Category: Color Photography

I’m So Glad

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Color Photography, Inspiration

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

~L.M. Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

I’m so glad. I’m glad I’m glad I’m glad.

Who Are You?

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Flowers, Gardens, Inspiration 

"John The Baptist is one of my favorite people in scripture. He knew who he wasn't (I am not the Messiah) and he knew he was (I am a voice in the wilderness).

Every day I need to get clear in my soul who I am and who I am not.

Otherwise, I find myself living a life God never called me to.

~Rich Villodas
Rich is a Brooklyn-born Pastor and author of The Deeply Formed Life & Good.

Reading from my website:

Photography is my passion. Child of an Iowa farm girl and a Vaudeville tap-dancer, I believe I have been a gift from God. A gift for seeing beauty–-creating artful, remarkable, memorable photographs.

I specialize in portrait, nature, food, and documentary photography. I am also a published writer, art consultant, and gourmet cook. I love family get-togethers, and cats and dogs. And red wine. I live in Western Massachusetts with my wife, Susan, our dog, Freddy, a Mini Labradoodle.

Drawing on a degree in Art and English, inspired by Nature, a passion for telling stories and years working as a writer and photojournalist helps me to follow my heart–bringing a heightened sensitivity to all my photography: portraits, nature, documentary, food, interiors, furniture. I believe I am making the world a better place with beautiful photography.

Photos:

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes, Wall Decor

Some images from the past week. Click on image to enlarge.

Amaryllis sunrise in our sitting room. Freddy. Cheese Tortellini Soup with Kale and Kielbasa. Mushroom Apple Pizza with Pumpkin Squash Sauce. Me. My desk. Elephants, one a gift from Julia. Moroccan Orange Cake. Pasta with Tuna, Capers, and Green Olives. Sunrise in Living Room.

Chicken Sausage Gumbo

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

Every Christmas our son and his girlfriend return to Western Massachusetts from Denver to visit family and to celebrate the holiday.

Susan and I always prepare a special dinner for the two. One year we made their favorite; Chicken Piccata. Another year Pasta Putanesca. And once, Piccadillo.

Here I am at the stove making the Roux for the Gumbo. The recipe says to Stir, Stir, Stir. Do not stop stirring until the roux is the color of chocolate milk. This might take 45 minutes! And when you have a sore right shoulder it is work. At one point I did stop stirring, walked to the fridge, grabbed the container of chocolate milk so I could compare its color to the color of the roux. Close enough.
Chicken Sausage Gumbo.

Days later Susan and I had the leftovers for lunch.

Here is recipe upon which I based my Gumbo. Note: I baked two chicken breasts and once cooled cut them into bit-size pieces. I cooked bacon first, set it aside, and used the fat instead of oil to make the roux. I also used local Polish Kielbasa. And I added a can of chopped tomatoes to the dish. I didn’t have a green pepper so I used two seeded and chopped jalapeno peppers.

A Time To Bloom

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Bible Verses, Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Inspiration, Poetry

A New Year. New Resolutions. New Alterations. A Time To Bloom.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
~Some of the most quoted words of the Bible are from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, verses 1-8

Reading from Unity:

This sacred list from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 represents all the seasons and the important changes of our lives. Some are happy times, others sad; some are productive while others seem wasteful; some inspire peace and others bring pain.

All of them are necessary for us to learn, grow, and evolve as spiritual beings. Their appearance is not by accident. If we look closely enough, each experience reveals a loving, divine purpose that we can learn to trust.

You can read about the lessons of these verses here.

Christmas Day 2021

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Christmas, Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration

Woke to light snow covering the ground and trees. Snow enough to warm our hearts and delight the children.

Before heading to our daughter’s home, Susan and I took our Rapid Covid tests; both negative. Everyone attending the Christmas dinner took a rapid covid test. Sign of the times.

As soon as we arrived at the party, our granddaughter ran out of her house, a new camera in hand, and exclaimed, “Pops! Santa gave me a camera!” Here she is camera in hand:

Here are a few other photos from the day:

Christmas Eve 2021

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Black & White Photography, Christmas, Color Photography, Documentary Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration

A blessing it was to host our traditional Family Christmas Eve Party a few short weeks ago. Last year we were unable to have our traditional Family Christmas Eve Party because of Covid.

Here is our menu:

Here are photos from the party (Click on photo to enlarge.):

Left to right: apple cranberry crisp by Susan; jalapeno corn muffins by Susan; Daryl looking at 2022 calendar of Rocky Mountain National Park photos by me; Julia and Daryl; Kate, Lauren and Owen opening presents; kielbasa; Lauren; Lauren and Owen looking at book of NYC photos by me; Owen and Lauren; Picadillo; sweet and spicy nut and pretzel mix; shrimp cocktail; Susan holding present from Julia and Daryl; new vinyl from Daryl.

A blessing and joy it was to get-together.

Christmas Thumb Cookies

Posted on by Bruce Barone in Christmas, Color Photography, Food Photography, Inspiration, Recipes

Also called Thumbprint Cookies. I made a batch. Christmas Thumbprint Raspberry Cookies. Recipe from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook.

Delicious!

Here I am putting the raspberry jam, seedless from Stonewall Kitchen, into the indentations, which I made with a small measuring spoon.

I cooked them for about 20 minutes.