I spend a lot of time at the Outer Banks in the summer and fall. Over the years I have gotten to know my way around those little islands and I love when someone calls on me to be their Outer Banks family photographer. The Jolliff family vacationed in Corolla, NC this past year in a beautiful oceanfront cottage complete with beautiful live oaks lining the driveway. These live oaks were so large and commanding that I couldn’t help but admire how the sunshine was being filtered through them perfectly. These beautiful trees ended up being a blessing due to a family member’s eyes being sensitive to light and the fact that the wind was whipping with wind gusts of over 25 mph on the beach. Between the natural wind barriers and the gorgeous light, their front yard was the perfect spot for Corolla, NC family pictures.

The majority of the families that I photograph each year for their OBX family pictures are returning families that I’ve photographed over the summers before. The Jolliff family was no exception. Their three handsome boys and their sweet little girl cousins were much smaller at the last session, it was amazing to see their growth!

Because of the crazy wind on the beach, we were able to get a little creative and make use of the awesome hammock on the back porch of Corolla, NC beach cottage. Hammocks are such a fun prop to use for kids. The kids all looked at me pretty crazy when I asked them ALL to pile on in together.

Julia (pictured above) is the talented woman behind the beautiful food blog, A Cedar Spoon. Her website offers simple (yummy) recipes, featuring Mediterranean flavors and worldly travels. In fact, every time she posts one of her recipes, it always grabs my attention with the beautiful colors! I highly encourage you to give her a follow over on Facebook and put some of her recipes to the test in your kitchen!

Even with the wind, we couldn’t let the opportunity go by without venturing out onto the gusty beach for the remaining part of the session. Being able to photograph beautiful non-windy portraits in the front of the house gave us the flexibility to have a little fun and not worry so much about what the wind. We all had a blast!

Photographing returning families is truly the biggest blessing about being an Outer Banks Family Photographer! I love the connections made, following these sweet families as the years go by and feeling like old friends when we reunite again! If you’re looking for a photographer to capture your beautiful family throughout the years, I’m your girl.