Local photographer documents landscape between the Hudson and Delaware

SUGAR LOAF-Photographer Nick Zungoli of Sugar Loaf has just published Hudson to Delaware/The Great Valley, the first book of photographs to provide a complete overview of the region. "This magnificent area between two of the greatest rivers in the world has not received the national attention it deserves," Zungoli said. "Wherever I travel it seems that people are unaware of its beauty and rich history. It is surprising to many that such a place exists only an hour drive from our country's largest metropolis. Its low profile is evident by the fact that even locals are unaware that the region is actually called The Great Valley. I have tried to put a face on it for people who have never been here or don't know it very well." Zungoli is a nationally recognized landscape photographer who lives and works out of his studio, The Exposures Gallery, in the hamlet of Sugar Loaf. His fine-art nature and travel photographs and posters have been exhibited at galleries and museums around the world. He has also contributed to publications such as Sierra Magazine, Nature Conservancy Magazine and Popular Photography. He opened his gallery 25 years ago, and decided to mark its anniversary by creating a book that would not only document his years in the Great Valley, but also underscore the importance of preserving what is considered by many to be a landscape of national significance. "It is important that parcels of land that contain extraordinary vistas, pristine aquifers and offers contiguous wild land be identified and spared development in each town," said Zungoli. For this reason, he has been an outspoken advocate for saving the scenic Broad View land at the foot of Sugar Loaf Mountain, which the Town of Chester will preserve by purchasing the land from a developer. The images of nature in his coffee table book will guide the reader through a visual journey from river to river, offering an unparalleled overview of the region. Zungoli has organized the images into four chapters: "The Hudson and Palisades," "The New Jersey-New York Highlands," "The Great Valley," and "The Delaware and Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge." Trail Conference author/editor Daniel Chazin contributed chapter essays, and illustrator Jack Fagan created a regional map for the book. The preface was co-written by Paul Dolan, Executive Director of ABC News International, and his wife JoAnn, former Executive Director of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. They have both been active in the creation of Sterling Forest State Park as well as other important land preservation issues in the Hudson Valley. "The genius of Nick's work in this book is that he shows the connectedness of great landscapes from the Hudson to the Delaware," the Dolans write. "He is not interested in isolated parks and preserves, but instead sees through his camera's lens the interrelationship of the Highlands, the Kittatinny Mountains, the Shawangunks, and the Great Valley. Nick Zungoli's work captures the universal and primordial appeal of nature and of light itself." The hardcover book contains 140 color photographs and comes boxed in a handmade cloth slipcase.