What is it about a scenic route that makes it truly scenic? Is it what you encounter while traveling along the road? Is it the expectation of what you will see? Or is it what you remember long after the trip is over?
I set out to explore these questions after discovering a small, out-of-the-way route beginning in Salem, N.J., and running south on Route 658 toward Bridgeton. I realized I had never explored this area of New Jersey, and I was intrigued by its proximity to Philadelphia.
I've chosen to portray the images more as nostalgic memories than straight documentation, aiming to evoke the feeling of driving down a deserted country road on a warm summer evening. Also, I shot them in black and white because experts say we dream in black and white.
Staff photographer Ron Tarver has worked at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 19 years and has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association/University of Missouri Pictures of the Year competition, the World Press Photo Awards competition, and other state and regional contests. Tarver, a native of Oklahoma, received a bachelor's degree in journalism and graphic arts at Northeastern Oklahoma State University.
