Today’s Faceless Friday feature is neither a lovely bride nor a children’s portrait. Hope you won’t hold that against me. (You can see those here.) But it’s SEWE weekend here in Charleston, so I thought this would be fitting. The Southeastern Wildlife Expo is the largest event of its kind. Now in its 29th year, more than 40,000 outdoor lovers convene in Charleston to take advantage of art exhibitions, chef demonstrations and close encounters with birds of prey and incredibly athletic water-loving canines.

Some of Charleston’s best chefs will be hosting “Wild in the Kitchen” demos featuring game and seafood. Oyster roasts are huge this time of year, and you can bet clams are on many menus, too. I took this image of clam farmer Bob Baldwin when I wrote a story for “Edible Lowcountry.” (The Edible Communities magazines are chock full of locavore yumminess. Sadly, Charleston’s magazine was only published for a short time.)

This image was part of a day-in-the-life pictorial when I tagged along with Baldwin winding through McClellanville’s creeks to learn the process. He starts with tiny seed clams from Maine, relocates them a couple of times as they grow larger, and harvests them once they are large enough to sell to restaurants. The screen he holds here is one of several sizes he uses to lay atop the clams once they’re entrenched in the mud. The mesh keeps predators — mostly crabs — from feasting on his baby clams. Happy Friday!

Jennifer H. Smith is a Charleston photographer specializing in weddings and on-location child and family portraiture. Contact Jen for more information and to book your session.