In Review - July 2023
Where has the year gone! I’ve had a fast start to August, so while the month is nearly half over already, I’m still struggling with time flying by as fast as it has. It feels like we should still be in July!
Since we are well into a new month, it is about time to look back at the month that was July 2023. Here’s a look back at all the excitement from last month as we continue to work ahead into August.
July was a very fruitful month for the Birds of Delmarva Project, as when the month ended, only one more bird was needed to hit the 100th entry!
It was in July that three of four zines for the project were officially released as well. These zines each feature 25 birds from the project, and are very low-content books, designed to highlight the images rather than feature a large amount of text.
July was also an exciting time as the 2024 Wildlife of Delmarva Calendars officially became available for pre-order! The support this calendar has received on launch was absolutely mindblowing. To date, about 1/3 of the calendars have sold, with 15% of the profits on each one being donated to the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays - this means the calendars have already raised about $100 for the Center!
Speaking of the inland bays, my family was finally able to spend some time out on our boat after getting somethings repaired. This meant an opportunity to create some really unique images, like the one to the right of a croaker my mom hooked during a fishing trip. Trying to create unique images like this one is always a fun little challenge, because you never know what the fish will do when it comes up to the surface. There were a few shots of some flounder that I got, but they didn’t have the impact of this one because the fish was seemingly resigned to losing the fight.
The photo of the month for July was a really hard decision, believe it or not.
One option I considered was the photo of the red fox poking its head out from behind the trees behind my house, but while I enjoy that image, there was something about this black and white photo of the East End Lighthouse that spoke to me moreso. I took it one cloudy and overcast morning, which really lent itself nicely to a black and white edit instead of the usual color I opt for.
What led me to choose this photo as my image of the month, though, was the lighthouse itself. It was the first time in a long time I went out to photograph it, and I had been enduring a slow month of business. In fact, it was so slow that I started to wonder if pursuing photography full-time really was a good decision after all. But when I edited the photo, and looked at the lighthouse atop that breakwater, I remembered that it has weathered so many storms yet still stands - just like I must do if I am to truly succeed in this line of work. There will always be ups and downs, but I can’t let the highs go to my head and the lows discourage me. I’ve got to keep persevering, and then I will surely find success. Hopefully this image can inspire you in the same way is has me through a rough patch.
Here’s to the next adventure, and see you out there!
- Tyler
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