- April 24, 2024
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For two months, Palm Coast photographer Ed Siarkowicz systematically photographed a range that extended from Jacksonville Beach south to Edgewater, west to Lake Helen, then north through DeLand, Pierson, East Palatka, Green Cove Springs and everywhere in between.
Many of the areas west of Interstate 95 he had driven through before but never with the intent of discovering the key points of what defined and represented a town.
The reason for doing it now was that he had taken on the task to photograph the spots that make the towns click in the districts of U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis and Florida Rep. Travis Hutson. The collections were to be on loan and hung in their local offices for the year.
“There were a couple of eye-openers,” Siarkowicz said. “Pierson, for example, is known as the fern capital of the U.S. When I visited town hall — which shares the same lobby with the police department, the Chamber of Commerce and a bank — I was surprised to also learn that one of the fern farmers converted part of his property and is raising tilapia and five different types of sturgeon, including beluga.”
After his excursions, he had close to 6,000 pictures to edit and process. The project was time consuming, 132 pieces in the end, but Siarkowicz said seeing the end product hanging in prominent public places was entirely satisfying.
While Hutson's pieces were installed first, DeSantis' open house took place first, May 30, in St. Augustine. Hutson’s opening was held June 14, in Palm Coast.
For Siarkowicz, the highlight of DeSantis' open house came when the congressman unveiled for the first time in public a new piece that he will be releasing through Flagler Beach's Ocean Books & Art in August.
Entitled "Phoenix Rising," it depicts two New York City policemen standing in front of the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center, in Manhattan. The officers are looking at the camera, one with his arms crossed, the other with his hands on his hips in a guarding-protective posture. Behind them, the Freedom Tower rises into the sky as the setting sun reflects from the clouds and glassy surfaces.
Siarkowicz took the piece last August when he went to New York to visit family. Prior to his departure, he asked a friend, a veteran of the Afghanistan conflict, if he wanted him to bring anything back for him from New York.
"Just a picture of the Freedom Tower," he replied.
As a native New Yorker, Siarkowicz had not been to the World Trade Center since before the Sept. 11 attacks. As he came out of the Battery Park subway station, he had a lot of thoughts running through his head, but as he turned the corner that is the scene he saw.
“For me, it's neat to see people enjoying my work and it's good to hear both the positive comments and criticism that comes with public display,” Siarkowicz said. “The positive comments let me know that I'm doing a good job, and the criticism keeps me in check and motivates me to go back out with the camera and capture new things, always looking for another 'God moment' for me to click the shutter on."
