Montclair State Students Document Essex County Life Through Photo Essay Series

Montclair State University photojournalism students assembled a photo essay series capturing life in eight Essex County towns. The project, called “Towns of Essex County,” showcases work from students enrolled in an Introduction to Photojournalism class.

Professor Thomas Franklin taught the class that created the series. Students selected a town. They shot images revealing its character and rhythm.

The collection displays portraits of shop owners, street scenes, gatherings, daily exchanges, festivals, and holiday parties. Each essay contains a “Humans of New York-style” portrait with an interview. Students posed one question to residents: What do you like most about your town?

Eight municipalities appear: Montclair, Bloomfield, West Orange, Nutley, Newark, Maplewood, and South Orange. The photographs reveal what makes each place distinct to those who call it home.

The assignment pushed students to balance different image types. They chose portraits of local shop owners along with unplanned street photography, documenting both ordinary moments and scheduled celebrations in their chosen communities.

Montclair Local partnered with the university to present the work. This collaboration gave student photographers a chance to share their documentation of daily life across the county.

The series captures how residents experience their hometowns. Through interviews matched with images, the project reveals what attracts people to each area and what they cherish about where they live.

Each town’s essay functions as its own piece within the larger collection. The various locations represented offer a window into different parts of the county through the lens of emerging photojournalists learning their craft.

The post Montclair State Students Document Essex County Life Through Photo Essay Series appeared first on WMTR AM.