Research Pier in Duck, North Carolina. This pier is owned and operated by the Army Corp of Engineers as a research and data gathering facility studying wave, current and beach profile data.

January 2022. A winter nor’easter drops a rare coastal snow along the shoreline in Duck, North Carolina. The Duck Research Pier can be seen in the background.

January 2022. Beachcombing is unique up and down the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While combing in Duck, I picked up a variety of pink calico scallop shells and piled them together for this frame.

January 2022. Following a winter nor’easter hundreds of sea stars washed ashore along the beaches of Duck, North Carolina.

August 2015. Standing rainwater from passing summer thunderstorms reflect the Whalehead Club at Historic Corolla Park, Outer Banks, North Carolina.

January 2021. Evening dusk light and puddle reflections at the historic Whalehead Club, Corolla, North Carolina.

The Historic Whalehead Club is a 21,000 square-foot mansion in Corolla, North Carolina. Built in 1925 by Edwards Colling Jr. for his wife Marie Louise Label Knight, it was used as a relaxed hunt club for friends and family. The property featured incredible materials and crafstmanship for the time, including generators for electricity and a full basement for coal storage and heating. The style of the structure is Art Nouveau. Following their passing, relatives sold the property and it underwent many different purposes from a Coast Guard recruitment base to a boys school. In 1992 Currituck County bought the property and restored it to its former glory. The Whalehead Club now sits within Historic Corolla Park in Corolla, North Carolina.

January 2022. A winter nor’easter brings snow to the Outer Banks and the historic Whalehead Club mansion in Corolla, North Carolina. The Currituck Lighthouse can be seen in the background. Both structures are within Historic Corolla Park.

COROLLA_Whalehead Snow Blue Hour Reflections

January 2022. The bright yellow paint on the Whalehead Club stands stark against the beautiful deep blues of dusk. Calm conditions mirror the scene. The Currituck Lighthouse looks on from the background. All of these structures are located within Historic Corolla Park, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

COROLLA_Whalehead House Reflections Inverted

January 2022. The hard light of early evening reflects the glow of yellow paint on the Whalehead Club into the small pond behind the structure. I inverted the image, placing the reflection right-side up. What was an image taken on whim has turned into one of my favorites of this highly decorative mansion in the Outer Banks.

COROLLA_Whalehead Blue Evening Reflections

January 2024. The blue hour of dusk at the Whalehead Club Mansion in Historic Corolla Park, North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

COROLLA_Whalehead Blue Lighthouse Christmas Lights

January 2024. Evening reflections at Whalehead Club Mansion in Historic Corolla Park, North Carolina. Christmas decorations still adorn the Currituck Lighthouse in the background. These are iconic structures within the northern Outer Banks (OBX). | Photo of the Day |

January 2020. The boathouse at Whalehead Club is a vibrant peachy/pink color that comes alive with evening western light. I photographed only the reflections here within the relatively calm lagoon. Both the Whalehead Club and boathouse are now part of Historic Corolla Park, North Carolina. | Photo of the Day |

January 2021. The boathouse at Whalehead Club was the hub of the property’s waterfowl hunting operations. Decoys, skiffs and corn were stored within the boathouse, as well as two generators which provided electricity to both the boathouse and the main house. I find reflection photography around this structure to be very enjoyable.

January and November 2020. Live Oak trees and a beautiful wooden bridge along the shoreline of the Currituck Sound, part of the Whalehead Club and Historic Corolla Park, North Carolina. Small skiffs would have left the boathouse, traveled through this small lagoon, crossed under the bridge, and gone out into the Currituck Sound to hunt for this areas historic waterfowl.

January 2020. With it’s west facing views and waterfront access, Historic Corolla Park is a very popular sunset spot any time of the year in the Outer Banks. | Photo of the Day |

January 2021. Weddings and events are common on the grounds of the Whalehead Club in Historic Corolla Park. Arriving well before sunrise, I was surprised to find this warm glow within the event tent, a perfect contrast to the deep blues of morning.

January 2025. A brilliant winter sunset lights the skies above Historic Corolla Park. Snow and ice decorate the lagoon and boat ramps.

COROLLA_Whalehead and Bridge Sunset Wide Pano

January 2025. Winter sunset scene at Historic Corolla Park in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Whalehead Club, bridge, docks, and Currituck Sound can be seen.

August 2015. The gazebo at Historic Corolla Park stretches out into the Currituck Sound and provides tremendous sunset views open to the public.

August 2015. While camped at Oregon Inlet the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore received an influx of Sargassum (seaweed).

December 2022. After a frosty and windy winter night of camping at Oregon Inlet, my sister and I woke to find amazing artwork along the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Lighter-weight and lighter-colored sands were blown off of the darker sands composed of heavy minerals. The patterns left on the upper dunes were mesmerizing!

January 2021. The Ocean Pursuit shipwreck was a 72-foot scallop boat that ran aground March 2020 after mechanical issues. For nearly two years the boat sat unclaimed, sinking deeper and deeper into the sand and the surf before being removed permanently by the National Park Service. It serves as a perfect vision of why this area is known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” | Photo of the Day |

BODIE ISLAND_Dune Reflections Tidal Pool

August 2015. Oregon Inlet is one of the most dynamic places in the Outer Banks. This is the southernmost side of Bodie Island where high dunes are being scoured by wind and water as the inlet naturally migrates and is also held artificially open for marine traffic and local economies.

August 2015. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge spanning Oregon Inlet and connecting Nags Head with Hatteras Island, North Carolina. The Bonner Bridge was built in 1963 and served over fifty years before being replaced by the Marc Basnight Bridge in 2019. The Oregon Inlet connects the Pamlico Sound to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream.

The Oregon Inlet connects Pamlico Sound to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream. Formed by hurricane in 1846, it was named for the first boat through the new channel. Today, NC-12 crosses Oregon Inlet via the Marc Basnight Bridge (formerly the Herbert Bonner Bridge), connecting Bodie Island with Pea Island and the Hatteras villages to the south. Oregon Inlet is a dynamic place: its sands shift and shoal and its currents are dangerous to mariners. It is no longer a natural landscape feature either: constant dredging is required to maintain the passage. In 2022, Dare County and the State of North Carolina bought a dedicated dredge, the Miss Katie, for this purpose. It can be seen docked on the southwestern side of the inlet.

BODIE ISLAND_Basnight Bridge Reflections

September 2023. The relatively new Marc Basnight Bridge spanning the Oregon Inlet. Traffic is carried over NC-12 (The Beach Highway) from Nags Head to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Hatteras Islands beyond.

BODIE ISLAND_Oregon Inlet Sunset Verticals

January 2023. Tidal pools reflect the vibrant sunset above the Marc Basnight Bridge from the southern end of Bodie Island. The Basnight Bridge crosses the Oregon Inlet and connects Nags Head to Hatteras Island in the south.

BODIE ISLAND_Sunset Mudflats Basnight Bridge Duo

January 2024. Mudflats form along the northern side of Oregon Inlet. High tide interacts with the flats in neat and unpredictable ways, making each frame unique. The Oregon Inlet is one of the most dynamic places to photograph in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. | Photo of the Day |

June 2013. Sunset behind the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge and the Oregon Inlet. The Bonner Bridge connects Nags Head to Hatteras Island and the Oregon Inlet connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. The inlet is a very dynamic area of the Outer Banks.

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge connected Hatteras Island to the northern Outer Banks when it was built in 1963. A two-lane 2.7 mile span over Oregon Inlet, the Bonner Bridge was designed for a thirty year lifespan. Well beyond it’s engineered lifespan at the time of these photographs, the Bonner Bridge was ranked 4/100 for safety. Scouring around the foundations was the primary concern. Several ships also struck and damaged various support pilings over time while navigating the shifting channel between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound. The Bonner Bridge was replaced in 2019 by the Marc Basnight Bridge. A bit of Bonner Bridge on the southern bank of Pea Island remains as a pedestrian walkway and pier out into Oregon Inlet.

PEA ISLAND_Bonner and Basnight Bridges Sunset

January 2020. The Marc Basnight Bridge replaces the Herbert Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX). The Bonner Bridge (shown here in the mid-frame right) was in the process of being removed.

January 2021. The Marc Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX). The Basnight Bridge connects Nags Head to the string of Hatteras Islands to the south via NC-12. | Photo of the Day |

January 2024. Sunset colors the sky behind the Marc Basnight Bridge. A remnant section of the Bonner Bridge gives public access to the Oregon Inlet, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pamlico Sound. The Basnight Bridge connects Nags Head to the north with the villages of Hatteras Island to the south via NC-12. | Photo of the Day |

The Marc Basnight Bridge is the replacement for Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks. The Basnight Bridge spans 2.8 miles and utilizes a design that is considerably higher and more stable around the foundations to scour and coastal conditions. The tall sections are referred to as continuous segmental concrete box girder construction. The Basnight is the 3rd longest bridge of it’s kind in North America. It has won numerous design and engineering awards throughout the region and the country. The Basnight Bridge was opened to the public in February of 2019. It serves as the connection between Hatteras Island and the central and northern Outer Banks.

January 2026. Low tides at Oregon Inlet were amazing this winter. The rock jetty on the southern side of Oregon Inlet was blanketed in exceptional green mosses providing a color explosion in an otherwise gray winter landscape. I would creep around these rocks every evening watching a coastal racoon fish for seafood during low tide. And the number of hermit crabs and other critters in the shallow tidal pools were curiously beautiful.

PEA ISLAND_Oregon Inlet Lifesaving Station

January 2020. Heavy winds whip the deep sands near the Oregon Inlet Lifesaving Station on Pea Island. The Coast Guard vacated this site in 1988. The property was given to the state in 2000 and is managed by North Carolina Aquariums. It underwent renovations in 2008 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The future of the property is unknown. | Photo of the Day |

January 2020. The warm last light of evening on the high dunes along the northern edge of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. | Photo of the Day |

January 2024. Beautiful colored seaglass collected along Pea Island (left) and a chunck of old black seaglass with benicia iridescence (right). | Photo of the Day |

January 2019. Small, grass-covered dunes along the northern end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Pea Island is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX).

January 2019. Bits of colored seaglass found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Anyone who has sought and found a piece of frosted, smooth seaglass along the shoreline can attest to the feeling of coming across something special. It’s one of the neatest transformations: that the sea can turn trash into something akin to a rare jewel sought by collectors everywhere. | Photo of the Day |

January 2019. The backside of a Moon Snail shell found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. These shells are typically beige/brown. The distinctly bluish/gray wear patterns on this particular shell really caught my attention and my focus! | Photo of the Day |

PEA ISLAND_Shark Eye Moon Snail Shell Incoming Wave

January 2019. A Moon Snail Shell found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The color patterns were quite pearlescent when wet. I placed the shell within a shallow area of surf and waited for the incoming waves to interact for this frame. | Photo of the Day |

January 2019. The Whelk is one of the largest shells I find along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Knobbed Whelk has a right-handed opening (dextral) and often features a bright orange aperature. The Lightning Whelk has a left-handed opening (sinistral) and often features some of the more intense color combinations. | Photo of the Day |

January 2019. The Queens Helmet shell will raise the heart rate of any beachcomber. Tropical shells, I don’t typically find many of these and when I do, the helmet is typically damaged from the heavy surf. That was the case with this Helmet Shell; however, the colorful, ribbed aperture was what I found most interesting behind the lens.

January 2020. Sand dunes on the northern end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX).

January 2020. A calico-colored Lightning Whelk found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Lightning Whelks are sinistral (left-handed openings/apertures). | Photo of the Day |

January 2020. Channel Whelk shells found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Channel Whelk has a very distinctive spiraling groove along the crown of the shell. They are somewhat more fragile than the Knobbed Whelk and often have some damage from the rough surf on the way to the beach.

October 2013. I saw two masts over the sand dunes on Pea Island as we drove to our rental home in Hatteras, North Carolina. Returning to investigate a few days later, I was greeted with perhaps the most explosive sunrise I’ve seen in the Outer Banks. The wreck was known as “The Belle.” It was a salvage being towed along the shore when both boats ran aground. The Belle remained a landmark along the beach for years, the subject of many photographs before weather, waves, and vandalism eventually left no trace of it’s existence.

January 2020. A chunky piece of greenish/clear seaglass washes ashore at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. I often find seaglass mixed within the busy piles of shell hash that accumulate along the beaches.

Pea Island is separated from Bodie Island by the Oregon Inlet. To the south, Pea Island was separated from Hatteras Island by the New Inlet. The New Inlet most recently opened in 2011 following Hurricane Irene. However, it has since closed and a permanent bridge–the Richard Etheridge Bridge–now spans the inlet. Pea Island can thus be considered the northern end of Hatteras Island.

In 1938 the thirteen miles of Pea Island were designated a National Wildlife Refuge. They provide nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migrating birds. Numerous waterfowl impoundments on the west side of NC-12 attract migrating birds, especially during the winter months. The beaches are part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Pea Island is an uninhabited stretch of beach popular with those who shell and beachcomb. I find myself spending a large amount of time on Pea Island with the camera.

January 2023. The rugged beauty of winter in the sand dunes along the northern end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

November 2020. Wind driven patterns paint and carve the deep sands along the high dunes on the northern end of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

January 2020. A yellow Whelk Shell catches the warm fading light of evening as the Atlantic Ocean washes. I found this shell along Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX).

January 2020. A Scotch Bonnet shell atop coral found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. North Carolina adopted the Scotch Bonnet as it’s state seashell in 1965, the first state to designate a state shell. Scotch Bonnets are surprisingly hard to find in the Outer Banks (OBX).

January 2021. Crushed and ocean-polished pieces of Quahog Clam shells. The rich purple coloring on these small bits of clam shell really stand out along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Native Americans used the purple and white Quahog Clam shells to make Wampum, a ceremonial bead. | Photo of the Day |

January 2022. I found this live Channel Whelk while walking along Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. The pearlescence of a live shell is incomparable. I gave this guy a good toss back into the ocean after taking a couple portraits.

January 2022. Beachcombing is the art and practice of attention. It’s a form of meditative walking where your senses are plugged into place. In that way, I find beachcombing to be a natural extension of the process used for any landscape photography. This was a pile of small treasures found while beachcombing Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

January 2022. Small and intricately patterned pieces of the Quahog Clam shell. This shell was used by Native Americans to make Wampum, a ceremonial bead.

January 2023. The paper nautilus shell of an Argonaut Octopus. I never in my wildest dreamst thought I would ever find an intact paper nautilus in the Outer Banks (OBX)! While walking my dog on Pea Island, he led me to the upper beach where I would not normally beachcomb. It was there that I found this nearly perfect nautilus. This shell is used by female argonauts to hold and protect their babies.

January 2023. A detailed look at a small auger shell. Sometimes the small shells are the most beautiful when viewed closely.

January 2025. When the wind and light conspire to make the beach an art project. Found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina.

PEA ISLAND_Sand Patterns and Bird Tracks

January 2023. Sand is a natural storyteller! On the left, two bird tracks cross with each bird sharing one exact footprint. On the right, a retreating tide leaves a record that resembles the ocean waves from above. Studying sand patterns is always a story waiting to be told visually.

January 2025. The wind cuts two seemingly opposite patterns in the same general area of Cape Hatteras National Seashore along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. I take outsized pleasure walking the beach after a strong winter wind. | Photo of the Day post |

January 2025. Beautiful bird feathers (left) and the fascinatingly strange bits of Moon Jellyfish washed ashore along Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

October 2013. The remnants of the first New Inlet Bridge built sometime around 1934 by the North Carolina State Highway Commission. The pilings sit within Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and can be seen from NC-12.

January 2022. The shoreline of the Pamlico Sound at Salvo Day Use Area in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This area features some of the most amazing Live Oak Trees near the water.

January 2022. Macro view of a Sand Dollar, a flat, burrowing Sea Urchin. I found this one along Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Salvo, North Carolina.

January 2023. Detail views of the Scotch Bonnet Seashell. The Scotch Bonnet is the state shell of North Carolina, the first state to oficially designate a shell. Finding Scotch Bonnets in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is not easy. Mostly, I find them along the south facing beaches (and Ocracoke). There is a spot in Salvo, however, that I’ve also had good luck finding a few of these beauties.

January 2023. A picnic table tucked within Live Oak Trees along the Pamlico Sound in the Salvo Day Use Area.

January 2023. Small shells found along Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Baby’s Ears, Coquina Clams, a Moon Snail Shell and a piece of broken Quahog Clam Shell. I don’t collect shells. However, I do love to pick them up, carry them, run my fingers over their textures, and photograph them before returning them to the beaches for someone or something else to enjoy.

November 2019. If you venture off well-traveled pathways, beware Prickly Pear Cactus. These plants carry spear-like bristles that will send you back different than when you entered.

November 2018. Underneath Avon Fishing Pier along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Avon Fishing Pier is wooden and undulates like a rollercoaster from the constant stresses of life in the Atlantic Ocean.

October 2019. Sunrise colors the sky over the Avon Fishing Pier, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.

November 2020. The earth’s shadow at dawn paints the sky pastel pinks and blues while the Pamlico Sound mirrors. This was one of the calmest days I’ve ever experienced on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. This was an old community boat ramp in the village of Avon.

November 2020. A snail snacks on an Indian Blanket wildflower along NC-12 between the villages of Avon and Buxton, North Carolina.

November 2020. Indian Blanket wildflowers growing along NC-12 between the villages of Avon and Buxton, North Carolina. This stretch of highway–near the Canadian Hole–is always flush with these wildflowers. This was a particularly calm morning and the flowers were rich with dew.

January 2022. Deep blue hour underneath Avon Pier along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.

January 2024. Detail photos of a beached Portuguese Man O’ War washed ashore near the Avon Fishing Pier in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX). The colors on these strange Siphonophores are mesmerizing.

November 2014. Waves at high tide hit a wall of sand at Old Lighthouse Beach and curl back towards the sea. This was a risky photograph that ultimately ended with saltwater on my camera and lens. However, the ability to connect Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to the sea was too enticing not to try.

August 2015. After moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1999, it now sits fifteen hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean, tucked into a stand of maritime forest. This image was made from the beach, peeking up and over the primary dune and back towards the light.

March 2016. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse sits within an area of beautiful maritime forest and marshlands in Buxton, North Carolina. I always wanted to wade into these marshes and photograph the lighthouse reflecting into the waters but I don’t know the rules or have an understanding of what is harmful for this environment. It’s still an adventure that I would like to explore.

January 2019. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse reflects into calm marsh waters near The Point in Buxton, North Carolina. Despite many efforts, I’ve never been able to line this shot up with both calm conditions and busy skies at sunrise/set. Something to look forward to still!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. It’s famous for it’s daymark, a black double helix stripe that many refer to as the “barber pole.” Nearly 1.25 million bricks comprise the structure. In September 1999 the lighthouse was moved 2900 feet to retreat away from coastal erosion along the shoreline. The lighthouse served one of the most dangerous stretches of shoreline in the Outer Banks, where the Labrador and Gulf Stream collide offshore creating dangerous shoaling near Cape Hatteras in Buxton, North Carolina.

January 2021. An extremely wet winter season leaves a deep pool of standing water in front of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina. After a long morning of shelling the beaches near The Point, a restroom break at the visitor’s center revealed these beautiful reflections and prompted me to run for the camera. | Photo of the Day |

September 2017 (Left). The sun rises above the Atlantic Ocean and the third jetty/groin at Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, North Carolina. November 2018 (Right). A passing rainshower offshore builds surf around the second jetty/groin along Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, North Carolina.

September 2017. A long exposure smoothes the Atlantic Ocean around the third jetty/groin at Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, North Carolina. The stones and additional wooden pilings were added in the nineties. The structure has eroded considerably since. A rehabilitiation is planned in 2026 for this groin.

The Buxton Jetties–technically groins–were constructed in 1969-70 by The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to protect a nearby cold war naval facility, as well as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The three groin structures pre-date the Coastal Area Management Act of 1974 that prohibits hardened structures along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The purpose of the Buxton Groins was to trap sand on the beaches and prevent longshore drift. The state is preparing to repair the southernmost of the three groins in 2026 to, hopefully, trap and retain some of the massive sand renourishment project they are planning to the north.

January 2022. The continued degradation of the third jetty/groin along Old Lighthouse Beach in Buxton, North Carolina. The ocean pounding this structure at sunrise makes for quite a dynamic visual behind the lens. This is a popular area to watch sunrise along Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

January 2022. A winter storm uncovers the brick wall foundations of the wrought iron fence that used to surround Cape Hatteras Lighthouse when it sat on the shoreline before being moved in 1999. It’s fascinating how much history is just beneath the sand along this small stretch of beach in Buxton, North Carolina.

BUXTON_Old Lighthouse Beach Sunset Scenics

November 2019. A full moon rises over the Atlantic Ocean along Old Lighthouse Beach and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Buxton, North Carolina. The lights of shrimp trawlers can be seen just offshore. The commercial trawling season peaks in summer for brown shrimp and fall for white shrimp, with the season for both ending in late November.

February 2021. High tide washes the beach near The Point in Buxton, North Carolina. This area is famous for fishing. Just offshore, the Labrador and Gulf Stream collide, shoaling and mixing the waters, making for an incredibly productive area to fish and shell along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. | Photo of the Day |

January 2021. Left and center: mushrooms and lichen found within the maritime forests of Buxton, North Carolina. Right: a stack of sea glass and stones atop a Moon Snail shell on the beach near The Point in Buxton, North Carolina.

November 2019. Portuguese Man O’ Wars washed ashore along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Man O’ Wars are siphonophores, or colonial organisms, made up of many smaller organisms called zooids. These man o’ wars were missing the tentacles; they had the bubble-like sail and the feeding and reproductive bits.

January 2020. The colorful sails of a Portuguese Man O’ War beached along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The sails are known as pneumatophore. They are gas-filled bladders that are used as both flotation devices and sails to catch the prevailing winds. If necessary, the animal has the ability to deflate the sail temporarily if under attack from surface predators.

January 2020. The beautiful Portuguese Man O’ War washed ashore along Cape Hatteras Nationanl Seashore near The Point in Buxton, North Carolina. I find the bright colors and otherworldly textures and patterns of the Man O’ War irresistible behind the lens. | Photo of the Day |

November 2016. Underneath the Frisco Fishing Pier. Originally called The Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier, the structure was built in 1962. It stretched around 600 feet into the Atlantic and was the only south-facing fishing pier in the Outer Banks (OBX). The Frisco Fishing Pier closed in 2008 and never reopened to the public. By 2017, the entire structure was removed.

November 2018. High tide washes a thick pile of shell hash along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. These piles are often where beachcombers look for small pieces of colorful seaglass.

November 2018. My favorite sound at the beach is when high tide begins to wash through a thick pile of shell hash. If you stop and listen, the water moves the shells against each other, the clinking similar to a dull wind chime. When I stopped to enjoy this happening near Hatteras Point, I decided to pull the camera and see if I could visually capture the moment.

November 2019. Left: predawn skies over a Hatteras Island boardwalk across from the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Right: Dusk clouds move through the sky over the marshes along Pamlico Sound near Salve Day Use Area.

October 2014. Wind direction affects water color in the Outer Banks. A light east or southeast wind often gives the best chance for the blue-green tropical waters to show clearly. I had to stop and photograph the ocean near Hatteras Point on this particular evening because of the clarity and color of the water.

October 2013. Before real estate became prohibitively expensive for normal people, my mother’s favorite part of a trip, I think, was finding and selecting which rental property to choose. The opportunity to live a different life for a week, I suppose. This was one of her favorite rentals, a soundfront home with it’s own private gazebo and boardwalk. It became a frequent subject behind the lens.

November 2019. The stump of a live oak tree in the Atlantic Ocean near Hatteras Point. Barrier Islands naturally migrate over time. Left to their own devices, the Outer Banks would naturally move southwest. This is hard, obviously, for those who wish to make permanent structures (and roads) on this dynamic strip of sand.

November 2018. Juvenile Ghost Crabs along Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Ghost Crabs are semi-terrestrial, living within the intertidal zone. Their bodies, especially when young, are pale and mottled to camoflauge with the sand grains. They are nocturnal. You’ll likely see them while walking the beach around sunset or later at night in the beam of your headlamp or flashlight.