Month: May 2026

Dam Photography

The classic view of the Croton Gorge and Croton Dam on a moody late April spring morning. Fog hugs the walls of the gorge as newly leafed out trees add color along the sides of the Croton River. When I lived in New York I would drive by this location nearly everyday. It was only in the past few weeks I took the time to stop and photograph this spectacular New York icon. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 VR S lens

As of late, I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time back in New York helping my eighty-five year old mom with various different chores, tasks and life activities that get more require some assistance from time to time. It’s a blessing to be able to spend time with my mom and one of the benefits is that I get to explore and photograph the areas near and around the town of Yorktown Heights where I grew up.

People who’ve never visited New York State are usually surprised to find that New York is one of the most naturally beautiful states in the country. People think of busy towns and suburbs radiating in all directions from New York city and equate highways, tall buildings, and traffic with New York. The truth is you don’t have to go very far north from midtown Manhattan to find some amazing natural areas, hiking and beautiful vistas.

It’s hard not to be impressed by this view of the Croton Gorge and New Croton Dam. With flowering trees and fog, this iconic New York landscape looked spectacular on the last day of April. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR Lens

I’ll be the first to admit that when I lived back in Yorktown Heights, I too ignored many of these spectacular locations and never even bothered to make attempts to photograph them. One of these areas that was only a few miles from my house, and a location I would drive by multiple times a week was the New Croton Dam and the Croton Gorge located between bucolic Croton-on-Hudson and Yorktown. I have vivid memories of coming to the Croton Gorge Park with my dad and brother to hike around and give my mom a break and get out of her hair for a little while.

Later on, when my little brother first graduated from college and started working and commuting to Manhattan everyday I would often have to run down to the Croton Harmon train station to pick him up. Doing so, I would drive right past Croton Gorge and the dam without a thought to photograph it.

While I spend most of my time photographing Rocky Mountain National Park and the western United States, its hard not to be impressed by the raw power of the Croton River as it exits the Croton Gorge in full spring runoff. Truly a spectaular New York icon. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 28-400mm F4-8 VR Lens

As time moves forward and I spend 95% of my time in Colorado and locations across the American West, getting the opportunity to explore and photograph New York and locations near my hometown gets more difficult. So whenever I’m back east now, I try to make as much an effort as possible to photograph these spectacular locations while I have the opportunity to do so.

The day I was flying back to Colorado on the last day of April, I made a quick jaunt over to Croton Gorge Park to explore and work a few compositions. It was a rainy, foggy spring morning. Perfect to set the mood and everybody knows I love photographing in fog and rain, something that feels like rarely happens in Colorado.

When I arrived at the park, the conditions where just about perfect. Flowering trees, fog hugging the edges of the Gorge and water running down the side of Croton Dam and the Croton River.

I spent a good two hours photographing The Croton Gorge in all is spectacular spring glory. All the while, I could only think to myself ‘how could this be the first time I photographed this place?’. I’m glad I had a chance to explore and photograph this location at the end of April. With any luck, I’ll be able to photograph it a few more times from different viewpoints and in different lighting. The lesson here is always make sure to focus your photography on local locations and don’t take the access you have at any given time for granted. You may not get as many opportunities to explore and photograph as you think, life may have other plans.

Flowering trees frame the waterfall at the base of the New Croton Dam and Croton Gorge on a misty and moody April morning in New York. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 28-400mm F4-8 lens.

Old Friend Winter May Return

What a difference a day makes. Sunrise over Moraine Park on Monday was beautiful sight to behold. With the Big Thompson River just a trickle, Stones Peak had some nice fresh snow on it from last weeks storms. Grasses are greening and spring is in the air in Rocky Mountain National Park but this calm morning was just prior to the current winter storm dumping snow on Rocky as I write this. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR Lens

I’m not out this morning photographing Rocky Mountain National Park though I feel I should be. It’s currently dumping snow over the park and while I have not seen an official Bear Lake measurement since 4:00 PM yesterday of 20 inches, I have to assume there is at least another 6-10 that has fallen overnight. Rocky after a nearly nonexistent winter season, is now one week into May and official winter wonderland complete with news stations and camera crews, including the Weather Channel setup on every corner in Estes Park.

If there was a chance for some sunlight this morning at sunrise I would have headed up to Rocky for the chance to capture the light but with the roads above 7000ft dicey and the park not having been plowed since yesterday evening, I figured I would stay out of the way and make another run at the park the next time it snows.

I had to travel back to New York last week to attend my Uncle’s funeral so I wasn’t able to get out to photograph in the park. I did get a chance for sunrise on Monday which was quite beautiful before the weather quickly change.

While we are finally getting the snow and moisture we really neeed over Rocky, spring conditions the past few weeks had started opening up new locations in Rocky. Upper Beaver Meadows Road was open and the trails out of the meadow were in summer like conditions as I shot this image of Longs Peak with Steep Mountain in the foreground from Beaver Mountain two weeks ago. Like seeing and old friend, locations difficult to access over the long winter in Rocky are now opening again allowing a reunion of sorts. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 28-400mm F4-8 VR Lens

Spring is in the air in Rocky and once this all this snow that has just fallen melts, the much needed moisture is going to boomerang the condition from brown to green to summer like quickly. I’ll take some more snow or rain as we desperately need all that we can get in Rocky right now, but I’m also stoked about being on the edge of the summer season.

NPS crews have been busy plowing Trail Ridge Road, before our big storm, Upper Beaver Meadows Road was open, Wild Basin Road was open as was the Twin Sisters access road. Day by day Rocky Mountain National Park is becoming more accessible and hopefully by next week portions of Trail Ridge Road open above Many Parks Curve.

With lakes, ponds and streams thawed, it wont be long until the classic summer views and locations in RMNP are primed for landscape photography. Each time a portion of Rocky is reopened or revised after a long winter away, it feels like getting to visit with an old friend again and catching up. Well catching up is only a few weeks away and I cant wait.