I let the real-time conditions determine my shooting schedule and direction in place.  This type of responsive strategy forces me to always adapt, to be flexible.  It keeps the actual practice of landscape photography less bullish and more like a dance, I think.  The place takes the first step, showing me some unique combination of environmental conditions.  Then, it’s up to me to follow.  If I can find the rhythm—of the place and the season and the conditions—I’ll start producing behind the lens.  Creativity flows.  The process feels natural.  The frames fit.  They’re honest.

On my January visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina the prevailing weather pattern was predominately clear skies with heavy winds out of the north.  It took me about a week to settle and start to read the opportunities.  One place I kept returning to over and over was Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.  The orientation of the northern end of Pea Island was catching the wind in a way that the sand was being rearranged and stripped down into patterns that were increasingly interesting to me.  I practiced shooting within the 40-60mm range; my eyes began to search for these smaller vignettes within the beach and dunes.

This convergence of sand stopped me in my tracks.  How could the same wind affect adjacent sand in such dramatically different ways?  I wanted to highlight the different directionality within the frame, using a diagonal demarcation to give as much dynamic tension as possible.  This was one of several frames I made on this evening.  It was the year of wind—shown through patterns in the sand—for me.

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 @48mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  January 20, 2025
Settings:  f14, 1/13 second, iso 200