http://www.jonedwardsphotographer.com//Portfolio.cfm?nK=1250

Our friend and mycologist Sue Van Hooks shared these gorgeous shots of a Maine seaweed harvest. In his series “A Life,” Jon Edwards captures a snippet of the world of one of Maine’s seaweed harvesters.

A note from the artist on his approach to documenting these lives:

“These portfolios are of individuals living on islands, either physically or metaphorically, and their environments. There is both simplicity and beauty in the places they inhabit, the lives they live, and the relationships they build within their communities. They are determined to hold on to their lifestyles and family traditions, and to pass on all they have learned to the next generation.

While my work is based in the documentary genre, I look for the mysterious, dark or quiet moments, as well as those that are representative of the lives I photograph. It is my goal to create images that transcend the particular place and person, and share what is common to us all.

During these projects, I left the full-time practice of civil rights and environmental law, and began exploring, in depth, what drives these individuals. What began as an intellectual pursuit, documenting traditional and vanishing ways of life, has instead become a life-changing, artistic journey celebrating these unique individuals and the places they live.”