The 2022 Saltwater Retreat - Outer Banks Women’s Photography Workshop
This fall, we kicked of two weeks of back to back retreats the last week of September. The first part of the week’s weather was spectacular so we filled our first few days with as much as we could in hopes of getting it all in before the rain and winds from Hurricane Ian arrived.
After our intro happy hour, we walked down to the beach for a beautiful, peaceful sunset. The light was soft and delicate, giving us the perfect opportunity to experiment with panning while also catching the last of the sun’s rays over the dunes.
Sunrise filled the sky with beautiful pastel colors the next morning.
After the beautiful sunrise, we headed back to the beach house for some homemade scones and fresh coffee. We all gathered around the tv as I projected each attendee’s photographs on the screen for a discussion session. This time is always everyone’s favorite as we get to know each other’s work and understand each other’s passions and goals.
In the late afternoon, we set out for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. With clear blue skies and a lighthouse undergoing renovations, we spent much of our time experimenting and playing with creative techniques such as sunbursts.
Sunset was spent on the shore of the Pamlico Sound watching shorebirds, photographing seafoam in golden light, and soaking up the end of a beautiful day.
The next morning dawned with a sky filled with beautiful clouds, giving us the perfect opportunity to practice long exposures.
After sunrise, we headed north to Roanoke Island, visiting the Elizabethan Gardens for some macro photography and a garden walk and then the adorable little town of Manteo for lunch, shopping, and exploring. I always love wandering this small town looking for news ways of seeing the sights I have visited so many times. The reflection of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in the window of the Net Shack might be my favorite photograph of the whole week!
After an afternoon in Manteo, we stopped at Surfing Spoon for a sweet treat before heading to Bodie Island Lighthouse. We weren’t really sure what to expected with the skies filling with grey clouds, but we held out hope and were rewarded with the most spectacular sunset of the week. But as we waiting, we played with reflections in puddles and followed the cute killdeer with our big lenses.
The effects of Hurricane Ian arrived overnight, yet we pushed against the wind, heading north to Pea Island. With winds gusting over 40 mph, we grabbed a few shots and headed away from the blasting sand to the wildlife refuge in search of birds. While most were hiding from the winds, we spotted a few throughout the ditches.
On our last evening together, we headed to Frisco and the south facing beaches, avoiding much of the winds brought by the storm.
My heart was overflowing with inspiration and admiration of another incredible group of women at the Saltwater Retreat.
The Saltwater Retreat is a women’s photography retreat and creativity workshop designed to educate, inspire and help you become the photographer you long to be. Held on the shores of Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, this is chance for women photographers to spend a week immersing themselves in the craft of creating photographs without the distractions of home, this photography trip is more of a vacation than a workshop. I invite you to join me at the next Saltwater Retreat.