While most find the Upstate winters a good reason to move away, photographer Carl Heilman II moved here precisely because of them. “There are more opportunities for unique situations in the winter,” he says of the vistas he captures. “Fall colors are always spectacular, but with winter, the formations you can get with ice, icicles and snow are really cool.”
Nowhere is that truer than in New York’s rural and rugged North Country, which Heilman has made his primary muse; he’s built a career out of publishing his stunning Adirondack photography in books and calendars. Last year, he released a new coffee table book entitled Lake George that focuses specifically on The Queen of American Lakes. “The Adirondacks are unique with their mix of mountains and water,” says Heilman. “Few places put that all together in one immediate location like Lake George.”
This is Heilman’s second photography book covering New York’s most prestigious lake (his first, also titled Lake George, came out in 2009). The new publication features 235 original images, including sweeping scenic shots, two-page panoramas and breathtaking scenes of a landscape rich with nature and history. Each chapter, divided by lake geography, takes readers through the four seasons, from spring to winter.
But its the coldest season that has a warm place in Heilman’s heart. At just 21, he was inspired to pursue photography by a wintry view of some High Peaks from Pharaoh Mountain. “I wanted to find a way to hold onto that feeling of being there, and thought I could do that with a camera,” he says. So Heilman picked up a Minolta SR-T 101 and some Kodacrhome film and started on his epic, lifelong photography adventure. “That was in 1975,” he says. “This September will be 50 years.”
