Montanus Photography

Incredible light show over Lake Ontario last night...

View of the Toronto skyline from Wilson NY last night, 35 miles away.

With the unusually clear water in Lake Ontario, these are the best photos I've ever captured of the Laura Grace, a shipwreck just off shore in Greece, NY - and the first time I've captured the entire outline of the ship. The Laura Grace was a 76 foot long wooden screw steamer built in 1902 in Collingwood, Ontario Canada. It went down in a storm off Greece NY in 1918. I first snorkeled on this wreck back in '74 and have snorkeled on it every year since then at least once. It...'s only in about 12 feet of water right now and is therefore easily accessible even for the beginning diver/snorkeler. Early Friday morning, December 6th, 1918, the ship capsized in a winter storm just off Grand View Beach in Greece. This is about a quarter mile out from the Long Pond channel. Except for the Captain William Murphy, nine crew members got on their lifeboat and headed for shore. The lifeboat capsized in the heavy breakers tossing the crew into the icy lake water. All nine eventually got to shore with the help of ship's cook, Margaret Switzer. Everything was removed from the inside of it shortly after it went aground. Information comes from a Democrat & Chronicle Newspaper dated June 20, 1962, "Old Tug Lures Scuba Divers"

So quiet in Letchworth State Park last night. I had the whole place to myself. This was the view from Inspiration Point.

Big crowd on the Charlotte Pier this morning to watch the eclipse.

Quite the spectacle last night as the entire shoreline became completely enveloped in thick fog just after sunset. I flew my drone above it all just to take in the entire beautiful scene. The only thing visible along Edgemere Drive were the tree tops.

Montanus Photography - year in review. My top sunset of 2020 based on how many of you liked it - at Seabreeze by the Irondequoit Bay Outlet back in April.

Montanus Photography - year in review. On March 20, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state-wide stay-at-home order with a mandate that 100% of non-essential workforce to be conducted as working from home effective March 22. On March 27 on an unusually calm and peaceful night, I ventured out. And this is what I wrote of my experience: ... "I had the city to myself last night. It was so surreal - I have never heard it so quiet. At first it seemed eerie, but there was also something incredibly peaceful about it too. It's rare than you can stand in the middle of East Avenue taking pictures. At one point, an RPD officer pulled up to me as I was standing in the middle of the intersection at Park and Berkeley. We had a nice chat and as he pulled away, he said jokingly, "don't get hit by a car." Because there were no cars.

I spotted this bald eagle out on Long Pond late this afternoon.

The year in review - continuing an 8 year tradition of posting YOUR favorite images of the past year. These are my best moonrises/moonsets of 2020 based on the number of your likes, shares, etc. It was a good year for moons!