Photography Field Trip
Last year I joined our local photography club. I attended about 2 meetings in person before COVID hit, and we had to resort to ZOOM meetings. I was doing a pretty good job of attending the monthly meetings, but I never made it to the monthly workshops once those resumed. The club does a fantastic job of engaging the members with monthly workshops, either lessons in Lightroom or a field trip to take photos of a specific theme.
Towards the middle of the year, I lost interest in the club. I think it was an overload of the virtual meetings. I am also a member of our local beekeeper’s club, which is also meeting virtually. And working from home, practically all of our interactions are virtual. It was just too much.
When I received the email reminding members that club membership was due, I decided this was a club I wanted to be a part of. Not just a name on the Facebook member page. I paid my dues and attended the April meeting after many months of being absent. My timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
The field trip for that month was a trip to the eastern part of our great state to look for bears and alligators. Sign me up!!
Wake Up Call
My husband joined me on this adventure. An adventure that began before the sun came up. The caravan left home base at 5:00 am and headed east. Our first stop was the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildfire Refuge to look for bears. Unfortunately, we arrived a little too late. The bears were heading back to the woods. A few folks, including my husband, were fortunate to catch a glimpse of them with the binoculars before the bears retreated.
We made a loop around the park to look for more wildlife before we headed to Lake Mattamuskeet. This was my first visit to Lake Mattamuskeet, and I was looking forward to it. My uncle made many trips to this lake through the years to photograph birds and other wildlife. His photos were great; he captured these creatures with such clarity and focus, using film no less. As I dive deeper into my photography hobby, I have a much deeper appreciation for the images he captured. It isn’t as easy as it seems.
Lake Mattamuskeet
Lake Mattamuskeet did not disappoint. Everywhere I looked, I saw a different animal: ducks, geese, egrets, herons, deer, nutria, turtles, and so many birds. A bald eagle perched on a high branch that a few members were lucky enough to spot and photograph. I missed that too.
There is an old lodge near the visitor center that just begs for its picture to be taken. The building, which used to be a pump house, was converted to a hunting lodge in the late 1930s. The tower adjacent to the lodge resembles a lighthouse but is actually an old tower that was painted to resemble a lighthouse. The lodge is vacant and is listed on the National Historic Registry.
At this point on our trip, a club member offered me a different lens to try. Some of the photos had to be straightened out because the lens I was using was heavier than what I was used to, so the lens angle was tilted a bit.
Shooting Alligators
Our next stop was further up the road at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. We spotted the alligator immediately upon our arrival. It was as though it was waiting for our arrival.
These alligators were so docile and accommodating. It was as if they were accustomed to having their photos taken all day. The first alligator we photographed was missing its front leg. The other members of the group had named him Lefty. Apparently, that same alligator posed for pictures when they scouted the location a few weeks prior. I love how the alligators look as though they are smiling.
As interesting as the alligators were, there were also so many butterflies, dragonflies, and flowers. So much color compared to the monochromatic reptiles.
And turtles, so many turtles. As we were leaving the wildlife refuge, there were canals that ran alongside the highway and there were so many turtles.
Outer Banks
Once we had our fill of the alligators and turtles, it was time to move on to find food. We took the caravan further west to the Outer Banks, to the historic town of Manteo. One of our club members selected a great waterfront restaurant, Avenue Waterfront Grille. This was the part of the trip where we could get to know each other a little better and discuss our love of photography. The food was delicious, and the fellowship was delightful.
Outside the restaurant was the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. The group kept talking about taking pictures of the lighthouse after lunch. I asked how far away the lighthouse was, and they pointed out the window to a one-story building at the end of the pier. I had been looking at it the entire time and didn’t realize it was a lighthouse.
So on this particular day, I saw a tower that resembled a lighthouse but was not a lighthouse and a lighthouse that looked like a cottage and had been a lighthouse.
The waterfront in Manteo was beautiful. I hope we can plan another trip to the Outer Banks and stay a little longer to explore the towns and learn some of the history it has to offer.
It was an absolutely perfect day. The weather was ideal, the wildlife was abundant, and the company was superb. My first adventure shooting alligators was a success.
Click here to check out more photos from my collection: Birds, Bugs & Butterflies, and Flowers.
Excellent blog . I love how you detailed the whole trip . The images really added to the whole story.