For more than two decades, New York Times photographer Ruth Fremson has returned to Sullivan County to help mentor the next generation of visual journalists at the Eddie Adams Workshop.

This October, Fremson will return with some of her own work to share.

Fremson’s Olmsted’s Enduring Gift explores the public spaces shaped by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and the people who continue to use them. The project will be featured as part of the second annual Jeff Foto Festival, which transforms storefronts, restaurants and public spaces throughout Jeffersonville into an open-air photography gallery from Oct. 1 through Oct. 18.

Speaking with Radio Catskill, Fremson said her career in photojournalism grew from an early interest in art and a desire to tell stories visually. After studying at Ohio University, she worked at the Washington Times and Associated Press, including assignments covering the White House and work in the AP’s Jerusalem bureau, before joining The New York Times in 2000.

“What has never changed is that we’re still telling stories visually,” Fremson said, reflecting on a career that has stretched from film and darkrooms to digital cameras and smartphones. While the technology used to make, deliver and view photographs has transformed, she said the relationship between photographers and the people whose lives they document remains fundamental.

Olmsted’s Enduring Gift

Fremson began thinking about the Olmsted project during the COVID-19 pandemic, when conversations about access to parks and green space took on new urgency.

She spent about a year photographing public spaces connected to Olmsted around the country, focusing not simply on the landscapes themselves, but on how people continue to inhabit them.

The project eventually became a special section marking the 200th anniversary of Olmsted’s birth and was later displayed at Photoville in Brooklyn. Fremson said she is now excited to bring the work to Jeffersonville.

One of the things that stayed with her, Fremson said, was Olmsted’s willingness to design spaces for generations he would never live to see enjoy them.

She pointed to Central Park, where newly planted trees would take decades to mature into the landscape familiar to visitors today.

Fremson described that as a kind of long-term generosity — creating something not for immediate reward, but for people who would come later.

Her photographs will be part of the Jeff Foto Festival’s displays throughout Jeffersonville, where images are being installed in storefronts and other public spaces rather than confined to a traditional gallery.

Fremson said she likes the idea that someone might simply encounter a photograph while going about their day.

“If they stop for a second, enjoy an image, and it gives them a window into something they didn’t know before, then I’m perfectly happy,” she told Radio Catskill.

Returning to the Eddie Adams Workshop

Fremson has also been part of the Eddie Adams Workshop since 2004, serving in roles ranging from team leader to hospitality and even helping in the kitchen.

She said the workshop gives established photographers an opportunity to provide younger journalists with the kind of mentorship she benefited from early in her own career.

“It’s about giving back,” Fremson said. “We’re creating the next generation of journalists.”

She also credited Jeffersonville and the surrounding community for opening their doors to photographers and allowing workshop participants to document their lives year after year.

The Eddie Adams Workshop brings 100 emerging photographers to Jeffersonville for four intensive days of assignments, portfolio reviews, presentations and mentoring by photographers and editors from across the industry. The 2026 workshop runs Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 at the Eddie Adams Farm.

Fremson said she hopes the festival can give Sullivan County residents another glimpse into the photography community that gathers at the farm each fall.

“I hope people come to see it,” she said. “I hope they’re curious about what they’re seeing, and it triggers some discussions and thoughts and maybe inspires them to see the world in a different way.”

Upcoming Jeff Foto Festival events

Jeff Foto Festival runs Oct. 1–18 throughout Jeffersonville, with photographs displayed in businesses, storefront windows, restaurants, public spaces and outdoor locations along Main Street.

Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. — Ruth Fremson
Fremson will discuss Olmsted’s Enduring Gift at Lulu’s Social Club in Jeffersonville. In her Radio Catskill interview, Fremson said the presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the second floor of Lulu’s.

Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. — Michelle Agins: “A Photographer’s Journey”
New York Times photographer Michelle Agins will speak on the second floor of Lulu’s Social Club, 4906 NY-52. Agins joined The Times in 1989 and has photographed subjects ranging from breaking news to everyday life in New York City.

Friday, Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m. — The Photography of Dr. Frederick Cook
At the Jeffersonville Library Branch, Frederick Cook Society Executive Director Carol Smith will discuss the Sullivan County-born Arctic explorer’s life through his photography.

The festival also includes photography by Eddie Adams, Eddie Adams Workshop alumni, local and national photographers, along with a community scavenger hunt and other events through Oct. 18.