Unusual

Peggy Jean, Poquoson (Bull Island), Virginia (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, 12-100mm f/4 lens @ 61mm; 1/1600th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200 (from JPEG)

Why is this image unusual?  What in it makes it unusual?  When I first looked at the stacked crab pots I thought to myself, "too many colors."  I saw red (orange), white, blue and green.

For those of you who are in areas where crabbing is prolific, you have seen crab pots and the floats that identify the owner of those pots.  I have seen single colored floats, floats with two colors, as show below, but I can't remember seeing any stacks of crab pots with four colors.  Or are there?  Actually these floats have more than one color scheme. That, too, is unusual, as I as I've seen over the years.

New, blue and yellow floats with a small red tip on the handle stacked for pickup. (click to enlarge)
Fuji X-T1, 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens @ 31.5mm; 1/480th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200

It hit me that there were two types of float color schemes stacked together: orange, white and blue as well as green, white and blue.  I've always seen floats that are identical belong to one person.  Here, and I'm assuming they all belong to one crabber since they are stacked together, there are two distinct color schemes.  Unusual.  Or maybe not. Maybe one of you readers has seen this often and I've just missed it.  But I've been photographing around crab and oyster fishermen for over 40 years and I can't remember seeing more than one color scheme belonging to one person.  Let me know if you have.

In the foreground, new orange and green floats.  In the background, new light blue and black floats. (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1, 12-40mm f/2.8 lens @ 40mm; 1/100th sec. @ f/9; ISO 200

Again, a reinforcement to my admonition to go back to the same places over and over as often you will see something interesting or different than you did at prior visits.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!

Dennis A. Mook 

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