Smith Island, MD
Photo by Jay Fleming
Waterman Lester “Lecky” Tyler fishes up soft crabs at his Rhodes Point crab shanty at dusk. After catching peeler crabs, watermen bring them back to their shanties, where they hold them in tanks, called floats, until they shed into soft crabs.
Holland Island, MD
Photo by Jay Fleming
Jay Fleming approaches the last house on Holland Island by kayak in April of 2010, six months before the house collapsed and fell into the Chesapeake Bay. Holland Island, which lies nine miles north of Smith Island, was home to a thriving community of more than 360 people, 70 homes, a school, church, post office and several stores at its peak in the late 1800s. The community was abandoned in the early 1900s as the erosive forces of the Chesapeake Bay ate away at the shorelines and diminished the size of the island.
Smith Island, MD
Photo by Jay Fleming
An adult brown pelican feeds its two chicks by regurgitating partially digested fish. The abundance of Atlantic menhaden, bay anchovies and other bait fish in the surrounding waters of the Chesapeake Bay help sustain these large nesting colonies on Smith Island.
Cape Henlopen State Park, DE
Photo and Description by Pamela Aquilani
Over the more than 30 years that I have worked at improving my photography, I have learned, usually the hard way, the great value in previsualizing my subject, light and moment. This photograph is a great example of that. For many, it would appear that I casually walked upon this scene, saw it and whipped my camera into action within seconds of first sighting.
I actually envisioned this scene the night before I shot it. I packed the gear I needed, got out of the house well before sunrise, and drove as close as I could to the site. I knew in advance that I would have to park over a mile from this dune crossing, hike in with my gear, and be set up nearly 30 minutes before sunrise, so I planned accordingly.
I could not predict the quality of the light when I set this shoot up the day before, but the weather forecast was encouraging, so I went out. Planning is everything. The more I shoot, the more I can previsualize what I want to get. My advice to those studying photography is to invest the time to be able to see the final photograph in advance. Then, determine when you think the best time and condition to photograph it will be. CS