Photography Wanderings in Wilmington, North Carolina

Sep 18

*Sunrise over the Intercoastal Waterway, Wilmington, NC*

Photography trips always get started bright an early and my spring visit to Wilmington, North Carolina was no different. We gathered with mugs of coffee along the banks of the Intercoastal waterway, beautifully flowing through our hostess’ backyard. The sky was painted in a color that I could only describe as fierce orange and the scene seemed straight out of the Lion King.

The fiery sky burned quickly, softening to muted tones as the shadows revealed the beautiful waterway filled with boat docks and marsh.

After breakfast, we headed to Airlie Gardens, a beautiful public garden that dates back to the early 1700s. When you first enter the gardens, you find yourself standing in awe under the Airlie Oak tree, a 500 year old southern live oak dressed dramatically in Spanish moss. On this particular day, they were setting up for a wedding under the beautiful tree.

Airlie Oak Tree Southern Live Oak Spanish Moss — *The Airlie Oak Tree*

The gardens butt against the shore of Bradley Creek, offering views of the marina and the boats that motor in and out of the channels.

Listed as a spot on the North Carolina birding trail, over 200 species of birds have been recorded at Airlie Gardens. I was delighted to find an Osprey perched in a tree along the banks of the creek. He sat calmly and quietly, aware and yet unconcerned with the crowd of photographers gathered below him.

We followed the calls of the Painted Bunting, using all the power of my telephoto lens to capture the female singing in a tree. The male danced elusively in the leaves, staying just out of sight.

A blue bird gathered lunch in a nearby field, pausing every now and then to allow us to get a good look.

After wandering the gardens for a while, we enjoyed lunch on the deck at Dockside, a charming waterfront restaurant. I captured my favorite photograph of the trip with the Contax t-2 on 35 mm film. I love the colors of the umbrellas and how you can see my friends sitting at the table in the front.