The Island

The Island documents life on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The long and narrow string of barrier islands for many is a vacation destination. For me, it is much more. It is a place where I fell in love, married and hope to one day raise a family. The Island is my connection to a place that like the tide has its highs and lows.

The Outer Banks is undergoing changes from both human forces and mother nature. Over the years the dunes protecting the island have eroded from the hands of over-development and by the force of the ocean. Today, residents of the island are undergoing a heated debate about re-nourishing those dunes and protecting the island from the unforgiving waves of the Atlantic or letting mother nature take her course and the ocean taking what was once hers. No matter the outcome of this heated debate this project serves as an important documentation as the sands of time change and shift the shape of the island.

Armed with my Hasselblad these photos are what I experience in my daily outings walking on the beach, trips to the grocery store and from right outside my front window. These photos are a continuation of my wife’s grandfather stories of what the island use to be like when there were fewer homes and far fewer people. This is my way to continue his stories for my children.

Only time will tell if anything is left of a place I consider home. I can only hope the island is around for generations to come, but even if it’s not this project, will be a testament of what once stood at the mercy of the Atlantic.