Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

These images were shot with a Rolleiflex with a Planar 75mm F 2.8 lens on Tri-X Professional 120. This is an old barn in north East Pennsylvania that has always intrigued me.  

These shots were made on East 38th street between Park and Lexington Avenues in the mid seventies. I used to pass by each time I walked to my Studio on 26th And Lexington from the subway station on 28th and Park. A wonderful area that today is full of restaurants and trendy shops. These images were shot with my Leica M-4 on Tri-X Pan. The lens was the 35 mm Summicron F 2. A combination made in heaven.

Not by a long shot was the Pacific blue on this winter late afternoon nor was it very peaceful. It did provide with this interesting composition.

An early morning winter walk in Corvallis. Very relaxing.  

There's no better place to relax than the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Have a relaxed week.    

Except to wish you all Merry Christmas and say that this is not my home. It's one of these over the top houses in which the decorations reach almost insane proportions. But it's all in fun and creates photo ops.

Have a wonderful Christmas eve. I hope Santa Claus is good to all of you.  

Paris is beautiful under any light but it's even more wondrous in interesting light.  

It is hard to believe but the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge is in New York City. Located in Queens it is part of the National Seashore and is close to  Rockaway Beach and across the bay from Kennedy Airport. It makes for a wonderful escape from the pressures of urban life and hassles.  .

Here in Corvallis Oregon the weather is rather moist and foggy but it allows me to take a few interesting shots.

Italian food is regional food although there are some least common denominators it's best to call Italian cuisine as regional  cuisine. Here we have three regional dishes. Pasta alla Norma named after the Great composer Vincenzo Bellini who was born in Catania, Sicily and loved this dish so it was named after Norma, one of his best opera. The aria Casta Diva when sung by Maria Callas leaves one awed.  This dish was prepared in Sicily with the local eggplants and tomatoes that are to die for. The Salade Nicoise is also Italian from Nizza a region that was always Italian but was ceded  to France by that poor excuse of the Savoy king of Piedmont who was fooled by Napoleon III for help that was never given.  The area is still somewhat Italian  and much of the food is Italian in flavor and style. This salad is a meal in itself. The pesto alla Genovese is of course the famous pesto sauce that is very popular these days. Nothing compares to the real one of course and ...

This is the smallest of the famed Italian lakes in northern Italy i.e. Lake Como, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. However it is truly beautiful and not over developed. The town of Orta is a charming  place worth a visit.

These images were made on Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside Queens in front of a flower shop. The whole area is decked out for the holidays and it's quite pretty.  .

The glory of Italian cakes, the Cassata siciliana. A true masterpiece.

This is the view of Manhattan I get early in the morning at sunrise that is quite late on this period, at about 7:AM. The buildings in the background become golden. This shot called for a tele but I like the whole feeling and contrast with the foreground, not to mention that the digital zoom on the iPhone is not really usable. iPhone image

This is my friend Michael Gully one of the people with whom I walk my dog early in the morning. These are his two German pointers, Otto and Axell who are as wonderful as their master. iPhone image  

I have nothing to add. This is still the most wonderful structure in the Big Apple and I cannot stop photographing it.

I usually take no editorial positions because this blog is a place to avoid strong opinions and a place to take a brief rest from all the noise out there. Nevertheless, there are images that cry out for some sort of opinion. The Christmas decorations that are so prevalent at this time of the year can become a little over the top to put it very mildly. The word nuts is apropos here. These are two separate homes in Queens that are absolutely unbelievable. I cannot help to wonder where all these items are stored after it's all over. However, they make nice images for the blog. iPhone image iPhone image

This new color scheme is to welcome the Christmas season and to wish all of my visitor all the best for the holidays whatever they may be.Thanks for visiting.

Followers of this blog realize that I am not one of those manipulator of images. I earned my right to be a photographer on film so there really was not much manipulation other than basic darkroom practices necessary in those days  I really avoid gimmics. BUT, there are times when  I'm tempted and because I have an Instagram account I, on rare times, use their so called filters to play with an image. This shot is such an example. I know it.s silly but why not. Photography should really be fun.

Two late day images shot in Siena's main square. Here is where the annual palio , horse race, is held. This is a truly wondrous must visit city in Tuscany. The food is absolutely out of this world.

This beautiful classic red brick house is emblematic of that wonderful classic American architecture that continues to fascinate me.

Actually many years ago. These shots date from 1972 and were shot on Kodachrome II with a Leica M-4 and a 35mm Summicron F2 lens.

This was the view from my studio. Classic shots from the seventies.