THERE IS NOW A POLICE PATROL AT THIS LOCATION. There are now cameras all around the castle.
The Catskill Mountains, or the Catskills, are a large area in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. They are located approximately 100 miles north-northwest of New York City and 40 miles southwest of Albany.
The Catskill Mountains contain some of the darkest skies on the east coast. When we turned our flashlights off at this castle, we could not see a thing! We literally could not see our hands in front of our faces. This is a Milky Way Photography Hot Spot. If you don’t already know, you need dark skies to see and photograph the Milky Way at night. Go to our other pages to learn more about Milky Way photography and get more details and resources. Check out the dark sky map – Go to Dark Sky Photography Info. For information on how to do night sky photography, go here.
Don’t go to this castle alone! – We highly recommend you go here with someone. There are entities here, for sure! Check out our new Ghost Hunting Photography Section in October. This trip inspired the new section. I assure you, we were not alone!
When to Go: WARNING THERE IS NOW POLICE PATROL AT THIS LOCATION. The week before the new moon is when the moon rises very late at night so that you can do photography before the moonrise. Check the new moon and moonrise charts before you plan your trip. We are going back in October. We didn’t get this quite right. Any excuse to travel, and we now want to document the entities that reside within! Always shoot the milky way when no moon is visible to get the darkest skies.
Dundas Castle, located in the depths of New York’s countryside, is now infamous for its haunting thanks to us. The story goes that a young girl lived here with her husband, and her ghost has lingered ever since. But she is not alone. We felt the castle also harbors another spirit of a man who most likely was her husband. During our photo shoot, we captured an image of her silhouette in one of the castle windows. Some believe it to be the ghostly presence of the young girl, forever trapped in this haunted place. We couldn’t resist returning here for another supernatural encounter, even though we’ve been warned of the dangers that lurk within these cursed walls. This is our second article about Dundas Castle, which continues to haunt us long after we leave its eerie halls. See the image of the young girl here and read about more of the haunting. See the picture of the entity in the window.
If you are looking for a breathtaking spot to photograph the Milky Way, look no further than Dundas Castle! This Scottish castle is set against the stunning backdrop of the night sky, making it the perfect place to capture some truly magical photos. But there are now security cameras and cameras, so we do not suggest you travel here.
Whether you’re a seasoned astrophotographer or a beginner just getting started, Dundas Castle offers plenty of photographic opportunities. But beware: not only is it the scariest place in this realm, but it also has massive security now. Sorry.
Are you looking for a little bit of excitement? Why not go ghost hunting at Dundas Castle? This Scottish castle is said to be home to several ghosts, including that of a young girl who died in a fire. Visitors have reported seeing her ghostly figure roaming the halls. Other spirits said to haunt the castle include a man wearing 18th-century clothing and a woman in a white dress. If you’re feeling brave, explore the castle at night and see if you can spot any of these ghosts!
New York has various natural attractions and is one of the country’s largest and most popular states. From the city’s bright lights to the stunning Adirondack Mountains, the Empire State has something for everyone.
But did you know that New York is also home to some of the best stargazing opportunities in the country? New York offers incredible night sky views thanks to its large size and diverse geography. Look up and enjoy the dark skies of New York State. And do a better job shooting the milky way than we did. This was long ago, and we didn’t get it right. If you go and don’t end up in a jail cell and get the Milky Way, send it to us with your credits and story, and we will post it!
Not really a great place to go to anymore due to the cameras and security.
If you risk it, set aside at least two hours and even more if the Milky Way is in the sky.
Hiking boots. This castle is on the side of a steep area and not an easy climb. Bring flashlights and backup flashlights!! It’s crazy scary here and as dark as it can get. Bring some bug spray seasonally.
This is a dark sky photography area. You can do Milky Way photography anywhere you can see the Milky Way here.
Not many ever dare go here!
If you have moving subjects, you will want to shoot in shutter priority to ensure your shutter speed is high enough to have your subject in sharp focus. Approximately 1/250th of a second is appropriate for people walking by, and adjust your ISO accordingly. If they are moving fast, increase your shutter speed to about 1/500th of a second. A fast bird flying by would be shot at about 1/1000th of a second. If it’s a bright sunny day, go as high as 1/1200th of a second. Remember, the higher your shutter speed, the less light comes into the camera. For More Details, see our Shutter Priority Page.
You can do your long-exposure running and milky water shots if you have moving waters at the location. You will have to use a tripod for this effect. Your settings will vary depending on the lighting and your neutral density filter. You will shoot in manual mode for the milky waters. ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. The aperture is f22 or the highest f-stop your camera will allow. Your shutter speed will be the only variable depending on the light. Roll your shutter speed until your meter reads zero. (In the center) Use your shutter release or 2-second timer to prevent camera movement when exposing. You will want at least a 2-second exposure for milky water. If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun.
You can buy an ND filter here. We highly suggest you do not go anywhere without one. Long exposure for moving waters makes all the difference between lifeless images and outstanding, dynamic images.
Aperture Priority is often used to blur the background of your images and control your depth of field (how much from the subject to the background is in focus). For more information on this – see our Aperture page
The higher you set it, the more light is when exposing an image. The higher the number, the more digital noise, so stay below 800. If you need to go higher to get the shot, you can use Topaz Denoise to filter out the digital noise later. See the ISO page here.
Be sure to set your white balance each time the lighting changes. Auto mode is not always accurate on many cameras, and we prefer to set it manually. It’s one of the easier basics of photography to master. If you need more help, you can get some more details here. See the white balance page here.
You will need a camera to control your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture manually.
A fast, wide-angle lens of 1.4 – 2.8 is ideal. If you use a 3.5 or higher (slower lens), you must increase the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more grain or digital noise or grain will appear in your photos.
A good, sturdy tripod is essential for night photography. If it gets windy, you will need a sturdy one. Remember that when you buy one, it should be sturdy enough to withstand the wind but small enough to fit in your suitcase.
Sky Guide is available through the iTunes Store for $1.99. It has a 5 out of 5-star rating on both the current (3.2) version (1200+ ratings) and all previous versions (8600+ ratings).
Our choice is Coast brand for flashlights. The ideal flashlight will have high lumens, and you can zoom in and out on the light emitting from the flashlight. Get the HP7, PX45, or the G50. Ideally, go with the HP7.
The best time to go is during a new moon; you want to be in the darkest area possible. The week before the new moon, when the moon has not risen, is a perfect time to go, so be sure to check the moonrise chart to see when the moon will be up.
When painting with light and over a 30-second exposure, you must have a shutter release to use your bulb mode. You can use the remote release or your camera’s built-in two-second timer when exposing your pictures.
Start with ISO 1600 – 3200. This is a common starting point, and you will adjust from here.
Shutter Speed – Remember, the earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open for too long, you will see star trails that will not make for a crisp image. We want crisp, non-star trail images. Here is the formula to avoid star trails—the 500 rule – Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will set your shutter speed to 20 sec. (500/24 = 20.83). If you are using a crop sensor camera, first do the math of the crop sensor to find the focal length. Cannon is 1.6, Nikon is 1.5. Convert to full-frame focal length, then use the formula. Nikon 18mm x 1.5= 27mm – 500/27 = 18.51 seconds.
Depth of field isn’t critical on these shots, but letting the light into the camera is; therefore, you should shoot wide open if. If the depth of field is essential to you, try not to go too high. (wide open =the lowest aperture your camera will allow). You will have to increase the ISO some, giving you digital noise.
Now that the ISO and aperture are set in manual mode, roll your shutter speed until your meter reads (0) zero. Take a test shot and adjust from there. Remember, the earth is rotating. If you leave the shutter open for too long, you will see star trails that will not make for a crisp image. You can make star trails specifically, but that’s not what we are going for here since we started with Milky Way photography. We want crisp, non-star trail images when doing this.
Here is the formula to avoid star trails—the 500 rule – Divide 500 by the focal length of your lens. So, if you have a 24mm lens on a full-frame camera, you will set your shutter speed to 20 sec. (500/24 = 20.83). If you are using a crop sensor camera, first do the math of the crop sensor to find the focal length. Cannon is 1.6, Nikon is 1.5. Convert to full-frame focal length, then use the formula. Nikon 18mm x 1.5= 27mm – 500/27 = 18.51 seconds.
In live view mode, you can change your white balance settings and see what it will look like. You can shoot in shade or cloud mode as a standard setting and adjust things later when editing.
To focus in the dark, use your camera’s live view, hit the zoom button, and focus on a bright star. You can also use the infinity setting on your lens but do several test shots to determine accuracy. It can be off a little on some lenses. You can also light it up with a flashlight, focus, then gently, without touching the focus ring, put the camera in manual focus so it will not search for the focus. You must do this each time you move your camera to take your next angel.
The best images are usually of the dense part of the Milky Way. We can see this part of the milk way in the southern sky. During March, April, and May, the Milky Way rises above the horizon in the pre-dawn hours. In June, at about 10:00 p.m., you will see the Milky Way. From July until October, you can see the Milky Way as soon as it sunsets, and it becomes dark enough to see about an hour after sunset. In November, the Milky Way no longer comes above the horizon. You will have to wait until March if you want to stay away really late or get up early to see her again.
See our Milky Way Hot Spot Locator and our Night Photography Information.
ENTRANCE FEES:
This has no entrance fee.
Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee of between $6 and 10 dollars for day use. Parks may also charge additional fees for amenities like pools and picnic shelter reservations. Historic sites generally charge an admission fee of between $1 and $6. For more information about park and historic site fees and hours, including when fees are charged, please contact the facility directly. Contact information for our facilities can be found on our website’s park and historic site pages. New York State Parks offers certain discounts through the admission programs listed here. For more information, please visit the following links:
ADMISSION PROGRAMS:
Empire Passport—Your key to all-season enjoyment at New York State Parks. Passports are available for different lengths of time, from one year to multiple years or the Lifetime Empire Passport. All Empire Passports provide unlimited day-use vehicle entry to most state parks and recreation facilities.
Add your hotel here! Do you want us to send our photography and ghost hunting friends to your hotel for their ghost hunting trip? Put your hotel information here. We will put a picture of your hotel, the website link, the phone number and your information on your hotel.
Would you like to be a featured hotel like this article or this one? Please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.
Add your Restaurant here! Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your restaurant after their ghost-hunting trip? Put your restaurant information here. We will put a picture of your establishment, the website link, the phone number, and the information on your restaurant to make it easy for our photographers and ghost hunters to find you. They are good at getting there in the dark.
Add your campground here! Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your campground to stay at during their ghost-hunting trip? Put your campground information here. We will put a picture of your establishment, the website link, the phone number and your information on your campground to make it easy for our photographers and ghost hunters to find you. They are really good at getting there in the dark.
Would you like to be featured in an article as a place to stay while doing photography or ghost hunting? If so, please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.
Why not consider staying in one of New York’s beautiful state parks? Imagine pitching a tent near the St. Lawrence River or one of the beautiful lakes, waking up in your recreational vehicle surrounded by the majesty of the woods, or cooking breakfast in a cabin overlooking the “Grand Canyon of the East.”
Did you know you save 15-20% by reserving a weeknight* campsite? (*Sunday-Thursday, excluding holidays) For information about camping in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, visit
Reservations
Arranging a stay at a New York state park is easy! Reservations can be made from 1 day – to 9 months in advance by calling toll-free 1-800-456-CAMP for a spur-of-the-moment trip; rentals are also available on a walk-up basis.
Remember that you can use a rain sleeve on your camera if it is raining. Use a low ISO, such as 100, if it is bright and sunny.
If you are doing photography along with your ghost hunting on cloudy days, you can do running water or waterfall photography to avoid the glaring sun. You can also use an ND filter to get a long exposure for dramatic effects, even in the sunshine. If you ghost hunt indoors in abandoned places, be careful!
Photography, Lessons, Workshops and Classes.
