Welcome to part 3 of our Outer Banks adventure…..you can read part 1 here…and part 2 here…
See The Light
Having been in the Outer Banks for a few days photographing and dodging crowds, it was time for us to head to Manteo, or the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse to be precise. Trying to take video here was difficult as it was so dark. But that’s the beauty of photography and knowing techniques. A longer exposure grabs the requisite light to show the lighthouse at the end of the jetty. Plus the lights on each post make a nice leading line. Luckily, it wasn’t too windy for a change.
Not Those Lights
The distraction in this shot are the lights in the background of the Outer Banks itself. They appear to the left and the bridge from Manteo, so getting down low helps to hide a lot of that. It is a wooden jetty and walkway around the bay here, so we tried to keep our movements to a minimum and also made sure we were not too close to each other when photographing to avoid any vibrations. Also, being dark, we had to make sure we didn’t accidentally step off the side into the water. That would not have been good!
An Old Fishing Pier
The Outer Banks Fishing Pier is a favourite of mine. Not just because of Fish Heads Bar and Grill and their extremely delicious salad with tuna bites, no. This pier oozes character. This shot was all about timing. The seventh wave kind of timing, where a slightly bigger roller came in with a nice white cap. Patience was a virtue but as the tide turned their frequency increased..
Jennette’s Pier
Time to head back to Jennette’s pier. We’d still not managed to shoot a decent sunrise or sunset there. Once again, clouds were forecast but this time there were some in the sky. Being early we took a little walk around on the pier, had a look at the acquarium inside. We also walked to the end and back, as we kept our eyes on the clouds, which seemed to be decreasing rather than the promised increase. There’s a wealth of information displayed about the pier, including several rebuilds due to storm damage.
Ultimate Fisher
MrsFaceless particular liked the statue of the pelican – many of which we had seen flying up and down the coast over the previous few days there. Once we got back to the beach we staked out our spot for sunset. Frustratingly, the only clouds that picked up any colour were almost behind us at this point. So quick photo of the sunset over a wooden bench, then wait for the sun to finish going down. Once it was down, it was time to concentrate on getting some night time shots of the pier. To give the images that little extra we closed down our apertures so that the lights would create lots of little starbursts.
The next day was spent doing some touristy stuff and taking MrsFaceless out for a nice evening meal. At which point the winds had picked up further and a squall was heading in.
Hoorah!
Good news. The squall meant clouds. Sadly, it also meant another early start for a possible sunrise at Jennette’s pier. But finally, after 4 days of trying there was colour in the morning sky!!
Our time in the Outer Banks was over. There was still one more stop we had planned. A little off the beaten path, but it should be a good one.
Mattamuskeet
This has got to be one of the easiest locations to shoot. Step out of the car, walk 100ft to the viewing gantry and click away. Just bear in mind this location is remote. The Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge features Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural freshwater lake in North Carolina at about 18 miles long by 7 miles wide. However, it only averages 2 to 3 feet deep. There is an information center there which is staffed by volunteers so is not always open. What we went for though were the Cypress trees. And what a sight they are.
The classic shot here is still water, reflection and hopefully fog to obscure the land in the background. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad as the song goes. Number 3 will need to be done in post! Again, this is a wooden platform so movement was at a minimum and taking shots one at a time.
All that was left was the long drive home and a chance to think about all we had seen and done. Oh, and discuss when we would be back again.
We hope you have enjoyed our little journey together – the story and the video; if so please head over and leave a comment on youtube – and a like and subscribe is always much appreciated!
Until next time…..