July 22, 2017 | Joe Benning

Parks and Recreation

The Monmouth County Park system is often thought to be one of the finest in the country–and with good reason. The parks are meticulously maintained; they are stunningly beautiful, and they are brimming with activities for all ages. So not too long ago I paid

Geraldine Thompson
Geraldine Thompson

a visit to Thompson Park in Lincroft. Thompson Park which includes the former home of Geraldine Thompson, and now serves as the Thompson Park Visitor’s Center. The park, which was established in 1968 totals 667 acres, of which 215 were donated by the estate go Geraldine Thompson. The park, which is truly magnificent, features the Marlu Lake (pictured below) is not to be missed.

 

A scenic lake surrounded by green trees on a summer morning. Two canoes are in the distance are on the lake.
Two canoes float lazily along a lake surrounded by green trees.
A path out of a heavily wooded area to a clearing that goes between large two trees.
Two trees up a slope in a green meadow with a dramatic sky in the background

 

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June 23, 2017 | Joe Benning

On the Beach …

Summer is here and the best time to see the beach is early in the morning before the crowds arrive. Here is what it looked like this morning.

A life guard station turned on its side on the beach next to a lifeboat before the crowds arrive
Lifeboat on the beach
An empty life guard chair and boat on the beach early in the morning
Life guard station and boat early in the morning before the crowds arrive
June 12, 2017 | Joe Benning
June 11, 2017 | Joe Benning

Asbury Park Photo Walk

A beautiful summer morning—just right for a photo walk with Michael and Beverly Miller in Asbury Park. We started at Convention Hall early when we had the pale morning light, and wandered around taking photos as the sky brightened and the beach and boardwalk began to fill up.

 

Here are some photos from the walk.

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May 28, 2017 | Joe Benning

Glorious Day for a Race

Saturday May 27—a glorious day to kick off the summer season with the 41st running of the Spring Lake 5 mile race. About 12,500 runners participated in this 40th anniversary of the original race, first run in 1977. The rain that threatened the night before didn’t show, but blue skies did.

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Spring Lake NJ, USA — May 27, 2017 A trail of discarded water cups on the street as the race begins to wind down. Editorial use only.
Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Runners race down Ocean Avene in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile Race. Editorial Use Only.
Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Three competitors in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile race sprint down Ocean Avenue. Editorial Use Only.
Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Runner takes an early lead in the annual Spring Lake 5 mile race. Editorial Use Only.
Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 Female joggers out for a morning run on the boardwalk in Spring Lake. Editorial Use Only.
Discarded water cups in the wake of the runners
Spring Lake, NJ USA — May 27, 2017 A police barricade blocks off a street. Editorial Use Only.
May 22, 2017 | Joe Benning

Bell Works

Bell Works in Monmouth County is a revitalization of the famous Bell Labs facility, originally designed by architect Eero Saarinen. The new facility is one that tries to blur the lines between work and play, home and the office. Whether that works remains to be seen. In any event, much of the building is open to the public. Today, Monmouth Arts Council sponsored a Art Walk through the building led by Michael Miller of Visions Photographic Workshops.

Here are some photos from the workshop.

Lobby of Bell Works
Unusual arrangement of unusual furniture
Unusual furniture in an unusual lobby
Silhouettes of both the Photographers and the Subject
Open space in the lobby of the Bell Works building
Patterns on a floor leading to an empty wall
May 17, 2017 | Joe Benning

A Little Macro Photography

Macro photography, which entails close-up photos of a subject, is particularly well suited for nature photography. So in order to learn about the art of macro photography, composition and technique, I went to a Visions Photographic Workshop run by Michael S. Miller. I might add that Michael’s classes and workshops can benefit any and all photographers, from beginners to more advanced practitioners. Michael is a great teacher, and his classes and workshops are a lot of fun to boot. Try going to the Visions Workshops website to have a look. You also might want to check out the Visions Facebook page.

 

Anyway, for the Macro Photography workshop Monday evening, the light and weather were perfect. So we spent the evening on the beach crawling around in the sand to get some close-ups of seashells and other stuff lying around in the sand. Here (below) are some of the resulting photos.

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Seashell with a Heart
Broken-up Seashells Litter the Beach
Mussells, Pebbles and Seashells on the Beach
A collection of seashells lying on the beach
A seashell lying on the beach in late afternoon
Seashell on the beach Surrounded by sand pebbles in late afternoon
May 14, 2017 | Joe Benning

Summer is Here–at Least in Spirit

Summer has arrived, if not officially, at least in spirit. The brand new Marina Grill opened for business in Belmar—and it was packed. The tent houses in Ocean Grove are being readied for the summer season, and the rides at Jenkinson’s Pavilion on the boardwalk at Point Pleasant are open for business on the weekends.

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Point Pleasant, NJ USA — May 14, 2017 Adults and children riding the “Wave Swing” at Jenkinsons Pavilion on the boardwalk.
Riders wave thier arms as they go around the bend
Ocean Grove, NJ USA — May 12, 2017 — Tent houses are set up for the summer season in Ocean Grove, NJ.
The Fishing Pier at Ocean Grove
May 1, 2017 | Joe Benning

Spring Time in New York

Thursday was a fine day in New York. The weather was great and the city was full of people taking in the sights. There is an excellent retrospective of the photographs (like the one  shown below) of Irving Penn at the Met to mark the centennial of his birth. The exhibit includes a guided tour by people who put it together. The exhibit will be open through July 30, 2017.

Penn Exhibition

More information about the exhibit is available here.

Below are some photos from New York taken Thursday.

 

Traffic Cop

Traffic Cop and Frustrated Pedestrian

 

Musicians in Central Park

Musicians in Central Park

Ukranian Embassy

Ukrainian Embassy on 5th Avenue

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