A season wanes | Scene Through the Lens

Long a photographer’s favorite, Asbury Park is known for its carnival and music history, architecture, and its offbeat, artsy, and diverse vibe.

I have photographed there before, but mostly in the off-season, as it’s well north of the South Jersey beaches most Inquirer readers favor.

My assignment in Ashury Park last week was to illustrate an end-of-summer ode my colleague, columnist Helen Ubiñas wrote, finding it “a welcome mix” between her New York City birthplace and her current home in Philly.

The boardwalk there captivated me as well:

Here in Philadelphia on this Labor Day - the unofficial end of the summer - we are going into what could be the longest heat wave of the year. And the longest in September since 1931.

I am looking forward to the cooler, shorter days (with long shadows) and back-to-school assignments and fall sports.

In the meantime though, the holiday weekend is just as good an excuse as any to look back at some of my photo essays from this past summer, starting with a visit from N.J. Senator Cory Booker, also last week:

Another of our local U.S. Senators, on another summer recess tour:

And... a former governor now running for president:

Finally, circling back to the Jersey Shore, my appreciation of Garden State rest stops, as the summer driving season kicked off in May.

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color: