Liam Swadley

Project 01 — Documentary

Eastern Shore

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is shaped by the water and by the people whose lives depend on it. This ongoing series follows watermen, boatbuilders, families, and communities carrying inherited knowledge through a landscape under increasing pressure. It is a portrait of labor, tradition, and a way of life that continues to change with the shoreline around it.

Maryland, ongoing

A waterman stands aboard his workboat on calm bay water in early light.
01
Working Water
A waterman stands for a portrait on the deck of his boat.
02
A waterman's torn, work-stained jacket, hands in the pockets.
A waterman folds yellow oilskins on the deck of his boat.
03
A tidal creek winds through marshland under an open sky.
04
Hands shuck oysters over a pile of shells aboard a workboat.
A waterman's hand rests on the helm wheel of his workboat, cigarette between his fingers.
05
A waterman stands for a portrait by the water.
06
A pan of freshly shucked oysters.
An older man eats oysters at a kitchen table in warm indoor light.
07
A waterman's hands work a line aboard his boat.
08
A young boy looks into the camera for a portrait.
09
A tight close-up of a man’s grey mustache and soft smile.
10
Weathering the Shore
Farm buildings sit on open Eastern Shore farmland beneath a wide sky.
11
A red farmhouse stands at the edge of a field in Unionville.
A waterman stands with his bicycle and milk crate on the dock.
12
A red house sits alone in an open field.
13
A waterman pauses at work aboard his boat.
Shoreline and water meet under soft Eastern Shore light.
14
The rubble of a demolished house piled on open ground.
15
A wide Eastern Shore landscape of field, water, and sky.
16
A dirt path leads through trees toward open land.
17
A garden hose lies coiled in an outdoor sink left to the weather.
A white two-story farmhouse stands weathered against a grey sky.
18
An old car rests in tall grass beside farmland.
19
Fields under a broad sky on the Eastern Shore.
A toilet sits outdoors among the remains of a demolished house.
20
A damaged school bus sits abandoned in a field.
21

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