Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

Photos are everywhere, you just have to see them. This abstraction was photographed at the entrance of the Japanese Gardenat the Brooklyn Botanic; one of my favorite places to visit and enjoy.

The , Festa italiana. was held yearly and for many years in the eighties and nineties on Carmine street. It was run by Our Lady of Pompeii church but it wasn't a religious feast. It was a neighborhood event. I got on the wonder wheel type ride to take this shot. The film was Ektachrome 200 and the camera was a Nikon Ftn with a 35mm F 2.8 Nikkor lens. BTW, lest you think there's a grammatical error in the heading, in Italian, in a tittle only the first word is capitalized and adjectives pertaining to nationalities and languages are also not capitalized.

This is an old archival image shot on East 28th Street in Manhattan. The camera was the Nikon FTn with the 35mm F 2.8 Nikkor lens. This is a scan from a Kodachrome II slide.

  THE NIKON DL PREMIUM COMPACT SERIES: PUTTING POCKETABLE POWER AND LEGENDARY NIKKOR LENS PRECISION INTO THE HANDS OF PASSIONATE PHOTOGRAPHERS Pairing a Large 1-Inch Sensor with Superior NIKKOR Lens Technology, Nikon's New Compact DL24-85, DL18-50 and DL24-500 Will Help Capture Stunning Images and 4K UHD Video MELVILLE, NY (Monday, February 22, 2016 at 11:01 P.M. EST) - Today, Nikon Inc. announced the new DL Series of premium compact cameras. These pocketable yet powerful imaging tools offer an elite level of imaging prowess that fits easily in one's palm. Equipped with a variety of focal lengths optimized for different types of shooters, the DL24-85, DL18-50 and DL24-500 combine powerful NIKKOR optics with a large 20.8-megapixel (CX-format) 1-inch BSI CMOS sensor to produce stunning image quality and amazingly detailed images, even when shooting in low-light. Cameras in the new DL line will also feature powerful performance, with high-speed Autofocus (...

I loved to shoot in medium format. This of course meant a twin lens reflex. I had several and it all began with my first Yashicamat 124 followed by the Yashicamat 124 G, a Minolta Autocord, several Mamyias and naturally my Rolleiflex. The ability to look at the ground glass and see the image just like it would appear on the negative or slide was priceless. You saw it in the same spacial relationship as the final image. Of course the image was reversed horizontally. This was not a big deal. I would love to have a similar camera in digital. The medium format digicams of today are   large single lens reflexes that are just heavy and bulky DSLR's. They have a mega pixel advantage but the "normal" DSLR's [ 24X36mm] are almost just as good. Of course they cost as much as a Mecedes-Benz. This is of course all moot since most people swear that their smart phones take great images and under most normal conditions, they do. The image below was taken with a Mamyia C-330. The fi...

Lumix G Vario f3.5-5.6 Power OIS     Jumping the gun, so to speak. Just one day from the start of CP+ 2016, Panasonic has introduced the Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Power O.I.S. as an addition to its line of Micro Four Thirds lenses. Besides the great range  [24-120  equivalent]  it features a splash proof  and dust proof design, and it's compatible with Panasonic's Dual IS feature that is currently available on the Lumix DMC-GX8. Its complex construction includes 11 elements in 9 groups, seven aperture blades and a high-speed stepping motor. The Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH will be available in May for $499.99. This is really a great price in view of the very usable range and the weather proofing. Enjoy.

Yes indeed come and adore this gem of a town. You will not be sorry. It was recently voted as fourth in hospitality out of the top 50 Italian places for tourists to visit. You will feel at home and have a wonderful stay.

The Sicilian Cuisine Blog: Sicilian homemade bread fritters: for Carnival, but not only!

Every June, on Sullivan Street in downtown Manhattan a feast is held in honor of Saint Anthony. There's a procession around the neighborhood as the highlight of the religious part of the feast. Naturally the non religious aspects are what most people are attracted to such as food, games, etc. Of course the saint is urged to pray for us but adding a few tens or twenties should convince him to be more prayerful. We Italians have  very interesting views on religious matters that have survived and been conserved since the times of the Romans who actually made deals with their Gods.

In the days of yore when serious DSLR's were making their debuts, Pentax was one of the first to announce a full frame camera. Things went bad for the company and now Ricoh. the new owner, has finally made this a reality. It took a long time.                                                                                            Ricoh has  just announced it's  long awaited new Pentax K-1, a DSLR model with a 36  megapixel Full Frame sensor with professional build quality, that includes weather sealing for use in difficult shooting environments, a magnesium alloy body, and features that make this new camera unique among similar cameras from other manufacturers. The...

Shot with a folding Kodak Retina 35mm camera with a Schneider lens. Some of my very first forays in serious photography.

Ektachrome scan