Has it been a year already since the last photo contest? I always use this issue as a benchmark to see where we are as magazine publishers, and to look at what we’ve accomplished.
Life in the Finger Lakes has been published now for 16 years, and we are proud of that accomplishment. In 2001, when Tim Braden and I were talking to various businesses and other movers and shakers in the area, we were told by a significant number that the magazine would never survive. I”m happy to say that we’re still here!
A good part of the reason for our longevity is you, the reader. Not only are you loyal and consistently interested in the articles we publish, you are also a contributor. This is YOUR magazine, because it speaks from your heart. I’ve always said that the strength of the articles is due to the varied interests and talents of the writers and photographers that produce them. The eclectic mix is a mirror image of who loves the region.
I have had people question me over the years if there is enough to write about in the Finger Lakes Region. Wouldn’t we start to repeat ourselves on the same subject? Are there enough interesting stories to tell? I can say, without a doubt, that we will never exhaust our list of ideas that go into the magazine. Even if we cover a similar subject three or four times over a span of ten years, there are always different ways to look at that subject. And the stories about the people, who have lived here and who currently live here, are never ending. It always amazes me how you may think you know someone, and then they tell you about a part of their earlier life that is worthy of a magazine article.
And, to stay up with current ways that people are getting their information, we continue to produce a high-quality digital version of the magazine through a mobile app. The neat thing about reading the magazine this way is that now we can give you more photos, videos and events that can’t fit into the printed version. And we will be publishing bonus articles in the digital version as well.
Last but not least, I try to have an editor’s pick every year for the photo contest, and this year it is Brian Maley’s photo depicting camping in the Ithaca area. I love the subject matter since camping is near and dear to my heart.
Brian Maley, the photographer, captured the image by setting his camera on a tripod with a self-timer set to 30 seconds. When the shutter released he walked into the frame wearing a headlamp and then moved to the fire where he stoked it until the exposure ended.
The busy holiday season is almost upon us, and yet, take some quiet time and enjoy your life in the Finger Lakes.
by Mark Stash, mark@lifeinthefingerlakes.com
