I like to walk. It's a large part of how I develop a relationship with the land. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a wonderful place to walk in the Outer Banks (OBX). There's no development, few people, and miles of beautiful sand and ocean. On a winter...
During a predawn beachcombing expedition along Cape Hatteras National Seashore I found this large chunk of coral. It measured probably twelve inches wide and weighed as much as a bowling ball. It was still dark when I dug it out of the wet, loosely packed shell hash...
One of the neatest things about beachcombing is the surprising combination of color, pattern and shape of individual shells. Winter is the perfect time to beachcomb. Walking keeps you warm and the cold temperatures--and often gusty winds--keep the crowds far from...
In March of 2020 the Ocean Pursuit, a 73-foot steel-hull commercial scallop trawler, beached along the Bodie Island Spit. The spit is just north of Oregon Inlet and part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. North Carolina's barrier islands are infamous for...
I dreamed of extended stays when I became a full-time landscape photographer. Every year a different location. Twelve months of intense exploration in a new place. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to realize that dream. Yet. Instead, like most other working...
It was the first time that I broke the bubble since Covid began. For nearly nine months I've avoided any travel that wasn't solo and/or off-grid. I was to meet friend, writer, and photographer Kristi Parsons in the Outer Banks, a series of barrier islands off the...
The natural world has always held my interest. Finding things--wildflowers, berries, shells, rocks--each provide an immersive experience for me: an opportunity to direct my attention, to show respect, and to learn. The physical transition from terrestrial to marine...
My dream has always been to overwinter along the coast: to spend the cold months beachcombing the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina. For the past two years, I've made that dream a reality. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a...
PUBLICATION: Our State Magazine ARTICLE: Island Time PHOTO USE: One-page and 1/4 page spreads, pages #54-55It's always fulfilling to get an opportunity to place images in Our State Magazine. So many of the places and memories of my own life have occured within...
Photography is a game of vision, and vision is unique to each photographer. How each of us views a place is some complex derivation of personal experiences, learned knowledge, and personal attributes—all of which cannot be duplicated, only...
Hermine. That was the monster that lingered on the forecast for Labor Day weekend. Being an outdoor photographer, of course I was heading towards the storm instead of away. Only this time it wasn’t necessarily by plan. My mother and I booked a weekend of...
By the time August rolled around I was pretty down. It's not unusual for the summer months to be a bit of a downer for me from a photography standpoint as I try to hunker down and save money and energy for the coming autumn blitz. However, this was year two as a...
Publication: Our State Down Home in North Carolina Issue: September 2015, Volume 83, Number 4 Story: A Wall of Sand by John H. Tucker (p.#41-44) I'm honored to have another opportunity to work with the folks over at Our State Magazine for the month of...