Celebrating the Gorgeous Scenery of New York State on National Nature Photography Day

Every year on June 15th is “Nature Photography Day,” a holiday sponsored by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) to raise awareness for nature conservation, promote enjoyment of nature through the arts, and to document wildlife and landscapes on local and global scales.  The first official celebration began on June 16th in 2006, and it has continued to grow and be adopted by people all around the world!

Feeling a little intimidated by the idea of taking snaps of the great outdoors? Fear not!  The wonderful thing about nature photography is that you can document it using whatever equipment you have on hand; you don’t need a fancy DSLR or expensive equipment to snap a picture of beautiful scenery or wildlife, we all carry a wonderful high tech camera right in our pockets: the smartphone! The Student Conservation Association has a great list of 9 tips for taking brilliant nature photos with your Smartphone.

Now that you know a little more about the holiday, we’ve got a fun list of places that would make a great little road trip for nature photography in New York State!  Check it out:

• Loon Lake in the Adirondacks - Beautiful all year round with lots of options for hiking, and camping, and even mountain bikes but it’s absolutely incredible in the autumn months.  Perfect for landscape and lakeside reflection photography.

• Letchworth State Park in Castile -  This gorgeous 14000+ acre park is located in the Genesee River gorge along the Genesee River is fondly known as “Grand Canyon of the East” in Upstate NY close to Rochester, and is open to the public year round!  You’ll find magnificent views of the falls, river rapids, and scenic overlooks.

• Lake Placid - Gorgeous all year round, but especially in wintertime for its incredible mountainscape opportunities at Whiteface Mountain.  Also stunning on a hazy summer evening at sunset to photograph the mountains and cabins against a lakeside background.

• Watkings Glen State Park - This Finger Lakes destination is home of nineteen incredible waterfalls, rocky caverns, stone stairways, and gorgeous forestscapes.  You’ll have a blast looking for the wildlife here, too!  Be patient and sit still and they may just come take a sip in the clear pools and streams of water.