Jay Fleming on Documenting the Dying Waterman Industry + Preserving Chesapeake Bay Culture - EP 34

Jay Fleming on Documenting the Dying Waterman Industry + Preserving Chesapeake Bay Culture - EP 34 In Episode 34 of The Shift with Mike & Joe, we sit down with Maryland photographer Jay Fleming to talk about his career documenting the Chesapeake Bay, the seafood industry, and the people whose lives are tied to the water. Jay shares how growing up around photography through his father, former National Geographic photographer Kevin Fleming, shaped his eye from an early age. He also talks about early wildlife photography, fisheries work, Maryland seafood marketing, and how those experiences led him toward his first major book, Working the Water. What starts as a conversation about photography becomes a deeper look at the changing reality of the Chesapeake Bay’s watermen, the economics of local seafood, and why so much of this culture is disappearing so quickly. We also get into Jay’s self-published books, his sold-out Smith Island photography workshops, documenting Tangier and Smith Island for Island Life, boat bow photography, underwater images of blue crabs and rockfish, AI’s impact on photography, his next book Atlantic Harvest, and the realities of working inside small island communities. It’s a conversation about photography, preservation, local identity, and what it means to capture a way of life before it changes forever. Question for you: What shift have you experienced in your life? In this episode, we talk about: • Jay Fleming growing up around photography • Kevin Fleming’s National Geographic work • Learning photography on film with an old Nikon • Winning an EPA photo contest as a teenager • Working with DNR, Yellowstone fisheries, and seafood marketing • How Jay connected to the waterman industry • Creating Working the Water • Self-publishing, printing overseas, and taking a $40,000 risk • Selling books directly and building a local business • Island Life and documenting Smith and Tangier Islands • Chesapeake Bay island communities changing fast • The decline of the waterman industry • Rising costs, regulations, imports, and younger generations leaving the work • Luke McFadden and the new model for modern watermen • Local seafood vs. imported seafood • Crab meat, restaurants, and what people may not realize they’re eating • Jay’s sold-out Smith Island workshops • Bringing business and positive attention to island communities • The Tangier Island boat vandalism story • Boat bow photography and Jay’s fine-art print business • Next book project, Atlantic Harvest • Photographing commercial fishing from Canada to Cuba • Offshore fishing boats, rough seas, and dangerous conditions • Underwater photography in the Chesapeake Bay • Drone photography with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro • Jay’s editing philosophy and keeping images authentic • Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop instead of Lightroom • AI, authenticity, and avoiding heavy manipulation • Email newsletters, open houses, and building a direct audience • Preserving local history before it disappears Connect with Jay Fleming: Website: https://www.jayflemingphotography.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayflemingphotography/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayFlemingPhoto/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JayPennFleming Workshops: https://www.jayflemingphotography.com/workshops Shop / Books / Prints: https://www.jayflemingphotography.com/shop Working the Water: https://www.jayflemingphotography.com/shop/the-book-workingthewater Island Life: https://www.jayflemingphotography.com/shop/islandlife Support The Shift with Mike & Joe: Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: [email protected] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61574975860350 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com Connect with Mike & Joe: Image & Sound Media: https://imagesoundmedia.com Joe Bryan Music: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Kent Island Academy of Music: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Michael Waskey Music: https://www.michaelwaskey.com The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media: https://www.imagesoundmedia.com