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Writer's pictureSteven D. Desmond

Views from the Back Patio

Our photographer comes full circle from a story published 30 years ago


Thirty years ago, I was a twentysomething photojournalist who published my first photo essay, “Views from the Front Porch,” in the Buffalo News Sunday Magazine on November 15, 1992.

Entirely photographed in black and white, that essay featured an edited set of visuals taken during a two year period while “hanging out” on the front porch at my apartment on Remoleno Street in South Buffalo. The photos captured neighborhood people at play during daily activities. The resulting story generated fan mail from around the Niagara Frontier, and was a touchstone moment in my career.



Exactly 30 years later, to the day, Buffalo Tales is proud to release “Views from the Back Patio.”

Yes, our lives have changed, and media has evolved... who could have imagined our online world back then?

I live in Orchard Park now, with my wife and three children. My back patio is 40 feet wide by 40 feet deep. Our second-floor bedroom overlooks this rural view. Over time, I pivoted my lens from one side of a house to the other. Unlike the photos 30 years ago, these — taken between January 2019 and October 2022 — concentrate on the beauty of nature.

Despite the changes, some things remain constant. I still love photography, and am grateful to be able to do this work. Thanks for sticking with me, Western New York.

Please enjoy, and share with your friends.


— Steve Desmond








I saw a face in the bark of this tree...






An annual tradition: rabbits in a mating dance...




















Summer marigolds contrast with winter's tundra.





The back patio, which offers all the views...

A photographer at work. © photo by Suzanne M. Desmond

photos © 2022 by Steven D. Desmond



Steve Desmond is an award-winning photographer. With his son, Francis, he is the author of A Life of Purpose, which raises money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. To view more of Steve's work — including concerts and views from a recent trip out west, like the one at right — he can be followed on Facebook, under "Steve Desmond" and "Desmond's PrimeFocus Photography," or on Instagram at "Stevedesmond9."


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