Sunrise After the Election | 11.06.2024

Sunrise After the Election | 11.06.202
Saratoga, New York

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Architectural Detail and Morning Light, The Egg | 11.05.2024

Architectural Detail and Morning Light, The Egg | 11.05.2024
Albany, New York

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Valley Acres | 10.27.2024

Valley Acres | 10.27.2024
Saratoga Springs, New York 

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The West Albany Yard: The Birthplace of the Legendary No. 999.

The West Albany Rail Yard, tucked between the interstate and warehouses just west of downtown, hums to life at 5 AM as the first light paints the tops of Albany’s buildings. The smooth, frictionless whir of the highway’s few early travelers blends with the low idle of trains and the sounds of the surrounding neighborhood, creating a white noise layered with a million small sounds. Once a major hub for New York City’s railroad maintenance, the yard now sees shipments of corn syrup, paper, and lumber and is the starting point for the Troy and Rensselaer locals—smaller trains feeding industries across the Hudson. 

Yet, at this hour, you would never guess this yard birthed a legend. Here, in 1893, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad No. 999 was built at the West Albany Shops, where it would soon claim the world speed record as the first locomotive to surpass 100 miles per hour on the Empire State Express. This Albany-built 4-4-0 “American” type, with its towering 86-inch wheels and sleek black-and-white finish, symbolized the New York Central Railroad’s ambitions and secured Albany’s place in railroad history. 

By dawn, the Corning Tower’s aircraft beacon pulses in the distance, marking time in steady three-second intervals as bakers in culinary whites emerge to begin the day’s bread in the vast bakeries at the yard’s southern boundary. If you’ve ever spent a morning near the yard, you know the fragrance—a wonderful warmth that hangs in the cold air, especially on a cold morning.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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The Woodland Giant | 10.25.2024

The Woodland Giant | 10.25.2024
Grafton Lakes State Park

This is one of my favorite trees on the Rensselaer Plateau. I’ve nicknamed it the Woodland Giant. A towering, double-trunked red maple, it evokes the feeling of standing at the feet of a giant, especially at night under the Plateau's Bortle Class 4 sky. In places like Grafton Lakes State Park, this “Rural/Suburban Transition” sky has moderate darkness with some light pollution along the horizon. The Milky Way remains visible, though softened, and fainter stars and deep-sky objects still shine through, making it a subtly illuminated setting for stargazing.

But the night sky we see now is not the sky of our parents' youth, or even our own. Each year, stars disappear, claimed by unshielded lights and expanding cities. As more residential developments rise in the surrounding counties, the sky could soon be reclassified as Bortle Class 5—a “Suburban Sky” where light pollution dims the Milky Way and mutes fainter stars and deep-sky objects, gradually altering our connection to the night, making it harder for us to witness auroras, comets, the galactic core, and meteor showers.

Standing before the Woodland Giant, I’m reminded of the walking trees of mythology, like the Ents of Middle Earth—ancient guardians of the forest, protectors of the night sky and the wild lands. These mythical trees, wise and rooted yet capable of movement, evoke our deep, age-old ties to the natural world, urging us to protect the skies and forests they once watched over.

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Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Final Image | 10.19.2024

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Final Image | 10.19.2024

Stacked multiple images of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, captured through both a traditional camera and a telescope. By layering these images, I enhanced the detail and dynamic range, revealing the comet’s faint tail and bright core with clarity that a single exposure could not achieve. This technique brings out the intricate structure and beauty of the comet as it fades from view in the western sky.

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Milky Way Over Dickinson Fire Tower | 10.18.2024

Milky Way Over Dickinson Fire Tower | 10.18.2024

The galactic core of the Milky Way rises over the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower in Grafton, New York. I added a red light illuminating the lookout cab for added contrast.

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Tomhannock Golden Hour | 10.17.2024

Tomhannock Golden Hour | 10.17.2024
Tomhannock Reservoir, Pittstown, New York 

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Ancient Ice in the October Sky | 10.14.2024

Ancient Ice in the October Sky | 10.14.2024

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) last night as it neared its closest approach to Earth. This rare sky visitor, visible throughout October, won’t return for another 80,000 years.

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Auroras | 10.10.2024

Auroras | 10.10.2024

Washington County, New York

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Practical Tips for Aurora Photography

Note: I’ve put together some practical tips for DSLR, mirrorless, and smartphone users to help you better understand the process of shooting the Northern Lights. In addition, I’ve included some useful forecasting tools to help you track aurora activity, so you know when the best viewing opportunities will occur. You’ll also find some pro tips (marked in red) that have helped me when I’m scrambling to set up in the dark to shoot the night sky.

Practical Tips for Aurora Photography By John Bulmer, John Bulmer Photography 

There’s something truly magical about witnessing the Northern Lights. It’s one of those bucket-list moments—watching the sky dance with vibrant green, purple, and red streaks. If you're lucky enough to see the aurora, you'll want to capture that memory forever. However, photographing the Northern Lights isn’t as simple as pointing your camera at the sky and snapping a picture. But don’t worry, this guide will help you turn that awe-inspiring experience into beautiful, frame-worthy photos.

Whether you’re using a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even your smartphone, this step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from forecasting the aurora to camera settings and even tips on focusing in the dark.

➡️ How to Predict the Northern Lights: Forecasting Tools

First things first—seeing the Northern Lights requires a bit of luck and some good timing. Fortunately, there are a few tools to help you know when and where you might catch them.

➡️ Best Tools for Northern Lights Forecasting:

Aurora Forecast App (iOS & Android): This app provides real-time updates and a KP index that indicates the likelihood of aurora activity. If the KP index is 4 or higher, you're in for a good chance!

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center: This site gives accurate, real-time geomagnetic activity data. If you’re planning a night out, check their 30-minute and 3-day aurora forecasts.

SpaceWeatherLive: This website monitors solar wind and geomagnetic data to predict auroras. It's a more detailed tool for those who want to dig into the science behind the lights.

🔴 Pro Tip:
Clear skies matter just as much as aurora activity. Even with a high KP index, you won’t see anything through heavy cloud cover. So, always check a weather app for clear skies before you go.

Camera Settings for Perfect Northern Lights Photos

Now let’s dive into camera settings. The key to photographing the Northern Lights is allowing enough light into your camera's sensor without overexposing the image. Night photography takes some experimentation, but here are some go-to settings to get you started:

Basic Camera Settings:

Mode: Switch your camera to Manual Mode (M). This gives you complete control over the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, which are all critical for night photography.

Aperture (f-stop): Set your aperture to the widest possible setting, like /2.8 or lower. The lower the f-stop, the more light your camera can collect. If your lens doesn't go that low, set it as low as possible.

Shutter Speed: This will vary depending on how active the aurora is. Start with a shutter speed of 5 to 25 seconds. A longer exposure will capture more light, but if the aurora is moving fast, shorter exposures will help you freeze that motion. Remember, longer exposures will blur sky motion and any movement in the frame, like trees.

ISO: Set your ISO between 800 to 3200. Higher ISOs allow your camera to capture more light but watch out for noise (graininess). Test different ISOs and adjust based on how bright the aurora is. For list night's images, I shot ISO 400 and was just fine.

White Balance: Use a white balance of around 3500K. This gives your image a more natural color, but feel free to experiment if you want different results. If you're shooting in RAW format, you can easily adjust this later.

Why Shoot in RAW?

Shooting in RAW preserves a ton of detail that would otherwise be lost in JPEG. This gives you more flexibility when you edit later, especially when it comes to adjusting exposure, contrast, and color balance.

🔴 Pro Tip:
Use a sturdy tripod. The long exposure times mean any movement (even slight hand shakes) will blur the image. A tripod ensures that your camera stays steady during the exposure.

Focusing in the Dark: The Infinity Focus Trick

One of the most frustrating parts of night photography is getting your camera to focus. In the darkness, autofocus often hunts around or misses the target completely, leaving your photos blurry. Here’s a pro tip that will make things a whole lot easier:

How to Pre-Focus Your Camera to Infinity:

1. Do it during the day. In daylight, switch your camera to manual focus.
2. Focus on something really far away—like a mountain, a distant building, or even a cloud on the horizon.
3. Adjust your focus ring until the distant object is as sharp as possible. This is your infinity focus.
4. Lock in your focus: Mark this spot on your lens using a small piece of tape or a pencil mark. This way, when it’s dark, you can turn your focus ring to that exact point and be ready to shoot. I have even locked the focus ring with blue painter's tape. It saves so much time on-site.
5. Once night falls, manually set your lens to this spot, and don’t touch the focus again. This will ensure that your stars and aurora are crisp and sharp.

🔴 Pro Tip:
If you're out in the field and haven’t pre-focused your lens, you can use the moon, a bright star, or a distant streetlight to help manually focus at night.

Capturing the Northern Lights with Your Smartphone

If you don’t have a DSLR or mirrorless camera, don’t fret—you can still capture decent images of the Northern Lights with a smartphone! The key is maximizing your phone’s low-light capabilities.

Smartphone Tips:

Use a Tripod: Just like with a camera, keeping your smartphone steady is crucial for long exposures. Even a mini-tripod or phone holder can make a big difference.

Night Mode: Many newer smartphones (iPhone, Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy) come with a built-in Night Mode. This automatically extends your phone’s exposure time, allowing you to capture more light.

Download a Manual Camera App: Apps like ProCamera (iOS) or Camera FV-5 (Android) give you manual control over your camera settings. Here’s what to adjust:

• Set your ISO to around 800–1600.
• Shutter speed to 5–15 seconds.
• Manually focus your camera to infinity if your app allows it.

Self-Timer: Use the self-timer (2-5 seconds) to avoid shaking the phone when you press the shutter button.

Shoot in RAW: If your phone allows it, shoot in RAW format. This will give you more options for editing the photo afterward, just like on a DSLR.

🔴 Pro Tip:
Try taking a video in time-lapse mode. Some smartphones have this feature, which can beautifully capture the movement of the Northern Lights over a longer period of time.

Practical Tips for Northern Lights Photographers

Photographing the Northern Lights isn’t just about gear and settings. Here are some practical (and often overlooked) tips to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience:

Scout Your Location During the Day: If you’re heading to a remote area, check it out during daylight. Find a spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky, far away from city lights.

Dress for the Weather: It’s cold out there! The best places to see the Northern Lights are often freezing, especially if you’re out at night. Dress in layers, wear insulated boots and bring gloves that allow you to operate your camera. Hand warmers are your best friend.

Pack Extra Batteries: Cold weather drains batteries faster than usual. Bring fully charged spares and keep them warm in your jacket or pockets. Bring phone batteries and charging cables.

Stay Patient: Aurora activity can be unpredictable. You might need to wait for hours before you see any lights. Make it fun—bring hot drinks, and snacks, and enjoy the moment. If the lights don’t show, you still get to enjoy a peaceful night under the stars. If you are better prepared, you're likely to stay out longer.

By preparing ahead of time and knowing how to work your camera (or smartphone!), you’ll be able to capture the stunning beauty of the Northern Lights, or the night sky, like a pro. With the right settings, and a little patience, you’re sure to walk away with some unforgettable photos—and an even better experience.

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Ghost Trees of Giant's Washbowl | 10.08.2024

 

Ghost Trees of Giant's Washbowl
Giant Mountain Wilderness, Adirondacks

One of my favorite Adirondack landscapes is Giant's Washbowl, where bleached pines stand like ghost trees encircling the dark, tannin-colored waters. The lakes in the higher terrain of the Adirondacks were carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age, around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. As glaciers advanced, they scoured deep valleys and depressions, which later filled with meltwater to form lakes. The rugged terrain was further shaped by glacial debris, ancient rock formations, and tectonic forces, giving rise to the dramatic beauty of places like this that I am drawn to again and again.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Keene Valley Sunrise | 10.08.2024

Keene Valley Sunrise | 10.08.2024
Giant Moutain, Adirondacks 

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Autumn in John Boyd Thacher State Park | 10.07.2024

 Autumn in John Boyd Thacher State Park | 10.07.2024
Voorheesville, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Rensselaer County's Ancient Solar Marker | October 2024 Update

Rensselaer County's Ancient Solar Marker
By John Bulmer, John Bulmer Photography

Read the original story here.

Did you know that hidden in the hills of Rensselaer County lies an ancient stone chair with a fascinating history?

One of the advantages of social media is its ability to unearth information that has either faded from public consciousness or never found its way onto the internet in a substantial manner. Concealed in the hills of Rensselaer County is a large granite chair, possibly serving as a calendar observatory. This site is discreetly tucked away in a natural bowl, making it easily overlooked by hikers or hunters. Its design thoughtfully integrates the natural topography, utilizing hills and valleys to enhance visibility and create a secluded space for observation. These structures exemplify the ingenuity of ancient civilizations in comprehending and harnessing celestial patterns for timekeeping, calendar calculations, and potentially religious or cultural practices. Remarkably, the chair is said to be quite comfortable.

While the specific creators of the stone chair and its exact purpose remain unknown, its proximity to villages and settlements suggests a practical intent. Stone chairs used for observatories in ancient times were typically crafted from durable materials like granite and strategically positioned for celestial observation. These chairs often featured alignments or markings aiding in tracking astronomical events such as solstices, equinoxes, or specific star positions.

In New England, there are many similar ancient markers. Various cultures, including indigenous peoples of the region, created solar and lunar markers to measure time and mark seasonal changes. These structures ranged from stone circles to standing stones or even cairns, designed to align with the sun during the solstices and equinoxes. These markers were crucial to agricultural societies, which relied on celestial events to determine the best times for planting and harvesting. Sites such as America's Stonehenge in New Hampshire and the Calendar II chamber in Vermont stand as reminders of how widespread this practice was throughout the region.

The site consists of one separate throne attached to a bench that could seat 4 to 5 people.

The presence of solar markers in New England suggests that ancient cultures in this area had a sophisticated understanding of astronomy and the movement of celestial bodies. Some of these structures, like the stone chair in Rensselaer County, may have been used to monitor the position of the sun on key dates of the year, such as the solstice or equinox. These alignments served not only as practical tools but may have had religious or cultural significance, marking important rituals or seasonal transitions.

Today, I had the privilege of hiking to the ancient solar marker, guided by long-time residents, now friends, who had reached out to me after reading my first story on social media. The site contains not just a throne-like seat but also a long bench where others may have sat to observe the sky. The view from the granite bench spans 315º northeast, sweeping across the hills. I was told that, before the trees grew tall, the view extended through a dip in the landscape all the way to the horizon. Over time, the forest has reclaimed much of the surrounding land, hiding ancient glyphs beneath moss and foliage. The glyphs, which may have held symbolic or practical significance, are now lost to the seasonal rhythms of nature.

Sitting on the bench, I couldn’t help but reflect on its stunning simplicity. Without knowing exactly how long it has been here, the stone likely looks just as it did when its builders gathered around the nearby fire ring, gazing out over what may have been settlements below. In the photos within this series, I’ve included a diagram with silhouettes to show the scale and configuration of the site. These silhouettes represent long-time residents, now friends, who accompanied me. By including them, I hope to provide a sense of perspective and a deeper understanding of the remarkable craftsmanship involved in this ancient structure.

There is something profoundly humbling in the knowledge that hidden within our forests lie such artifacts, a testament to the ingenuity of indigenous peoples who mapped the stars and tracked time using the landscape around them. However, out of respect for the site’s history, and the fact that it is located on private land, I cannot disclose its location. To protect the sanctity of the site, I’ve removed all location metadata from the images, ensuring that its exact whereabouts remain undisclosed. These remnants of the past deserve our reverence and protection, as they represent a delicate connection between ancient and modern lives. They remind us that history is not always buried far beneath the ground—it often lives quietly within the forests, waiting for those with the curiosity and care to seek it out.

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Mapping the Ruins of Grafton Lakes State Park

Mapping the Ruins of Grafton Lakes State Park
By John Bulmer, John Bulmer Photography

There’s something about autumn that makes the past feel closer. As the leaves fall away, revealing the land beneath, you start to notice the quiet markers of lives that were once here—places we’ve forgotten, stories that have faded into the forest. Without the cover of foliage, the land reveals its secrets: abandoned roads, logging paths, forgotten foundations, and driveways that once led to homes. Stick season allows us to really see the contour of the land. 

For the past two years, mostly after the leaves start to fall from the trees and before the snow covers the ground, I’ve been discovering and mapping the ruins of the community that called the land in and around Grafton Lakes State Park home long before the creation of the park. Grafton Lakes State Park, tucked away in Rensselaer County, is one of those places where the present and past quietly coexist.

Most people know Grafton Lakes as a park established in the 1960s, a space for hiking, swimming, and connecting with nature. But if you look closely, you’ll see that it’s more than just a park—it’s a patchwork of history. Long before this land became a public space, it was home to indigenous peoples, European settlers, and later, families whose lives left traces that still remain beneath the trees.

Stone Walls: Hidden Stories in the Forest

Walking through the park, you might not notice them at first. But once you spot a stone wall, half-buried under moss and leaves, you start to see them everywhere. These walls are relics of an earlier time when this land was farmland, painstakingly cleared and worked by European settlers. Each stone was placed by hand, marking boundaries, enclosing pastures, or simply keeping the farm animals in. They are quiet reminders of the lives spent shaping this land.

Once you start seeing these walls, you can’t unsee them. They’re like veins running through the park, hidden in plain sight, carrying with them the weight of years of labor and the passage of time. It’s hard not to wonder about the people who placed each stone—what their days looked like, what their dreams were, and how they would feel knowing their hard work is now part of a place we come to for peace and solitude.

And here is where photography steps in. To photograph these ruins is not just to record what remains, but to bring the past into focus once more. In the frame of a camera lens, the stone walls emerge from time, becoming more than just forgotten structures—they become the keepers of memory, offering a glimpse into a world that once was, and the enormous amounts of hard, physical labor that it required.

Forgotten Foundations and Lost Homes

Wander a little off the main trails, and you might stumble across something that feels more personal—a stone foundation, barely standing, with trees growing through it. These ruins are what’s left of homes and camps that were once filled with life: children’s laughter, the smells of dinners cooking, the sound of crackling fires. You can still find bits and pieces of that life here—rusted cars, broken apothecary bottles, the wheels of a child’s wagon.

I spoke with a former resident who grew up on Long Pond Road in the 1960s. Her family had to leave when the state claimed the land for the park, but her childhood memories of their house are still vivid. She told me about the white ranch with teal shutters and the oak tree in the driveway, about summers spent swimming in the lake, and winters bundled up against the cold. She even recalled the words etched into the foundation: “Enchanted Island.” I went looking for that etching, wanting to see for myself this small, personal piece of history. It was still there—a quiet testament to the lives that had been lived here, now slowly being swallowed by the forest.

Photographing these ruins feels less like documentation and more like a resurrection of sorts. To capture the image of a crumbling foundation, a tree twisting through the stone, is to pause time—if only for a moment—and offer a bridge between the present and the past. These homes, now overtaken by nature, once held life, love, and loss. And through the lens, their story is told again, if only briefly, before time inevitably erases the last traces.

Tracing the Past, One Discovery at a Time

As I explore the park, I’ve begun mapping these forgotten homesteads. To date, I’ve found seven different sites, each with its own unique story to tell. Some are more intact than others—stone fireplaces still standing, foundations covered in moss, old bottles and tools scattered around like the last remnants of a forgotten world.

One of my most memorable discoveries was a windmill, its blades half-buried in the forest floor. It’s hard to imagine the landscape being open enough to need wind power, but there it was—a glimpse into a time before the trees took over. The windmill, along with the foundations and stone walls, feels like a breadcrumb trail left behind by the people who used to live here.

Photography becomes an act of listening, as each image captured asks the past: Who were you? What was your world like? These places, long untended, are not empty. They are full of echoes, of stories left behind in the stone and rusting steel. And in capturing them, I feel a connection not only to the land but to the people who once called it home.

The Ruins Are Disappearing

Every time I return to the park, I notice how these ruins are slowly disappearing. The forest is taking them back, piece by piece. Stone by stone. Each season, the foundations sink a little deeper, the moss grows a little thicker, and what was once clear becomes harder to find. Time has a way of erasing things, but for now, these ruins still remain—if you know where to look.

There’s something poignant about seeing these places—these homes, now empty, where lives once flourished. It makes you think about the passage of time, about how everything we build eventually returns to the earth. And yet, for a moment, these ruins offer a connection to the past. They remind us that people lived here, loved here, and left a mark—however small—on the land.

To photograph these places is to resist that erasure, if only for a moment. The image freezes time, preserving what remains before the forest reclaims it all. But even in that pause, we know that what we capture today will someday be gone. Photography is a small defiance against the impermanence of life, but it also reminds us that everything—every structure, every story—eventually returns to the earth.

Finding Connection in Forgotten Places

Exploring the ruins of Grafton Lakes State Park has changed the way I see the landscape. It’s not just a park; it’s a living history, with stories buried in the ground, waiting to be discovered. Each stone wall, each crumbling fireplace, is a reminder that we’re just one chapter in the long story of this land. The past is still here, hidden beneath the leaves, slowly fading, but never completely gone.

Next time you visit Grafton Lakes, take a moment to look beyond the trails and the trees. You might just find yourself standing in the middle of someone’s old kitchen, or next to a fireplace where families once gathered. And if you do, you’ll feel the quiet weight of history all around you—reminding you that the past is never as far away as it seems. To stand in these forgotten places is to remember that while the forest may reclaim what we build, memory endures. And with a photograph, we give that memory a little more time.

Read the entire Ruins of Grafton series.

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