Weeping Willow | 04.20.2025

 

Weeping Willow | 04.20.2025
Corning Preserve, Albany, New York 

In ancient folklore, willow trees were thought to be deeply connected to the spirit world. They were known for their flexibility—able to bend without breaking—and were often seen as symbols of resilience and intuition. Druids used their branches in rituals, believing the tree held healing and mystical properties. Across cultures, willows became associated with mourning and memory. Even today, you’ll find stone willows carved into old gravestones.

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Sunset Behind Colarusso Island, Tomhannock | 24-Hour Exposure

Sunset behind Colarusso Island, Tomhannock
24-hour exposure

When photography first emerged, some believed it might reveal the unseen — a way to glimpse into other worlds, to capture what human perception alone could not. What photography can do is dilate time — to slow the world and its rhythms so we can see them more clearly.

This is a 24-hour exposure of the sun setting behind Colarusso Island in the Tomhannock Reservoir. I made this image using found objects — because at its core, photography is a simple act: capturing light within a chamber and projecting it onto a surface. Everything else is detail.

Pinhole Cameras 

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Olympic Ski Jumps | 04.07.2025

Olympic Ski Jumps | 04.07.2025

Lake Placid, New York

The night sky over the Olympic ski jumps in Lake Placid. The Adirondacks are among the darkest places in the Northeast, rated Bortle Class 2–3. But even here, light pollution is creeping in—as seen in the glow from Lake Placid Village. A child born today may see fewer than 250 stars growing up. In cities, that number drops to around 100. Under truly dark skies, we should be able to see over 5,000. These skies are worth protecting.

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A Remembrance at Dawn

A Remembrance at Dawn
Large Format Image
Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery
Schuylerville, New York

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Worm Moon Total Lunar Eclipse | 03.14.2025

Worm Moon Maximum Eclipse

2:58 AM, March 14, 2025.

The name originates from the period when the ground begins to thaw and earthworms reappear, signaling the approach of spring.

Moon photos are more complicated than they look. These are all the images I had to shoot to achieve this level of detail, all within maximum eclipse.

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Fisherman's Lane | 03.10.2025

Fisherman's Lane | 03.10.2025
Schaghticoke, New York 

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Jupiter and Her Moons | 03.10.2025

 Jupiter and Her Moons | 03.10.2025

Jupiter and its four largest moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—shine in tonight’s sky, 410 million miles from Earth.

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Ascent | 03.06.2025

Ascent | 03.06.2025
Port of Albany, Albany, New York 

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Albany Street Scene | 03.03.2025

 

Albany Street Scene | 03.03.2025
Albany, New York 

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Ember Crescent | 03.01.2025

Ember Crescent | 03.01.2025
Saratoga County, New York

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Orion Nebula | 02.21.2025

 Orion Nebula | 02.21.2025

The Orion Nebula is never a disappointment—a vast stellar nursery where new stars are born, glowing with cosmic fire 1,300 light-years away. In mythology, the nebula lies within the sword of Orion, the mighty hunter of Greek legend, immortalized in the stars by Zeus. Some interpretations even suggest the nebula represents where celestial bodies emerge from the cosmic forge, just as Orion himself was a son of the gods, shaped by divine hands.

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WINDCARVED | Tomhannock

WINDCARVED | Tomhannock
Long Exposure

The powerful winter storm has moved on, but in its wake, an invading tide of wind remains, surging across the landscape. It slips through the narrowest cracks, burrows into jacket cuffs, and presses against windows with an insistent, restless energy. It rattles rooftops and hums through wires stretched taut between poles, a low, unceasing howl.

Anything not anchored by weight or gravity is at its mercy. Trash barrels tumble, snow lifts from rooftops in swirling plumes, and forgotten objects are sent tumbling across frozen ground. Tree limbs bow and snap, crashing onto power lines and leaving homes in darkness. The wind does not discriminate—it reminds us how delicate the systems we rely on truly are.

Yet, for all its menace, the wind is also an artist. On the Tomhannock, it has sculpted the ice into intricate ridges and wind-swept formations, tracing ephemeral patterns like frozen waves caught mid-motion. Snow, carried in the wind, gathers in sweeping arcs along the shoreline, reshaping the land with each passing gust. It is a fleeting kind of beauty, ever-changing, erased, and rewritten by the next gust.

This is nature’s paradox—chaos and creation intertwined. The wind that shatters also shapes, leaving behind a landscape both fierce and fragile, waiting for the next storm to begin again.

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Standing Watch | 02.16.2025

Standing Watch | 02.16.1025
Ballston Spa, New York 

Heavy snow falls on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Ballston Spa, known locally as “Civil Sam.” Erected in 1888, the monument honors those from Milton, Ballston, and Malta who served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Civil War.

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Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49) | 02.05.2025

Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49) | 02.05.2025

This is a 90-minute telescopic exposure of the Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49): Located about 5,200 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros, the Rosette Nebula spans 130 light-years across. This vast emission nebula glows red from ionized hydrogen, illuminated by the young, hot stars of the central NGC 2244 cluster. Dense molecular gas and dust within the nebula hint at regions of future star formation. A long exposure captures the nebula’s intricate structure, including bright filaments, dust lanes, and the radiant cluster at its core.

The night sky is amazing.

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Abandoned Histories: Cornfield Relic | Greene County, New York

Abandoned Histories: Cornfield Relic | Greene County, New York
Large Format Image 

Cornfield relics, rusted and sagging in the tall grass. Above, the sky blurs in streaks of motion. The wind, born on the plains of the Midwest, travels across distances to arrive here now, much like the distant history of the car it brushes against—and the bellows of the large format camera framing its story. Like the relic it frames, the camera has a long, untold story of its own. Its bellows, weathered and lined with years, hold the memories of photos still hanging on some distant wall. 

This car, too, was once on the move, gleaming in sunlight, alive with first dates, road trips, the scent of adventure, and promises of somewhere new. It rolled across long-forgotten roads, passed from person to person, until time finally drove it here. Alone, but not abandoned. Not really.

Objects like this—relics of another time—carry more than rust and wear. They carry people, their stories, their dreams, and restless journeys. They don’t vanish. They linger in the landscape, drifting like the wind, waiting for someone to notice, to pause and wonder how they found their way here.

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Tomhannock Ice

Tomhannock Ice | 01.27.2025
Pittstown, New York 

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Flight Locks // Waterford, New York

Flight Locks // Waterford, New York 

Large format of the concrete piers at the Flight Locks of the New York State Barge Canal in Waterford New York. 

 The Waterford Flight is a series of five locks that lift boats from the Hudson River (elevation 15.2 feet) at Lock 2 to the Mohawk River (elevation 184 feet) west of Lock 6, just above Cohoes Falls. These locks, each with a lift ranging from 33 to 34.5 feet, raise boats a total of 169 feet over a span of just 1.5 miles. 

When it opened, the Waterford Flight achieved the highest elevation change in the shortest distance for canal locks in the United States. It’s believed that it still holds the record worldwide. For comparison, the Panama Canal has an elevation change of 85 feet, while Canada’s Welland Canal rises 326 feet—but over 27 miles.

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The Horsehead Nebula IC-434 | 01.24.2025

The Horsehead Nebula IC-434  | 01.24.2025

The Horsehead Nebula has always been one of my favorites, and tonight’s clear skies with only 21% moonlight made it a perfect opportunity to capture its delicate beauty. Located in Orion, near the star Alnitak, the easternmost star in Orion’s Belt, this dark cloud of gas and dust stands out dramatically against the glowing red hydrogen of IC-434, the emission nebula behind it.

At about 1,500 light-years away, the Horsehead Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a vast region of space where stars are being born. Its distinct shape—resembling a horse’s head—is caused by dense clouds of interstellar dust blocking the light behind it. The surrounding reddish glow comes from hydrogen gas energized by nearby stars, like Sigma Orionis.

Winter skies are perfect for this kind of astrophotography—stable, crisp, and free from heat distortion.

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Deep Sky Photography | 01.21.2025

Jupiter and Its Moons 

The Pac-Man Nebula 

Deep Sky Photography | 01.21.2025

Jupiter and Its Moons Jupiter and the Pac-Man Nebula 

Jupiter and Its Moons Jupiter accompanied by its four largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. These tiny points of light lined up near the gas giant, each a fascinating world in its own right, visible even from millions of miles away.

The Pac-Man Nebula (NGC 281) also known as NGC 281, has a unique shape, living up to its playful nickname. Glowing faintly in hues of orange and pink, it’s a stunning star-forming region surrounded by dark dust and intricate patterns carved by stellar winds and radiation.

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Flaming Star Nebula and Orion Nebula | 01.20.2025

Flaming Star Nebula and Orion Nebula | 01.20.2025

Tonight’s clear sky and cold air provide the perfect conditions for deep-space photography. Winter’s crisp atmosphere, with lower humidity and less atmospheric turbulence, enhances visibility, allowing for sharper and more detailed images of the stars and distant galaxies.

Flaming Star Nebula

Orion Nebula 

The magenta image is IC 405, better known as the Flaming Star Nebula. It’s about 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Auriga and gets its fiery appearance from the radiation of a nearby “runaway star” called AE Aurigae. This star was flung out of the Orion region millions of years ago and now lights up the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating that striking magenta glow.

The second image, glowing gold and green, is the Orion Nebula—one of the most famous sights in the night sky. Sitting about 1,350 light-years away, it’s a bustling nursery where stars are born, surrounded by swirling clouds of gas and dust. The colors come from ionized gases lit up by young, massive stars, creating a vibrant, otherworldly masterpiece.

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Bennington Battle Monument Sunrise | 01.18.2025

Bennington Battle Monument Sunrise | 01.18.2025
Bennington, Vermont

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Dawn Over Troy, New York | 01.16.2025

Dawn Over Troy, New York | 01.16.2025

Dawn breaks behind the 17-foot bronze statue of the Goddess Columbia crowned A Call to Arms above the Soldier and Sailors Monument in Troy, New York.

Why Columbia?
Columbia is a personification of the United States in American mythology, symbolizing liberty, justice, and progress. Often depicted as a noble female figure in flowing robes with a torch or shield, Columbia served as an allegory for the nation’s ideals during the 18th and 19th centuries. She was a counterpart to Uncle Sam, representing maternal spirit, influencing symbols like the Statue of Liberty.

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M33 Triangulum Galaxy | 01.15.2025

M33 Triangulum Galaxy | 01.15.2025

Note: The Triangulum Galaxy (M33 or Messier 33) is a stunning spiral galaxy located about 3 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. It is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye under ideal dark-sky conditions. Measuring approximately 60,000 light-years in diameter, M33 is smaller than the Milky Way but still a significant galaxy with a mass estimated at 10–40 billion solar masses. With an apparent magnitude of 5.7, the galaxy is faint but can be seen without a telescope in excellent viewing conditions.

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Andromeda | 01.14.2025

Andromeda | 01.14.2025
Note: If Andromeda was brighter in the night sky, it would appear six times larger than our moon.

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M42 Orion Nebula | 01.13.2025

M42 Orion Nebula | 01.13.2025

Believe it or not, we’ve had cloudy skies for almost a month at night. Tonight, the sky finally cleared, so I took the opportunity for some deep space photography. This is what the Orion Nebula (M42) looks like tonight, captured from my backyard at about 6:30.

The Orion Nebula, also known as M42, is a massive cloud of gas and dust in the constellation Orion, where thousands of stars are born. It’s the closest large star-forming region to Earth, located 1,300–1,500 light-years away. Visible to the naked eye, it appears as the middle “star” in Orion’s Belt and as part of the sword hanging below the three belt stars. Best observed in January, it’s a stunning feature of the winter sky, easily spotted under moderately dark skies.

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Starbuck Island from the Troy Waterfront | 01.11.2025

Starbuck Island from the Troy Waterfront | 01.11.2025

Much like watching clouds, observing ice formations can be mesmerizing. Yesterday, these delicate, ethereal shapes floated along the Hudson’s dark waters, each one unique and fleeting. One after another, they drifted past, only to vanish into the ice jam beneath the Congress Street Bridge.

Starbuck Island, located between Green Island and Troy, New York, derives its name from the Starbuck Brothers Foundry established on Center Island in 1821. The foundry was among the early iron manufacturing enterprises in the region, contributing to the area's industrial development during the 19th century. The island's association with the Starbuck family and their foundry led to its naming as Starbuck Island.

Additionally, the name "Starbuck" appears in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick as the first mate of the Pequod. Melville, who spent part of his early life in the Albany area, may have drawn inspiration from local names during his writing.

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The First Nipper Sunrise of the Year | 01.02.2025

 

The First Nipper Sunrise of the Year | 01.02.2025
Albany, New York 

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New Year's Day

It was a good day to get out and chase some history. I spent some time with Robert Frost—his epitaph reading, “I had a lover’s quarrel with the world,” a sentiment as timeless as The Road Not Taken, where the less-traveled path made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1874–1963) was one of America’s most celebrated poets, revered for his realistic depictions of rural life and his ability to use New England settings to delve into profound social and philosophical themes. A four-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Frost crafted iconic works such as The Road Not Taken, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and Mending Wall. His poetry, distinguished by its conversational tone, masterful use of meter, and deep reflections on nature and human struggles, remains a cornerstone of American literature. Frost is often celebrated for offering insights into life’s complexities that are both profound and accessible.

Walking through the Old Bennington Cemetery, it’s hard not to be moved by the history etched into its weathered stones, especially the patriots who rest here—heroes whose sacrifices shaped the course of the American Revolution.

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Sun Detail | 12.31.2024

Sun Detail | 12.31.2024

The sunspots you see are dark, cooler regions on the Sun’s surface caused by intense magnetic activity. They vary significantly in size, typically ranging from about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) to 50,000 kilometers (31,068 miles) in diameter. To put this into perspective, many sunspots are as large as Earth, which has a diameter of approximately 12,742 kilometers (7,918 miles). Some sunspots can grow even larger; for instance, the largest sunspot ever recorded, AR 14886, was nearly the diameter of Jupiter—about 88,846 miles (142,984 kilometers).
Sunspots expand and contract as they move across the Sun’s surface and can last from several days to a few months. Their size and frequency fluctuate in an approximately 11-year cycle known as the solar cycle, with more and larger sunspots appearing during periods of increased solar activity.

It’s important to note that while sunspots appear dark compared to the surrounding solar surface, they are still extremely bright. If isolated from the Sun, a sunspot would shine brighter than the full Moon. © 2025 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Happy New Year!

As we say goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025, I want to thank each of you for your support and engagement with my photo and historical projects. Whether this year was challenging or rewarding, we’ve made it through together.

Wishing you all a joyful and inspiring New Year!

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