The Colors of the Sea

The sun gives us the light to make photos and see marvelous sights like the sunrise over the ocean. Whether cloudy or clear there is sure to be a painting on the horizon. Rays of light over the waves with a high contrast and deep colors makes for such an interesting texture over the water

During the brighter times of the day I found myself watching the waves to see the texture of the water. I have viewed many waterfalls throughout the world and the formations that tumbling water forms is amazing but the clean waves from the ocean are a different kind of cool. I played with the colors for the waves to accentuate the greens and pinks that would appear in the water from the creatures and sediments within

Speaking of creatures something else that was very abundant on the beach was the smoothed out shells of the many mollusks that lived there. After collecting a big bowls worth of many colors of shells I arranged them on a desk at the beach house in the gradients that they appeared to match with eachother

The range of colors that came from these shells was a really interesting mix of blacks, purples, browns and yellows. Arranging them in this gradient was a fun little puzzle to go through while I waited for the next day to come.

Nags Head

Along this colorful coastline is a community of beach houses. Sitting on stilts and decorated with all the classic ocean themed art. The outsides were just as colorful ranging from light blues to bright oranges. All in order to give a beautiful place to be on vacation

A common sight on the shore are these lighthouses. Both decorating the beach houses and standing tall to guide the ships out at sea. Walking up these buildings built with an old style of brickwork brought out many interesting colors and lights. Even the views were spectacular high up on the top of the tower

Alongside these attractions was also a giftshop that I found had a very interesting aesthetic. Ocean themed knick-knacks and antiques of unknown origin were scattered across the house that used to be the home of the lighthouse keeper. Pirates, clocks, paintings, and pictures all showing the history of the area

Speaking of history something that is well known for these shores is the wind that was able to bring out the first flights of the Wright Brothers. Atop this hill on the beaches of Kitty Hawk sits a monument dedicated to this achievement. The evolution of their gliding planes would often fly above this monument as a proof to its success

A monument made of such thick concrete and steel stands tall with statues of the people who it is dedicated to. Being the only structure standing on top of a hill with fields of grass on all sides you can watch the horizon and feel the winds that brought us flight

Wildlife

Out of all the interesting things hidden among the ocean sands I found the wildlife to be the most interesting. As an ornithology enthusiast I am always more drawn to the birds of the area. With interesting birds like the Gray Jay that would jump on the roofs and bushes of the township greeting me on my way to the beach

As I approached the ocean I would be see these large birds flying over the surface looking for fish. Large brown pelicans flying along the ocean spray like they were hovering over the surface. Their size is deceptive from so far away, and the colors of the ocean would often compliment their own colorful feathers

There were birds that came closer then the pelicans like these gulls, walking along the shore looking for crabs and trash to eat. Being able to get so close and get such detail on their feathers is always exciting for me. You can really tell what they look like so close and their curiosity comes out in their poses.

Of all the birds the most majestic and amazing bird for me were the many ospreys that would fly over the area. When at the top of these tall light house towers and looking over the coastline these beautiful birds would search for their prey. Soaring majestically over the town houses and beaches.

But even with a focus on the birds there was one creature that would appear every morning that I found made the most interesting colors among the sands. Digging their homes in the sand these crabs would peak out in the morning to see what they could find for food. The surface was covered in grey and black sand but when dug up the orange and white would be a stark contrast on the ground