I met Nathan in the El Progreso Public Library in Uvalde, Texas in the Fall of 2022. Children all over the country were heading back to school but things were different in Uvalde. The community was still dealing with the trauma of the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. I was working on a photo essay for the New Yorker about children going back to school in the wake of the shooting.

One morning, I followed the sound of piano music into the rotunda of the El Progreso Public Library. Seated at a baby grand, silhouetted against a sunlit room of bookshelves, I found Nathan. He's a local minister and the part-time chaplain at the hospital in Uvalde. On the day of the shooting, he was there when they brought the children in. He sat with the families as they waited for news about their children.

The next day, he came to the library and played the piano for anyone in the community who needed a quiet place and some peaceful music–including himself.

On this 4th anniversary of the shooting at Robb elementary, my heart goes out to the entire Uvalde community, especially to the parents and families of the victims.

Show notes:

This episode was produced by Greg Miller in May 2026.

Waiting for the School Bus in Uvalde published in the New Yorker, October 10, 2022

Music:

• Canon in D Major — Johann Pachelbel
• Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846 (from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1) — Johann Sebastian Bach
• Moonlight Sonata — Ludwig van Beethoven
• Danny Boy — Traditional
• Gymnopédie No. 1 — Erik Satie
• Clair de lune — Claude Debussy

All music performed by Nathan Lafrenz.

I want to thank Nathan for his time, his talent, and his healing words. Thanks also to Mendel Morgan, the former director of the El Progreso Public Library.

Special thanks to everyone at the New Yorker, especially: Joanna Milter, Noel Flores-Théard, Megan Field, Bowen Fernie, Stacey Pittman, Andrew Katz, writer Rachel Monroe and of course, David Remnick.

I get script editing help from Tina Chiappetta-Miller

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.

Acey is a mom, friend and curator of everyday life moments, but also one of those rare examples of lovingkindness.

To see the actual picture of Acey as well as a behind the scenes picture visit photophonica.com

This episode was produced by Greg Miller in June 2023.

Music

• Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier.

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

You can follow Acey on IG here.

Special thanks to Andy Adams for featuring Photo Phonica on the FlakPhoto Digest. You can visit FlakPhoto here and check him out on IG and FB. You might also be interested in following the flakphoto group on FB. Thank you, Andy!

You can now support Photo Phonica! Visit photophonica.com/support. You contribution pays for gas and film but it also sends a clear message that this type of storytelling is worth pursuing. I am filled with gratitude for your support.

The story behind a picture that all came together when it felt like the world was falling apart.

Music

• Enchanted by Megan Wofford
• Crazy Hunger by Ken Cormier

Script editing assistance by Tina Chiappetta-Miller Happy 17th Birthday, Gioia!

To see the actual picture of Nicole and Caleb, 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!

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!

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!

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!

I met Mckensi and Patrick one summer day in 2021 at Horsebarn Hill, a favorite destination in the small town in Northeastern Connecticut where I live. They were sitting, watching the sun set in the tall grass that would soon be hay for the cows grazing yards away. I asked them if I could photograph them; they agreed and then I asked if I could interview them. Before I pressed record, Mckensi and Patrick told me that they were just winding up a road trip from New York to Madison, Wisconsin and back. Mckensi explained that she had been studying acting, and all of her classes were still happening over zoom. What you will hear is something of a time capsule, the words and the voices of two people who’ve been experiencing this pandemic like the rest of us. I appreciate that they hit the road to get back to something more real. To me there’s no greater therapy than driving 1000 miles.

Music:

• Blue Boy by Ken Cormier
• The Vessel Written by Mckensi Scy and performed by Bloodfish
• The Altitude Written by Patrick Dempsey and performed by Bloodfish

Script editing assistance from Tina Chiappetta-Miller and Tanya Workman

To see the picture of Mckensi and Patrick and to hear more of their music, visit photophonica.com!