A chaos of colorful clouds streak ever-so-slightly above tranquil seas and a gently encroaching tide in this long-ish exposure from a December sunrise near Nags Head, North Carolina.

A few weeks ago, needing a respite, Sky and I came up with a plan to meet at the coast before dawn to shoot sunrise at among the dunes at Jockey's Ridge. Before we could even meet at the entrance to the dunes though, we could see the sun was impatient. Beautiful light began to dot random patterns of clouds over the nearby seashore, but nothing looked like it could be composed with the dunes we planned to shoot from on the other side of the thin barrier island.

A bit of a scramble ensued, culminating in a something of a sprint--and some rather hasty shots from a random lonely bit of beach--before the colorful light winked out as daylight emerged. The sea and sunrise were the only compositional subjects to be found in that rush to the beach. But that morning, in these times, that was more than enough.

Thanks for viewing.

Tags:   Nags Head Kitty Hawk North Carolina Dawn Sunrise Morning Beach Atlantic Ocean Seashore Landscape Long Exposure Nikon photobenedict Tide Sea Sand Clouds Outer Banks Colorful Cape Hatteras Bodie Barrier Island Abelmarle OBX

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A quick trip to the Outer Banks (OBX to folks around these parts) in search of some delicious fresh seafood turned even better when the westward cloud bank somewhat surprisingly pushed south and broke apart, leaving a nice path for sunset light to burst through and put on quite a beautiful show over the iconic Bodie Island Light Station, in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.

This lighthouse and its surrounds may be among the most photographed places in the Carolinas, but during the cold season you can have the place to yourself, or nearly so, most sunrises and sunsets. It's absolutely worth the extra fleece layer or two. I only wish the light was set come on a little earlier before dark (this is about 20 mins after sunset, and the light still wasn't on). Like a mariner from the age of sail, I would have been very heartened to see the lighthouse's rotating beam, and I really would have liked to have a sunstar from that light in this image. But, alas, 'twas not to be.

Thanks for viewing!

Tags:   Bodie Island Light Station Lighthouse Dusk National Park Outer Banks North Carolina Manteo Nags Head Bodie Island Cape Hatteras National Seashore Nikon Landscape Sunset photobenedict Beach Seashore Atlantic Ocean Salt Marsh Marsh Boardwalk Long Exposure Singh-Ray Clouds Pink Color Trees Spring Kitty Hawk Albemarle Sound

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Streaks of vibrant light illuminate thin low clouds in a long exposure taken a short while after sunset on the salt marshes at Bodie Island Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina.

This is from a quick road trip to the Outer Banks last evening. It was unseasonably cold, but a nice sunset along with some good seafood and a couple of cold beverages made the trip more than worthwhile!

Explored on 4/26/2015. Thanks for all the visits, comments and faves!

Tags:   Bodie Lighthouse Outer Banks North Carolina Manteo Nags Head Bodie Island Cape Hatteras National Seashore Nikon Landscape Sunset photobenedict Beach Seashore Atlantic Ocean Salt Marsh Marsh Boardwalk Long Exposure Singh-Ray Clouds Pink Color Trees Spring Kitty Hawk Albemarle Sound

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Damaged beyond repair by repeated hurricanes and the ravages of the Outer Banks coastal environment, the Cape Hatteras Fishing Pier stands in pieces for one of its few remaining sunrises as its awaits demolition, Frisco, North Carolina.

Tags:   Cape Hatteras Frisco North Carolina Fishing Pier Sunrise Atlantic Ocean Beach Landscape Nikon Diamond Shoals Outer Banks photobenedict Beautiful Long Exposure 10-Stop Ruin Sea Travel

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