Wednesday, October 9, 2024

A Remembrance Where Water, Sky, and Mountains Meet | 10.08.2024


A Remembrance Where Water, Sky, and Mountains Meet | 10.08.2024
Cascade Lakes, Adirondacks 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, October 6, 2024

Dew Pearls | 10.05.2024


Dew Pearls | 10.05.2024
Mechanicville, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Ghosts of the Playhouse | 09.18.2024


Ghosts of the Playhouse | 09.18.2024
Washington Park, Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Saturday, September 14, 2024

Nipper Sunrise | 09.13.2024


Nipper Sunrise | 09.13.2024
Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, September 8, 2024

Tomhannock Sunrise | 09.08.2024


Tomhannock Sunrise | 09.08.2024
Tomhannock Reservoir, Pittstown, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Saturday, August 31, 2024

Pinebush Red Sunrise | 08.31.2024


Pinebush Red Sunrise | 08.31.2024
Albany Pinebush Preserve, Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, August 29, 2024

First Light, Tomhannock | 08.29.2024


First Light, Tomhannock | 08.29.2024
Pittstown, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Gilded | 08.26.2024

Gilded | 08.26.2024
Large Format Image

An actor in costume walks to the set of HBO's The Gilded Age in Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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Monday, August 19, 2024

A Love Letter to Photography on World Photography Day


A Love Letter to Photography on World Photography Day
By John Bulmer, John Bulmer Photography

Life is full of fleeting moments—some slip away, while others stay with us forever. Photography has this incredible ability to capture those moments, freezing them in time. On World Photography Day, I find myself thinking about how photography isn’t just about preserving our personal memories—it’s about shaping how we see the world. It captures our highs, our lows, the progress we’ve made, and the challenges we still face, connecting us to each other in ways that words alone can’t.

The first time I picked up a camera, I felt its magic—the ability to stop time with just a click, turning a moment into a memory that lasts. Some of the most powerful images in history, like the "Tank Man" standing alone against a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square, make us confront the past and remind us of the need to keep pushing for justice. Equally powerful are the photos from the Civil Rights Movement, showing the stark contrast between one group’s halcyon days and another group’s painful reality. Images of young Black students braving hostile crowds as they integrated schools, or protesters facing fire hoses and police dogs, force us to face the harsh truths of our capacity for inhumanity.

Then there are the images of tragedy, like those from 9/11, which remind us of the deep pain that can bind us together in shared grief. Or the heartbreaking photos from humanitarian crises around the world, showing people fleeing war and famine. These images push us to care, to act, and to remember our shared responsibility to help each other. But photography also gives us hope. The sight of soldiers returning from long, hard deployments to the open arms of their families reminds us of the enduring power of love and resilience. These moments of reunion capture the strength of the human spirit, even after the darkest times.

On a more personal level, photography captures the everyday milestones that mean the world to us—like the images of our children’s first days of school, or those Facebook memories that pop up, reminding us just how quickly time moves. These photos urge us to stop and take a look around, to not just observe life, but to truly see it. They remind us that while life moves fast, we can still hold onto the moments that matter.
Some people say that with smartphones and billions of photos being taken every day, photography has lost some of its power. I don’t agree. If anything, it’s made each of us a storyteller, capturing our lives in a way that’s never been possible before. We are now the narrators of our own stories, curating and capturing our lives like never before, and that’s powerful. Every photo we take, whether we share it or keep it to ourselves, adds another layer to our story and to the collective story of humanity. The ubiquitous smartphone camera has also enabled real-time photo content of breaking news and developing stories, allowing us to be better informed instantaneously by citizen journalists.

The photos that mean the most, though, are often the ones we keep tucked away—those personal treasures that anchor us to our past and keep loved ones close, even when they’re gone. Looking at childhood photos, for example, can bring back the simple joys of those days. Photography isn’t just about capturing an image; it’s about holding onto the feelings, the voices, the essence of life in that moment.

In a world that’s always changing, photography is one of the few constants. It’s our way of saying, “I was here. This mattered.” Whether it’s a global event or a quiet, personal moment, photography helps us find meaning and reminds us that we’re all part of something bigger. And while it’s important to live in the moment, it’s also important to capture those moments—so we can look back, remember, and share them with others.

Today, I’m grateful for all the moments I’ve captured, the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the stories I’ve told through my lens. But most of all, I’m thankful for how photography brings us closer—to our past, to each other, and to the world around us. Every photo holds a piece of who we are—our struggles, our joys, our growth. Here’s to photography, the keeper of our memories and the reflection of what it means to be human.

We are all photographers. We are here, and it matters.

All Content © 2024, John Bulmer Photography. All Rights Reserved. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Summer's Veil


Summer’s Veil
, 2024
Double Exposure: Street Portrait and Midsummer Field Grass

Creating abstract images is an essential part of the creative process. Not all photography needs to be clean and literal; sometimes, it's good to experiment and play. This image combines a street portrait of a woman waiting for the bus with tall, midsummer field grass. The resulting black-and-white double exposure produces an ethereal figure stepping out of a white field, capturing a sense of surreal beauty. If you turn on its side, you can recognize the field of grass. 

I capture images of field grass throughout the summer because it is mesmerizing. If you look at a field of thigh-high grass long enough, it starts to resemble an inland sea with waves and tides in the breeze.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, August 4, 2024

The Bloody Pit

Eastern Portal, Hoosac Tunnel, Large Format Image, 2024

The Bloody Pit
By John Bulmer, John Bulmer Photography

Author's Note: The Hoosac Tunnel, also known as the Bloody Pit, has always fascinated me. If you've ever been there, you know its eastern portal lies deep in a secluded valley alongside the Deerfield River. The valley feels isolated, with cell signals barely reaching past the tree-covered walls that surround it. It’s a beautiful spot, dotted with farmhouses, old bridges, and even an abandoned power plant. The Yankee Atomic Electric plant, which was permanently shuttered in 1997, sits quietly nearby. Over the years, I’ve taken numerous photos of the Hoosac Tunnel, and this is my most recent, captured with a large-format camera. The tunnel’s history is fascinating when you think of all the lives that it claimed and their impacts, but if you visit, please don’t enter. The tunnel stretches nearly five miles and is still active, with freight trains passing through a few times a day. There’s no room to escape if you’re caught inside. When I was much younger, before security around infrastructure tightened post-9/11, I ventured into the tunnel with a camera. The sounds inside are disorienting, masking the noise of oncoming trains. Your eyes start to play tricks on you, and the echoes create a strange, unsettling atmosphere. It’s not difficult to see why some of the lore surrounding the tunnel persists.
 
The Hoosac Tunnel, known to many as the "Bloody Pit," is more than just a feat of 19th-century engineering—it's the epicenter of eerie legends. This 4.75-mile-long railroad tunnel, which carves through the Hoosac Mountain range in western Massachusetts, has a history steeped in tragedy. The tunnel’s construction, which claimed the lives of around 200 workers, left behind a legacy of haunting tales that still capture the imagination.

The tunnel’s grim reputation took root almost as soon as construction began in 1851. Spanning over two decades, the project was plagued by financial woes, dangerous working conditions, and frequent, often fatal, accidents. As the body count rose, whispers of a curse began to circulate among the workers. The tunnel earned the ominous nickname "Bloody Pit" after a catastrophic explosion in 1867 claimed 13 lives, casting a shadow of dread over the site.

Stories of ghosts haunting the Hoosac Tunnel began to emerge soon after the 1867 explosion. Survivors reported hearing the disembodied voices of their deceased coworkers and even claimed to have seen their apparitions drifting through the dark, damp passages of the tunnel, seemingly lost between worlds. These sightings became so common that many workers refused to enter the tunnel after dark, fearing the restless spirits within.

Among the most chilling tales from the Hoosac Tunnel is the story of Ringo Kelley, a worker blamed for an explosion in 1865 that killed two of his fellow laborers. According to legend, Kelley vanished after the incident, only to be found dead a year later in the very spot where the explosion had occurred. His death was never fully explained, leading some to believe that Kelley was taken by the vengeful spirits of the men he had wronged.

Another persistent legend involves the so-called "Phantom Workers"—ghostly figures dressed in old-fashioned work clothes, seen by both laborers and later visitors to the tunnel. These apparitions are often spotted carrying tools or lanterns, and witnesses have reported hearing the sounds of pickaxes and hammers echoing through the tunnel, even when it’s empty. These spectral laborers are believed to be the spirits of those who perished during the tunnel’s construction, doomed to continue their work in the afterlife.

Today, the Hoosac Tunnel remains a magnet for paranormal enthusiasts and thrill-seekers alike. Over the years, numerous ghost hunters have ventured into the tunnel, many claiming to have encountered the supernatural. Some have recorded eerie, unexplained sounds—disembodied voices, the clinking of tools—while others have felt sudden drops in temperature or the unnerving sensation of being watched. The tunnel’s long, tragic history, coupled with its oppressive, shadowy atmosphere, makes it a prime location for ghostly activity.

The legends surrounding the Hoosac Tunnel are more than just ghost stories; they are echoes of the fear, hardship, and loss experienced by those who labored there. Passed down through generations, these tales have become a part of the region's identity. The deeper meaning of these stories is the human cost of industrial progress.

All Content © 2024, John Bulmer Photography. All Rights Reserved. 
The story originally appeared on www.johnbulmermedia.com

Monday, July 22, 2024

Foggy Sunrise | Charlton, New York


Foggy Sunrise | 07.22.2024
Charlton, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, July 4, 2024

4th of July Suburban Ghost Towns


4th of July Suburban Ghost Towns

The year we discovered that the neighborhood streets in Troy would be deserted while everyone gathered at the river, Frear Park, Grandview Ave, and RPI to watch the fireworks from Troy, Green Island, and Albany, changed everything. Suddenly, we could ride our bikes down the middle of the street, through intersections, and down Hoosick Street without a car in sight. It felt like we had the world to ourselves, and it was addictive. What we were experiencing was kenopsia—the eerie atmosphere of a place usually bustling with people but now abandoned and quiet, like a school after hours, the downtown of a city on an early Sunday morning, or an empty subway platform—an emotional afterimage. This feeling sparked my love for photographing abandoned places. I still seek out that feeling and attempt to capture an image of it whenever I get the chance.

After that day, the 4th of July for our group of friends became more than just 3D monster movies on WPIX, broadcast from the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, fireflies, and tabletop video games. It became the one night a year when we could have the streets to ourselves, if only for a few minutes. We would roam freely, exhilarated by the rare stillness, the quiet echoing our laughter as we navigated the empty avenues. The city, momentarily ours, felt like a hidden world waiting to be explored. It is a reminder of the words of Albert Einstein: "To retain the sense of wonder in adulthood, we must never lose our childlike curiosity. The important thing is to never stop questioning."

That night, and every 4th of July continues to remind me of those childhood adventures and the friends I shared them with, and of the Collar City dressed up in the lights of fireworks and the blue haze that followed.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Monday, July 1, 2024

Breaktime | 07.01.2024


Breaktime | 07.01.2024
Troy, New York

A restaurant worker takes a break from the kitchen to have a quiet moment in a back alley in Troy, New York. 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, June 27, 2024

The Ruins of the Original Hoffman's Playland | 06.27.2024








 
The ruins of the original Hoffman’s Playland in Latham, New York | 06.27.2024
These were taken from outside the fence in the parking lot. The property is posted. Please don’t trespass.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Friday, June 21, 2024

Stars Above and Below the Canopy | 06.19.2024


Stars Above and Below the Canopy | 06.19.2024
Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton, New York 

A glimpse at the night sky through the fireflies and foliage. Captured from a camera placed on its back on the forest floor.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, June 13, 2024

Halfmoon Sunset | 06.12.2024


Halfmoon Sunset | 06.12.2024
Halfmoon, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, May 23, 2024

South End (Hopper) | 05.23.2024


South End (Hopper) | 05.22.2024
Albany, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Nipper Weathering the Storm | 05.08.2024


Nipper Weathering the Storm | 05.08.2024
Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Monday, April 22, 2024

Jack's Oyster House | 04.22.2024


Early morning sun fills the former Jack’s Oyster House, now permanently closed and up for sale. Jack’s had been in business since 1913 and had been frequented by every New York governor since.
Albany, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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The Teddy Roosevelt Gargoyle | Albany, New York


 The Teddy Roosevelt Gargoyle hiddon on the facade of the former D&H Building
Albany, New York.

You can read about its history here.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Friday, April 19, 2024

Ethereal | 04.16.2024


Ethereal | 04.16.2024
The Spirit of Life
Congress Park, Saratoga Springs, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Unknown Faces of the New York State Capitol Building, Albany, New York

The Unknown Faces of the New York State Capitol Building, Albany, New York 

Here’s another spotlight on the distinctive features of Albany's architectural landscape: The New York State Capitol Building. Much like its remarkable counterpart, the Deleware and Hudson Building, located further down the State Street hill, this structure is adorned with hidden meanings and intricate stonework details. Constructed over a span of 32 years, from 1867 to 1899, it was spearheaded by three teams of architects. The construction carried a staggering cost of 25 million dollars, equivalent to 774 million dollars in today's currency. 

A meticulous fusion of Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, and Romanesque influences distinguishes the structure from any other in the Capitol District area. 

Embedded within the stonework are lifelike sculptures of numerous individuals. After completing the commissioned faces that were included as a nod to historical figures promoting in New York’s history, the stone carvers—many hailing from places like Scotland, the United Kingdom, and Italy—were granted the liberty to carve personal memories into the sandstone. Some chose to immortalize the countenance of their wives, while others opted for the youthful likeness of a beloved daughter. Both inside and outside the building, an array of stone faces can be found. Some depict prominent figures from the State's history, while others reflect the individual whims of the carvers. Many of these faces are encircled by intricately carved details relevant to the person they portray. Here is a collection of these remarkable stone portraits, along with other concealed meanings and carved elements adorning the Capitol.









© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Albany In Bloom | 04.10.2024


Albany In Bloom | 04.10.2024
SUNY Administation Building, Albany, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, April 7, 2024

Found Gargoyle | 04.06.2024


Found Gargoyle | 04.06.2024

If you've followed my previous project mapping the ruins of Grafton Lakes State Park, you'll understand my fascination with uncovering the hidden history of our public lands. Here's a medium-format image capturing a fierce gargoyle just off the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park. Traditionally, gargoyles were thought to ward off evil spirits, so stumbling upon one in such an unexpected location suggests there may be ruins nearby waiting to be discovered.

You can read up on the ruins of Grafton here: https://www.johnbulmermedia.com/search/label/Ruins?m=1


© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, March 31, 2024

Remembrance | Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery


Remembrance | 03.31.2024
Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery
Medium Format Image 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Monday, March 25, 2024

Penumbral Eclipse | 03.25.2024


Penumbral Eclipse | 03.25.2024

This morning’s prenumbral eclipse of a Worm Moon at 3:12 AM. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the outer shadow of the Earth (the penumbra) partially covers the Moon. Unlike partial or total eclipses, where the Moon enters the Earth's darker inner shadow (the umbra), penumbral eclipses are much more subtle because the Moon only passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow. This results in a slight darkening of the Moon's surface, often difficult to distinguish without careful observation. The subtle nature of penumbral eclipses is due to the fact that the penumbra is not as dense or dark as the umbra, resulting in less noticeable changes in the Moon's appearance.

The term "Worm Moon" refers to the full moon that occurs in March. It is named after the earthworms that tend to emerge from the soil as the ground begins to thaw and spring approaches in the Northern Hemisphere. This full moon marks the transition from winter to spring, signaling the awakening of the earth and the start of planting season for many agricultural societies. The name "Worm Moon" has its roots in traditional Native American and colonial American naming of moons based on seasonal changes and natural phenomena.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Thursday, March 21, 2024

Moon Dog | Nipper and the Rising Moon



Moon Dog | Nipper and the Rising Moon
Albany, New York

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Saturday, March 9, 2024

Red Albany Skyline | 03.07.2024



Red Albany, New York Skyline | 03.07.2024
In Honor of the American Red Cross
Albany, New York 

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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Sunday, March 3, 2024

William Kennedy Interview | 02.29.2024




I had the privilege of spending an incredible two-and-a-half hours with William Kennedy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ironweed, amongst other classics. We delved into discussions about history, photography, and writing for a project I'm currently working on. Hearing his tales about the vibrant Albany portrayed in his books was an absolute delight. Sincere thanks to Brendan Kennedy.

© 2024 John Bulmer Photography + Nor'easter Films
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