Author: Paul Fanara

Paul Fanara is a photographer, writer, and artist living in Buffalo, New York. He founded Living In The Buff Studio as his photography label in 2007, after being an active photographer for over 20 years. Now, in his tenth year of professional photography, he has expanded his talents, and interests to include film-making, and acting. Paul is currently the event photographer for the Yelp.com Community in Buffalo, is an active journalist in Buffalo, and published monthly in Act Dance Model Sing Magazine, based in Los Angeles. Currently, he has joined local film makers with the 48-Hour Film Project, and now writes, directs, and acts with the Buffalo Filming Group, "Welcome to Lovejoy." Find him on-line at http://livinginthebuff.com

Do you like coffee? We know you like coffee! And what goes better with coffee than holiday treats, holiday shopping, and a unique Buffalo experience? Yelp Buffalo is excited to announce they have organized their largest holiday festival yet. Brewed Awakening will shine the spotlight on Buffalo’s growing coffee, tea, and baked goods communities, and allow the public to sample creations from dozens of Buffalo’s best cafes, bakeries, confectioners, and even craft distilleries. Organizer, and Yelp Buffalo Community Manager Alex Levine explained, “We’re really looking to help grow our region’s coffee, and tea community. Businesses from all over the region…

Read More

The International Institute of Buffalo will play host next Sunday to the 6th annual Yelp Without Borders event, highlighting Buffalo’s growing international, and refugee communities, while raising funds for the International Institute, and the work they do. Over the past five years of Yelp Without Borders events have raised over $10,000 for the Institute, and one only needs to attend to see why this event has been so successful. Yelp’s Buffalo Community manager, Alex Levine, and his Yelp team has once again assembled a vendor line-up that showcases some of the best ethnic restaurants Buffalo has to offer. Included in…

Read More

Buffalo’s KeyBank Center is more often thought of as the home of exciting sporting events, and headline touring performances, but on Saturday, June 15th, it will be the center for animal rescue groups, and a whole lot of our favorite four-legged companions. Or should I say, perhaps, your future family members? Pegula Sports Entertainment, and the Buffalo Sabres Foundation is teaming up with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to host the second annual One Buffalo Pet Adoption event in the KeyBank Center pavilion. The event will run from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, and will feature adoptable pets from many of Western New York’s…

Read More

Imagine this: you’re a single mother, trying to take care of raising your children, keeping them healthy, and keeping them fed. Maybe you’re a refugee that has escaped a war zone to come to Buffalo, or you’re homeless, having just lost your job, and your home. Maybe you’re a woman escaping an abusive partner. Maybe you’re just a woman experiencing a career change, and money hasn’t come easy. In any of these situations, your health is paramount to moving forward with your life, and odds are you’re still going to experience your menstrual cycle every month. It’s biology. It’s unavoidable.…

Read More

Known for their community outreach here in Buffalo, M&T Bank’s Management Development team asked Michael Bryant, their Senior Director of Physical Security and Investigations to develop a new community outreach program. Bryant responded by proposing a dynamic, inter-high school musical competition that would align with New York State’s initiatives toward bullying, and cyberbullying prevention. This radical idea became what is now known as Band Against Bullying, an outreach program celebrating their 8th annual performance this evening at the UB Center for the Arts. Supported by his co-founder, Jessica Sanna, who leapt at the opportunity to get involved with Bryant’s proposed…

Read More

Cabin fever. Living in Buffalo, with unpredictable weather means we tend to spend a good amount of time in the house, resulting in the feeling of Cabin Fever. While this winter has been surprisingly mild, “Winter Storm Harper” is finally bringing us a good amount of snow, which means that we’re either hitting the slopes, hanging out at a local café, or hunkered down at home, reading and/or cooking (hopefully by the fireplace).  If you’re looking for that extra encouragement to get out of the house, you’re in luck. The Yelp Buffalo community has partnered with local businesses to provide…

Read More

It has been over a year in the making, but Nathan Cronk, local musician, singer and songwriter, has successfully released his latest composition, backed by a stunning video, titled, Come To Buffalo. Originally written, and recorded in the winter of 2017, video production began shortly after. Undaunted by a few production delays, the video was completed, and released on November 2. Cronk’s first large scale video production, Christmas Lights, a romantic, holiday themed ballad released in December 2016 received considerable local recognition, and praise, in both the local music community, and the media. Come To Buffalo was written with the…

Read More

The local Yelp.com community is once again kicking off diversity month with their spectacular Yelp Without Borders event!  Hosted by The International Institute of Buffalo, Yelp Is bringing together over a dozen local restaurants, breweries, and wineries that highlight the amazing array of culture, and diversity that can be found here in Buffalo. The International Institute is an organization that has been serving the Buffalo Community since 1918, and works with the refugee populations in the region, supporting these new, and important members of our communities.  Yelp’s goal is to highlight the work, and services that The International Institute performs,…

Read More

For the twelfth consecutive year, Buffalo joined over 130 other cities worldwide in hosting the 48-Hour Film Project, and two dozen of Buffalo’s local filmmaking teams responded by bringing their best to the screen. Buoyed by last year’s remarkable success of local filmmaking team, Partially Submerged Elephants, whose short film entry into last years 48-Hour Film Project titled, Ride of Your Life, received international awards prior to being screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and was sold later this year, the competition this year has seen a significant increase in overall participation. 24 total teams joined the competition…

Read More

The quickly accelerating performance career of Cortney Chyme continues on a rocket trajectory in the Buffalo region. Cortney’s dynamic vocal range, and versatility of performance skills is now being recognized by more than just the music community. Cortney is a regular performer with Buffalo Aerial Dance, where she has performed at events such as Art Park’s Fairy Festival, Silo City Alive, Music is Art, Witches Ball, and the Tesla Festival, among other public, and private events where Cortney has wowed audiences with her trapeze dexterity, and her ability to sing while balancing above the crowd. Cortney also lends her immeasurable…

Read More