What could be better than wine and waterfalls? Add in rural scenes and automobile racing and you have Watkins Glen NY, at the tip of Lake Seneca. One of the Finger Lakes. Recently, we made an off season visit to this region exploring nearly a dozen waterfalls and wineries.

We stayed at the wonderful Glenora Inn, which is 8 miles north of Watkins Glen, on the west short of Lake Seneca. The rooms overlook the vineyard and lake and offer a nice winery experience. Drive behind the Inn towards the lake and you encounter Glenora Falls. Amazingly it is located in the backyard of a private residence. What a view each morning, and the sounds of the falls at night must be amazing.

​Enjoy a visit to nearby Miles Wine Cellars, tasting their wines (quite good) while learning of the tragic tale of a newlywed couple that died shortly after buying the home. And how they have not left this world, haunting  the home and winery. Apparently they are friendly. Buy a bottle of their Ghost wine (see our YouTube video of this special - Miles Wine Cellar - Ghostly wine bottle).

Back to the waterfalls; visit the Watkins Glen Gorge for a beautiful hike along the river (which was closed when we arrived due to the dangerous ice). Drive down Main Street in Montour Falls, where you cannot miss the magnificent falls right in town.

Drive up to the top and cross the falls above for a fantastic view of the area.

We highly recommend a side trip the inspiring Taughannock Falls, near Lake Cuyoga. Visit the Thirsty Owl Winery and drive past the very small Black Diamond Diner, made from the cab of a train. Lunch at the Little Venice Ristorante in Trumansburg was a nice surprise.

Lastly, explore the rural side roads to Keaku Lake  and (highly recommended) visit to Bully Hill Winery and the Pleasant Valley Winery. Stay for lunch at the Bully Hill restaurant, excellent!

During racing seasons, a visit to the storied Watkins Glen racetrack is a must. We have spent many a summer day and night at this track, camping in the infield. If you love racing, this track offers many unique photographic experiences.

Consider adding the New York Finger Lakes region as one of  your photography (and wine) destinations.

One of the challenges in photography is shooting in low light situations. How do you take creative and beautiful photographs in museums, concerts, gymnasiums, restaurants or other places where you don't have (or don't want) a tripod and using a flash is not permitted?

Let me introduce you to the "ISO Escalator" technique.  To my knowledge, this is a term that I coined a few years ago when I began to teach students how to leverage ISO to handle low light photography. If you want to learn more about ISO in general, review ISO Settings in Digital Photography, Digital Photography School.

​One note on using Flash in low light situations.  Don't!  Flash kills the mood, may not be permitted and will annoy everyone around you. Also, please turn off Auto ISO.

The concept for the ISO Escalator is to determine the slowest shutter speed that you need for your shots, and yet be fast enough to avoid shaky/blurring pictures.  Then determine what the best ISO to use, based on a room or space that is perhaps the darkest situation you plan to shoot at. 

Imagine being in restaurant with just the ambient lights turned low for a nice mood.  That is most likely your average or worst case lighting. In a Gallery or a Museum, one of the rooms where there may not be ambient light from outside windows.

Once you determine the correct ISO, you should be able to shoot in the space (and adjoining rooms) without thinking about anything but your composition.  In our workshops, we teach that it is important to keep photography fun. This technique allows you to have fun, while knowing your photos are likely to come out looking nice, without the typical blur-shakiness we have all experienced. 
  
This is an example of using the ISO Escalator in a reptile room at a Zoo. 

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​Let's get started: 

1. Set your camera mode to Shutter Priority (S for Nikon,  Tv for Canon). This mode allows you to set the shutter speed, while allowing the camera's metering system to select the best aperture.  You are (hopefully) aware that Aperture Priority (A for Nikon / Av for Canon), allows you to set the aperture, while your camera sets a corresponding shutter speed.
2. Determine the slowest or best shutter speed for your photography. If you are using a light weight lens, such as a 55mm or the 18-55 kit lens, and you subject is not moving, you could shoot at 1/60th of second. This is ideal for museums or restaurants. If you are shooting action, such as an energetic rock band or a sporting event, you may need to be shooting at 1/125 or 1/250 (or more). In other words, set the shutter speed to the slowest speed to match your subject. Even for most sports, you rarely will need to exceed 1/500th of a second.                     
   
   Note on minimum shutter speeds and lenses: Vibration Reduction (Image Stabilization - VR/IS) aside, the rule of thumb for determining the slowest speed for any lens is the   reciprocal of the lens focal length (mm).  Simply put, if you are using a 200mm lens, your slowest shutter should be around 1/200,  400mm =1/400th.  VR/IS allows you to shoot  a few stops (slower shutter speeds) - but I like to suggest following this rule if you are new to DSLR photography.
3. Set your ISO to 400 and take a test photo.  Examine the photo and if it is dark, set your ISO to 800  (use the full ISO numbers ie  200/400/800/1600....). Take the same photo - and repeat until you have a nicely lite picture. Don't go to high with your ISO - don't lose the mood.  

In the example above in the reptile room. I was using a 200mm lens, so I set my shutter to 1/200th - and worked my way up the escalator  (now you know why I call it the ISO Escalator).  At 3200, the subject looked well lite. I went one more stop (ISO 6400) and thought it was too bright, so I reset my ISO back to 1600 - and focused on composing pictures in this darkened room.  

Recap: Try it yourself in your dining room or other interior space, with the lights dimmed.  

• Set your camera to shutter priority
• Set your shutter speed to the slowest reasonable speed  ie:  1/60th
• Set your ISO to 400 and take a test photo.  If the image is dark, change to the next ISO and repeat.

Once you have the right ISO - wander around your house taking photos, not thinking about ISO or shutter speed. Fun right? 
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Let me know if this simple technique has helped  you to improve your low light photography. 

New York City has many wonderful parks, yet this one is quite innovative - The High Line. Running from Chelsea to West 34th street, this park built along the old NYC Central Railroad spur never disappoints. Thirty feet above the street, this destination offers excellent people, art, flowers and architectural photography. The High Line is approximately 1.5 miles, providing glimpses of different neighborhoods and views of the city.



The High Line opened in 2009, with the latest segment (the third) to West 34th street, opening in 2014. The latest edition is Hudson Yards, featuring the Vessel.​

Originally in an industrial area it is now among the most desirable locations to live and work in the city. Spend a few hours and then descent into the city, from one of the a many access points, to explore and dine. One of our favorite destinations is the vast and diverse Chelsea Market.

We offer a photography workshop at the High Line a few times a year.  Come along with us or explore this ever changing park on your own. ​

My mind runs at a pace well over 100 mph. Ideas, to-do lists, daily worries; all seek my attention. At times it becomes too much, so I would grab my camera, take a short drive. I would go to a place nearby and would explore. Even though I been to these places many times, I would see new things, or the same things, differently. I would be in the moment, a Zen like state.
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It took a stroke to discover the benefits of mindfulness. As part of my therapy, I would meditate, slowing the world around me. Looking at a star or a planet in the sky, focused on the singularity, reaching a mindful state. I realized that I was being in a state of Mindfulness when I separated from all the mental noise and focused on my destination, with my camera.  
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Attaining a mindful state
If you’ve taken a photography class, you learned about aperture, shutter speed, ISO and other technical aspects of photography. You aim your camera, and your mind thinks about the settings, the mechanics of the shot. Worse, you might see imperfections in the composition, or you wish you had a different lens or a better camera. In Mindfulness, this is called a mindless state. This can easily overshadow your creativity.

Ideally, you see the photo with your eye and intuitively, aim your camera and shoot. A pro golfer knows where he wants to ball to land, gets himself in position and swings. The mechanics of his shot is instinctual.
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Separating yourself from your mindless state can be challenging at first.  A technique that I am trying- take a daily walk through your neighborhood, taking one picture a day. Don’t judge, but also don’t necessarily shoot the first picture you see. If you practice meditation, do so before you pick up your camera. I take a walk every day, along the same route. I take my iPhone and when my eye sees a picture, I consider whether I am willing to take it, because I only can take one. If I take the shot, no regrets, the iPhone goes in my pocket for the duration of my walk.

Visualize what you see
The previous example takes discipline, and I don’t recommend this for your vacation. However, it illustrates a good practice of slowing down, think about the image you see, before moving the camera into position.

When your eye sees something of interest, your instinct is to aim and shoot. I suggest taking a moment and visualize your subject or the object. Be mindful of the image, before you depress the shutter button.
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It’s normal for your eyes to see something of interest, and instinctively aim your camera and shoot. Often, you may experience tunnel vision, only seeing the object that first caught your attention in the picture. You could be missing a better shot, or a distracting element you only discover when you look over your pictures later. Consider various angles, the lighting and background. Get yourself in a mindful state, let your eyes become the camera lens; experience the image before you depress the shutter button.

NEW:  We have created a series of courses - Mindfulness in Photography: The Art of Seeing.  Visit our class schedule and register for our newsletter to learn more.