Win a free Trash the Dress Session on the Outer Banks, NC

The Trash the Dress phenomena is sweeping the industry and has become the NEW must do for brides as well as high school seniors. I would like to let more people have this experience, because even those who were lukewarm to the idea in the beginning, find that they are disappointed when the session is over because it was so much fun. Then after they see the photos from the session they realize that these are some of the best and most unique photos they will ever have of themselves.

For the 2009 season I will be running a Trash The Dress Essay Contest. I will put the essays on my blog to be voted on by my readers. The winner gets a Free Trash the Dress Session on the Outer Banks for themselves or to give away to a friend. Email me your essay to obxshelley@gmail.com, title the email Trash the Dress Essay Contest. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009.

Here aree some photos of Trash the Dress Sessions in the past year.

My Outer Banks Art Gallery

I love to create unique art with the images I take. In my home I have an art gallery where I display images of our grandchildren. Images that started as a photo and were transformed into graphic black and white art. I am currently working on six new images for the gallery.  The trick to these types of images is finding the right image to work with, it has to have the right amount of light, shadow and midtones to make an effective high key image.

Anybody can do this on a wall in their home, create your own art gallery. It’s not the same as a wall of photos, all the frames are the same, and it is limited to black and white high contrast images. Personalize it to show your interests. My favorite interest just happens to be my grandchildren. But you could choose flowers, trees, animals, extreme closeup images of objects. Some people love high fashion and would find a wall of images of Jimmy Choo shoes cool. There are a lot of possibilities, so go for it.

My images are all 16×20 on masonite for sturdiness and durability. The size is common which makes it much easier to find a large number of frames to fit.

Here is a photo of my gallery wall as I have had it for a long time. Today I am painting the wall and when I rehang the paintings, they will all be butted up against each other for a more powerful impact. This also will give me room to add more images to my ever expanding family!

 

 

Here are a few images I am working with for the new display:

In honor of the Summer Solstice on the Outer Banks!

I decided to celebrate the first day of summer by photographing some of the flowers and plants in my yard. We moved into this property 6 years ago this summer and in the beginning it was bare ground. No trees, grass, shrubs of any knid in the area that was cleared to build the home and install the septic system. We have come a long way, but as all gardeners know, you are never DONE landscaping and gardening your yard. As things grow, and overgrow, decisions are made to move the plant to a different location or to simply prune it. Sometimes plants that I have high hopes for fail wither by simply dying from the excessive heat we have here. This year I built a potting bench (by myself) and I am doing a better job staying on top of my garden chores.

But today it was all about the camera and the plants, I hope you enjoy!

We trashed the Dress at the Outer Banks Beach Club!

What a fun time we had today! A few days ago when I photographed Samantha and Noah for their engagement, I asked if they’d be interested in trashing the dress. After a few quizzical looks on their part and a short explanation on mine, they were all for it. So we planned it for today, and luckily the weather held out for us.

Samantha chose a dress and the bouquet was made of orchids and seashells, edged with baby’s breath flowers, and made by Holiday House Flowers. Thank you Kim and Wes for the gorgeous bouquet!

We started at the edge of the ocean, lying in the sand, then venturing out into the waves. Oops…it was a little too rough and we retreated back to the sand.

After we finished up on the beach and rinsed all of the sand out of our clothes, we headed to the pool. Noah took Samantha by the hand and they ran and jumped into the pool! Just like that! Then I climbed in (minus my camera) and made some adjustments to Samantha’s dress, reached for my camera and as they say, the rest is history.

Thank you Samantha and Noah for being such great sports and so much fun to work with, you too Paula and Michael, and thanks for loaning me a dry shirt to wear home!

The Jacobson Family Photo Session on the Outer Banks

This was a fun, easy going family, willing to do anything I suggested! Thanks guys, see you soon!

Samantha + Noah

This newly engaged couple chose the Outer Banks for portraits to celebrate their engagement! They are soo cute and I had so much fun! Our session was over before I knew it! Luckily I will see them again on Thursday for a Trash the Dress Couple session.

Where the locals meet on the Outer Banks

It is very easy to find a place to eat or hang out on the Outer Banks. From Corolla to Ocracoke all one needs do is turn your head one way or the other and you can see a great place to sit awhile and get a bite to eat or a liquid refreshment of one kind or another. But if you prefer to hang out with the locals, you have to look deeper. In Manteo there is the Green Dolphin Pub, great food and liquid refreshment to boot. It’s near the Manteo Booksellers which is a great place to grab a book, sit on one of their couches or easy chairs and peruse  the books pages before you decide to buy it.

 

For great pizza and other Italian delights visit Cosmo’s at the Marketplace in Southern Shores (across from the Walmart shopping center.)

Colington Cafe is a beautiful out of the way spot. Great if you want to get dressed up more than shorts and flip flops. The food is great!

Lone Cedar Cafe! You must make this one of your planned stops!

For ice cream we go to Cold Stone Creamery at the Dare Center in Kill Devil Hills.

Mulligans in Nags Head has great food and lots of fun!

Kelly’s in Nags Head has been a locals favorite for many years. They have great food and a really nice bar with a huge fireplace. This is where we hang out in the winter.

You’ll usually find more than a few locals at Penguin Isle on the beach road in Kitty Hawk, MP4.

Tortuga’s Lie!! Great appetizers and entrees! Lots of locals congregate here.

 Also, if you are looking for waterfront dining (believe it or not, it’s rare on the Outer Banks) then visit Sunset Grill and Raw Bar in Duck. They have an outside eating area that has a glorious view of the Currituck Sound. Many days there are sailboats and catamarans in the water there. They have an upstairs dining area also, with great views.

 

So get out and have fun while you are here visiting us. But remember to get a designated driver or call one of the friendly taxi drivers on the Outer Banks (OBX).

See you at the beach!

Glorious Outer Banks North Carolina

The Summer season is starting out with absolutely GORGEOUS weather! There are numerous new restaurants and shopping centers, and new to the Outer Banks is Lazer Tag with at least two locations offering it.  We now have a Starbucks in Kitty Hawk, as of last year, two Dunkin Donuts locations, three Harris Teeter Grocery Stores and a new seafood restaurant, Captain George’s Seafood Buffet located about Milepost 8 in Kill Devil Hills on the bypass.

For vacationers heading to Hatteras Island I have included here a few photos

Fish house in Rodanthe

 

 taken in Rodanthe, turn on the road across from the Chicamocomico Lifesaving Station and you will see the exact location where these photos were taken.

Fishing/Crabbing Boat

To all of you who are traveling to the Outer Banks this summer, please drive safely and give me a call before you leave home to make arrangements for a family beach portrait session. It is a great way to take your memories of the Outer Banks home with you. It’s almost painless, in fact it’ll be over before you know it.  Mention my blog when you make an appointment and you will get a free gift with your portrait order.

See you soon!