Amusement Theme Park, on the beach, Wildwood, New Jersey (Steve Greer)
Each summer, people from all over New Jersey head down to the shore to stroll Wildwood’s boardwalk, a two mile long human circus of noise, honky-tonk, and amusement rides. Vendors sell t-shirts with bawdy messages, and there’s no shortage of pizza and soft custard.
Jutting out from the boardwalk to the ocean is Morey’s Pier, a family friendly amusement park. At the end of the pier is the famous 160 foot high Morey’s Pier Ferris Wheel. When you’re perched at the top it affords terrific views of Wildwood and the back bays. No matter what time of day, it’s always a great photo op
The day I was there the weather was dull and overcast. Not very inspiring. Regardless, I staked out the Ferris wheel to try and time my ride to the top to coincide with the sunset.
I knew that once the sun dipped below the horizon the sky would turn a predictable cobalt blue. To my surprise some light-colored reds began to spill into the blue. I knew it would only last a few minutes.
You only get three rotations on the Ferris wheel before returning to earth. Three chances to time the weather, and the lights below. With a little luck I managed to anticipate the wait time in a long line of people and the ride to the top to create this image.
My setting were 24mm, 1/20sec, ISO 1000
This image was chosen for the front cover of my latest hardcover pictorial book, America the Beautiful, New Jersey
Located in the heart of Trenton, the New Jersey State House is history come alive. It is the nation’s second oldest capitol in continuous use, the first being in Maryland
Its rotunda and145-foot dome was an essential keystone image for my latest book entitled
“Our New Jersey”
Because I wanted maximum depth of field to capture all the details in the foreground and the background, I dialed in an aperture of f/16. And being pressed so close to the sheer size of the space, I needed a 16mm wide angle lens. With my ISO set at 100, my faithful light meter advised me the sensor required a 15 sec. exposure. Ok, break out the sturdy tripod with a cable release, and be thankful for the unshakable solid marble floor.
All under the watchful eye of Abraham Lincoln’s bronze statue, sitting squarely in the center of the rotunda, it’s a wonderful introduction on your way to the gallery to watch the New Jersey Senators, Assemblymen, and Governors making the laws of the state.
Side note: In 1999, the dome was covered with 48,000 pieces of gold leaf. Each piece of gold leaf cost $1.00 and was paid for with money raised by New Jersey school kids through the “Dimes for the Dome” program. As a thank you for their contributions, the dome stands in honor of New Jersey children.
For more image of the State House visit my website
Atlantic City Boardwalk
Summertime tourists enjoy the timed-honored tradition of walking Atlantic City’s famous boardwalk. With the casinos as a backdrop, the boardwalk attracts more than thirty million people each year.
Back in 1870, the casinos and hotels of Atlantic City had one big problem to contend with…SAND. It was everywhere, from the train cars to the hotel lobbies. Alexander Boardman, a conductor on the Atlantic City-Camden Railroad, was asked to think up a way to keep the sand out of the hotels and rail cars.
Costing half the towns tax revenue that year, an eight foot wide wooden foot walk was built from the beach into town. This first Boardwalk, which was taken up during the winter, was replaced with another larger structure in 1880. On Sunday September 9, 1889, a devastating hurricane hit the island, destroying the boardwalk. Most of the city was under 6 feet of water, and the ocean met the bay at Georgia Ave. The Boardwalk of today is 60 feet wide, and 6 miles long.
Atlantic City is also well known as the inspiration for the board game Monopoly.
For more images of Atlantic City visit my site