Mark VanDyke Photography
North Carolina Outer Banks Fishing Pier
Blue Hour Stormy Sunrise at Jennette's Pier in Nags Head
Dare County, Coastal North Carolina
Accessed via Old Oregon Inlet Road
Date taken: September 14, 2014
One day, one shot. Whatever the conditions, make something happen in a short window of time. That was the goal this past weekend. A quick trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina gave me one day of shooting between travel to find and execute something. I was rusty too—August is typically a drier month for me in terms of productivity and September is time to shake that rust and get back into the groove before the landscape reveals its autumn colors here on the eastern seaboard. The weather this past weekend wasn’t going to pat me on the back with opportunity either—overcast, rain, gray, uninspired stuff. While much of the surrounding area was experiencing a serious cold front and drop in temperatures, the coastal barrier islands of North Carolina were moderated by the sea, holding the thermostat relatively steady and instead showing change only through a persistent overcast layer of gray blah. I drove from the Northern Banks to the Southern Banks, stopped at all the easy targets—lighthouses, marinas, parks—and in the end it came down to blue hour just before sunrise on departure day to find a grain of inspiration. You don’t really know when or where these moments of inspiration will happen, but after you chimp that LCD screen on your camera and see “it”, it’s unmistakable. Nothing left to do at that point but dial in the craft as best as possible and produce something that hopefully can be shared and added to the overall body of work. It all happens in a five or ten minute window when the light, contrast, and environmental conditions collide to create something that moves me as a photographer. That’s nature’s part. My part is to compose something using all of those elements and environmental conditions that conveys something meaningful. That’s the photographer’s work. Granted, when I work within such a tight window, there’s always going to be things that are not done perfectly—at least this has held true for me. But I can live with that. This shot is no exception. I got a few things right and a few things wrong. But, and this is something that I have to stand aside from, perhaps the story comes through and if all worked to some extent, the viewer will experience some emotion or reaction to the scene. That’s the process in a nutshell, that’s how it happens for me, and that’s how it happened on this morning. Have a great week folks and get out there when you can!
Jennette's Pier is located in South Nags Head or the central Outer Banks. The original wooden pier was the oldest along the coasts of the Outer Banks, however, hurricane Isabel pretty much wiped it off the map in 2003. In the spirit of keeping North Carolina's fishing pier heritage alive in the face of rapidly declining numbers, Jennette's Pier was built to withstand, utilizing a concrete structure enabling nearly one-thousand feet of purchase into the Atlantic Ocean. Owned and operated by a division of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), fishing piers like Jennette's remain an important amenity allowing those who cannot afford to own or charter a boat affordable access out into the ocean.
North Carolina Outer Banks Fishing Pier
Blue Hour Stormy Sunrise at Jennette's Pier in Nags Head
Dare County, Coastal North Carolina
Accessed via Old Oregon Inlet Road
Date taken: September 14, 2014
One day, one shot. Whatever the conditions, make something happen in a short window of time. That was the goal this past weekend. A quick trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina gave me one day of shooting between travel to find and execute something. I was rusty too—August is typically a drier month for me in terms of productivity and September is time to shake that rust and get back into the groove before the landscape reveals its autumn colors here on the eastern seaboard. The weather this past weekend wasn’t going to pat me on the back with opportunity either—overcast, rain, gray, uninspired stuff. While much of the surrounding area was experiencing a serious cold front and drop in temperatures, the coastal barrier islands of North Carolina were moderated by the sea, holding the thermostat relatively steady and instead showing change only through a persistent overcast layer of gray blah. I drove from the Northern Banks to the Southern Banks, stopped at all the easy targets—lighthouses, marinas, parks—and in the end it came down to blue hour just before sunrise on departure day to find a grain of inspiration. You don’t really know when or where these moments of inspiration will happen, but after you chimp that LCD screen on your camera and see “it”, it’s unmistakable. Nothing left to do at that point but dial in the craft as best as possible and produce something that hopefully can be shared and added to the overall body of work. It all happens in a five or ten minute window when the light, contrast, and environmental conditions collide to create something that moves me as a photographer. That’s nature’s part. My part is to compose something using all of those elements and environmental conditions that conveys something meaningful. That’s the photographer’s work. Granted, when I work within such a tight window, there’s always going to be things that are not done perfectly—at least this has held true for me. But I can live with that. This shot is no exception. I got a few things right and a few things wrong. But, and this is something that I have to stand aside from, perhaps the story comes through and if all worked to some extent, the viewer will experience some emotion or reaction to the scene. That’s the process in a nutshell, that’s how it happens for me, and that’s how it happened on this morning. Have a great week folks and get out there when you can!
Jennette's Pier is located in South Nags Head or the central Outer Banks. The original wooden pier was the oldest along the coasts of the Outer Banks, however, hurricane Isabel pretty much wiped it off the map in 2003. In the spirit of keeping North Carolina's fishing pier heritage alive in the face of rapidly declining numbers, Jennette's Pier was built to withstand, utilizing a concrete structure enabling nearly one-thousand feet of purchase into the Atlantic Ocean. Owned and operated by a division of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), fishing piers like Jennette's remain an important amenity allowing those who cannot afford to own or charter a boat affordable access out into the ocean.