Brigantine Beach: After Hurricane Sandy

By: April Rosario

Introduction:

Brigantine Beach After Hurricane Sandy—Brigantine Beach has been a second home to me for fourteen years. My family and

I have spent every summer down there since I was seven years old. My family and I have spent hours on the beach and have had

numerous family barbeques down the shore. On October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy hit and devastated the Jersey Shore. It destroyed

many homes and businesses. Many people living near the Jersey Shore lost everything due to Sandy. There are people still living in

shelters because they have lost their homes, businesses, belongings, and some have even lost family members or pets. My family and I

have a shore house in Brigantine, New Jersey. We were very lucky that our home was not destroyed and had very minimal damage.

For my photo essay, I wanted to show the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy as well as make others aware that Hurricane Sandy

caused a lot of damage to the Jersey Shore as well as many areas in New Jersey. For my photo essay, I chose to show the damage

caused to houses, the beach, the bay, and other areas in Brigantine. Overall, I wanted to show the sadness and gloominess that has

taken over the once happy and family oriented town. Hurricane Sandy has completely destroyed the Jersey Shore.

 

 Analysis:  

For  my  photo  essay,  I  chose  to  use  thirteen  pictures.  I  chose  the  following  pictures  because  I  felt  that  they  really  showed  

the  devastation  caused  by  Hurricane  Sandy.  Each  picture  shows  the  damage  caused  to  the  town  as  well  as  the  sadness  that  has  

taken  over  this  once  happy  vacation  spot.  The  pictures  I  chose  to  use  show  the  damage  to  the  beach,  houses,  bay,  docks,  and  

streets.  I  took  these  pictures  using  my  iPhone  camera.  While  taking  my  pictures,  I  kept  in  mind  the  lighting,  rule  of  thirds,  and  

white  space.  I  took  these  pictures  on  a  cloudy  day,  which  gave  them  an  even  gloomier  feel  and  showed  the  sadness  even  more.  

I  did  not  want  my  pictures  to  have  a  lot  of  white  space  in  them,  so  I  tried  to  eliminate  white  space  while  taking  these  pictures.  I  

also  wanted  my  viewers  to  focus  on  what  was  important  in  the  picture  and  not  anything  else,  so  I  tried  to  use  the  rule  of  thirds  

to  focus  on  what  was  important  in  the  picture.  I  edited  my  pictures  in  iPhoto.  I  chose  to  edit  my  pictures  because  I  wanted  

them  to  have  the  same  feel  and  effect  that  the  pictures  from  the  six  flags  photo  essay  had.  I  really  liked  how  the  effects  of  the  

six  flags  pictures  made  me  feel  and  I  wanted  to  use  that  same  effect  for  my  pictures.  I  wanted  the  people  who  would  be  looking  

at  my  pictures  to  feel  what  the  people  who  have  lost  everything  might  be  feeling.  I  wanted  to  show  the  sadness  and  gloominess  

of  the  town.  The  picture  I  chose  to  discuss  is  the  second  picture,  which  is  a  picture  of  a  sunken  boat.  This  is  a  picture  of  a  small  

boat  that  has  sunk  into  the  bay  after  Hurricane  Sandy.  After  Hurricane  Sandy,  many  people  took  their  boats  out  of  the  bay.  

Their  docks  were  destroyed  and  so  were  some  of  their  boats.  Driving  through  the  city  of  Brigantine,  you  can  see  the  boats  

parked  on  the  side  of  the  street  or  in  a  driveway.  I  chose  to  analyze  this  picture  because  it  is  one  of  my  favorite  pictures  that  I  

took.  I  blurred  the  edges  of  this  picture  so  that  the  person  viewing  this  image  would  focus  on  the  boat  that  is  underwater  and  

not  anything  else.  I  also  chose  to  enhance  the  coloring  of  this  image  because  I  thought  it  gave  it  a  different  feel.  When  people  

look  at  this  picture  I  wanted  them  to  feel  what  those  who  just  lost  their  boat  felt.  This  picture  gives  a  sense  of  sadness  to  the  

viewers  and  I  feel  it’s  because  of  the  effects  of  the  image.  When  I  took  this  picture,  I  kept  in  mind  the  theory  of  the  rule  of  

thirds.  I  tried  to  make  sure  that  the  most  important  part  of  my  picture  was  the  focus.  The  viewpoint  was  also  very  important  to  

me  when  taking  this  picture  because  I  wanted  viewers  to  see  the  boat  right  away.  Lighting  was  also  important  in  taking  this  

picture.  I  needed  the  perfect  lighting,  so  I  could  create  the  feel  that  I  wanted  to  create.  I  also  manipulated  the  color  of  each  

photo  so  they  gave  the  feel  I  wanted  and  looked  exactly  how  I  wanted  them  to  look.  I  tried  my  best  to  include  semiotics  into  

each  of  the  pictures  I  took.