Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina Reopens to Visitors

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Dan

These recently-taken images are of the Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina seen reflected in the waters and showing the saltwater marshes that surround it.

After years of restoration and repair, the Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is scheduled to reopen to visitors today, April 16, 2013.

The scaffolding has been taken down, the lighthouse has received a new paintjob, the Fresnel lens has been replaced, and the lighthouse interior has been repaired. The doors are schedule to be opened to visitors April 16th.

I have taken many photographs of the lighthouse on Bodie Island throughout the years in all seasons and at all times of the day and night. I have taken photos of it before the sunrise and at sunset. These picture were recently taken after the scaffolding was taken down, but before the lens was replaced and the lighthouse opened to visitors.

The photo with the lighthouse reflected in water was taken from the newly-constructed boardwalk that allows you to walk over the saltwater marshes that border the lighthouse. Lots of wildlife including birds and deer can be seen near the lighthouse. The other photos show the boardwalk and the marsh area, and one of these was brushed into the style of a painted photograph.

The lighthouse was shrouded in a rather unattractive scaffold for yeas, but now the long wait is over. The Bodie Lighthouse has been restored and made even more beautiful than before. If you visit or vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Bodie lighthouse is a must-see attraction.

If you are a photographer or an artist, you can capture the beauty of Bodie at both sunrise and sunset.

If you visit in late spring, summer, or fall, be sure the bring the insect repellant. It, too, is a must.

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Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase a picture, click on an image above.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

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(PictureNorthCarolina -at- gmail -dot- com)
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Outer Banks Fishing Village – Englehard Harbor

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Dan

A new addition to the online gallery is this fine art photograph of commercial fishing boats moored in Englehard Harbor off Pamlico Sound on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The print is available in traditional (FX) and painted photograph versions.

I visited this area and took pictures on a working weekday. Englehard, North Carolina is a picturesque little village on Pamlico Sound in the Outer Banks area. Just about the only commerce here seems to revolve around commercial fishing.

While taking the pictures, I could watch people working. One thing instantly obvious is that people involved in the commercial fishing industry work very hard. It is hard work whether working on shore, in dry dock, or when out to sea.

I like and took this picture because it was a pictureesque scene. With the many boats all concentrated in a small area and their masts pointing to the sky, it seemed to represent both the people and the village.

A painted photograph version was recently added to the gallery:

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Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

Gentle Thoughts – a new fine art abstract landscape

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Dan

I have added a new abstract landscape to the Tranquil Moments gallery that I like a lot. The image is titled “Gentile Thoughts – A Tranquil Moments Landscape”.

I like the style of the photo because it looks like Japanese art. As the title implies, it is a very soothing, gentle picture.

The photo was taken at the Currituck Banks National Estuarine Reserve. The reserve is located just north of the Corolla lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The reserve is a unique habitat containing a wide variety of ecosystems. It is a maritime forest and also contains brackish and freshwater marshes. It is the southern-most range for many northern species and the northern-most range for some southern species.

The reserve has a nice boardwalk that will take you to the edge of Currituck Sound. Should you choose not to walk the boardwalk, the reserve also has a nice hiking trail which ends at Currituck Sound in a different area. The reserve is full of beautiful, twisted, and convulated live oak trees like this one. The wild horses of Corolla can also be seen in the reserve.

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Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

Outer Banks Rare Weather Event – Roll Cloud

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Dan

The encyclopedia says this about roll clouds:

“A roll cloud is a low, horizontal, tube-shaped, and relatively rare type of arcus cloud. …Roll clouds usually appear to be ‘rolling’ about a horizontal axis…Coastal roll clouds have been seen over California, the English Channel, Shetland Islands, Lithuania, Eastern Russia, other maritime regions of Australia, off the Mexican coast in the Sea of Cortez, Uruguay, in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Ontario, and Campos dos Goytacazes and Coronel Vivida bay in Brazil.”

roll cloud outer banks hatteras lighthouse

Rare roll cloud about to roll over the Hatteras Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

And now they have been seen in North Carolina on the Outer Banks.

I took the pictures of the roll cloud while on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was the first time I had seen one, and it was amazingly beautiful. But I did not give it much importance at the time because I assumed it was something not that unusual for the area. That was until I started to do research on it. I searched for other pictures of them on the Outer Banks. Not only could I find no other pictures on the Outer Banks, I could not find pictures of a roll cloud in the state of North Carolina. I began to realize just how rare they are.

roll cloud outer banks hatteras island north carolina

A rare roll cloud passes over Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

I was taking pictures in a wetlands / marsh area not too far from the Hatteras Lighthouse. It had been a rainy night and morning, and the rain had just begun to taper off. Off in the distant west, I could see what I thought was another thunderstorm approaching, so I hurried my work thinking the rain would soon begin again.

But as the “storm” got closer, I could see it was not a thunderstorm after all, but rather a giant rolling tubular cloud that stretched from horizon to horizon. It was a wonder of a sight. When it got close, I swung my camera around and began taking pictures of it. It was a very low-lying cloud, and when it rolled directly over my head, something unusual happened. Suddenly the winds picked up. Not like normal, but like somebody had flipped a light switch. One moment there was little to no wind, the next there was a stong sustained wind with higher gusts. It was definitely associated with the roll cloud because it began as it rolled directly overhead.

There was no rain associated with the roll cloud, just the wind. It rolled over my head continuing its journey East. As it hit the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean, which was probably only a few hundred yards away from where I was working, it seemed to begin losing its tubular structure. I have pictures of that, too, and may publish them at a later date.

It was not a dramatic event as one would associate with violent weather. However, the fact that it was such a rare event is what prompted me to publish the pictures and this article. I feel blessed to have experienced such a relatively rare event. I hope you have the opportunity to see one, too.
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To purchase a print, click on an image:

Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

The Dangerous Side of Fine Art Photography

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Dan

I have been assaulted, injured, and have had camera and equipment destroyed while taking pictures. One time I knew, not thought, but knew I was going to die of freezing exposure. This image, and the story behind it, is one of those times when taking risks yields dramatic results..

STORMY BODIE LIGHTHOUSE OUTER BANKS

Bodie Lighthouse, outer banks, north carolina tropical storm Danny

Lightning can be seen surrounding the Bodie Lighthouse as tropical storm Danny passed over in pre-dawn hours.

I enjoy the challenge of shooting pictures under adverse conditions. All too often I run across photographers who run and hide their heads from the rain, thinking that their best work can only be done in fair weather. I have found that the most dramatic images are often created in and under bad conditions.

Often a photographer’s personal experiences encountered while capturing an image will influence their feelings about it. Such is the case with Stormy Bodie.

This is the Bodie Lighthouse on Bodie Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This image was shot while tropical storm Danny was rolling over the Outer Banks in August, 2009. High winds peaking at 60 miles per hour, walls of driving rain, incredible non-stop lightning… the conditions could not have been better for a photo adventure!

When I left Buxton (Outer Banks – Hatteras Island) about two hours before sunrise that morning, I did not know where to go. I had no plan other than to be shooting somewhere at first light, about an hour before sunrise. I didn’t really expect to see a sunrise during a tropical storm, but I wanted to do something! That quiet, still little voice in my ear said “Bodie!” So I went.

It’s normally about a 45 minute drive from Buxton to Bodie. It took longer. As I made the drive in the dark, I became disheartened because I drove thru patches of horrendous downpours and wind. The highway was flooded in areas, as Highway 12 on the Outer Banks often is. I often use an umbrella to shoot in rain primarily to protect the camera, but I knew that would not be possible this time because the wind was so heavy it would have blown the top of the umbrella apart. I truly believed that when I got to Bodie I would be forced to stay in the car and watch.

As I began to near Bodie, I literally shouted out loud! Woo Hoo! The rain was subsiding, the wind had lessened, and the lightning was still popping like firecrackers! Who could ask for more! As I pulled into Bodie, I knew I had to work fast as this respite was only temporary and soon the rain and wind and violent weather would begin again.

bodie lighthouse outer banks north carolina mosquitoes tropical storm danny

This image was taken with another camera. In it you can see dozens of white trails. These are the mosquitoes, swarming everywhere.

I jumped out of the car, set up the tripods and cameras as fast as I could, went to position a good shot, and snapped an image. And that’s all she wrote. I was instantly driven back to my car by another danger you would never know about viewing the Stormy Bodie picture: the mosquitoes were horrendous! I abandoned the cameras and hightailed it back to the car to load up with Deet. The mosquitoes can be seen in the black & white picture.

I shot some more while still being attacked. As it stands, I was forced back to the car three different times and used about half a can of Deet. And still, those darned little devil bats kept biting, right thru the Deet. I realized it was a losing battle and just allowed myself to be tortured.

The lightning was really popping – multiple times each second. And that was my goal – to capture Bodie lighthouse with lightning. I took some good photos. Unfortunately, the size restrictions of images on this blog diminish the impact. But in the Stormy Bodie image you can see multiple pops behind and illuminating the clouds to the right of the lighthouse, lightning to the left, and down at the bottom-left, a very large bolt striking the ground. It probably hit the ocean which is in that direction.

Another reason I like this picture is because of the timing. Normally, you’re more likely to get thunderstorm pictures in North Carolina during the afternoon and evening. Early morning thunderstorms are less frequent. But Danny began to roll into the area in the early morning hours. The show it created was great and the timing could not have been better.

As it turned out, the rain and wind did not return as quickly as I had anticipated. I managed to take photos for quite a while and also had time to set up the infrared camera and get some really nice black & white storm pictures with it. They will be published at a future date.

That’s the story, and why this image is a personal favorite. It wasn’t about the picture, it was about taking the picture. It was an adventure, and a good example of how often the story behind a picture can mean more to a photographer than the picture itself.

For you photographers, the important technical info: Canon 5D Mark II, 30 sec., f5.6, ISO 1600, 24-70 L, manual, fl 35.0 mm; and the most important info: OFF! brand, Deep Woods Sportsman Deet

The moral of this story is that to get dramatic pictures, you need to photograph dramatic scenes. Be safe, but don’t always run and hide your head from the rain. Sunshine, blue sky, and puffy white cloud pictures are nice. They have their place. But dramatic pictures are too.

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To purchase the image, click:

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Fine art photographs and art works are available as prints, mounted prints, framed and matted prints, canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and greeting cards.

To purchase the picture, click on the image.
To view all artwork, or for detailed product information browse to:
Fine art photography and art of Dan Carmichael

Photography and Fine Art of Dan Carmichael

Fine Art Photography and Unique Painted Photographs

Category Archives: ocean

Bodie Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina Reopens to Visitors

Outer Banks Fishing Village – Englehard Harbor

Gentle Thoughts – a new fine art abstract landscape

Outer Banks Rare Weather Event – Roll Cloud

The Dangerous Side of Fine Art Photography