Kaylyn’s Senior Portrait Session on Currituck’s Outer Banks

Kaylyn is a lovely 17 year old from Northern Virginia, who came to me to have her Senior Portraits done. We had it scheduled for last Monday (August 10th) and it was HOT! It has been a very rainy and seasonably cool summer, but that day (of course) was a scorcher, actual temp was 96 and with the heat index it was 102. But she was a trooper, and with her mom and dad and Aunt Cathy tagging along, we sought some shade to get started.

We were at the Whalehead Club in Corolla and started out in the shade of an ancient tree next to the wooden bridge. First she and I climbed under the bridge into the supports and once we batted away the spider webs and looked around to make sure there were no creepy crawlies to surprise us while our attention was diverted, we got some great images. Then I had Kaylyn lean back on the tree by the bridge and snapped off about a dozen images of her there. We spent about an hour in various settings at the Whalehead Club, on the gazebo, on the pier, on the bridge, then we headed over to the beach to get some shots of her in the dunes and the surf.

I think she looks a bit like Country singer Patty Loveless in some of the photos, I had a great time and I think despite the heat that she did too.

Dinner and Dolphins on the Outer Banks

Dinner on the beach

This past weekend I got a phone call from George Marion,  a sweet man who was planning to celebrate his 13th anniversary with a dinner on the beach. He wanted to have a Profressional Photographer there to document the evening in pictures and create a one of a kind album for him to give his wife Anita, the love of his life! Whether it would really be able to take place was the big question all weekend.  The weather report was calling for a 30% chance of thunderstorms, and since we had been having nightly thunderstorms it seemed likely that the night would be a washout. But Monday morning he called me and said it was on. “God won’t let it rain,” he said. He was right, not only did it not rain, it was a beautiful evening, cooler temperatures than a normal August evening, perfectly comfortable tempertures for a couple in tuxedo and evening gown. The Hilton Garden Inn set up a linen covered table on the beach next to the Kitty Hawk Pier. David, their private waiter, brought them each of the courses of their meal and saw to their every need. Then in the middle of dinner,  I saw Anita point out to sea. Unbelievably, as if on cue by George, there was a pod of dolphins. There were probably about 12. or perhaps 13 of them. They were making their way northward. Then suddenly one of the dolphins leapt into the air, and I captured it on film (so to speak, I use digital), then a moment later two dolphins leapt into the air in opposite directions from each other, back to back. And, yes, I captured that too. It was MAGICAL!  George and Anita were celebrating their 13th Wedding Anniversary, but 13 did not turn out to be an unlucky number for them.

Click on an image below to see a larger picture.

Outer Banks 2009 Trash the Dress Essay Contest

For the 2009 season, Shelley Chamberlin Photography 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.

The session will start out as a Fashion Photo Shoot and then get more and more into the Trashing the dress phase. Your dress won’t necessarily be ruined, if you just get it wet it can be cleaned. If you do not have a dress to wear for the session, or are not willing to wear your own dress, I have a selection of about 12 wedding dresses in assorted sizes that you can select from. The session includes a hair stylist and makeup artist to help you to look your very best!

To enter contest: Write a short essay telling why you would like to be photographed in a “Trash the Dress Session”, how messy or wet are you willing to get?  How brave are you?? Do you want to include your, husband, fiance, boyfriend, pet, friend, teddy bear, etc? Be creative!

In the email tell me your name, address and phone number so I can contact you. this personal information will not be placed on the blog with your essay. The winner will be selected based on the number of comments that they receive. Applicants and winner must be 18 years of age to enter and must sign a model release form so the photos from the session can be used on the blog and for marketing purposes. Prints from the session will be available for sale to the winner and the winner’s family. The value of this portrait session is $750. The winner will not have to pay a fee for the Trash the Dress session. The date of the session will be at the discretion of the photographer, Shelley Chamberlin. Photos of the session will be put on the blog within one week of the session. The winner will be announced one week after the deadline for essay submissions.

Email your essay to obxshelley@gmail.com, title the email “Trash the Dress Essay Contest”. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2009