Gravitational Pull
Long Beach Island, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
June 2013
Stop Staring
Mantoloking, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
June 2013
Camp Osborn
Mantoloking, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
June 2013
Directly off of Route 35 in Mantoloking, there is a small community known locally as Camp Osborn. Camp Osborn is composed of three acres, valued at approximately $15.7 million and it was one of the original settlements amongst the Jersey Shore.
House of Cards
Brick, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
June 2013
Bird's Eye View
Ortley Beach, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
A Picture
Ortley Beach, N.J.
Archical Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Worth a Thousand Words
Ortley Beach, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Row Your Boat
Beach Haven West, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
No Pane No Gain
Beach Haven, West, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Mischief Night
Seaside Park, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Trucking Along
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Amusement
Seaside Park, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
August 2013
Funtown
Seaside Park, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
Smoke and Mirrors
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
Boardwalk Open
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
Boardwalk Closed
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
You Win
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
Blowing Smoke
Seaside Heights, N.J.
Archival Pigment Print, 20" X 24"
September 2013
Standing on the part of the boardwalk not affected by the fire offered the opportunity to peer into the scorched remains. In the middle left of this picture there is a wire looking contraption, and next to it, a sign standing straight up. These two objects are the same ones that were photographed in picture titled, ‘Amusement’.
Artist Statement
If there is one thing that growing up along the Jersey Shore has taught me, it is that change cannot be stopped. Whether it is the changing of low tide to high or the shifting of blue skies to grey, the world is constantly being reshaped and reformed. Living by the shore, I am no stranger to natural events such as nor’easters, flooding, tropical storms, and the occasional hurricane. Superstorm Sandy, however, was a storm that changed everything I thought I knew. As the shore began to recover from Sandy’s wrath, many people gained hope and had a positive outlook for the future. But then a fire broke out and engulfed half of a recovered, iconic boardwalk, and it changed everything I thought I knew all over again. As I photographed each of these images over the past four months, I ultimately made it my goal to show the alterations that the shore is currently still going through. The goal of this exhibit is not to pity New Jersey or say that we are worse off, but rather to demonstrate the impact that Sandy has made on communities so close to my heart.
Besides being inspired by natural disasters and the beach, I was inspired by artists such as Stephen Shore and Joel Meyerowitz, who both use extensive techniques of light and color. Each photograph that I have captured was either taken at sunrise or sunset, and because of this, I was able to capture naturally beautiful lighting, shadows, and color. The use of pigmented prints has also helped me to achieve the richness and longevity of these colors. Being a person so passionate about finding the beauty in everything, I have tried to make each print look as captivating as possible. The colors, lighting, and structure of each picture tie together in order to make something so devastating, seem warm and inviting. Because I believe that beauty is everywhere, I hoped to capture the beauty within disaster and hoped to give a different perspective than what the common eye may see.
Each place that I have visited in order to capture these photographs are places that have over time, all become a part of me. They are places that help shape what my definition of home is and they are places that I will always remember, no matter what changes they go through. The Jersey Shore is what made me who I am today and it is the reason why my devotion to the beach and ocean will never subside. When natural disasters occur, it is never about who has it worse; it is about each individual affected by the calamity. Whether a person was affected by Hurricane Katrina, Sandy, the Philippine typhoon, or any other catastrophic event, it does not make one less devastating over the other. Communities struck by these horrific events take years to recover, and their recovery efforts must not be forgotten. In this world we can either accept change or adapt to it-and how well we adapt to it, says a lot about our character. My heart breaks at every natural disaster I see, but from personally experiencing Sandy, I have a new appreciation for nature. Nature cannot be stopped and her ways cannot be changed. I will not accept these changes that nature has brought my way, but rather I will adapt to them and realize, what matters most is how well you walk through the fire.
