My larger oral history collection funnels into a tighter photographic project that features oyster aquaculturists in Spring Creek, a small fishing village in Wakulla County, Florida. Cainnon Gregg was the second narrator I met during my first fieldwork foray. He introduced me to the inter-generational dynamics of Spring Creek. Because of his influence, I was welcomed in and invited back. The sheer labor of aquaculture initially interested me. From the very first day I visited Spring Creek, my hosts and I spent several hours puttering in the salt marshes, exploring everything but the oyster work I had come to see. Each time I came back to the Forgotten Coast to do fieldwork, I returned to visit Jody and Cainnon, regardless of whether I had the intention to photograph or interview someone there. I knew from the attitude they had toward their surroundings that this was a larger story than merely the advent of oyster aquaculture in Florida, but it would take several visits and much research to fully understand that.

My photographic process was deeply collaborative. Jody, Cainnon, and Matt directed my gaze. Interviews with narrators provided a mental map for understanding significant landmarks, animals, and the environment. They took me places on their boats and jet skis, showing me parts of Spring Creek ecosystem that I otherwise would not have been able to experience without their generous desire to share. They thought deeply about the animals, natural environment, and work. “Where should we take her? What should she see?,” were questions they asked one another as we hopped on Jody’s skiff and reversed out of the boat slip. Their answers to these questions surprised me.

 I had, of course, spent hours photographing and watching them as they worked, harvested, and processed their oysters, but their vision guided me towards significant natural and human landmarks. I interpreted their world through my viewfinder. I chose how to frame the image and when to click the shutter, but the scenarios, situations, and places I visited were dictated by the person piloting the boat. They showed me their natural surroundings and the animals they come in contact with every day, as they had on the first day I arrived. Place was decidedly not a lesser angel. The environment continually played an outsized role in their lives and work. Oyster Bay and Spring Creek were not just settings. They became characters in this story. Their presence commanded my attention and transformed my vision. My hosts showed me that to know and understand oyster aquaculture and their place within it, I had to understand their relationship to the landscape itself.