Horeshoe crabs breeding on the Atlantic Coast, Delaware Bay, New Jersey
For many years I’ve been attempting to create an image of the horseshoe crabs ancient migration, a mating ritual that predates dinosaurs. Closely related to the spider family, these crabs crawl out of the frigid waters of the Delaware Bay and onto New Jersey beaches once a year to lay their eggs. This event only happens at a very specific location on the planet, at a very specific time. Anticipating the correct moon cycle, high tides, time of sunrise, and cooperative weather, are important elements in making this photo-op possible. The challenges of combining intriguing light, movement, and a sense of rhythm and pattern have led to many failed attempts in the past.
For more on my field notes and information on horse crabs, visit my website
Exploring the meaning of the sea in our lives, where time is marked by the ebbing and flowing of tides, I’m very proud to participate in the project “The Sea Around You”; the companion book to the “Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World” by scholar at MIT’s Earth System Initative, Deborah Cramer.