Longtime Cambridge resident Derrick Z. Jackson had two photographs win Applied Arts Photography Awards. The photos were from a series of images of great blue herons feasting along the Charles River and in the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
Based in Canada, the Applied Arts Awards “celebrate innovative creativity, and capture the current visual arts landscape in Canada and beyond.” Jackson received his honors in Nature/Landscape & Wildlife photography. His winning photos accompanied commentary on clean water policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists and “The Money Trail,” a Substack newsletter.
“At a time that the Trump administration is trying to roll back all these clean water protections, these images are just a reminder of the vitality of what restored rivers and wetlands can look like,” Jackson said.
Originally from Milwaukee, Wis., Jackson has lived in Cambridge since 1985. He was a columnist at the Boston Globe for 27 years, and a fellow for nearly 10 years at the Union of Concerned Scientists. The former journalist started his wildlife photography work until after his second honeymoon with his wife, a trip to Nova Scotia in 1981 where he fell in love with great blue herons.
Jackson recalled thinking the bird looked so prehistoric it must be an endangered species. He started seeing great blue herons everywhere along the Charles River, a bird previously invisible to him until that trip. That realization spoke to how many people “don’t see the natural wonders and beauty that are right in front of your face and have been there for your whole life,” he said.
The images that won the award are from two locations. One was taken walking along the Charles River, particularly up around the Watertown dam, and the other at the Bombay National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. The Charles River is an area of interest for him because of its history of environmental pollution and recovery, which he wrote about as an environmental commentator.
Long-term residents know the Charles River was once so infamous for its pollution that The Standells wrote the 1965 anthem “Dirty Water” about it and Boston Harbor. Now, the Charles has been cleaned up to a point where “amazing sights can be seen,” Jackson said. He’s written columns about the resurgence of species like herons, ospreys, and bald eagles in the Charles River ecosystem. Jackson pays special attention to birds because they “are truly canaries that tell us the state of what’s going on” in an ecosystem.
Taking the photos required focus, patience and time spent getting to know the birds and their rhythms. Jackson spent over a month walking up and down the river, punctuated by patiently sitting still. He took at least 2,000 photos to capture the winning images. He said he looks for the absolute peak of motion, action or stillness. Split seconds can change the drama of a photo in a meaningful way.
Jackson’s site notes other photography honors from the National Headliner Awards, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Maine Press Association and multiple art organizations. He is also the co-author and photographer of two books on the restoration of Atlantic puffins to Maine, the second of which, “The Puffin Plan,” won the 2021 winner for Teen Non-Fiction from the Independent Book Publishers Association. Still, he considers himself a “highly interested amateur” photographer, as he’s never depended on the art to make a living. Though he’s always taken photographs along with his primary work as a sports journalist, he never received formal training. He loves sharing the beauty he’s had the privilege to capture through these awards and contests.
“I like to take images that are pleasing but I really take them in hopes of being able to communicate the beauty we still have, and the beauty we brought back, like evidence of what can happen when we restore what we destroy.”
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