Where Should We Take Your Pictures?
One of the questions I get all the time is, "Where should we take our pictures?"
The good news is that you really can't go too wrong on the Outer Banks. We have beaches, dunes, soundside views, maritime forests, boardwalks, historic areas, fishing piers, lighthouses, wildlife refuges, town parks, and plenty of beautiful little corners in between.
And because our towns are all so close together, I don't necessarily recommend driving 20 minutes just because someone told you one beach is the best. Especially when you're trying to get a whole family out the door with everyone dressed, fed, and ready to go. Sometimes the beach right near your vacation rental is the perfect spot!
What you want your photographs to feel like is usually much more important than the name of the town.
Want the classic beach look? We've got plenty of beaches.
Want dunes? Absolutely.
Want greenery and shade? We can find that.
Want water without sand? There are plenty of options for that, too.
Want something a little less "everyone standing on the beach"? Even better. We have lots of options.Below are some of the places I love around the Outer Banks. This isn't meant to be a list of places you have to choose from. Think of it more as a starting point. Tell me where you're staying, who you're bringing along, and what you're envisioning, and I'll help you figure out what makes the most sense.
Corolla
Corolla is a beautiful choice if you're staying in the northern Outer Banks. The beaches here are wide and natural, with beautiful dunes and plenty of room to let everyone move around.
If you're looking for something with a little more history, Historic Corolla Village gives us old buildings, greenery, and a completely different feel from a traditional beach session.
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is another iconic option. The lighthouse and surrounding grounds can give your photographs that unmistakable Outer Banks feeling without relying entirely on the beach.
If you love nature and would rather have trees and greenery, Currituck Banks Reserve offers maritime forest, trails, wetlands, and a quieter natural setting.
And, of course, Corolla's beaches are always an option. Sometimes all we need is beautiful light, soft sand, dunes, and your favorite people.
Duck
Duck is one of my favorite areas when someone wants a little more variety than a traditional beach session.
Of course, Duck Beach gives us the classic oceanfront photographs, but the soundside of Duck offers a completely different look.
Duck Town Park is especially fun because there's more to work with than just the water. Depending on the time of year, you may find flowers blooming, trees and greenery, open grassy areas, the soundside boardwalk, docks, gazebos, picnic areas, and the park's stage.
It's a great place for a session that feels more like we're wandering around together rather than standing in one spot posing. We can walk, explore, let the kids be kids, and use all those little details throughout the park.
Duck also has soundside areas where we can find calm water, marsh grasses, docks, and beautiful evening light.
If you're staying in Duck and want something that feels coastal without every photograph being taken with your feet in the sand, this is one of the first places I'd consider.
Southern Shores
Southern Shores is a great example of why I don't think you always need to travel far for your photographs.
The beaches here give us everything we need for a beautiful classic beach session - sand, dunes, ocean views, and plenty of room to move around.
There are also wooded and soundside areas nearby if you're looking for greenery, shade, or a little change of scenery.
If you're staying in Southern Shores, your closest beach access may honestly be the best option for your family. Less driving means less time getting everyone in and out of the car, and that can be a pretty big win when you're traveling with kids.
Kitty Hawk
Kitty Hawk gives us a nice mix of beach, sound, woods, and a few fun spots that feel distinctly local.
The beach is always an easy choice for classic Outer Banks photographs, but if you're looking for something different, Sandy Run Park is a beautiful nature option. The boardwalk winds through the wooded area and gives us a much greener backdrop than the beach.
Kitty Hawk Pier is another option if you like the look of a classic ocean pier. It gives us the ocean and that quintessential Outer Banks pier feeling while adding some structure to the photographs.
There are also soundside areas around Kitty Hawk Bay if you'd rather have calm water, marsh grasses, or a quieter coastal setting.
Kill Devil Hills
Kill Devil Hills gives us the classic beach option, but there's more here than sand and ocean.
Avalon Pier is one of the most recognizable spots in Kill Devil Hills and can add that classic, nostalgic Outer Banks pier look to your photographs. It's a fun option if you want the ocean but would like something more interesting in the background than a completely open beach.
Wright Brothers National Memorial gives us another completely different setting, with open grassy areas, dunes, and a little bit of Outer Banks history. It's especially nice if you're looking for something that doesn't feel like a traditional beach session.
And if you're looking for greenery, the Kill Devil Hills Arboretum near the library is another option to consider. With landscaped areas, trees, plants, and walking paths, it gives us a softer, more natural backdrop and can be a really pretty change from the beach.
There are also wooded and soundside areas around Kill Devil Hills if you're looking for shade, greenery, or water.
Nags Head
Nags Head gives us a lot of options, which is one reason it's such a fun area for photography.
Of course, we have beautiful beaches and dunes, but you can also find completely different scenery without going very far.
Jockey's Ridge State Park is the obvious choice if you love big dunes and that unmistakable Outer Banks landscape. The dunes can be especially beautiful around golden hour, although they do require some walking and climbing through soft sand.
If you'd rather have trees and greenery, Nags Head Woods gives us wooded trails, marshes, ponds, and a much more natural setting. It's a wonderful option if you love the Outer Banks but don't necessarily want every photograph to look like a beach photograph.
Nags Head also recently added the Soundside Boardwalk at the Soundside Event Site, which gives us another beautiful waterfront option. The boardwalk follows the Roanoke Sound and offers water views, a pier, open space, and a shaded gazebo/pergola. It can be especially pretty around sunset, when we can take advantage of those wide-open views across the sound.
Bodie Island Nature Trail is another option if you like the idea of a boardwalk and natural scenery. It's a peaceful little spot with a marsh, freshwater pond, wildlife, and an observation area.
And then there are the piers. Nags Head has three very different oceanfront piers: Nags Head Fishing Pier, Jennette's Pier, and Outer Banks Fishing Pier. Each has a different look, so we can choose based on the kind of photographs you're hoping for.
Bodie Island Lighthouse, just south of Nags Head, is another iconic option. The lighthouse and surrounding landscape give us a historic Outer Banks backdrop with plenty of natural scenery around it.
Nags Head also has several town parks and soundside areas that can be beautiful depending on the season and what you're looking for. Some locations have restrictions or may require permission for professional photography, so we'll always check the current rules before planning a session around one of them.
And, of course, the beach is still a wonderful choice. If you're staying in Nags Head, we may already have everything we need right outside your vacation rental.
Manteo
Manteo is probably the area I'd recommend most often when someone tells me, "We love the Outer Banks, but we don't necessarily want beach pictures."
It has a completely different feel from the oceanfront towns, with a small downtown, waterfront views, historic buildings, shops, and lots of little details we can work into a session.
Downtown Manteo is especially fun for a relaxed, lifestyle-style session. We can wander along the waterfront, use colorful storefronts as backdrops, stop near the coffee shops and outdoor seating, or work in little details like gazebos, ice cream shops, and candy stores.
It can feel more like you're spending an afternoon together than posing for pictures.
The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is another great part of the Manteo waterfront. The little lighthouse sits at the end of a boardwalk over the water and gives us beautiful soundside scenery, boats, and a very different backdrop from the beach.
Roanoke Island Festival Park also offers waterfront scenery and historic surroundings, while The Elizabethan Gardens is a beautiful option if you're looking for flowers, greenery, and a garden setting.
Manteo is also a great place to simply walk around and see what catches our eye. Sometimes the best photographs happen in the little spaces you weren't planning on using.
Rodanthe
Rodanthe is a great choice for a traditional beach session, with wide stretches of sand, dunes, and beautiful ocean views.
Rodanthe Pier can give us a little more variety, especially if you like the look of a long wooden pier stretching out over the ocean. It's a fun way to add some classic Outer Banks character to your photographs.
For something with a little more history, Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is another interesting option. The historic buildings create a completely different backdrop from the beach and add some local Outer Banks character to a session.
Salvo
If you're staying in Salvo, you don't have to travel far to find a beautiful location.
The beaches and soundside areas throughout this part of Hatteras Island offer plenty of natural scenery, and there are also public sound accesses and recreation areas nearby.
Sometimes the simplest location is the best one, especially when you're traveling with kids and trying to get everyone out the door for a sunset session.
Waves
Waves is home to one of my favorite less-traditional photography spots on Hatteras Island: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
This is one of those places that doesn't immediately feel like a typical Outer Banks photo location, and that's exactly why I love it. Around the Visitor Center area, you can find soundside views, beautiful rocks, natural vegetation, trails, water, and a small bridge in the background that can add some really fun variety to your photographs.
It's especially pretty when you want that natural, coastal Hatteras Island feel without having every photograph taken with your feet in the sand.
We can use the water, rocks, bridge, grasses, and surrounding landscape to create photographs that feel relaxed and connected to the area.
Of course, Waves also has beautiful beaches if you're looking for the classic Outer Banks session.
Avon
Avon is another great option for beautiful beach photographs. The open beaches and dunes give us plenty of room to move around, and Avon Fishing Pier gives us another way to incorporate the ocean and that classic Outer Banks pier look.
Avon also has soundside options if you prefer calmer water and a little more variety.
And honestly, if you're staying in Avon, I wouldn't feel the need to drive somewhere else just to find a "better" beach. The beach near your rental may be exactly what we're looking for.
Buxton
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Outer Banks and can make for a really memorable setting. The surrounding area also gives us dunes, open space, and natural coastal scenery, so the photographs don't have to be all about the lighthouse itself.
The lighthouse is currently undergoing restoration, so access and the surrounding scenery may change while the work is underway. If you're interested in using the area for your session, we'll want to check the current conditions and photography rules before planning around it.
Buxton Woods is another option if you're looking for something more natural. The maritime forest and surrounding landscape give us a completely different look from the beach or lighthouse.
Frisco
Frisco offers the kind of scenery that makes Hatteras Island special: open beaches, dunes, soundside views, and plenty of natural space.
If you're looking for something peaceful and less developed, this is a great area to explore. There are also soundside recreation areas farther south that give us another option when you want water without the waves.
And if you're staying in Frisco, we can often keep things simple and find a beautiful spot close to where you're staying rather than making you travel farther down the island.
What About Bridges, Piers, and Other Unique Locations?
There are so many places around the Outer Banks that we don't have to stick to the beach. We can use a pier, walk along a boardwalk, head into the dunes, find some trees and greenery, or explore one of the nature areas. Parks, gardens, wildlife refuges, and trails can all give your pictures a completely different look.
And honestly, some of my favorite spots aren't necessarily the ones everyone talks about. We don't have to pick the most popular location or the one you saw all over Instagram. If there's a place you like, or you have an idea for something different, let's talk about it and see what we can do.
What About Your Vacation Rental's Beach?
You don't always have to drive somewhere else for your pictures. If you're staying on the Outer Banks, there's a pretty good chance there's a beautiful beach just a few minutes from where you're staying, and that may be all we need.
Especially with kids, I don't mind keeping things easy. Getting everyone dressed, fed, sunscreened, and out the door is already enough of an adventure without adding a 30-minute car ride to the mix. Sometimes the beach right down the road has beautiful dunes, plenty of room to play, and gorgeous evening light.
And if someone forgets a shoe, needs a snack, has to use the bathroom, or suddenly decides they absolutely cannot live without their favorite stuffed animal... you're right there.
So if your rental has a beach you love, let's use it! We can always talk about other options if you're looking for something different, but you definitely don't need to travel all over the Outer Banks to get beautiful photographs.
So... Where Should We Go?
There really isn't one "best" place to take pictures on the Outer Banks. It depends on where you're staying, who you're bringing with you, and what kind of pictures you have in mind. Maybe you want the classic beach pictures, maybe you'd rather have trees and greenery, or maybe you want to wander around town, find a pretty boardwalk, or do something a little different. We have plenty of options.
When you book your session, just let me know where you're staying and what you're thinking. If you have a place you already love, tell me! If you have no idea where you want to go, that's completely fine too. That's what I'm here for. We'll figure it out together.
A Quick Note About Locations
A few of the parks, historic sites, gardens, wildlife areas, and other locations around the Outer Banks have their own rules about professional photography. Some may require a permit, have certain restrictions, or charge an additional fee. Those rules can also change, so if there's a particular spot you'd like to use, I'll make sure we know what we need to know before we plan your session there.
And if you have a favorite beach, a spot you discovered on vacation, or even just a little place that means something to your family, tell me about it! I'm always happy to hear your ideas.