Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/776310
32 nFebruary 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Shadow MACEDON, N.Y., JUNE 6–9— For some time, professional photog- rapher and longtime motorcycle rider Rick Gerrity and I had discussed a series of motorcycle photo tours. Every year, my friend Rick runs sev- eral always-sold-out multi-day tours, such as a Route 66 photography tour, as well as a number of very popular one-day on-location photo workshops but this would be the fi rst on motorcy- cles. We named the series, simply, the Moto Photo Tour, and the inaugural expedition would be the New York Lakes Moto Photo Tour. For our fi rst tour, we decided to focus on the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario regions of upstate New York. I'd toured the area in May 2015, stay- ing at the newly-opened Bed N Biker owned by Kim Wyman who also owns Harv's Harley-Davidson. I wanted to revisit some of the same spots and ride some of the same wonderful roads, and to also visit a few other interesting places that I hadn't seen. Along with operating his own photography business, Rick is also a Panasonic Luminary, one of a group of professional photographers selected by Panasonic as ambassadors for the brand. Panasonic Lumix sponsored the tour, and provided Rick with an assortment of their camera gear for us to try out while on our excursion. Rick had previously loaned me his Lumix GX8 4K mirrorless camera and an assortment of Panasonic lenses, and I used the camera and lenses during the 2015 International Motorcycle Show in New York City. I was so impressed with the camera's capabilities that I bought one a few months later, along with what I now consider my go-to lens, the Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm F2.8 ASPH Professional Micro Four Thirds Lens. So I was very excited to try more lenses with my new camera on our tour, which would involve a number of outdoor scenarios. Rick is also a photography instructor at Unique Photo, and our tour became one of their many inter- esting and educational events, with registrations taking place through the Unique Photo website. Our intent was to ride to scenic locations under various lighting conditions, stop for photo shoots, try out the new Panasonic Lumix equipment, and receive one- on-one instruction and assis- tance from Rick. Rick and I previously took two road trips to upstate New York, riding various routes, checking out points of interest for pho- tography opportunities, and, of course, sampling the food at several restau- rants. We also stopped at Harv's H-D and Bed N Biker, and Kim, intrigued by and supportive of the concept, hap- pily jumped on board as a sponsor, offering some of her own ideas. Then came time to put it all together, and with that, a decision on who would lead the tour. Since Rick would be doing all the instruction, it was only fair that I lead the group on our jour- ney. We decided to keep the inaugural tour small to determine whether it made sense to offer additional Moto Photo Tours in the future. The fi rst day of the tour began on a Monday morning when a few of us met at a gas station just off I-80 in Rockaway Township, New Jersey. Our plan was to ride about 20 miles north to the quaint rural town of Lafayette, New Jersey, and have breakfast at the Millside Café. When we got there, we were disap- pointed to fi nd that the café was closed due to a family emergency, so we ate a quick breakfast at a diner just up the road. We returned to visit the Lafayette Mill Antiques Center, a converted 1840s grist mill that houses over 50 antiques vendors. Even if you're not into antiques, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll fi nd some sort of collectibles to hold your interest. For some of us it was the shelves of antique cameras. For Bill, a rider who claims carpentry as his primary voca- tion (the other being photography), it was a display of antique tools. Our next waypoint was Lackawanna State Park in North Abington Township, Pennsylvania, for a quick rest and some photos. Then, taking US-6 west through small MOTO PHOTO NEW YORK LAKES TOUR Have camera will travel A photographic journey through the Empire State Great country-style food and ambiance at the Millside Cafe, just across the lot from Lafayette Mill Antiques Center in Lafayette, New Jersey Bill and Rick in awe of the vintage camera display in one of the shops at the Lafayette Mill Antiques Center (L.–r.) John, Bill, Shadow and Rick at the Town of South Bristol Scenic Overlook that provides fabulous views of Canandaigua Lake