This site is dedicated to recognizing those special places, events, and people that make Pennsylvania great. It is a living site in that it will grow and mature as time passes and one that we hope will convey the essence of the content through unique imagery, interesting dialogue and arcane tips.
The Penn Relays get the front page because it is the event that solidified the concept of The Treasures of Pennsylvania and thus is very special to us. For several months I had been pondering an extensive photographic project that reflected the heart and soul of Pennsylvania, but had not found a focus that wouldn’t be consumed by the vastness of the state and the diversity of its people. While on the train into Philadelphia to shoot the Penn Relays for some motivational images, I decided to kill the idea and move on. However, upon getting off at one of the oldest stadiums in the country, the huge crowds and enormous energy immediately struck me as did the thought that this was a treasure for a struggling Philadelphia and was bringing in millions of dollars of much needed income to the city. It was one of those “lightbulb” moments when everything gelled and the concept was born.
While the Treasures of Pennsylvania may have promotional benefits for those places and events that we include, you should be aware that we don’t do tourist here. That is not our intent. You won’t find your typical overview pictures or shots of smiling folks holding hot dogs. The images that we have chosen and the copy that we use are selected to convey a sense of place or purpose, rather than being a literal depiction of what you might encounter at one of the Treasures. To that end, we think you will find that each of our contributing photographers portrays the world around them with unique vision and we would recommend that you take a look at their wider bodies of work.
What does it take to be listed here? It has to be something that is really, really good. It can be an event, a place, a person, a group, or perhaps something that isn’t easily categorized, it doesn’t matter – it just has to be special and something that would be sorely missed and fondly remembered if it disappeared tomorrow. The one thing we won’t do is celebrities. They already get enough press, so we will save our space for those people who are true gems, but who move among us unrecognized.
Some may ask why there is an emphasis on Eastern Pennsylvania Treasures. The answer is simple. We live here, so it is the logical starting point. We will add Treasures from other areas as they are submitted and as we travel. If you know of something that we should include, please let us know and we do accept submissions.
All of the images on the site are copyrighted and we enforce our copyrights, so please see our terms before you download them without permission. The images displayed are very small sized files designed to facilitate the rapid loading of pages and are not suitable for reproduction. Most of the images are available as gallery prints in a variety of sizes and are also available for commercial usage. Links at the bottom of each article will take you to galleries of the contributing photographers where you may order full resolution images or prints. If you don’t find the particular image that you are interested in, please contact us at admin@treasuresofpa.com and we will track it down for you. As you might guess, a number of our photographers also accept commercial assignments, so please feel free to contact us about engaging their services.
And finally, photographs from the Treasures of Pennsylvania collection are available for display in galleries or public spaces. Again, please contact us if you are interested in setting up a showing. On that note, I hope you enjoy the site and will feel free to comment and add your thoughts. Best Regards, Henry
