The Hutchinson Family – South Nags Head Family Photography

One of the things I love about photographing families throughout the Outer Banks is that even after all these years, the beach can still surprise me. The Hutchinson family session in South Nags Head definitely gave us something a little different to work with.

I knew we were in for an adventure before we even reached the beach. Their driveway was steep enough that I actually had to put the truck in four-wheel drive to get up it! Once we made our way over the dunes, though, we had a beautiful stretch of South Nags Head beach waiting for us.

This particular area had recently been part of the Outer Banks beach nourishment project. The beach had been rebuilt with sand brought in from offshore, which gave us a completely different landscape than what had been there before. It also meant there were shells everywhere. With two young boys along for the session, you can probably guess where a fair amount of their attention went. Every few minutes there seemed to be another shell that absolutely had to be investigated.

And really, that's one of the things I enjoy about family photography with younger kids. We don't need them standing perfectly still for an hour. We can get the family portraits Mom and Dad want, photograph the boys together, and then give them room to run, explore and just be kids. Some of my favorite images from this session came from exactly that.

The newly nourished beach also gave us some great open sand, interesting dunes and a beautiful view down the shoreline. As the evening light softened over South Nags Head, we were able to create everything from the full family portraits to individual photographs of Mom and Dad, some great images of the boys together, and plenty of personality in between.

Sessions like this are a great reminder of why I love being an Outer Banks family photographer. The beach is never exactly the same twice. Whether it's changing dunes, a little wind, new sand, or two boys discovering a beach full of shells, every family brings their own story to the Outer Banks.

The Hutchinson Family – South Nags Head Family Photography

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