Welcome to PhotoPhonica!

For the inaugural episode, I chose a photograph from 2016 that I made of my friend Russ Darling, who I photographed as he was rebuilding a stone wall on a historic property in our small town in northeastern Connecticut. Russ is a Vietnam Era Veteran who has worn many hats over his life: Poet, Artist, former School Bus driver and most recently, Stone Mason.

Music:

*Nord-ovest - Written by Lillo Morreale and performed by Antarte

*Blue Boy, Bass Instrumental, Crazy Hunger (end credits) all written and performed by Ken Cormier.

Notes:

*Russ Darling was recorded in April 2018.

*This episode of PhotoPhonica was produced by Greg Miller in January 2022.

*I am so grateful for script editing assistance from my wife Tina Chiappetta-Miller and my daughter Gioia Miller

*I received special audio help and general encouragement from Tanya Workman, Ken Cormier, Michael Chovan-Dalton and Dan Pilver.

*The name PhotoPhonica was the brainchild of Richard Kraft.

*Special thanks to Nicole Werbeck at NPR who gave me the first assignment that combined pictures and audio and started this idea down it’s path.

*To see my photograph of Russ, a picture of the finished wall and some bonus audio of Russ reading one of his poems visit photophonica.com. While you are there, you can learn more about PhotoPhonica, drop me a line and tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you.

Episode Notes:

When the weather gets warm, it always reminds me of Summers past. Some of those memories feel like a lifetime ago. For this episode, I bring you the story behind one of my most beloved Summer images. A time in my life so frozen in the amber of time that I can barely imagine living it in the first place.

• Music
  • Happy Minor Waltz by Franz Gordan
  • Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier
• Thank you to Tina Chiappetta-Miller for editing my scripts
• Special Thanks to Dan Pilver and Lewitt Audio for lending me the mic for this episode.

To see the actual picture of Steeplechase Pier, to learn more about Photo Phonica or to just drop me a line, please visit photophonica.com.

Wherever you listen to your podcasts, please rate us or tell a friend. It really does help. Thank you for listening!

What happens when seemingly everyday sounds, like the voices of loved ones in the kitchen, become cherished treasures?

This episode is a sort of scrap book of seemingly prosaic sounds that I collected on a trip we took after Hurricane Isais knocked out power to our home in Connecticut.

A voice you are going to hear, that of my father-in-law Joe, has since disappeared from our lives due to cancer. His absence from our real lives changed the experience of hearing this recording of the recent past. Listening now reaffirms for me why I create (or in this case–record) because you never know when something will go from mundane to treasure.

Notes:

• Music
  • Blue Boy by Ken Cormier
  • Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier
• Script editing assistance by Tina Chiappetta-Miller

To see the actual picture of Joe watering his peach tree, to learn more about Photo Phonica or to drop me a line please visit photophonica.com. I LOVE hearing from you. You can hear Photo Phonica on all the usual podcast platforms. Wherever you listen, please rate us or tell a friend. It really does help.

Thank you for listening!

I met Tom on Maiden Lane and Broadway just days after September 11, 2001. He was standing like a statue looking up at the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center.

Many years later, I was reminded of Tom when I posted his photograph to my Instagram account in 2016. Sadly, when I googled him, I found his obituary. He passed away in 2012, but I thought his family might appreciate receiving a print of the picture, so I mailed a copy with a note to the funeral home.

In September of 2023, I received a call from one of his daughters, Jo Ann, who told me that she had just received a print from the funeral home. The funeral home had been bought and sold and the new owners were going through the files when the print I had sent to the Stevenson family popped up.

This episode is the story of a larger than life man told by two of his 10 children, Jo Ann and TJ, 10 years after his death and 22 years after I made the picture. Show notes: This episode was produced by Greg Miller in June 2023. Music:

• Gone by Lee Rosevere
• Rain Dance by Jon Algar
• Bass Instrumental by Ken Cormier
• Waltz From Swan Lake produced by Thommy Andersson
• Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier

I get editing help from Evan Roberts and Tina Chiappetta-Miller.

Episode Notes

You can follow Batouly Camara on IG here, on twitter here and she has a children’s book called A Basketball Game on Wake Street, here.

For more information about WAKE (Women And Kids Empowerment) and to find out how you can become a supporter, click here!

Music:

• Blue Boy by Ken Cormier
• Someone Like You by Walz
• Sunshine by Danijel Zambo
• Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier

Notes: I get script editing assistance from Tina Chiappetta-Miller. I also get additional production support from Tanya Workman, Michael Chovan Dalton and Scott Wallace.

To see the photograph of Batouly, visit photophonica.com. While you are there, you can learn more about PhotoPhonica, drop me a line and tell me what you think. I would love to hear from you!