Pinelands Preservation Alliance is seeking photographers

Photographers of all skill levels are welcome to apply and $2,000 in cash prizes will be offered.

Melissa Riker
The Tabernacle Sun
3 min readAug 30, 2018

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Photo taken by Jason Gambone.
Photo taken by Barry Nealis.

The Pinelands Preservation Alliance and a volunteer committee composed of professional and amateur photographers will host their annual juried photography exhibit focused on the Pinelands National Reserve. The exhibit will hang in PPA’s newly renovated barn at its headquarters in Southampton from Nov. 3 to Dec. 7. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 14. An opening reception will be held Nov. 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“I’ve been exploring and photographing the New Jersey Pinelands for over 30 years and its beauty never ceases to amaze me” says photographer Richard Lewis, co-committee chair. He continues, “When you look beyond the scraggly pine trees that line the roads of the Pinelands, you enter a world like no other that I’ve seen in all of my travels. The lakes, wetlands and forests hold visual treasures that are a delight for the eye and camera. The unique history of the area makes itself known in everything from the preserved villages of Batsto and Whitesbog to the ruins of old towns that have long ago vanished.”

The photographers who entered last year’s exhibition said:

“The Pinelands offer a unique opportunity for a nature photographer. The pine forests, misty mornings, sandy soil, and dark waters come together to create beautiful enchanting images that can only be made in the Pinelands.” J. Michael Williams, Hillsborough.

“I have driven through often, but I have rarely stopped to explore. When I finally had the opportunity to spend some time looking around, I found that there are many layers. You have to spend a little time pealing them back to really start to understand just how vast and beautiful they are. It’s a great place to get to know better!” Jackie Touw, Woodbury Heights.

“I get to create whatever images stir my passion. I share with my camera whatever I find, whether biking, hiking, or paddling through the Barrens (a misnomer if ever there was one). It never gets boring, it never gets stale, and it continuously changes. What better canvas could there be, providing the ‘grist’ for the creative mill, than the Pinelands.” Dick Gouldey, Barnegat.

Black and white and color images taken within the boundaries of the National Reserve depicting its landscape, flora, wildlife, communities and people will be accepted. Photographers of all skill levels are welcome to apply — $2,000 in cash prizes will be offered. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 14. Registration information is available at bit.ly/ppaphoto2018 or www.pinelandsalliance.org.

Photographers are welcome to submit up to three images for $30 and $5 for each additional image up to a total of six total submissions. Student (18 years of age and under) entries are $10 for three images and $5 for each additional image up to a total of six.

Images will be judged by award-winning landscape photographer and trustee of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Albert Horner. He volunteered to help with this event in order to increase exposure of the Pinelands in the visual arts. He said, “My greatest dream is to capture the beauty of the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, and, then have those images help preserve it.”

Important dates:

Submission Deadline: Sept. 14.
Gallery exhibition: Nov. 3 to Dec. 7.
Opening Reception: Nov. 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
*Awards will be announced at the reception.

For more information or questions, please contact: Steve Sebastian at (609) 859–8860 ext. 124 or steve@pinelandsalliance.org.

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