Few filmmakers are better suited to reveal the hidden world beneath the Chesapeake Bay than Nick Caloyianis. A legendary underwater cinematographer and longtime Maryland Public Television collaborator, Caloyianis began his career not in film school, but as a young marine zoologist studying under famed “Shark Lady” Dr. Eugenie Clark at the University of Maryland. From early assignments with National Geographic to documenting shipwrecks, sharks, and deep-sea mysteries around the world, he has spent decades capturing images few people have ever seen firsthand.
Now Caloyianis has turned his camera toward home waters in MPT’s award-winning documentary Creatures of the Chesapeake. The film combines stunning underwater photography with an accessible exploration of the Bay’s fragile ecosystem, revealing everything from elusive seahorses to oyster reefs hidden beneath some of the murkiest waters on earth. Filming in the Chesapeake, he says, remains one of the toughest challenges in underwater cinematography, forcing him to invent specialized equipment simply to get usable images.
Ahead of the May 20 screening at the Avalon Theatre in Easton, Spy publisher Dave Wheelan spoke with Caloyianis about his remarkable film and why Creatures of the Chesapeake may be his most personal project yet. Their conversation also explores the film’s larger mission: inspiring younger generations to better understand — and ultimately help protect — the Chesapeake Bay.
This video is approximately two minutes in length. For more information and to purchase tickets please go here.
