Having grown up on Hatteras Island, Donny and his camera have been witnesses to so many changes.

Being the staff photographer for the Island Free Press, he makes it a priority to be present for dynamic weather events as well as community happenings along the Outer Banks. He takes great care to document as much as he can - from the uniqueness and beauty of a life lived here on the Island to the hardships that go along with such an existence. He positions himself to capture those moments by being in the middle of those events as they occur. Though often he takes a bird’s eye view by shooting aerials, like the photo pictured above, from a plane.

Don has been a professional photographer since 1999. He first picked up a camera in his high school years in the 1970’s here on the Island, taking and developing pictures for the school’s folklore magazine “Sea Chest.” Don’s photos have appeared in several local, regional, and national publications, and he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his feature photography in The Island Free Press. He has been the IFP staff photographer since its beginning in 2007, and his photos and artwork hang in many businesses here on the island.

His catalog is extensive. What is listed on our website is but a sample. If you remember an island event and are curious to know if Don has photos of that event, please don’t hesitate to email us at heythere@swellartgallery.com. We will be happy to get answers for you or put you in touch with Don.
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• Check out our local online newspaper, the Island Free Press by clicking here. By the way, paragraph two above was taken from Don’s bio on the Island Free Press staff bio page.

• Don’s work sells primarily through The Swell Art Gallery. However, if we don’t have something you are looking for, we will be happy to help you find it if it exists and is available elsewhere. In addition to our close representative relationship with Donny, he performs all the labor in our custom frame shop, and does meticulous work.

• We love him! <3