Long Island is located just east of Manhattan, stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the longest (you guessed it) and the largest island in the contiguous United States, and has an estimated population of 7.7 million which makes it the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory.

Nonetheless, I feel like Long Island is not very well known at all. New Yorkers tend to think of Long Island as suburbia and as their backyard beach. The rest of the world doesn’t seem to pay much attention to this large and highly populated island. Most of the tourists that go to visit New York City (most of them landing at JFK airport, which is technically located on Long Island) probably don’t even know the existence of Long Island.

This photo essay wants to pay tribute to the unknown beauty of Long Island in the winter, when the temperatures fall below the freezing point and the frigid winds coming from the north leave only the seagulls on the empty beaches.

Click here to view the photo essay.