I wanted to explore the very early morning (dawn) scene at Liberty State Park immediately after we had a terribly frigid and windy ice and snow storm that blanketed the region in Northeast New Jersey. Having done many photo-ops here, with each one being so uniquely different, from seasonal changes to times of day and climate, it was quite obvious that this particular morning would offer some exceptionally amazing scenes, as long as weathering the elements was not to be a deterrent. Always being up for interesting settings, it was a no-brainer to take advantage of the conditions, and leaving very early in the morning, well before any light, allowed for a pretty open drive on the roads. Most folks were either still sleeping or avoiding the possible hazards, but ultimately, the key thoroughfares were well addressed, and driving slowly and carefully had me at the destination without any problems.
Preferably, the original goal was to arrive before sunrise, in hopes of capturing some interesting tones in the sky, influenced by the impending sunrise and the water surface, along with the night lights in the distant Manhattan and Jersey City skyscrapers—of course, the number of large scale harbor vessels would also provide some accentuating light.
Well, once I managed to park the vehicle in the southern lot for the lower end of this fabulous historic state park, it was immediately apparent that there will be no play on light from the approaching sunrise, for the clouds and thick fog and mist permeated the land and water scape . . . But this was just GREAT, because the scenery now available was even more dramatic in a hauntingly beautiful way, akin to what one might imagine how an arctic freeze might appear. We actually were facing a stretch of record breaking arctic like temperatures and conditions just before this outing, and the aftermath from earlier intense freezing everywhere provided an underlayer of ice to the coating of snow and new ice. The grounds were rather slippery, and the winds howling as whirling sweeps would add a deep chill to the face and hands. Gloves would constantly come off and go back on—the reason for removal was the need for better dexterity in shooting, but these no-glove moments would not last for long stretches in that element.
The breathtaking scenery in and around the great New York Harbor with the distant Verrazano Bridge, Brooklyn, Queens, and Downtown Manhattan would be accentuated by the wonderful views of Jersey City’s skyscrapers, Hoboken (NJ) to the south, and the expansive landscape that constitutes the grounds of Liberty State Park. The middle of the Harbor, of course, has one of the most iconic symbols of freedom in the world, the Statue of Liberty (aka, Lady Liberty), and a bit north of her and closer to Manhattan and the northern end of this great park, Ellis Island, where approximately 12 million immigrants came across the Atlantic Ocean and took their first step on American soil right there.
Views of the Freedom Tower in downtown Manhattan, the farther north, Empire State Building of midtown, and the Goldman Sachs Tower of Jersey City across from Manhattan via the Hudson River are some of the great landmarks known the world over. The southern end of the park where I began the photo-op has one of my favorite subjects, the powerful Liberation Monument that honors the freeing of the concentration camp victims by our freedom fighters and allies at the end of WWII. This sculpture in its setting has to be amongst the greatest inspirational statues anywhere, for the surrounding scenes reflect a profound sense of liberty at every turn, and as a photographer, one cannot ask for more . . . And to punctuate this ideology of freedom, the circle of the 13 flags, the original number of colonial states that fought for our independence, a bit of the great red, white, and blue is readily available to adorn the frames.
PLEASE REVIEW ALL OF THE PHOTOS IN THIS PARTICULAR SERIES OF LIBERTY STATE PARK IN POST ICE AND SNOW STORM BLANKETED IN THE PRISTINE WHITE. ALSO, CHECK OUT THE ALBUM FOR LSP, FOR YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENT LOOK IN DRIER CONDITIONS AND MORE SUNLIGHT.
