NY - South or East of Rochester

[36cm2]

Travelling to Rochester NY shortly and seeking any tips from those that know the area on good places to spend a morning photographing (most likely large format with a heavy pack). Ideally, I'm seeking locations with a short hike (not quite ala Edward Weston 500 yard limit, but not much longer than a couple of miles round trip) that are in close driving proximity to Route 390 or Route 90, as I'll be taking one of them out of Rochester going South toward home. I may leave Rochester the night before and get lodging closer to the location to get a jump on the day. Anyway, any insight you may offer is greatly appreciated. At this point, my best bet looks to be one of the trails near Mt. Morris at the northern tip of Letchworth State Park, but I've not been in the park in years and never in winter and never the northern portion (the falls are in the south I believe), so I don't know the trails. Thanks again.

All the best,
Leo

 

[Photo Engineer]

Letchworth is great. However, you may like the book on Hikes in NY State. Great book. Details areas visited by many. For example, Honeyoye lake and several others have great hikes close to Rochester.

PE

 

[36cm2]

Thank you, Ron. Your input is always greatly appreciated.

All the best,
Leo

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Protect yourself against ticks. Take a GPS and waypoint your car. Have fun. NY is a great state for photography.

 

[DWThomas]

I've been up that way a few times, and Letchworth Park was the first thing that came to mind. The Erie Canal towpath is a possibility also.
I'd suggest a look at the Rails-to-Trails TrailLink website as a good resource. (You may need to be a member or registered to see the actual trail maps, but I think anybody can see the basic location and distance info. New York state is full of a wide variety of possibilities.

 

[Lee Rust]

Why not an expedition to the former Kodak Park? If you prefer natural environments, the Genesee River gorge with several scenic waterfalls is just across the street. Travel a bit further east along the Lake Ontario shore to the glacially carved Durand-Eastman Park. If you like ducks, geese and shorebirds, try the Braddock Bay area to the west. In the central city proper there are plenty of distinctive buildings like the Times Square or Xerox buildings in midtown, the George Eastman Museum on East Avenue, picturesque neighborhoods like the South Wedge or Corn Hill, plus more parks, particularly the hills and valleys of Mt. Hope Cemetery that are crowded with historic and photogenic memorials. Outside the city to the south there are many interesting villages, particularly the Erie Canal towns of Pittsford and Fairport. I could go on...

 

[36cm2]

Just wanted to thank everyone again. So many great ideas and more things to see in the area than I could have discovered on my own in such short order. It is greatly appreciated. I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with France Scully Osterman while there. Such a lovely woman, excellent artist and teacher. Very much enjoyed Rochester, as well as the Osterman's warm hospitality.

DWThomas, thank you very much for that TrailLink website. It's a quite an interesting resource indeed!

All the best,
Leo

 

[Sirius Glass]

When I lived in Rochester I quickly learned that the glaciers cause most rivers in the area run from south to north. That means the waterfalls often do not have sunlight on them for most if not the whole day. Use The Photographer's Ephemeris http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=16.768800,-3.007300&center=16.7688,-3.0073&dt=20150307211600+0000 to plan ahead by picking date, time and location to see the lighting conditions.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Thats alright. There is so little sun here anyway, it is hard to tell when the clouds will part.

PE

 

[alaska]

All the best