North Carolina for The North Carolina Travel Guide
We spent a week zigzagging our way across North Carolina, covering a surprising amount of ground in a short window of time. It was one of those whirlwind travel assignments where the days blur together, the miles add up quickly, and you’re constantly chasing light, weather, and moments as they unfold. The goal was to document the places, people, and experiences that make the state such a compelling destination, all for North Carolina’s official travel guide.
The itinerary was ambitious. We moved from location to location, often jumping across regions, each stop offering its own rhythm and personality. Several of those locations were photographed with the possibility of being used on the cover of the guide, which adds a certain pressure—but also an energy—to the process. Originally, there was only meant to be a single cover image. In the end, they surprised us by running three different covers, each featuring a different location we photographed. Seeing that final result was incredibly rewarding. It felt like a quiet affirmation that each place stood strong on its own and that the state’s visual story couldn’t be contained in just one image.
What we love most about travel assignments like this is the balance they strike between authenticity and intention. These aren’t staged sets or empty landscapes waiting patiently for the perfect light. They involve real people showing up to real places, doing their thing, and making the most of whatever the environment offers that day. Our job is to step into that flow and help shape it just enough to create images that feel alive, welcoming, and true to the experience of being there.
This kind of work sits somewhere between our photojournalism roots and commercial storytelling. Unlike pure documentary work, these shoots do require a bit of direction. We’re thinking about how a scene reads instantly, how movement and gesture guide the eye, and how an image might live on a cover or across a full spread. Early in our careers, that was a muscle we hadn’t fully developed. Coming from a photojournalism background, we were used to observing quietly and responding to what unfolded in front of us, not shaping it. Directing people—even lightly—felt uncomfortable at first.
Over time, that discomfort has softened. With experience has come confidence, and with confidence, a better understanding of when to step in and when to step back. We’ve learned that giving a little guidance doesn’t take away from the authenticity of a moment—it often helps clarify it. Especially on advertising and tourism shoots like this, that balance is everything.
North Carolina gave us a lot to work with: varied landscapes, welcoming people, and a sense of place that shifts subtly from one region to the next. Projects like this remind us why we love travel photography—not just for the visuals, but for the chance to tell a layered story about a place through the people who inhabit it, even if only for a moment.
