I discovered the NJ Pinelands in early 2018. Ok, they were discovered hundreds of years ago and long before my time. But I found out about them and started exploring them in early 2018. I was immediately hooked by this stunning area of wilderness right next to the most populated area of our country.

There is so much to see and explore in The Pinelands and I have only scratched the surface in the three years I have come to know it. The Pinelands have been set asisde as a National Reserve and a United States Biosphere Reserve. It represents 22% of the land area of NJ, it's a unique combination of pine trees, pin-oak foreasts, other hardwood trees, sand, marsh, rivers, and wetlands that are incredible to see. What really makes the Pinelands special is the water... slow moving rivers, marshes, abandoned cranberry bogs, lakes and more. I have been hiking and photographing in the Pinelands many times now. Marilyn and I have spent afternoons driving through the sand roads in our Jeep Trailhawk. We’ve had lunches by the Batsto River. Rich and I have done multiple long kayak tours down the Mullica and Batsto Rivers. And I’ve watched many sunrises and sunsets over the beautiful still water. I plan to go back many more times.

I also have a short photo essay entitled A Walk in the Wetlands which is a small collection of images from a single morning at the Forsythe NWR which is part of the Pinelands.

My Autumn In The Pines

With my recent retirement, I had the opportunity to spend many days hiking and photographing in the Pinelands. Instead of sitting in an office doing business reviews I was out at sunrise on foggy mornings, I was walking in the late afternoon light among abandoned cranberry bogs, and I was wandering sand roads I had never been on before. The light and color in the Pinelands in autumn is remarkable - and I can’t wait to see it again and again and again!

24 Hours of Light

The images below were all made in a single 24 hour timespan one early summer weekend in The Pinelands. I think they capture the essence and variety of this interesting place so remote, yet so near. On a summer afternoon I witnessed that magical condition where golden sunlight is strong on the scene in front you, but with a background of foreboding storm clouds and thunder making you consider running for the car. As the storm passed, I watched it slowly reveal patches of pastel blue sky reflecting on the water - finally culminating in a Kaleidoscopic sunset. Not to be outdone, the following morning’s sunrise cloaked the water and woodlands in mist that emphasized the mystery of The Pines.

Winter Trees

In general I love trees in the winter - you get to see their true character. Add the beautiful soft light of winter in the pinelands and you can get images that last a lifetime. They won’t stop you in your tracks like the colorful sunsets and sunrises reflected on the water. But I think they have “staying power” - and you revisit them often.

On The Oswego

One misty warm summer Sunday morning I went kayaking on the Oswego River. It was a surreal trip. I had the entire river to myself and it was as if time stood still. There was no breeze, and hardly any sound at all. Just the beautiful sound the water makes when disturbed by a slow paddle in a kayak. I would alternate between a slow paddle and just drifting in the eerie calm morning. The trees took on different roles as I slowly passed by and several of them begged to have their memory preserved by a photograph. I’m not sure if I was there for minutes or hours or days. But as the slow current brought me back to the lake at the end of the river, I was disappointed that my morning experience was over. I hope to repeat it again, but I fear it will never be the same.

Pinelands Gallery