By: | December 4, 2025 | | Shrewsbury
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by Emma Sylvia
It’s often said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Sometimes, we’re set on what beauty is in our minds without intentions of broadening our definitions. You might particularly love a sunset or the ocean waves, or perhaps the city skyline or animals that scurry through your backyard. For many of us, passions are set in stone – and discovering a new one may be both a foreign and frightening idea.
For local photographer, Emilee Carton, however, photography is a new passion that she’s eagerly embraced. Her nature photography has landed her as a finalist in the NJ Monthly Cover Contest, and she took a break to talk to us about her process and how she fell in love with her medium in the first place.
A Lifetime of Art
“I’ve been an artist pretty much my whole life.”
Carton, originally from Spring Lake, has lived in Shrewsbury for the past 14 years. Since she was younger, she’s been an artist, taking art lessons as a child and imagining that she would pursue a career in such a medium.
As many Americans did during the pandemic, Carton sought out a new hobby. During this time, however, Carton was also being treated for late-stage breast cancer. “Everyone was home, and it suddenly felt like I didn’t have any time for myself,” Carton recalls. “Going outside was the easiest answer.”
Her first journey into outdoor hobbies during the pandemic included joining the Shrewsbury Garden Club, where she learned the importance of native species of plants and flowers. She calls it a “huge step” in understanding and appreciating everything Monmouth County has in terms of wildlife. Shortly after, she heard a screech owl and her babies in her own yard, beginning a specialty of art in owls, and begging the question: “If there are screech owls in Shrewsbury, what other species are there – and what’s in other towns?”
As a beginner, she initially utilized her iPhone. Carton says a common mindset is questioning the need for a true camera when you can snap a high-resolution photo on your phone. For her, the opposite sentiment arose, as she saw near limitless possibilities in photography with a professional camera.
“I was deeply exploring nature and thought that I needed something better than a phone to take pictures. My aunt brought over her three-foot long telephoto lens, and I thought, ‘I can use this.’ It was cool and like nothing I had been exposed to before. The first time I clicked away with it, people I showed the photos to really thought that they were there in the photo. You could see the details so much more. Nature began to excite me so much.”
It was from this new love of both nature and photography that Carton found a form of therapy during her treatment. Crucially, it also began to satiate her artistic hunger. She had focused on many mediums before, from jewelry-making to painting and drawing. “I felt like I had focused on every other medium; nothing stuck. I was always searching for something else,” she says.
Art and Science
With a lust for adventure, Carton quickly took to wildlife photography. In Monmouth County (and parts of Sandy Hook), Carton has made her main photography grounds our plethora of parks, ranging from the beaches to the woods. With such a unique area, the wildlife is intensely diverse, making for a wide array of photo opportunities.
This has allowed Carton to expand her own repertoire of subjects. “I’ve learned to appreciate animals and insects that I never thought twice about. They’ve become some of the most interesting creatures to me.” To spur this excitement for new creatures on, Carton achieved her animal control license, learning how these creatures are saved.
“Unconventionality” is the name of the game for Carton. She aims to showcase not just an animal but the science and research behind the photography, marrying science and art together. It was with this approach that Carton became a finalist for the NJ Monthly Cover Contest.
Worth a Thousand Words
This annual contest began in 2020 during the pandemic and around the same time that Carton began photography. “When I first saw it, I said, ‘This looks to me like some big-time photographers in this state.’ I aspired to be next to that. I hoped to eventually get to a place where I can feel comfortable side-by-side with them,” she recalls.
Carton has achieved her goal, as she’s been named as one of the Top 10 finalists in the competition. The winner will be featured on New Jersey Monthly’s cover, (and will be revealed by the time this article goes to print). Carton, in the meantime, is ecstatic to be a finalist.
“I’m really happy to be in the Top 10 — I’m so excited,” says Carton. “I’ve gained so many photographer friends that are in the same realm as me but focus on landscape as opposed to wildlife, which is a very different type of photography. They’ve shared so many tips and knowledge.”
Aside from looking forward to this competition’s results, Carton also takes photos for the Monmouth Conservation Foundation. “I’m extremely proud to be a part of [that]. I think a lot of people will pay attention to the needs of retaining open space when they see the possibilities and what animals we have here,” she says.
Carton is also a board member of the Friends of Monmouth County Parks, a resource for funds to support the park system. This is where she’s spent a large amount of time taking photos.
In the future, Carton hopes to bring her photography to even more residents of Monmouth County (and beyond), aiming to inspire those the way that wildlife has inspired her. “I aspire to have my photos in local buildings and common areas. I want to sprinkle some of the therapy I’ve received around.”
She encourages everyone to start a new hobby, no matter how daunting it may seem – especially something as therapeutic and artistic as photography (with used photography equipment being a cheaper and wonderful alternative to the high-end equipment offered on the market). “Start with your phone and play around. Start there and see what’s possible and take notice. Walk a different way when you walk the dog and explore what’s right around the corner from your house. That’s what drove me to want to see more.”
To learn more about Emilee Carton’s photography, visit emileecarton.smugmug.com, or @jerseyshorewildlife on Instagram
