Photo Opportunities at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
An image of a photographer enjoying the beauty of the valley and someone paddling in a kayak along the Delaware River are captured by Alex Cena.
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a wonderful place to visit for outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, bikers and paddlers. There are over 40 miles of calm river, 67,000 acres of valley, bountiful wildlife, 100 miles of trails, waterfalls and historic villages. It’s also a great place for photographers whether you prefer landscape or wildlife as your subject. I’m neither of those, yet it is a perfect backdrop for environmental portraits, editorial and lifestyle images as well. The river itself has plenty of opportunities for photographers, but there are also a lot of abandoned buildings and villages. Several decades ago, the government, through eminent domain, forced local residents to abandon their homes so that the valley could be flooded for use by a power generation plant to be located in the area. Many of these abandoned buildings still stand albeit barely. However, they are easily accessible on foot, bicycle and automobile.
For example, the town of Millbrook, NJ has a beautiful church that I used to photograph this lovely woman. Inside the church, I had her lay on her back with a look of expectation along the top of the altar. I’m not sure what I was after or the type of mood I was trying to accomplish other than something soft and dramatic. Some say I should call it sensuous sacrifice but I’m not sure that would be appropriate.
We continued outside where I photographed her as she was leaving the church. Again, I’m not sure what I wanted other than for her to hold the doors open, look down and close her eyes. Many stories can be created with this image and I almost prefer the viewer use their own imagination as to why I captured her this way.
So please visit the area and check out all the possibilities to practice your skill at the visual arts then share it with everyone. If you can’t make it, let me know what story comes to mind when you view my images.
It is beautiful there. I used to travel that area a lot when a friend of mine lived in Port Jervis. Alas it was in my “non shooting phase” when I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with cameras. Still, fond memories of that area.