I’m incredibly behind on updating my website, so in the interest of New Years resolutions, I’m gonna try and get ‘er up to speed. First up is the 90th birthday party and family reunion I photographed last summer. Having met the family during an engagement party I photographed earlier in the year, I was excited to document such a special event in their own lives. It was humbling to meet “Birthday Al,” one of the original frogmen who reached the beaches of Normandy on D-Day back in 1944. Throughout the night, I was constantly reminded of his important contributions and sacrifices by the countless stories the guests shared with me.

In addition to honoring Al’s birthday, the evening served as a huge family reunion. Situated on the family’s large open parcel of land at the northernmost tip of Croatan, the evening was calm and peaceful (despite the threatening, late-summer sky). The laughter and conversation mixed with the sound of waves crashing on the beach, and the sound of fishing vessels returning through Rudee Inlet helped reinforce how much I love living down at the beach.

It was a treat working again with Gary from Vision Quest Productions, and running into Sam and Terri Hughes was an excellent way to close down the night. Happy [belated] birthday, Al and family; I wish I could spend every night at Croatan eating seafood and listening to Latin music.