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Ocean Grove Pier. By Bob Bowné.  October 29, 2013

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.  Reposted from 2013.

On October 29, 2012, when Super Storm Sandy hit Ocean Grove, Bob Bowné  climbed to the top of the Windamer Hotel and went out on a small balcony at the left side.  The wind was ferocious, but he managed to remain there while he gathered his photo gear.  Bob is a professional photographer, so when he saw the furor of the ocean and the beginning of flooding, he knew that he had to document this huge event.

The Windamer Hotel on Ocean Avenue facing the pier, in Ocean Grove near Embury Ave. 10/29/12.  Bob was on a small balcony–upper left.   Photo by Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger.net   ©

It was about 4:00 p.m., and the peak of the storm had not yet hit, but the sight of that tumultous ocean was awesome.  That is when he obtained the photograph that would become an iconic image of the storm. He said that he preferred making the image while the pier was intact, so that it would document what was, rather than what would be after.

The full strength of Sandy came to bear at about 9:00 pm. after the winds shifted and roared in from the south.    Bob was the only person in his building and he watched as the devastation evolved including the loss of most of the fishing pier and the boardwalk.    He went downstairs to check his apartment which was in the basement and he came face to face with a large piece of the Hotel’s roof. Water was pouring in over the boardwalk area and onto Ocean Avenue, heading west.

Sandy: Ocean Avenue. By Bob Bowné. ©  Special to Blogfinger.

Bob Bowné is a life long Grover and he currently works as a carpenter.  In the past he was a commercial photographer who specialized in product imagery. He also was a surfer for many years and he used to photograph for surfing publications.

Ocean Avenue. by Bob Bowné. ©  Special to Blogfinger.

In preparation for a major exhibit about the storm at the Museum of the City of New York, 10,000 photographs were evaluated.  Bob’s spectacular shot of the ocean boiling over the OG pier was judged one of the most dramatic images.

The pier picture is the only one of his in the exhibit, but he has allowed us to publish a few more from that storm day. These gorgeous images are now exhibited  publicly for the first time.   Bob said that the light was unusual and transient, enabling him to obtain the photographs that we are now showing, without any software manipulation.

Opening of “Rising Waters: Photographs of Sandy.” Bob used a fisheye lens for this shot.

The exhibit opened on October 29, 2013.  Bob was there, and people asked for him to sign his photo.  The  exhibit is called “Rising Waters: Photographs of Sandy”

Bob Bowné, Photographer. Ocean Grove Pier, October 30, 2013,  © Photo by Paul Goldfinger  @Blogfinger.net   © One year and a day after Sandy.

For anyone interested in purchasing one of Bob’s Sandy prints, here is his email:    bownephoto@optimum.net

BOB DYLAN  “Blowin’ in the Wind”

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