September 2018 Hoopers Island Photography Workshop

I led a group of five photographers on a three-day workshop out of Hoopers Island to photograph the landscapes, wildlife and seafood industry in Dorchester County. The weather on day one and day two of the trip was great, giving us great opportunities to shoot at a crab picking house and explore the working waterfronts and landscapes of Hoopers Island and the Bishops Head peninsula. Day two started with an early morning trip on the water with a group of pound netters out of Fishing Creek. We joined the crew as they fished their pound nets in the Chesapeake Bay just off Hoopers Island. After the fishing trip, we had a tour of an oyster aquaculture facility where the students got to photograph parts of the oyster farming process. The remaining part of day two was spent reviewing images, photographing landscapes close to the lodge and eating fish for dinner that were caught on the pound netting trip. Plans to photograph Hoopers Island lighthouse on the morning of day three were changed by the weather. We woke up to a stiff northeast wind coming across the Honga River and rain. We spent the morning at the lodge reviewing images shot on the previous two days and ‘talking shop.’

A big thanks to the Hoopers Island store for providing the group with excellent meals and a great place to hang out. Denise Lewis and her daughter Sarah for helping clean the lodge prior to the workshop. Burl Lewis and his crew for an awesome morning on the water to photograph pound netting. Bobby Gootee from Hoopers Island Oyster Co. for the oysters and a great tour of their facility on Hoopers Island.

Academy Art Museum - Island Life Exhibit

  Maryland photographer Jay Fleming has spent years documenting the culture and environment of the Chesapeake Bay. In his exhibition Island Life  he documents life on Smith Island and Tangier Island, the Chesapeake’s only inhabited offshore islands. Being water-locked and isolated from modern transportation has created a unique way of life on Smith and Tangier, allowing for a preservation of the island’s history and traditions. The islands were first inhabited by European settlers in the late 1600s. The location proved to be strategically important for commerce on the water; working-class men took to the water to make a living as the market for oyster harvests in the Chesapeake boomed in the late 1800's and into the early 1900's. Working on the water is still commonplace on Smith and Tangier.

  Jay Fleming discovered his passion of photography upon receiving his father’s Nikon camera in his early teens. He immediately developed an affinity to looking at life through the camera lens and what ensued was an exciting photographic journey that would eventually lead him to his career as professional photographer. Though beginning under the tutelage of his father, National Geographic photographer, Kevin Fleming, Jay quickly and naturally developed a photographic style and identity all his own. This is Jay Fleming’s third museum exhibition.

Television Commercial #2 - Maryland Department of Agriculture

Part two in the series of commercials that I produced with Alexander Glass for Maryland's Best to highlight Maryland's crabbing industry. This commercial was shown after the supply chain piece and highlights the social aspects of a crab feast. The commercial also aired on WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore and WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore during the recent Ravens and Redskins Pre-Season game.

The production of this video would not have been possible without the generosity of Dan and Mary Donnelly. They allowed us use of their newly renovated restaurant in Arnold - Donnelly's Dockside - for the crab feast. 

Television Commercial - Maryland Department of Agriculture

A 15-Second commercial that I produced for Maryland's Best seafood marketing to highlight the supply chain of our crab industry and the hard work that goes into getting a Blue Crab products to market. The commercial aired on WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore and WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore during the recent Ravens and Redskins Pre-Season game.

Special thanks to the team at the Maryland Department of Agriculture for the great opportunity to work on this project and to Alexander Glass for helping with the editing of the footage.