A couple’s view of Cold Spring and beyond
When Will and Alissa Malnati moved to Philipstown in 2021, they immediately fell in love with the Highlands. As they explored, they took hundreds of photos on their iPhones, shooting whatever caught their eye, from landscapes and architecture to people and road signs.
They recently returned to Brooklyn but left what Alissa describes as “a parting gift” for locals: a coffee-table book with more than 50 of their favorite images.
In Cold Spring, NY, the couple captures quintessential images of the village, as well as scenes from West Point, Bannerman Island and Breakneck Ridge, Boscobel, Vera’s Marketplace on Route 9 and Fishkill Farms.
Some of the photos, by design, require a second look. In one, the contents of an upended garbage can lie on the snow-covered ground. “If you look closely, you see massive bear prints,” Will explains. He says they photographed the bear but preferred the subtlety of showing only the paw prints.
Other shots are playful, such as the turtle crossing sign on Fishkill Road and the intersection of East Mountain Road North and East Mountain Road South.
“We toggled between color and black and white,” Will says. “But we felt we captured beauty in a textured and interesting way, looking differently at things that often have bright colors.” Alissa says black and white “made sense for Cold Spring because it’s timeless.”
Both have favorite images. Will points to the shot of Bannerman Island, taken at close range as they approached by boat. “It’s a place a lot of people only see from a distance; being that close is so dramatic,” he says.
Alissa often changes her mind about favorites but highlighted one of the reservoir on East Mountain Road South. “It’s like an optical illusion,” she says, because the woods and sky reflect on the water’s surface. “Just for fun, we toyed with the idea of flipping the photo to see if anyone would notice.”
While they had a shot list, many of the photos were taken on the spur of the moment as the couple explored backroads, mountaintops and farms. However, one photo was about being in the right place at the right time. At West Point, they came across two cadets in dress uniform, standing on a stone wall, with the river, the Highlands and a dramatic sky as the backdrop. One of the cadets threw his cap, and Will snapped it in midair.
“They weren’t doing it for us, but I’m quick on the trigger,” he says. “It’s just a beautiful shot.”
Cold Spring, NY is $38 at the General Store in Cold Spring, Dia Beacon, Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction and on Amazon.
