Blog
Marine Commercial Photography in the 2026 Big Rock Tournament Program
The 68th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament just wrapped up in Morehead City. We were excited to flip through the official 2026 tournament program and find several of our photos inside.
We spend a lot of time working with businesses in the marine industry to photograph their boats, facilities, and daily operations. Seeing our corporate photography used by these brands during one of the biggest fishing tournaments on the East Coast definitely gives me a sense of pride.
Featured Ad Placements A few different brands used our images for their ads in this year's publication. Here is a quick look at the companies we worked with and how the photos were printed. All the ad design and placements were handled by the internal marketing teams for the companies.
Jarrett Bay Boatworks: Jarrett Bay is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. They used a few of our photos to mark the occasion, including a two-page spread that features a sunrise aerial shot of their Beaufort facility. They also chose a large running shot of their newest custom boat for a full page back cover ad.
Gregory Poole CAT Marine: This full-page ad used one of our on-the-water running shots of Jarrett Bay Hull 65 - Rebelette. They converted the image to black and white and used a beautiful clean layout to promote their marine power systems and service.
Bluewater Yacht Sales: Bluewater used a color running shot of a sportfishing boat cutting through the waves for an ad about their East Coast sales network.
From Raleigh to the Coast Our video production and photography company is based in the Raleigh area, but we are constantly traveling down to the North Carolina coast. Documenting these boats in action and providing commercial photography for marine businesses never gets old. Seeing the final results printed in a physical program makes the early mornings and long days on the water completely worth it.
Marine Commercial Photography: Our Work Featured in Power & Motoryacht Magazine
Our marine commercial photography recently made it into print. Several photos from a shoot with Jarrett Bay Boatworks are featured in the June/July 2026 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
The article is called "American Dreamer" and it covers the history of Jarrett Bay and its founder, Randy Ramsey. It is always a good time photographing the hard work and craftsmanship at their Beaufort, North Carolina facility.
Inside the Magazine We spent time documenting the crew and the custom sportfishing boats they build. The published photos show a few different sides of the boat building process:
Workers shaping a massive wooden hull in their protective gear.
A black and white view looking through a bow thruster port.
The finished interior woodwork of the 84-foot Reel Development.
The famous Carolina flare of a finished boat cutting through the water, along with the 90-foot Nikki Bella resting at the dock.
A wide aerial shot showing the size of the Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay yard and the marine environment around it.
*bottom right photo was shot by someone else.
Raleigh Video Production on the Coast Our video production and photography company is based in the Raleigh area, but we spend a lot of time on the coast. It is always great to see our corporate photography in a physical magazine, especially when it helps tell the story of a hardworking North Carolina brand.
Jarrett Bay Insider Video & Employee Spotlight During Big Rock Week
Big Rock week is always one of the most high-energy times of the year on the North Carolina coast, making it the perfect time for Jarrett Bay Boatworks to drop their June 2026 Carolina Flare newsletter. I recently had the opportunity to produce a couple of the key features for this month's release, handling both video production and editorial photography.
It's always rewarding to get on site and document what’s behind these custom Carolina sportfishing boats. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out the full June newsletter to watch the yard update and read AJ’s full interview.
Shooting the Jarrett Bay Insider Series For the newest installment of the "Jarrett Bay Insider" video series, I teamed up with RV Hodge to shoot a yard update. We filmed the segment standing right in front of Hull #48, Iron Leader. In the video, RV dives into the facility's Big Rock Tournament prep and gives an update on the two massive 90-foot custom sportfishing boats currently under construction.
Employee Spotlight: AJ Gillikin In addition to the video work, I also handled the photography, interview, and copywriting for this month's Employee Spotlight. I sat down with AJ Gillikin, a carpenter who has been with the Jarrett Bay family for two years.
During our interview, AJ shared his journey from starting out in bottom paint to transitioning into marine carpentry. He spoke highly of the yard's culture and the master carpenters who helped him learn the trade. I love AJ’s practical advice for anyone looking to get into the boat building industry. Fittingly, his favorite custom build is also Iron Leader.
Breathing Life Into 1986: Jarrett Bay’s 40th Anniversary and The Big Rock Tournament
If there is one week that defines the energy of the North Carolina coast, it is the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Scheduled for June 5-14, 2026, this event is the ultimate proving ground for sportfishing.
This year holds even more weight for Jarrett Bay Boatworks as they are once again the major sponsor of the tournament and it also marks their 40th anniversary. They needed a short and powerful video that could be played on Big Rock TV and on the big screen at the weigh station. Because it is their 40th anniversary, we wanted to pay homage to the past.
To be completely honest, I really wrestled with the idea of using AI for a milestone project like this. I take a lot of pride in creating videos, and letting a robot generate your visuals feels a little like cheating the creative process. However, I quickly realized that AI is just a small tool in the arsenal. In this case, it was simply the best tool available to give those authentic 1986 memories the true, living motion they deserved. Every single clip in this commercial was built from an original static photograph. By using AI video generation, we transformed still moments from 1986 into living footage that commands attention. Make sure you crank the volume up and check out the final cut below.
Looking Ahead: A Busy First Half of the Year
Seeing this Jarrett Bay piece go live at the scales is the perfect milestone for what has been an incredibly busy first half of the year. I’ve been working hard on several large scale projects which will push our production schedule well into 2027. We cannot wait to pull back the curtain and share more of this work soon. Until then, tight lines and good luck to everyone fishing Big Rock!
World Premiere Tomorrow at 12 pm ET
Tonight in Palm Beach, Captain Brent Gaskill will be honored as the 2025 International Captain of the Year by InTheBite at the Marlin Awards, where the film will make its exclusive live debut.
Tomorrow, the rest of the world gets the full story. Click the link below and select “Notify Me” so you’re ready for the premiere.
First Look: 'Manley’s Joy' – The World Premiere of Captain Brent Gaskill's Story
In a digital world built on endless scrolling and fleeting moments, we invite you to slow down, lean in, and truly feel something. After a year in the making, we are proud to reveal the official movie poster for MANLEY'S JOY.
The film is a cinematic portrait of InTheBite Magazine's 2025 International Captain of the Year, Brent Gaskill of Harkers Island, NC. Brent lives a demanding dual life. For part of the year, he finds solitude on his commercial shrimp trawler. The rest of the year, he is the fiercely competitive captain of Builder's Choice, one of the most successful sportfishing boats in the world.
For Brent, the water is a refuge and a proving ground. It is the thread connecting the life he inherited to the legacy he’s building.
Following an exclusive VIP screening at the Marlin Awards Ceremony in Palm Beach, the film comes to the world Friday at 12PM Noon on YouTube.
OFFICIAL WORLD PREMIERE
📅 Thursday, March 26
🕛 6:00 PM ET
📍 Marlin Awards Ceremony, Sailfish Marina, Palm Beach, Florida
DIGITAL WORLD PREMIERE
📅 Friday, March 27
🕛 12:00 PM (Noon) ET
📍 YouTube
Special Thanks to Gregory Poole Marine, Jarrett Bay Boatworks, The Big Rock Tournament, Marlin Magazine, and InTheBite Magazine.
Real People, Real Places: Why Authentic Stories Still Matter
I was digging through my archives looking for an image for a customer and came across a behind-the-scenes photo from a recent Raleigh video shoot. This image got me thinking about all the new AI video tools out there and the doom-and-gloom surrounding what it means for video and photography.
You’d have to be willfully ignorant not to believe that AI is changing digital media at a rapid pace. For my business personally, it’s helped automate a lot of the “business” side of what I do, like scheduling and planning projects. It’s also helped speed up a lot of the mundane tasks with editing, writing, and graphics.
But when anyone can create a professional video or photo in just a few minutes using these tools, digital media is commoditized. Maybe we’re already there.
Maybe I’m naive, but I tend to feel more optimistic about this topic than most. I think the ease of access to these tools will just get rid of the unserious creators. The cream will rise to the top, and the people that are focused on telling real stories about real people and real places will shine through.
When you watch a corporate video, commercial, or a movie, you want to connect with it. And nothing does that better than authenticity. When something gets commoditized, the value of that thing goes down. But if AI-generated content is the norm, then human-made and human-focused content will skyrocket in value.
I recently read a great quote by an AI tech founder that sums it up perfectly:
“We’re heading towards an economy of meaning.”
Filming Jarrett Bay’s 90-Foot Hull 68 + Marine Commercial Photography
A couple weeks ago, we headed back down to the coast for another video shoot with Jarrett Bay Boatworks in Beaufort, North Carolina.
As a video production and photography company based in the Raleigh area, we work with a wide range of clients, but there is always something uniquely impressive about stepping onto a custom sportfishing boat under construction.
For this shoot, we produced a new episode of the Jarrett Bay Insider series, focusing on the massive Hull 68, a 90-foot sportfishing boat that is currently in production. We also conducted a few interviews with employees for the monthly employee spotlight series as well as shot portraits of them. Jarrett Bay boatworks uses these videos and images to keep their customers and fans engaged.
Inside Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay's Latest Build: Dual Masters, Custom Woodwork & Luxury Design
Last week, we spent a morning at Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay filming their newest luxury boat build. In this video tour, we get an exclusive first look at their first dual master stateroom layout, spacious VIP stateroom, and unique mezzanine area. We also shot a quick interview with Master Carpenter Kurt Telfer to discuss the custom woodworking project he's currently working on for this custom yacht.
Our Photography in the Wild: Jarrett Bay's New Ads
It’s always great seeing our work featured. Our photography for Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay's latest ads is now running in the Marlin Magazine newsletter.
90 Foot Sportfisher gets MTU engines and a cabin
On the most recent episode of the Jarrett Bay Insider, RV Hodge walks you through the install process of the twin MTU engines as well as setting the cabin. This 90 foot sportfishing boat is expected to be splashed in 2026.
Jarrett Bay Boatworks - Newsletter Photography & Videos
Several photo and video projects highlight Jarrett Bay Boatworks’ latest newsletter.
Marlin Magazine Newsletter Ads
Jarrett Bay’s recent ad placements in Marlin Magazine’s eNews letter feature screen grabs from the the latest Jarrett Bay Insider episode. Next week we travel from Raleigh back to Beaufort to begin production on the next Jarrett Bay insider episode. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes shots from that shoot.
Early Morning Magic on Lake Wheeler
Some shoots are worth the early wake-up call.
My wife and I took our 1974 Ski Nautique out on Lake Wheeler for sunrise a couple weeks ago. I got a permit from the City of Raleigh to shoot photos and videos on the lake for a project so thought I would grab some personal pictures while I was there.
I wanted a low angle shot of the boat to emphasize the speed so I found a rock on the shoreline to setup on. She fired up the Nautique and made a few full throttle passes right as the sun broke the horizon. From my low angle in the water, every ripple and reflection was magnified, making the classic boat look and feel much faster.
Everything clicked on about the third pass when we finally figured out the framing, distance and light.
Most of my time behind a camera these days is spent shooting photos and videos for clients around Raleigh, so projects like this are a reminder to slow down and create something just for the sake of being creative.
Raleigh, NC Video Production - Behind the scenes
We’ve shot thousands of interviews for corporate videos over the years and rarely get to shoot them in an ideal location. The key to getting a great interview in less than ideal situations is the following:
1. Preparation and comfort of the subject. Know the person, the company and the topics before you sit down. Give them a sense of the flow so they feel ready but not scripted. Small talk and a relaxed setup go a long way in getting natural answers.
2. Good storytelling questions. Ask open-ended questions that invite stories instead of one-word replies. Guide them to answer in full sentences so their responses stand on their own in the edit. A solid flow is personal connection, challenge, solution, impact, and vision.
3. Technical execution. Clear audio matters most, followed by simple/clean lighting and framing. Set them up with soft, flattering light and capture supporting B-roll to match what they are saying.
Make them comfortable, ask the right questions, and get the technicals right. That is the formula for an interview that looks sharp and feels genuine.
*This shot is a behind the scenes photo from a corporate video shoot in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Boatbuilding Newsletter - Photography & Video
Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay’s latest newsletter, features the new Jarrett Bay Insider video and a recently employee spotlight photo and interview.
New Jarrett Bay Insider Episode for August
Check out the new Jarrett Bay Insider Episode for August. In this video RV talks about travel lifts and the crew that operates them. He also gives updates on Jarrett Bay’s newest and largest build to date, the 90 foot Hull number 68.
Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay’s Email Newsletter
Jarrett Bay’s newest email newsletter features our latest episode of the Jarrett Bay Insider video series as well as a new employee spotlight photo and write up.
Corporate Video Shoot - Raleigh, NC
This behind the scenes photo was taken during a corporate video shoot we did for a long time customer in Raleigh, NC. The final video was a three-person conversation that aired during a large conference out of state. For this shoot we used a two camera setup and ran hard wired lapel mics into a mixing board to get clean audio.
Boatbuilding Video Series
For more than eight years, the Jarrett Bay Insider video series has shared the custom sportfishing boatbuilding process with viewers. Here’s the latest episode featuring Jarrett Bay Hull 68 and Hull 44.