Duck, North Carolina 2017
10/27/2017 Duck, North Carolina - This image here is one of my favorite images of all time, not because the image itself is the best that I have ever done composition or technique-wise, but mostly because of the story that is behind the image. Don’t get me wrong I really love the image itself but the story and the connection of that moment in time is what an endearing spot within my heart forever.
So my mother and stepfather owned a timeshare condo in the community called Ocean Pines, it is located basically halfway between the Town of Duck, North Carolina, and the Town of Corolla, North Carolina. Mom and Wayne went every year in October to vacation since 2000. I think I went down there maybe two or three times until the year 2010 when I begin to go down there with them every year. Mom and I were there more times than Wayne until he retired in 2015. We had a good old time down there running around the place shopping, eating out, and just relaxing on the beach. If you have not been to the Outer Banks in October I highly recommend it for you to try. Everything is so peaceful and the traffic is barely there yup October is warm enough to be out on the beach enjoy a crisp cool air but not too cool.
On this day in 2017, I was two years into my journey as a photographer and I was still learning new things. I just started to learn about night photography and I really need to start putting practice into all that I had learned. So on this night, I was going to do just that I was going to go out there ride around and find things that I think would make a great night time shot. I began to pack up all my gear and put on a jacket when mom came downstairs and asked me where was I going. I told I was headed out with no idea where I was going to wind up but it would definitely be photography involved. I am guessing she was bored and really needed to get out of the condo because she asked if she could tag along. It is either that or she was worried about me being out there in the dark at night all by me. Which I never understood because I was a grown-ass man and she was still worried about me as if I were a vulnerable little boy still. Do not get me wrong I loved that she cared that much but just never understood it fully until it was no longer there for me to question.
Mom grabbed her jacket while I loaded the gear in the car. We began our night around 7 PM I think, the air was crisp and cool no overcast the condition was great for night photography there was just a slight breeze coming off of the Currituck Sound. We found a public pier that we could walk out on and I began to unload all my gear to start shooting across the Sound. I had brought a ton of glow sticks along with me because I wanted to learn and practice light trails and painting that night as well. I think we stayed on the pier for about 2 and a half hours just having a blast playing around with the glow sticks and teaching hear everything that I knew about night photography. That was the one thing about mom, no matter what she was always interested in what my sister and I were doing. She may not have agreed with most of it but if we were interested in it she was going to find out more about it and try her best to share in our interest. I cannot even begin to express how much I miss that unconditional love and support that she showed us both until her dying day! It is such a loss that there is a huge gaping hole in my heart and in my soul, but for her, I soldier on!
We left that pier after a couple of hours and begin riding down Route 12 towards the Town of Duck when I saw the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar all lit up on the Sound. It was so pretty so I pulled into that parking lot grabbed my gear and found a spot to take what I thought was going to be amazing shots but really weren’t. We hung around here for another 30 minutes or so without any real luck of getting the shot I wanted. By this time it had gotten colder, neither one of us really had the right jacket for the cold air that night. We hopped back in the car and headed into town.
The pier image below is pretty much next door to the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar and I have always wanted an image of the pier just didn’t think about it because it was that easy to park somewhere and walk to. So we headed further in town and we rode around a bit talking about life laughing and just having a good time because we were warm again. I could not find anything to shot so we were turning around and heading back home by now it is about 10:00 or 10:30 PM hardly anyone out there no cars to speak of and we road past that pier again and I saw it from a different angle. I knew right then and there I needed that shot.
I asked mom if she was down for taking a small walk and let me get one more shot before heading back to the condo. As always she did not even hesitate to say yes all she wanted to do was support us no matter the cost to her. SO since she was up for it I turned the car around and found a parking spot at the Barrier Island Station which was across the street and about a 1/4 mile walk down Route 12 to get to the pier scene.
Once we got to the pier scene I began to unpack my tripod and camera and started to set up for the scene composition. Out of the corner of my eye, I began to notice mom jumping up and down. I looked over at her and she pulled her hoody up over her head and pulled it tight around her face trying to warm her cheeks. She had gotten cold while waiting on me to set up everything. Mom was a smoker and she most likely had two or three cigarettes from the time we left the car until I was completely set up and ready to begin shooting. I am sure this factor did not help her in any way to stay warm.
Nevertheless, she was a trooper, she stood there for another 45 minutes talking to me keeping me company asking all kinds of questions about what I was doing and why I was doing it that way or that way. Like I said earlier she always found a way to be interested in what we were doing and that was one of her ways to stay engaged with my sister and me. No matter the situation no matter the harm that fell upon her she was always going to be there for the two of us no matter what, she was simply the best person I have ever known.
That was an amazing night running around the Outer Banks just having a fun old time getting shots and just talking with her all night long. It is such a fond memory for me and I honored that memory that Christmas in 2017 with a printed and framed version of that very pier and gifted it to her so she was able to take pride in what we accomplished that night. She loved it and she told that story anytime anyone asked about the picture she was not only proud of me for taking the shot but she was proud of herself for enduring the conditions that got that shot. It still hangs on the wall in her dining room along with so many others that I gifted to her throughout the years. I think that was her favorite by far.
Today is January 27, 2021, and today is my birthday. I miss hearing sing me Happy Birthday before anyone else could wish me a happy birthday. It is the little things that get you after someone so important is gone. The little things just have a way of sneaking up you and slapping you in the face. So on this special day in honor of my mother I share with you all one of our many special days. It’s is certainly ironic that both my Birthday and the special day in my life happened on the 27th day of a month. That day and moment in time will forever have a special place in my heart and this is why the image you see below is so special to me. It is all about the story and the love for my mother more than it is about the image. I love and miss you, mama!
If you like this image and want it for yourself feel free to find it in my shop.
