Hurricane Sandy swept along the New Jersey coastline with a fury that left little in its wake. The storm devastated my hometown.
I set out with a camera days after, instructed by my professors at Columbia Journalism School to hunt down the "biggest story of the year."
The scene was set, but I was overwhelmed. There were so many options and different avenues to pursue.
I drove to the beach, my go-to destination for a quiet calm, but this time around things were different. Asbury Park and Belmar looked like they had their throats ripped out. Everywhere I went, trash and debris littered the landscape. Boardwalks had been wrenched off their pylons, homes and stores sat with shattered windows, sagging under their own weight; the remnants of beachside life were scattered with reckless abandon.
It was a depressing sight.
I drove from one town to the next, encountering barricades, police, the National Guard in their camouflage Humvees.
Everything everywhere was a mess. Lots of piles of garbage. Big piles of garbage.
But I had found my theme, albeit an odd one.
I would set out to photograph piles of trash and debris that surrounded me. To me they told the story of true devastation in a way that was raw and real but that exposed a beauty and impending peace.
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Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
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Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
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Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
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Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
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Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
Lauren Betesh
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