Archive

Vivid Hues Nature Photography

Inspired by nature’s beauty, tenacity, and persistence. Motivated to capture, share, and preserve these fleeting moments. Passionate about my pursuit of the perfect photograph of a bird in flight or catching a huge fish. Enthralled by the grace and almost prehistoric nature of Great Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egrets, and raptors, and the beauty of the Eastern Shore. I have always been interested in and pursued photography but became obsessed with taking photos of flowers during the pandemic on longs walks with my dog in the Nation’s Capital. Once my beloved dog Leo was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, capturing beauty of flowers became a refuge for me. As we spent a lot of our summer on Tilghman Island at a vacation rental that we love in 2021 and 2022, I fell in love with the osprey, Great Blue Heron, and Great and Snowy Egrets that flew overhead. I launched my business in April 2022 and sold my first photographs and canvas prints in September 2022, almost one month after I lost Leo. He taught me not to make decisions based on fear so I have forged ahead with a photograph of him by my side.

Silver Sun Coastal Art is an award-winning fine art company creating hand-crafted and custom fine art photography. Susan Koster and Brandon Martin are the artists behind Silver Sun Coastal Art, and they collaborate with each piece created within the beauty of the Delmarva Coast. They have won awards individually and together in collaboration, including First Place in the WARD Museum’s National Photography competition, Mayor’s Choice Award at ArtX in Ocean City, Multiple Award-Winning photographs with the Art League of Ocean City, featured in galleries and businesses and publications along the shore.

They photograph coastal scenes using various photography techniques, like long-exposure, tilt shift, panning, and more. They hand make everything in their studio- archival fine art prints, hand cut mat boards, paired with a hand-made frame, painted and styled. They use various styles of wood to create their frames, and also create image transfers onto wood with their photography which allows the wood grain to show through creating a unique, one of a kind piece, that is then framed or has a rough cut wood grain as a frame.

Hometown: Wilmington, DE

PixelWorks is the combination of the creative duo consisting of Peggy Deare and Phil McGrew. They met at an owl’s nest years ago and have been embarking upon photography adventures since. While their passion is wildlife photography, they never turn down a good landscape, eclipse, or nighttime opportunity. When the summer heat limits wildlife viewing, they travel to military airshows. On occasion, their families will force them to take pictures of people.

They have traveled from Northern Canada to Chile, and Yosemite to Maine. The list of future trips is too long to mention. Their photography has been featured on NBC News, CBS News, CNN, Stephen Colbert, and the Weather Channel. Print photos have appeared on book covers, college courses, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Daily Mail, and various papers in between.

Photography offers them a fun excuse to research, plan, learn, and travel. When they are not on photography trips, they relax by thinking about photography trips or by forcing their families to hear fun facts about birds.

Hometown: Trappe, MD

Aidan O. Cooney is a local photographer/videographer originally from Trappe, MD. He has recently returned to Talbot county after finishing seven years of service in the United States Coast Guard. During his time in the service he accumulated over 30 months at sea, sailing in six of the seven oceans, five different continents, and a five month deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2023. He hopes to continue his journey outside of the military, traveling the world and working in the world of conservation photography. His hope is that his images can help to bolster conversation efforts, protect wildlife and the fragile ecosystems they call home. Aidan’s work for the Coast Guard has been shared and featured by national news outlets across the nation. In 2023 he was awarded 3rd Place Alex Haley Coast Guard Photographer of the Year.

Hometown: Dover, DE

Julie Memmolo is an award winning photographer from Dover, Delaware. She received her first camera as a teenager and her passion for photography has never waned. About ten years ago she discovered her love for wildlife photography. Her work has been published in multiple Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research calendars, Bombay Hook NWR brochures, Delaware Center for the Inland Bays publications and Outdoor Delaware Magazine.

She enjoys the beauty and peace of nature as she captures with her camera what she sees. She and her husband often travel in search of new birds and other wildlife to photograph. Owls and Green Herons are her favorite subjects to photograph.

Julie and her husband have two grown children and a daughter in law. She volunteers at her church doing community outreach events, as well as volunteering at the Bombay Hook NWR Welcome Center.

Hometown: Easton, MD

Sharon Denny has been cultivating her twin passions of photography and nature most of her life. Since retiring as an executive at a Fortune 500 company, she spends her time observing and photographing wildlife in the Delmarva region.

She is the second artist in her family to exhibit at the Waterfowl Festival. Her late uncle, James N. (Jim) Denny shared his bird carvings with festival visitors for many years.

Her bird photography has won multiple awards and has been featured in several publications. She was named both Versatile Photographer of the Year and Photographer of the year in 2022 by the Coastal Camera Club.

A native of Easton, MD, she currently lives in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Hometown: Townsend, DE

Heather L. Orkis is a local photographer from Townsend, Delaware, her passion is wildlife photography, mainly DUCKS. Heather is a self-taught photographer and always willing to teach others. When she is not out looking for and shooting the local birds and animals, she works a full-time job as a Flight Paramedic. Heather has been involved in public service for 20 years, starting her career as a firefighter and then putting herself through paramedic school while raising two kids and working three jobs. Heather’s husband and two adult children are all paramedics. Photography is a way for Heather to decompress, she uses the solitude of lying in a duck blind for hours as a way of relaxation and self-reflection. Recently, Heather was awarded her first International Photography Silver Medal in the 85th Wilmington International Exhibition of Photography 2018.

The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States is where she plays and shoot! Recent art shows have included:

• CrowFest 2016, Kennedyville, Maryland
• Art on the Greene, Old New Castle, Delaware
• North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis, Maryland
• Townsend Fire Company Annual Holiday Fair, Townsend, Delaware
• Lo-Del Art Festival, Georgetown, Delaware
• Cheswold Sportsman Show, Cheswold, Delaware