In June of 2024, I packed up my things and moved to the Outer Banks. A dream I’d carried with me since I was a little girl. I’d always felt like I belonged here, like this little sandbar had something waiting for me. When I finally arrived, I didn’t know a soul besides my roommate, whom I’d met on Facebook just weeks earlier. Was I scared? Not even a little.
With no job and no real responsibilities yet, I spent my first few weeks exploring and swimming in the ocean with my camera. I gravitated toward Abalone Street, which quickly became my designated swim spot and my first true home here. At the time, I had no idea how much Outer Surf and that access in particular—would shape me and all the memories that were ahead.
That June was full of jellyfish and strong rip currents, and some days it was nearly impossible to get in the water. All I wanted to do was learn, create, and improve my photography. It had been a long time since picking up my camera made me feel genuinely excited; I’d set it aside for a while after burning out from years of shooting weddings. But being in the ocean again, healing, creating, experimenting—made me fall back in love with photography, and with myself.
It was the beginning of my favorite chapter yet.
