11 Days of Thanksgiving: Piano

We all have triggers to our memories. One thing that is constantly on my mind is the immediate relationship of music with distinct nostalgic memories. I write about these moments frequently, as second behind my photography, music transcends time and distances and can instantaneously send you to a moment you could never reach in your deepest of efforts.

Although the snow has yet to fall here in Baltimore, there is one relationship within the winter season that goes together as perfect as a warm jacket and scarf. That is the sound of a finely played piano, with stark contrast to its fellow instruments in any arrangement of music-- alone in the song, you might say. With that piano comes the pairing of the cold chill of that particular time during the winter season when the feeling outside is that snow is on it's way.

Hailing from the upper North East, this time of year happens around Halloween. The ground gets its morning frost and the clouds blanket the sky with gloomy grays as the air gets dry within your lungs and underneath your fingernails. This is winter's welcoming.

12 Days of Thankfulness: Well Made Videos

Sitting at a computer for most of the day allows for YouTube videos and others to land on my double monitors. Sometimes I need a little motivation to keep working through the day. As I am not a coffee drinker, I typically look for something else to give me some energy or excitement.
Very often I find myself watching a YouTube video to grab my attention for a bit. So for this post, I am thankful for videos that produce some emotion and are a cut above the regular Tosh.0/America's Funniest Home Videos/viral garbage out there. In the world of Google and YouTube, there is plenty to be distracted by, so why not make it meaningful and interesting: whether it be well designed/directed short films, great eye catching trailers, interesting music videos, or simply something that you get a truly genuine emotion out of rather than your average "laugh at that person fall off a bicycle" reaction. Just as I look for my photography to create an emotion, I look for artists to do so with video.
So is a list of some of my favorite videos recently:

Bangkok By Night: My friend Cole, who is currently teaching in Bangkok at my old employer, has a knack for catching the everyday nightlife of the great capital of Thailand. He captures the speed yet laid back feel that Bangkok has when the city lights turn on. The nostalgia is incredibly powerful with this video he made.

13 Days of Thankfulness: A Good Meal

I'm been very fortunate in my life to have some pretty darn good eats in my day. From my mom's spectacular BBQ chicken pizza to homemade pasta with meat sauce with my dad, I've grown up with some pretty delicious meals. And just last week while in Las Vegas I got to try out chef Tom Colicchio's (of the show Top Chef) restaurant CraftSteak. Let's just say it was incredible and I was able to try a lot of new things like caviar, frise'e salad, and gold sprinkled chocolate (all separately of course). But it was a tremendous meal that made me think about how appreciative I am of a good meal.

Making homemade fettuccine at home in New Hampshire.

Over the years I have had the chance to try all different kinds of foods from around the world. I spoke at a Peace Conference last month which was mixed with a traveler's forum and one of the questions was asked, "what is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?" I had to dig into my brain a bit to think about exactly what it could have been.

17 Days of Thankfulness

I knew this would happen. I knew it.
I would say that I will write each day until Thanksgiving about the things I am thankful for. Well just like New Year’s resolutions, that consistently fail after half a week, I have fallen behind. BUT that doesn’t mean that I am giving up, I just will have some gaps along the way. So to make up for this week’s thankful things that I missed due to my trip to Las Vegas, I will get you caught up (Tuesday-Monday):

#17: Sisters: I just stumbled upon a post from one of my friends, Luke, that inspired this one. It read: “SISTER WEEK: If you have a sister (or sisters) who has made you laugh, punched you, stuck up for you, drove you crazy, annoyed you, hugged you, watched you succeed, saw you fail, picked you back up, cheered you on, wiped your tears, calmed you down, made you strong & is someone you are proud to have in your life, re-post this if you have a sister you love!!”
(Side note: Luke is the lead singer of an excellent band, A Cool Stick, and just released their most recent EP "Bird's Eye View" this past week and it is amazing. I highly HIGHLY recommend you checking out his site and try to see them perform live! It’s always great to see good ol’ Loyola peeps doing big things. And it’s a plus when they are successful at being a very talented bunch of bros.)
So clearly, being born the brother of two great sisters and then being fortunate enough to add four more throughout the years, I had to show my love for mis hermanas.


Being able to be thankful for such wonderful people is truly something special. Being the youngest of all my siblings, I often found myself being appreciative specifically of my older sisters who were always there for me. I can remember way back in elementary school I was given an assignment to write an essay about someone special in my life. I decided to write about my two sisters, Emily and Erin and separately lists all of the things that made them such great sisters. I highlighted events where they individually stood up for me or simply times where we had a good time together. And being that I was only 11 years old at the time, I felt my introspective words were genuinely accurate-- even to this day. I sealed the essay off with specific photos of all three of us throughout our lives. Photos that will forever be linked to that specific essay for both them (as it was before the time of digital photos or scanning images). Each year I get the chance to visit my sister, Emily's house during the holidays to see my nephew Logan and I usually sleep in the guest bedroom where my framed essay from 1998 sits on the desk near the bed. I read it every year and think about how lucky I am for both my amazing sisters and how before any of my more significant moments in my life I could see pinpoint moments of joy and appreciation for both them equally, separately, and together as a family. To this day I don't think I could write a more accurate portrayal (giving leeway for grammar) of what it meant to be the “baby brother” to two great sisters.

Now they are older, wiser, and have their own families that they have begun. But I remember distinctly, when they both had their first child (my first nephew and niece) I specifically told them both that I knew Logan and Ayla couldn't have a mother better than theirs. I knew because I was the first person to ever experience their warmth and maternal love as their baby brother and now it is great to see them with a happy, healthy, and exciting family of their own.

And for my step sister, Kate and sister-in-laws Christie, Christina, and Ginny, I've had the great chance to learn from them as well, as each one of them provides a unique and integral part of this large and growing group of people I call family. I am incredibly thankful for all of you.

22 Days Until Thanksgiving: What I am Thankful For

As there are 22 more days until Thanksgiving, I figured I would start a little tradition and put what I am thankful for as my status each day (somewhat stolen idea):
Today, I am thankful for all of the support of friends, family, colleagues and co-workers of W Michael Tirone Photography. Your presence in my life keeps my passion strong. Without all of you, I would not be so fortunate to have websites, galleries, books, and photo shoots and also an outlet. My appreciation of your support is beyond words and I am truly thankful for that.