Off Peak

Tourism is defined as “the travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes, usually of a limited duration”. Beach towns define this very idea for many people especially during the summer season. For many, beach towns are an escape from the high stress working weeks and daily lives for many people, even if only for a single week or long weekend. These places are not only tourist destinations, but also home to many people within the neighborhood year round. Seaside Heights, the Jersey Shore is no exception. With the cold Northeast Winters and rainy springs, destination towns such as these are closed for about two thirds of the year. Making the summer season for many local residents and business owners to rely mainly for business during the summer from Memorial Day weekend up until Labor-day weekend. This photo essay is my representation of the bittersweet emptiness and nostalgic beauty of the New Jersey Shore during its “Off-Peak” season. It is a documentary of social landscape, typography, and also my own personal intrigue of the area. Documenting this commercially famous area during the dead of winter gives a viewer a point of view that usually only local (and many beach towns that are similar throughout the northeast) residents regularly see during their slow, cold winter seasons.