WARETOWN – When Greenbriar resident Don Edwards lifts his camera to the horizon, the image he captures is never just a picture. It’s a flashing moment of light and movement, one that’s gone before most of us notice. His photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of Southern Ocean County resonate because they carry with them an authenticity that requires no filters.
“Nature provides all the color,” Don said simply.
Don’s professional story began in the corporate towers of finance, far from the marshes and scenic sites he’s called home for the last five years.
Right out of college, Don landed a position with a Big Eight accounting firm, later serving as a vice president and chief financial officer for private companies.
Success came at a cost. “The stress of finance was killing him,” recalled his wife, Debbie. Long hours, seven-day work weeks, and constant pressure eventually led the husband and wife to rethink everything.
The couple’s epiphany came with Debbie earning her fitness certification. Don enjoyed training with a local friend and the two decided to work at something that gave them satisfaction. Together, they launched Integrated Martial Arts and Fitness in Livingston. What began as a leap of faith turned into Don’s second career; one that flourished for more than two decades.
Art And Martial Arts
Don’s credentials in martial arts are exceptional, as a Grand Master, 9th degree, in Doce Pares Filipino Martial Arts, a Full Instructor in Jeet Kune Do, and a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Debbie’s expertise in fitness made them a formidable team.
Their school was more than a training space. “Our students became family,” Debbie said. “We celebrated their milestones, watched them grow up, and stayed part of their lives long after they left class.”
Though Don has coached international competitors and world champions, what mattered most was the local impact. “We helped a lot of kids find confidence and discipline,” he said. “That’s what I’m most proud of.”
Even while balancing finance and martial arts, Don’s camera became a constant companion. Inspired by Debbie’s own interest in photography, he bought his first Canon in 1974, taught himself through Time-Life books and began with family photos before moving on to landscapes and cityscapes.
“Everything he gets involved with he does 100 times better than me,” Debbie laughed, with obvious pride.
As his work grew, it began attracting attention. His photographs have been displayed at the Morris Museum and selected multiple times for Manhattan’s prestigious Salmagundi Art Club. At Duke Farms, his images were printed on silk and suspended outdoors, shifting with light and wind as though alive. Locally, Don’s photographs have been exhibited at both the Lacey and Waretown branches of the Ocean County Library.
Perhaps most meaningful, however, was his commission from St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston. When the radiology-oncology wing underwent renovation, administrators sought art that would bring patients a sense of calm and hope. Don’s photographs of sunrises and landscapes were printed on large plexiglass panels and installed throughout the wing.
The impact was immediate. “One therapist told me a woman who had been withdrawn finally smiled when she saw the pictures,” Don recalled. “That meant everything to me.”
The Photographer’s Eye
Since living in Ocean County, Don has gravitated toward the wild beauty of the Pinelands, the tidal marshes of Barnegat Bay, and the landmark silhouette of Barnegat Lighthouse.
“I prefer landscapes and wildlife,” he explained. “I don’t feel comfortable photographing people. With animals, you study their habits, wait quietly, and then capture that moment when everything comes together.”
Patience is central to his craft. He often waits hours for the light to change, like the morning he sat under gray skies until beams of sunlight broke through in spectacular fashion. “You just have to trust the moment will come.”
What sets Don apart is his emphasis on action. Rather than focusing on still portraits, his images capture the energy of wildlife mid-movement: an osprey diving for fish, a fox bounding through the brush, a heron rising from still water. Even his still shots feel alive, such as his surreal image of an owl peering out from inside a tree trunk.
This summer, Don turned his lens on a rare subject – the roseate spoonbill. The tropical birds, with bright pink plumage and wide, flat bills, are native to the Gulf Coast, not New Jersey. Their sudden appearance in Forked River marshes drew birders from across the state.
“They don’t belong here,” Don explained. “Only juveniles wander this far north. To catch them feeding or in flight here, is something that’s quite rare.”
His spoonbill photos captured not just the novelty of their presence but their vitality, with wings spread in dawn light, water splashing beneath their beaks.
Beyond wildlife, Don has a deep love for landscapes. He returns to familiar places to watch how light transforms them, especially the Barnegat Lighthouse. This year, he captured a striking image of the sturgeon moon rising behind Old Barney. Using software to chart the alignment, he scouted a secluded beach in Waretown.
“When the moon came up, it was enormous,” he said. “People thought it was fake. But it was all real.”
Don finds inspiration in the night sky and his astral photography includes star trails that show the Earth’s rotation and Milky Way panoramas rising over the lighthouse. “When you’re out there late at night, looking up, it makes you feel so insignificant,” he said. “It’s awe-inspiring to realize how small we are in the universe.”
Though Don’s life has centered on different callings, what he brings from behind the lens is lasting and available to vast audiences. His photographs capture fleeting beauty and preserve it as a timeless imagery.
