https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/home daily 1.0 2020-11-03 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f9c5133732da15f89907e19/1604079929202/DWH1605_235334__15x21PRINT.JPG Home - Cinematographic Collaborations Since 2015, David Harp and Tom Horton have expanded their collaboration to include work with filmmaker Sandy Cannon-Brown, another partnership where “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Cannon-Brown is an experienced filmmaker and editor, Horton serves as writer and narrator, and Harp is cinematographer. Together, they have produced five documentaries, produced by Bay Journal: Beautiful Swimmers Revisited (2016), High Tide in Dorchester (2017), An Island Out of Time (2018), Nassawango Legacy (2019), and Saving San Domingo (2020), with a new release, Thinking Like a Watershed (working title), anticipated in 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f98a1c5c9ade6514c99f8e2/1603839004340/_DH15497.JPG Home - Being There It takes an innate passion to rise before dawn, don hip boots and outdoor gear, and haul a kayak into a marsh gut to spend hours in the company of swarms of mosquitoes. Yet, David Harp’s best, most productive days, start that way. “I love being in the marsh when the sun comes up and the dew is on the grasses. It’s a religious experience for me,” he reflects. It is a simplistic truth that in order to capture the Chesapeake’s ever changing landscape and light, you have to practice “being there,” as Harp is fond of saying, but there is much more to his aphorism. He recognizes that you can visit the same place dozens of times, and still have a unique experience, see something special, notice what is different. As his friend and collaborator, Tom Horton, has written of Harp: “He knows…how fog-blottered light coaxes colors from the drabbest salt-marsh, and what favors that pearly, luminous-gray light you get some days on the Bay does to white objects like swans and watermen’s boats.” “Being there” is why, even after some 50 years photographing the Chesapeake region, Harp’s images consistently surprise, enchant, and instruct us, communicating new stories and retelling familiar ones in unique ways. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f98a6b44435db71c5c3e7e6/1604063589857/Rebecca+T.+Ruark+R19-21__15x21PRINT.JPG Home - Two Weeks With the Skipjacks In early 1976, David Harp spent two damp, gray weeks photographing the skipjack fleet out of Cambridge and Tilghman Island, a personal documentary project he felt passionate about. “Skipjacks were the icons for Maryland tourism,” he recalled, but he craved a more intimate experience than the skipjack race shoots he had been on during Chesapeake Appreciation Days. Emerson Todd, captain of Rebecca T. Ruark, warned him: “Well, you know it’s gonna be cold. And it’s dark when we leave and dark when we come back.” Shooting on Tri-X film using his Nikon F camera, Harp captured the personality and character of the crew members in the dramatic, moody winter light. He observed the close and seamless working relationship of the captain, and white and Black crew members, who eventually seemed to forget they were the subject of his photographs. The 1970s project is a poignant snapshot in time. “What I didn’t realize at the time is that it was the end of the sail era in skipjacks… it wasn’t many years after that in the ’80s really, that it was almost over.” Unsure how to market these photographs, Harp sold a few to Popular Photography magazine, and the remainder sat on a shelf for decades, until they were digitized for this exhibition. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f9754cc9a68507d91d693d1/1603839171364/DWH180728426_20x16Print.JPG Home - Community, Not Commodity “My early inspiration to photograph the people, flora and fauna of the Chesapeake Bay region came from a book by Aldo Leopold called A Sand County Almanac,” David Harp reflects. “Leopold wrote that land should be treated like a community of which we are a part rather than a commodity that we buy and sell.” The interdependence of culture and place is nowhere more evident than on the shorelines of the Bay, the edges where land and water meet, and where culture and place come together. Navigating that edge, the nexus of watermen’s daily lives and climate science, is an important and challenging aspect of Harp’s work. Honoring differing perspectives, documenting changes to the environment, and continuing to learn from leading regional scientists and naturalists, remain his mission. “We have to make choices in the next 10 years that are going to be difficult… We have to learn to live a little bit differently, maybe a lot differently,” Harp says. “But I don’t think I could be doing what I’m doing without some optimism. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f98a47dcd172a172548dac0/1603920051078/Bishops_Head_GutA.JPG Home - The Art of Observation The words of master documentary photographer Elliott Erwitt have long inspired David Harp: “Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” For Harp, framing a photograph takes precedence over equipment—the camera becoming a tool, a means to the end. When he teaches photography, Harp emphasizes four progressive actions required to compose a strong image: look, see, observe, and discriminate. Once perfected, “the camera disappears, you’re looking at the viewfinder, that’s your universe, that’s the four walls of your vision at the time.” Beyond technique, Harp understands that the emotional and intellectual lenses through which photographers approach a subject create dramatically different portrayals. “Three or four photographers standing shoulder to shoulder—I’ve seen this happen—they shoot the same scene and it’s totally different or subtly different at least. It’s amazing.” Despite his dedication to the craft, Harp has never considered himself an art photographer, but rather a journalist, at heart. In both his independent and collaborative work, Harp embraces process, the planning and editing required to create a narrative. “To me, it’s all about story.” https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/community-not-commodity daily 0.75 2020-11-03 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f978ba686fe6937c42b1ab2/5f978f878d48d137d6be0d46/1603818557085/DWH180728426_20x16Print.JPG Community, Not Commodity Sunset paints the docks and crab shanties of Tylerton on Smith Island. The village's population of 32 is down two thirds since 1994. Digital image, 2018 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f978ba686fe6937c42b1ab2/5f978f877a5be425d7f021c0/1603836631170/DWH090209__05715x21Print.JPG Community, Not Commodity Dead but still standing, these loblolly pines are victims of rising tides and salt incursion in this lower Dorchester County marsh. Scientists predict that nearly half of the county could be underwater by the end of the century. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f978ba686fe6937c42b1ab2/5f978f8686fe6937c42ba37b/1603836631178/DWH1610_255842__16x20Print.JPG Community, Not Commodity Upper Potomac Riverkeeper Brent Walls stands in the North Branch of the Potomac at the wastewater outfall for the Luke, Md., paper mill. The mill has since closed. Digital image, 2016 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f978ba686fe6937c42b1ab2/5f978f878d48d137d6be0d43/1603836631175/I.T.Todd+Steaming_15x21Print.JPG Community, Not Commodity I.T. Todd steams crabs 30 bushels at a time at MeTompkin Seafood in Crisfield. Todd, who owned and operated the seafood packing business for many years, was among the last babies born on Holland Island—in 1918—before it was abandoned due to erosion. Kodachrome original, 1988 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/being-there daily 0.75 2020-10-28 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f989ad7c5d3e32f08a58af5/5f99d4266389665ff5b080c3/1603916875192/_DH15497.JPG Being There A great blue heron shoots the gap between two stands of phragmites along the shore of the upper Choptank River. Digital image, 2013 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f989ad7c5d3e32f08a58af5/5f99d42694d39b488fc430c4/1603916997661/CrabDredging0018--15x21Print.JPG Being There With the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in the background, crab dredgers work through a squall in the lower Bay. The dredgers used powerful steel rakes to capture wintering female crabs, most of them carrying eggs. The day this photo was taken, one boat sank and three people drowned. The dredge fishery was halted in Virginia in 2008. Kodachrome original, 1991 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f989ad7c5d3e32f08a58af5/5f99d426df1bd46535b0b3c1/1603916916103/Osprey_Landing2__15x21Print.JPG Being There After checking out the photographer, who was face down in the marsh nearby, an osprey lands on its nest, bringing dinner to its young. This wide Smith Island scene was made with a remote camera. Kodachrome original, 1991 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f989ad7c5d3e32f08a58af5/5f99d426df1bd46535b0b3c0/1604353522435/Skipjack+bow15x21PRINT.JPG Being There Icicles hang from the chains of the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark as she pulls oyster dredges under sail in the lower Choptank River. Kodachrome original, 1988 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f989ad7c5d3e32f08a58af5/5f99d42694d39b488fc430c5/1604353473349/TendingJib.16x20+print.JPG Being There Terry Warrick struggles to douse the jib of the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark when an early morning squall roars through the lower Choptank River. Kodachrome original, 1989 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/the-art-of-observation daily 0.75 2020-10-28 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98d907f45445480d50a976/5f99d67a12fa9a74282f07a2/1604077394512/Bishops_Head_GutA.JPG The Art of Observation One of the photographer's favorite views in all of the Chesapeake is this marsh gut near Bishops Head in lower Dorchester County. Fujichrome original, 2000 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98d907f45445480d50a976/5f99d67a05920a61fdf20aeb/1604077394509/Chicone_Barn_Panorama.JPG The Art of Observation Autumn's rich palette warms the edges of Chicone Creek, the old reservation of the Nanticoke tribe. Digital image, 2007 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98d907f45445480d50a976/5f99d67a9dfbb22e9804b298/1604077394503/Cyprus_cc_v2_8b__15x21Printtif.JPG The Art of Observation An old cypress tree is reflected in the Pocomoke River near Snow Hill on a foggy morning. A few years after taking this photo, the photographer returned to find it gone. Fujichrome, 1984 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98d907f45445480d50a976/5f99d67ad5b74868276eded1/1604077394515/Needle+Rush_15x21+print.JPG The Art of Observation Black Needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) dominates large areas of the Bay's saltmarshes. Fujichrome original, 2000 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98d907f45445480d50a976/5f99d67a9dfbb22e9804b293/1604077394518/DWH110215__002__15x21Print.JPG The Art of Observation Thousands of snow geese erupt into a blizzard at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Digital image, 2011 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/two-weeks-with-the-skipjacks daily 0.75 2020-10-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98da65ceb1e81e790752b3/5f98e00ef4ef54001a092450/1604353625629/Belowdeck_portrait_RR__15x22PRINT.JPG Two Weeks With the Skipjacks Louis Phillips takes a rare break from a long day on his hands and knees culling oysters aboard the skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark. A rubber band retains his glasses. Tri-X film, 1976 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5f98da65ceb1e81e790752b3/5f98e00fd494d8373593bd33/1604353640954/Rebecca+T.+Ruark+R19-21__15x21PRINT.JPG Two Weeks With the Skipjacks With Captain Emerson Todd at the wheel, fully loaded with 120 bushels of oysters, Rebecca T. Ruark heads downwind to the port of Cambridge. Tri-X film, 1976 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/sponsors daily 0.75 2020-10-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f9c72f7537b8e673b5d5a77/1604088579361/DWH091022-1070_15x21Print.JPG Sponsors - Sponsors Diamond Sponsor Anonymous Caroline Gabel Platinum Sponsors Sandy & Omer Brown H. Turney McKnight Gold Sponsors Emma & Cullen Bailine and Finn & Jackson Falk Bob Baugh Meta & Billy Boyd David M. Brown Dorie & Jeff McGuiness The Bay Journal Silver Sponsors Posey & Bill Boicourt Susan Russell & William Thompson Bronze Sponsors Liz and Howard Freedlander Marty & Al Sikes https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/cbmm daily 0.75 2020-11-02 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f9c641532d6693e225b510f/1604084835771/50542459707_e67f8fdaaa_k.jpg CBMM - Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Established in 1965, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and making this resource available to all. Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevancy, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. Serving more than 84,000 guests each year, CBMM’s campus includes a floating fleet of historic boats, 12 exhibition buildings, and changing special exhibitions, all set in a park-like waterfront setting along the Miles River and St. Michaels’ harbor. CBMM is a fully accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums, offering interactive exhibitions, tours and scenic boat rides, demonstrations, boat rides on the Miles River, hands-on education programs for children and adults, and annual festivals that celebrate the Chesapeake Bay culture, boats, seafood, history, and people. CBMM’s collection of historic Chesapeake Bay watercraft—maintained by shipwrights and their apprentices in our Working Shipyard—is the largest in existence. The small boat collection includes crabbing skiffs, workboats, and log canoes. Becoming a CBMM member helps further our mission and includes benefits including free general admission to CBMM all year long, with numerous other perks including festival, store,and program discounts, a member’s marina, and more. Learn more about becoming a CBMM member here. Your gift to the Annual Fund enables CBMM to educate and inspire the next generation of Chesapeake Bay stewards. ★ https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/contact daily 0.75 2020-11-02 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/cinematographic-collaborations daily 0.75 2020-11-10 https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/the-exhibition daily 0.75 2020-10-30 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/t/5f9c66784661e45089ea4ccc/1604085381576/CrabDredging0011.JPG The Exhibition - The Exhibition David Harp finds inspiration by exploring literal and figurative edges: shorelines, communities, habitats, and traditional work, where culture and nature connect, creating the essence of what defines the Chesapeake. From black and white film, to color and digital photography, to cinematography, Harp’s passion for the Bay and its people has drawn him to explore its rivers, marshes, and guts by kayak, on foot, and from the air, always revealing them in new ways. Where Land and Water Meet represents forty years of documentary images by Harp, whose naturalist’s eye provides an unparalleled perspective on the interdependence of communities, land, and water. His body of work represents a career spent immersed in the natural world, perfecting the art of observation. https://wherelandandwatermeet.org/the-artist daily 0.75 2020-11-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b7e0095f967a7006433f/5fa0b84d54ca5e7c995a7a0c/1604520344638/DSC_1380.JPG A Life Spent in Streams Harp on a shoot in his kayak at Trap Pond State Park in Laurel, Del., c. 2015. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b76144b5e83a89839f28/5fa3089c43e89a1988d9a5dd/1604520187584/Harp+%285%29.jpg A Life Spent in Streams Harp’s father, Joe, snapped this photo of him with his first plastic camera while they were out fishing on the Delaware River about 1957. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b76144b5e83a89839f28/5fa0b78c44b5e83a8983a392/1604520220508/Harp+%284%29edit.jpg A Life Spent in Streams One of the first photos Harp took with his camera was this image of his brother, mother, and father headed out to do some crabbing on a Dewey canal in 1956. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b7e0095f967a7006433f/5fa0b84d54ca5e7c995a7a0d/1604521090242/_DSC1882.JPG A Life Spent in Streams Sheltering his equipment from the rain and wind, Harp shoots a time lapse series of a house being raised above high tide level in Crocheron, Dorchester County, for the film High Tide in Dorchester, in 2015. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b76144b5e83a89839f28/5fa0b7948c0aa8044e271daf/1604520239215/Harp+%283%29.jpg A Life Spent in Streams Six-year-old Harp and his brother, also named Joe, dip netting crabs aboard their skiff on the Delaware River in the early 1950s. Collection of David W. Harp https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f84a54143e1331f489705c8/5fa0b7e0095f967a7006433f/5fa0b84d44b5e83a8983baa9/1604520391689/DSC_4633.JPG A Life Spent in Streams In order to capture images of gravestones which have toppled into the water from the eroding Honga River shoreline in 2016, Harp had to wade into the brackish water.