Soundings and Fathoms is an ongoing project documenting the Georgia Shrimping industry and accompanying culture. I created these photos using Kodak Tri-x and a combination of a Nikon F3 and Hasselblad 500c. These photos were created while traveling extensively between Savannah, Darien, and Brunswick, Georgia.

There is an allure that draws people to the Georgia coast. It's wild marshes and primeval islands pull people to the sea. Its that allure that inspired photographers like Jack Leigh to document Georgia shrimpers in the 1970's and 1980's. Once the largest industry in Georgia, shrimping has since struggled with an aging workforce and rising cost of operation. Cheap seafood imports have also hurt the struggling industry. Shrimp boats, once numbering in the hundreds, have dwindled to perhaps 50 boats in Georgia, many of which were built in the 70's. Yet there's a determination among those in the shrimping industry - a drive to keep the industry and way of life alive. Soundings and Fathoms is a tribute to that grittiness and resiliency on the Georgia coast - more important now than ever before.