Week 40: Blizzard!

What an interesting Christmas week. We planned to stay home through Christmas Day for the first time in recent memory; Jonah's old enough this year to start to understand Christmas and we wanted to start making our own family traditions. We planned to fly to Missouri on Sunday to see all of our family. Mother Nature had other plans. A rare December blizzard swept through NYC Sunday dropping 20 inches of snow. The snow was bad, but the winds were worse. The winds were around 30 MPH, so the snow was coming sideways most of the day and visibility was 1/4 mile and under.

Needless to say, our flight for Sunday was cancelled. We were then booked on a flight for Monday; it, too was cancelled. We'll see if we are ever able to get back for our family Christmases. Thankfully, we're seasoned enough travelers to know to keep an eye on these things and we have yet to leave for the airport. Seeing the footage on the news of all of the poor people stranded at the area airports makes me thankful to be at home in my own bed.

All-in-all, though, it's been a good, albeit unplanned, staycation. It's been nice to spend some time with all three of us together and absolutely nothing on the agenda. We played with the new Christmas toys and watched the snow yesterday, we played in the snow today and bought tickets to see the Big Apple Circus tomorrow. We've been needing that time to relax and enjoying being around each other on a consistent basis. When January comes my work travel schedule just goes nuts. . . not looking forward to it.

Likewise, this week's photo was not on my planned agenda. I was thinking I would get family shots with the Grandparents for the next couple of weeks. So, while I can't claim this was a thought through shot, I can claim that I had a shot for the blog in the back of my mind when we set off on our adventure this morning. We were playing in the snow when the light shifted revealing the wonderful texture of the snow in the foreground and the almost painterly setting in the background. Jonah was having a great time, too. I knew it was my chance.

The photo is my 24mm lens at f/2 and post-blizzard sunlight. I love the 24mm for the rather unique look it can give to backgrounds. My longer lenses (even 50mm) just blur the background into butter at wide apertures like f/2 and bigger. The 24mm leaves some detail as it goes soft. At f/1.4 it almost gives a pointillism look if you catch the distances right. Not always the right choice, but nice when needed.

Week 39: First Pet

Meet "Mr. Fish."

Jonah's preschool does a nice job finding good quality programs to enhance their curriculum. They cost extra, of course, but we're able to pick and choose the programs we feel will be most interesting for Jonah. The latest addition is a safari program where animals are brought to the school for the kids to touch and learn. Jonah is a big fan of the zoo and all sorts of animals, so we thought it would be a good fit and signed him up. Along with his enrollment came a "free betta fish!"

Betta's are usually fairly easy to care for so we decided to accept the free gift. We neglected, however, to do our research on the current prices for all of the various bits and pieces we would need to purchase to give our free friend a home. . . so, $71 dollars later, Jonah has his first pet. Jonah's doing a very nice job caring for Mr. Fish. He's very interested in the fish and loves to feed him. I have a feeling I know who will be cleaning the tank, but that's alright.

We all went to the pet store together to pick out Mr. Fish's home. Jonah and Mommy looked at the turtles and other fish while I picked out the tank. Jonah picked out the gravel and we went to pick out a plant or decoration for Mr. Fish to explore. Naturally, they had a "Finding Nemo" decoration (a movie that Jonah had not seen to that point) and he latched onto it instantly. Mommy also picked up a small artificial plant to place in the tank. It's a good thing Mommy grabbed the plant because Jonah has yet to let go of Nemo. He's obsessed and us letting him watch the movie didn't help. I'm telling myself it's OK because Jonah really wanted to hold Mr. Fish at first and didn't understand why that wasn't possible. He's come around and no longer asks to hold him - I think Nemo is filling that void. Unfortunately, Nemo is not designed to be a toy for a 2.5 year old and he's already very familiar with Daddy's superglue. I think Santa may be aware of the situation and might just bring a plush Nemo to keep his "duck" company. If you look closely, you'll see Nemo in Jonah's hand.

Photo: My thought was to make a photo that emulated the light coming from the fish tank illuminating Jonah's face. I knew the little LEDs that light the tank wouldn't be strong enough to get enough light on Jonah, so I needed to add a flash. I think I got fairly close, but the color of the flash is a little warmer than the very cool white light in the tank. My solution was a small speedlight with a grid camera right just out of frame and level with Jonah's face and the tank. This is my 50mm lens at f/2.

Week 38: He's Coming to Town!

Growing up in NYC presents many fantastic opportunities and many phenomenal challenges. The world is at your fingertips and diversity abounds. Jonah has seen more (for better and for worse) in his two and a half years then I think I saw before college. In some ways I exaggerate, in others, I underestimate. The cornucopia of people that live in this city is, to me, beautiful. Growing up in the Midwest, I would never have known, for instance, how distinctly different people from Trinidad are from those from Tobago. The dialect of French that we hear from the people that live in our neighborhood - from Senegal - still astounds me. 

On the flip-side, the sheer volume of people in this city makes what would otherwise be a mundane task much more challenging. While I don't miss owning a car in this city, there are certainly times when I'm being knocked around carrying Jonah in a stroller on the stairs to the subway by people refusing to pay attention, that I long for the solace of a car and a car seat.

Then there's Christmas. I admit that I often have a tough time getting into the holiday spirit. Our lives are hectic and the holidays just heighten that. I haven't been able to slow down and actually enjoy the season for years. Adding Jonah to that equation has made it both better and worse. It's nice to have the lens of a young child through which to view the magic of the times. There's also so much more to do now to help create that magic that the hecticness is much worse.

Last year was Jonah's first outing to see Santa - we didn't have the courage to take him as an infant. For all the non-New Yorkers out there, I'm guessing your first thought is the romantic thought of taking Jonah to Macy's in Harold Square to see THE Santa Clause - Miracle on 34th Street style. . . However, walking down 34th Street between Halloween and New Years is truly a contact sport. Macy's is a place to be avoided like the plague during the holidays. Every tourist that comes to town for the holidays must stop at Macy's and it is extremely crowded and crazed. Not a place for a stroller. So when we were considering where to take Jonah we both instantly crossed Macy's off the list. We did our research and learned that there are a few spots around town that have Santas that tend to cater more to NYC families also wanting to avoid the touristy locations. We settled on a local furniture store in the Flatiron District that we frequented when we lived in the neighborhood (pre-Jonah). It was perfect! There was a very short line; the setup was beautiful; the Santa was wonderful. The icing on the cake is that they don't have a photographer. No forced payment to someone who doesn't know how to take the camera off automatic, let alone focus lights. They encourage you to bring your own camera. Nice. 

However, Jonah was not pleased. He wanted to go see Santa, but he was not entirely sure what that meant. Kristi placed him on Santa's lap and he was terrified. TERRIFIED. Here's a shot from last year to illustrate:

This year was much better. However, Jonah's been sick all week and is pretty worn out. Who knew what would happen. . . we got to the store and the line appeared to be long. Kristi convinced me to stay and, sure enough, the line moved quickly. 

We got near Santa and Jonah was peering around people trying to catch a glimpse. The store always decorates well with nice stuffed animals and vintage toys which are, of course, for sale. Jonah latched on to a goose, which he insisted was a duck, and demanded that the "duck" accompany him to see Santa. At that point, we chose our battles carefully and let that one slide. We managed to convince him that it was Santa's "duck" and that it had to stay. 

Jonah has been talking about Santa since we made our visit and, I have to admit, it's helping me get a bit more into the spirit.

Photo: This year's photo is my 50mm lens at f/2 and available light.

Week 37: Wheels

Like most homes that hear the pitter patter of little feet, our home is filled with bits of brightly colored plastic. Many of our bits of brightly colored plastic make all sorts of noises, play music and have lights that flash (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!); however, despite all of these attractions and distractions, Jonah almost always chooses to play with things that have wheels. I suppose that's to be expected from a boy!

Needless to say, Jonah is not wanting for cars, trucks, tractors, "diggers", buses, or any other wheeled toy to play with. This photo captures only a small sample. It does, however, warm my heart to see him so engrossed in playing with something as simple as a toy car when there are so many other "newer" toys around. There's just some sort of link to the past or universal truth or something more poetic about simple toys that have captured children's imagination for decades. Jonah even has a simple wooden train that we purchased from a craftsman at the county fair this summer that is one of his favorites. Perhaps it's just a sense of "the more things change, the more they stay the same." I'm not sure how to capture it in words, but it's comforting to me.

It's a lot of fun watching him grow, change, try new things and explore; however, it's nice to know that he keeps coming back to a simple toy car. Perhaps I'll feel differently as he gets close to 16?

Photo: this is my 135mm lens at f/11. It is lit with one Profoto head in a reflector sitting camera left and slightly above the cars.

Week 36: Little Moments

It's a cliche, I know, but it is amazing how fast time starts to move when you have a child. I always thought I had a busy life and time was slipping away. Since Jonah, I realize how slow and manageable my former pace was. However, he seems to find little ways to pull me back into focus - whether he realizes it or not.

My job with VH1 Save The Music involves a fair bit of travel. I used to love it - new people, new places, new food and getting to make an impact on a national scale. Even typing that now reminds me how fortunate I am. However, after Jonah came along my love of travel started fading. Every time I walk out the door to head for the airport my heart is ripped out. It's hard to be away. I can be gone 24 hours and I come back to a different child. Every. Single. Time. He changes and learns so quickly that I always miss something. Trips when I have to be gone multiple days might as well be a decade.

Another constant in my travels is the fact that the night before I leave, when I need to pack, Kristi has something come up and has to work late. It's hard to complain because I know she will be tasked with taking care of Jonah alone for the duration of my trip, but it does complicate things.

My most recent trip was just before Thanksgiving and sure enough, Kristi had to work late. So, I left work and went to pick up Jonah at school solo. It was a rough night. Jonah was tired, was being his 2 year old obstinate self and I was getting sick with a cold. We got home a bit later than normal after some challenges with the subway not running as scheduled. I quickly went to our bedroom to change out of the suit that I was wearing that day. I kicked off my shoes along the wall by our closet where shoes tend to live until we can focus on putting them away. There are typically a couple of pairs of shoes sitting there at any given time. . .

I quickly grabbed the suits that I needed for my trip (they still hang in Jonah's closet), made dinner for Jonah, got him fed, got him bathed and got him to bed. Still on a roll, I grabbed my suitcase and packed the things I would need for the next couple of days away.

Done. Time to focus on dinner for Kristi and me. I turned around and saw my shoes sitting where I had left them and found Jonah's left shoe neatly placed beside mine and Jonah's right shoe neatly placed beside mine. It dawned on me that I had never taken Jonah's shoes off that night. He had followed me into the bedroom and taken off his shoes as I had.

In the craziness of the night, I missed it.

It was harder than ever to leave when the car came to pick me up at 5 AM the next morning.

Photo: Yeah, I have to admit that I recreated the scene. This is my 50mm at f/11. There is a Profoto strobe in a 1x4' stripbox slightly camera right at 2 stops down for fill. The key is a small, gridded speedlight coming in high camera left focused on the shoes.

Week 35: Cousins

What a wild and wonderful week it has been! I'm (we're) exhausted. I truly almost forgot to post this entry.

Kristi's family arrived on Saturday for a Thanksgiving visit and whirlwind tour of NYC. Our brother-in-law and niece had never been to the City before and Kristi's sister hadn't been since the early 80's. A visit was overdue, so Grandma and Grandpa brought everyone out. About a month ago we received "the list" which included Terri (Kristi's sister), Eddie (our brother-in-law) and Bridget's (our niece) list of sights they wanted to see. There wasn't any way we could see everything in the six days they were going to be here, so we asked them to prioritize - there still wasn't anyway it would all happen, but Kristi did a great job of putting together a schedule that shoe-horned most of it in. She also did a great job of keeping us on schedule! Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, Central Park Zoo, Times Square, Patchin Place, The Rockettes' Christmas Show, Natural History Museum, the Macy's Parade Balloons being inflated. . . . well, you get the idea. We've seen a lot - especially with a 2 and 5 year old in tow. Today was nice - we stayed home, cooked, ate, decorated our Christmas Tree and enjoyed each others' company.

Since they arrived we've been going non-stop. We've seen many things, some of which I hadn't seen before, either. Jonah has been with us most of the time. However, I think his favorite part has been getting to play with his cousin. They have had a blast, have egged each other on, taught each other new bad habits - but most importantly, spent, I believe, the most amount of time together they've ever had. They leave tomorrow and Jonah and Bridget are already upset about it.

It was tough to choose one photo from our time together - I've taken hundreds. This, however, was one of my favorites. This photo of Bridget, Jonah and Grandpa Jerry is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's my 50mm lens at f/1.6 and natural light.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Week 34: Haircut

I hear many horror stories and funny stories about my friends' children's first haircuts. I've seen so many photos of children wailing in terror while some poor person tries to give the child a haircut that I just assumed that Jonah would be the same way. Nope.

This photo is far from his first haircut. Grandma Connie gave him his first haircut around his first birthday and he had his first haircut in a salon a few months after that. Those times and every time since, he was completely calm. Every haircut he sits relatively still and truly seems to enjoy the experience. In fact, from time to time, he requests a haircut! When Grandma Connie is in town, she typically gives him a cut and then every now and then we schedule a cut for Jonah when mom and dad are getting their haircut.

Today was the first time that we scheduled a haircut for Jonah and only for Jonah. He was excited about making the special trip just for him. We found a salon in the West Village that we really like. The guys that run it do a great job and have been so welcoming of Jonah. We started going there long before he was born, so the guys have truly watched Jonah grow up from his infancy until now. It was so heartwarming to see Jonah climb up into the chair on his own, turn around and sit quietly while Carlo got to work. It was even more endearing when Jonah started telling Carlo about his swim lesson this morning!

A haircut is such a simple part of life that most of us schedule in fairly often. I'm so thankful that this is one aspect of life where having Jonah along doesn't bring additional stress and strife. I feel for all of those parents with terrified children!

Photo: this is my 50mm lens at f/2 and all available light.

Week 33: Back to the Pool

When Jonah was an infant he absolutely loved water. Bath and his kiddie pool were two of his favorite activities. He slipped in the bath once and went under the water briefly and from that point on he was terrified.

Last fall we decided to have Jonah start taking swim lessons at the YMCA on the Upper West Side. We thought it would help. He was excited about it, but wasn't exactly focused on the class activities and we weren't exactly met with success. So long as we let him do his own thing, mainly climbing in and out of the pool, he was very happy in the water. When we encouraged him to do what the class was doing, he often was upset and occasionally even threw tantrums in the pool.

We were going to be away from home several different times throughout the summer, so we decided to take a break and revisit swimming in the fall. His fear of water was gone and he was back to loving bath, so we figured we had made progress.

We were visiting family this summer and he had a couple of opportunities to swim with his older cousin. He had a blast and was begging us to get back in the water. So, this Saturday, we started swim lessons again - completely different child. He had a great time, participated with the class and didn't want to get out. Even the teacher commented on how much better he was doing!

I have no idea what changed; perhaps it's just him being a bit older.

Photo - I find this pool one of the most difficult places I've found to take a photo. The fluorescent lights flicker and even on manual exposure and white balance, the photos vary widely. Plus, it's very warm and humid in there and, well, it's not those things outside in NYC in November. My lens fogs over every time and I have to wait for the camera to adjust. I'm getting better, though! This is my 135mm lens at f/2.

Week 32: Trick-or-Treat!

Boy, we had a fun night tonight! We are in Pittsburgh for business and visiting some old friends. Our friends Joe, Suzanne, Joey and Sophie invited us over to go trick-or-treating in their neighborhood and we were eager to take them up on it. Jonah had never been trick-or-treating before tonight; it's just not something that really happens in the same way in NYC. Large apartment buildings will organize within their building, but we live in a very small building. Most kids just go to Halloween parties. Suzanne had been talking up how much fun their neighborhood was at Halloween - she was right. Think something straight out of ET - all of the streets are filled with kids in costumes walking door to door, having a great time.

We had to prep Jonah for this new experience. He really didn't have a clue what we were talking about when we described it to him. He wasn't looking very certain about the whole thing. Then we told him he would get chocolate and that sealed the deal. Up until this point he hadn't wanted to wear his costume - just hold it like a stuffed animal. He was pretty eager to get into it tonight! He went door to door and was a little shy about it at first. Sophie, who is around 8 years old, stayed with Jonah and coached him along. About six houses in he was a pro; he knew just what to say and was very cute in the process. He was yelling "wait for me honey!" ahead to Sophie when she would get ahead of him!

He ended up with a nice stash of candy and treats and had a very good time in the process. So did mom and dad.

Photo - this is my 24mm lens at f/4. There is a flash in a small umbrella up and slightly camera right. Ambient is under exposed by 2 stops.

Bonus photo - here's a shot of Joey, Sophie and their friend Robby. (same setup)

Week 31: Central Park

Central Park, to me, is the single most brilliant idea conceived while people were "planning" New York City. Granted, when the land was set aside for the park, it may as well have been the country as the city pretty much stopped at Greenwich Village at that point, as I understand it. However, the land was set aside and people had the foresight to protect it. For those not really familiar with the sheer scope of it, the road that runs around the outer edges inside the park is 6 miles roundtrip. Roughly, the park is 3 miles long and a mile and a half wide (I know that's not exact). Figure an apartment in Manhattan sells for about an average of $1,200 per square foot. . . . do the math. That's some VALUABLE land. Manhattan is 8 miles long in total. However, to me, the City would not really be livable without Central Park. It would be too overwhelming and too dense. You enter Central Park and the City melts away. There are areas in the North Wood where you'd never even know you were in Manhattan.

We're fortunate to live fairly close to Central Park. I love to run there, but moreover, I love to take Jonah there. There's a nice park and playground about 1/2 block from our apartment, but if we have time and the weather is nice enough, I choose Central Park every time. Jonah does too. There's a small zoo, a carousel, countless playgrounds, many open areas to run around, the list just goes on and on. The Park is particularly nice in the spring and autumn, too.

This past Saturday we went to Central Park to enjoy the nice weather and take Jonah to the zoo. He has a giraffe costume cued up for Halloween (check back next week - I intend for that photo to be next) and he insisted on taking it along, not to wear but to carry like a stuffed animal. We never made it to the zoo. Instead, we first got distracted by the statue of Beethoven, then the live jazz combo, then the "water mountain" (Bethesda Fountain), then the boats by the boat house, then the leaves in the water, then the ducks (where this photo comes in). . . . you get the idea. There's just so much to do and see that you can go and get lost in the Park. It really does give you a chance to escape from the City for a bit while never leaving the island. 

Photo - this is my 24mm lens at f/4 and nice autumn late morning sun.

Week 30: Growing Up Digital

It absolutely amazes me to watch Jonah interact with technology; it just makes sense to him. iPhone - not a problem. Remote for the television - not a problem. DVD player - not a problem. I know it makes me sound old, but technology has advanced so much during my lifetime, let alone Jonah's grandparents' lifetimes. I can't fathom what he'll be using when he reflects back and has these same thoughts some day.

One of the beautiful things, technology-wise, that we take advantage of is Skype and video conferencing. I was a bit concerned when Jonah was born. I spent every weekend at my Grandparents' house as a child; how was Jonah going to get to know his Grandparents living halfway across the country? Well, Skype to the rescue! The wonderful people at Apple had the foresight to build video cameras into their laptops; install some free software; buy a webcam for the Grandparents' computer and away we go! We Skype often enough that Jonah often goes to the laptop and asks to talk to Grandma and Grandpa. In fact, when we call them on the (gasp) cell phone to see if they are available to Skype, Jonah gets upset and lets us know that he doesn't want to talk on the phone - he wants to talk on the computer!

Jonah certainly knows his Grandparents well, despite my early fears. Skype has certainly been a large part of that. I knew that this photo needed to find its way into this project.

Photo: This is a small Canon Speedlight in a 28" softbox on a boom stand out over the computer, camera right. This is that wonderful rented 35mm 1.4L lens (which sadly has to go back to its rightful owners in the morning) at f/5.6.

Week 29: A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

What a busy week! On Friday I took the day off work to accompany Jonah on a field trip to the farm museum in Queens. Jonah got to ride a school bus! Oh, and he got to go to the farm museum, ride a pony, take a hay ride, pet chickens. . . . but he got to take a ride on a school bus! He was pretty excited and we had a really good time!

Friday night, after Jonah was asleep, Grandma Connie and Grandpa Jack (my parents) arrived for a visit. Jonah was excited that Grandma and Grandpa were coming and woke up first thing on Saturday and, without being reminded that they were here, asked to go wake them up. They returned home this morning and Jonah cried and cried when they left. They got in a car to go to the airport and the three of us went straight to the subway to go to school and work. People on the train platform were looking at us rather inquisitively as Jonah wailed down the platform. Needless to say, it was great visit and we all had a good time. 

My intent for this week's photo was to get a nice portrait of Jonah with Grandma and Grandpa, but we were so busy with activities that I never had a chance. My next thought was to get a portrait of just Grandma and Grandpa after Jonah was in bed - but we were so busy that even that didn't happen. So, I knew which photo I wanted as my Plan C. 

Above - Grandma has been wanting to visit Governors Island. Sunday was a beautiful day in NYC, so we decided to go. Governors Island is very much a work in progress, but it's still a great place to go, have a picnic and enjoy the views and the history. Mom, Grandma and Grandpa were getting lunch from a food cart while Jonah and I went to reserve our picnic table. He sat down in this beautiful pool of light with the red table nicely contrasting with the green trees and blue sky. Perfect. 

The photo is the rented 35mm lens (yep - going to have to buy one some day) at f/2 and sunlight. 

And. . . just to give Grandma and Grandpa a little spotlight - here are a couple from our walk along the East River getting to the ferry to Governors Island:

Week 28: Morning

There's not really a clever story or insightful moment to share this week. This week is just a documentation of one of my favorite times of day - assuming it's the correct time and not too early!

Jonah's a pretty cute kid all of the time (yes, I recognize my bias), but he's particularly cute in the morning when he first wakes up. The fuzzy hair and bleary eyes combined with him being sleepy and snuggly make for a cute boy. So, I decided to try and catch him in his fresh faced state.

This one took some pre-planning. I set the seamless paper and light up the night before; had the camera set; took a few test shots with Kristi crouching in for Jonah. I wasn't sure what to expect. This photo is taken downstairs - which can be problematic with all of this toys drawing his attention away from the task at hand. Moreover, Jonah just hasn't been very patient with me while taking photos lately. He's just not interested. The morning attack worked out perfectly! He was happy to sit, look at me and let me take some photos. Granted, I'm not going to be able to pose him for several more years, but this was one of the easier attempts in awhile. My camera skills are less than polished at 6:30 AM, but I got through. Several shots are not quite in sharp focus and there are some shots where I clipped his hand with the edge of the frame. Guess I'll need to finish that first cup of coffee before picking up the camera in the future.

There were several shots I really liked and it was tough to choose. I settled in on this one because he's really looking at me. I feel a connection in this shot that's not easy to come by. I'm reading a book by Annie Leibowitz right now in which she briefly discusses why, in most of her photos, her subjects are not smiling. She doesn't ask people to smile and feels it is contrived and a false representation of the person to ask. If they have a genuine smile, great, but otherwise she doesn't ask. That resonated with me when I saw this shot. Here are the other few selects from this morning if you are interested.

Photo - this is my 135mm at f/2.8. It is lit by a Profoto head in a 53" Octabank on camera right.

Week 27: MY Plane!

Jonah is certainly getting to the age where we can identify some of his favorite things. A lot of these things change on what seems to be a daily basis, but a few things have remained over time. Every day when we pick him up at school (when they are not outside playing), Jonah is playing with this plane and this school bus. He loves them and it seems the other kids know that these are "Jonah's toys."

He's had other toys at school before; he had a plastic giraffe for awhile that he was attached to. I distinctly remember one morning dropping him off, one of his friends came running across the room with the giraffe when we walked in. He handed it to Jonah and ran back across the room. That seems to have faded, but for now, the plane and bus remain. Jonah normally tries to convince us to let him take one of them home with us as we are trying to leave. Today he was asking me to write his name on the bottom of the bus!

It's fun watching him play with toys and becoming attached to things. It reminds me of certain toys and stuffed animals I loved when I was young. Jonah now owns one of the stuffed animals. I'm sure that at some point I'll look back and miss the day when he was attached to a simple plastic school bus - so I thought I'd devote a week to a couple of his favorite things. . . for now.

Photo: this is a rented 35mm lens (which I, unfortunately, have fallen in love with) at f/2 and all available light.

Week 26: It's all a give and take. . .

I distinctly remember talking to friends with older children when Jonah was an infant about how difficult parenthood was physically at the time. The lack of sleep alone was so exhausting. Add to that the carrying, bouncing, burping, etc. and we were just physically shot. One friend assured me that it would get easier - physically - but also warned me that as the physical challenges eased, the mental fatigue would take over. He also warned that the mental wear and tear was far worse than the physical. Now granted, he was referring to the teenage years, but I can already see the wisdom.

Life with Jonah is getting easier - and harder. It's very much a give and take; a push and pull. The physical challenges are easing - so is the pain in my lower back! It's so much easier now to go out and about. If we miss nap one day, it's not the end of the world. (two missed naps in a row might be!) We can go farther away from home on the subway without having to bring a carry on suitcase full of books and toys to keep him entertained. We can also go out to the park at the end of the day, play, and then go to a restaurant on our way home. That's what we did this Sunday - pictured above. Jonah did a nice job, was relatively well behaved, and then proceeded to walk (despite the empty stroller sitting there waiting for him) all the way home. The walk was right at a mile. It was a nice night!

On the flip side of that - we've started full-on potty training. Something we read suggested that when the child has an accident that it's a good idea to have them help clean up. (as an aside - thank God for hardwood floors!) We tried it with Jonah. He got tired of it quickly and rather than make sure he didn't have more accidents, as the advice suggested, he rebelled and started intentionally having "accidents" and then throwing a tantrum when it was time to clean. When we eased off the forced clean up policy a bit, the "accidents" eased as well.

Then there's his new favorite phrase - "want to do it myself." Yep - he's two. Actually, two and a half soon (Sunday). So, the mental fatigue is starting to increase. Nothing out of the ordinary for someone his age - he's just finding himself and finding his limits - and ours.

Photo - This is my 50mm at f/2 and available light. We were sitting outside in the nice covered sidewalk sitting area and the last bit of sunlight was beautifully diffused. Also, this marks halfway of my project! Thanks for following along!

Week 25: Where It All Started

So this is, more or less, where it all started. I met Kristi and got to know her when she was my accompanist for a vocal competition early on in undergrad. No instant sparks or anything along those lines - just a friendship. We sang in choir together and knew each other tangentially. However, it was the piano that would eventually bring us together.

After a couple of not so great accompanists my Freshman year of college, my studio professor encouraged me to ask Kristi if she was available. I did as I was told and reached back out to her. She had a spot available and became my accompanist. From that point forward we started spending more time together - lessons, practicing, etc. and a true friendship blossomed. Over time it became something more and (I'll fast forward through some details here that actually make it a better story - sorry) we started dating at the end of my Sophomore year.

We were living in Pittsburgh when we purchased our first home and were fortunate to have a perfect spot for a baby grand piano. We didn't have a ton of disposable income, having just purchased our first home, but Kristi really wanted to have a piano again. So, we looked through the classifieds for pianos, looked at a couple, and found a beautiful old 1920 something baby grand with carved legs. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, but left a bit to be desired as far as the piano part goes. It had a couple of cracks in the soundboard that we missed when we played it before purchasing because it was so far out of tune. Not perfect, but it filled a void.

When we moved to NYC, we had to leave it with a friend in Pittsburgh. There was no way a baby grand was going to fit into our apartment unless it doubled as a dining room table. So, we went without for a couple of years. When we bought our current apartment a few years ago, we were fortunate to have enough space for an upright piano. This all took place right around our 10th wedding anniversary so I decided that Kristi needed a new piano for our anniversary.

Shortly thereafter, Jonah came along and now I'm even more thankful that we have our piano. He loves it. He loves to sit at the piano with Kristi as she plays. He loves to "play," too. He's starting to be able to pick out instruments in recorded music and piano is one he definitely knows.

Photo - I decided to go a little more subtle this week. This is lit with one Profoto head in a 1x4' stripbox turned horizontally directly above the piano pointed back and down toward Kristi and Jonah - it's just outside the frame. This is my 50mm at f/2.

Week 24: Play Doh!

It's one of the universal truths of childhood - Play Doh rocks! Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Jerry gave Jonah his first set of Play Doh at Christmas - it was an instant hit. Grandma Connie and Grandpa Jack gave Jonah another set for his birthday to supplement our supplies. Ever since, Jonah has routinely asked to "make Play Doh." So far, what that really means is he makes random requests of animals that mom or dad are supposed to mold from Play Doh while Jonah rolls the previous masterpiece into a ball; only to ask for the same animal he just crushed. We spend a lot of time in this cycle. In fact, if you look carefully on the desk in last week's photo from our vacation - you'll see the Play Doh bag.

When we moved to NYC, we decided to use the dining table we had in our kitchen in Pittsburgh as a desk and purchase a nice, formal dining table. When we moved into our current apartment, the new table took its spot in our dining room and the stainless steel table from our kitchen in Pittsburgh went under our bed. Not too long after Jonah was born we decided to make a switch from the nice, inlaid wood dining table back to the near indestructible stainless table. The nice table is in storage. Jonah's love of Play Doh is a frequent reminder of how glad I am we switched back to stainless! (that and the fabulous reflections I can get in photos of Jonah at the table!)

So, for those reasons, I thought a picture of Jonah playing with Play Doh at our old kitchen table should occupy a spot in my project. 

Photo - this is two lights. One Profoto head in a white beauty dish a bit above Jonah's head and camera left - coming in from the other side of the table. The second is a Profoto head in a 1x4' stripbox behind Jonah and camera right. This is shot with my 24mm at f/8.

Week 23: A Weekend on the Farm

As great as living in New York is, sometimes you just need to get out of the city.  Jonah's school was closed this past Tuesday for a staff development day, so we decided to take advantage of our lack of childcare and get out of the city for a long weekend mini-vacation. We didn't go far, but it felt like a whole different world.

We went to Rhinebeck, NY - which you may recognize as the home of the famed Chelsea Clinton wedding. No, we didn't go for that reason. Actually, Rhinebeck hosts the Dutchess County Fair every year and we decided it would be fun to take Jonah. Jonah had a great time seeing all of the animals and riding the rides. Mom and Dad - well, we chased after Jonah - and had a good time, too. The place we stayed is a bed and breakfast and a horse farm. They board horses, have a donkey and free range chickens. Jonah especially enjoyed getting to TRY to catch a chicken and petting the horses.  All-in-all, a great weekend together as a family and a much needed break from the City. The photos from the farm and fair are here, here, and here if you are interested.

This photo just presented itself and I liked it so much that it became my photo for the week. Now that Jonah has transitioned to his big boy bed, we decided it wasn't fair to ask him to sleep in the pack and play on trips, so we found a toddler air mattress that has built in bumpers on the sides to help keep him from rolling out. The air mattress worked out well but he still fell out a couple of times - out the end where his head was. Yes, he's a restless sleeper.

This photo is Kristi getting Jonah to bed for the night. The light is what was there, coming off the lamp on the desk. There's a little bit of fill from another lamp I had on by our bed, but not much. This photo is my 24mm at f/1.8 and ISO 3200. Thank you Canon for the beautiful 5D Mark II and it's amazing low light capabilities!

Week 22: Window on the World

One of the benefits and drawbacks of the apartment we bought is that it is on the first floor - first two floors, actually. Benefits: it's a whole lot easier to get strollers in and out of the apartment; same goes for groceries or anything else you buy and bring home; we have outdoor space! Drawbacks: noise; people on the bus are at the same level as our windows and stare right in; there's not as much light; etc. Kristi's dad was in town to help when we first moved in. After everything was moved in, he opened the window, stuck his head out and decided it was good. He thought it was just like Sesame Street!

The first floor apartment, however, has been great for Jonah. For one, he can run up and down the hall to his heart's content and there are no downstairs neighbors to annoy! Additionally, this window in our kitchen has been a favorite spot of his since he was an infant. He loves to sit and play in the window, watching the people, cars, buses, trucks, dogs, bicycles. . . you get the idea. When he was younger he would get excited when he saw people and start banging on the window - most people would be startled, turn, see him beaming back and laugh.

So, this week is a tribute to one of his favorite spots! We've spent a lot of time in this little nook. We've watched plenty of cabs, buses and people, but the real treat was the day when there was some construction outside. They were laying new pipe in the middle of the street and had to dig a trench in the concrete. Good times! Jonah and I stood and watched for 90 minutes without moving.

Photo - this one was a little tricky to figure out, but I think I got there. This is in our kitchen and our kitchen is not large by any standards outside of Manhattan. (by Manhattan standards, we have a decent sized space). The circles up in the top left corner are pans hanging on our pot rack - so I had to work around that. Plus, glass can be tricky. It's very easy to get a glare and reflection of the light source if you're not careful. So, this is a Profoto head in a 1x4' stripbox. The stripbox is turned horizontally - so 1' tall and 4' long. That light is above the camera and slightly right. The stripbox is turned a bit away from the window and Jonah - so the light is feathered in onto him and, for the most part, keeps off the glass. The trick here is to meter the shot to expose for the outside light and then build up the inside light to match. I decided to underexpose the outside light about a stop - just liked the look a little better - made Jonah stand out more. This is my 24mm at f/4.

Week 21: Sleep Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope

Yep, that's right, a Big Boy Bed! Or, as Jonah calls it - "my cool bed!"

This past week we had a big delivery - a twin bed and mattress for Jonah. We went to look at beds a couple of weeks ago and, ironically, Jonah slept through it. However, we got an idea of what was available and what we liked. We also got the measurements of the various options so we could find the bed that fit his space best. We went back last week to let him look and to place our order. This past Wednesday, it arrived. (We also received a couple of these fab foam triangles that fit under the sheets on either side - they form the valley he is sitting in - so far no tumbles from the bed and his is a really restless sleeper.)

After many different attempts at getting Jonah to sleep through the night in his crib, all of which failed, we decided to throw caution to the wind and make the big step into a bed. Jonah only climbed out of his crib one time; he was absolutely terrified that night and it sounded more like he jumped out of the crib than climbed out. So, we didn't face the situation that most parents seem to face of getting rid of the crib to prevent an injury. Rather, this truly was a last ditch effort to get everyone in the apartment some rest.

Kristi brought Jonah home from school Wednesday night (I had stayed home to tear down the crib and accept the delivery) and talked up a big surprise when he got home. He walked in the door and went straight for his train set. . . we had to coax him back to his room to see the new digs. He got pretty excited when he saw the bed and quickly climbed in. One of Kristi's colleagues with children advised her that we should not get in the bed with him - that was his space and we shouldn't set the precedent of mom and dad being in that space. We decided to heed the advice.

That night, Kristi knelt beside the bed and read a couple of books with him, turned on some music and the nightlight and left the room. He never made a peep and didn't stir until the next morning! It hasn't been quite that easy getting him down again, but he has slept through the night every night since we got the bed. Hallelujah! Now that I've written this post, I'm sure I've jinxed it - but here's hoping this trend continues and we've solved the sleep issue. For now at least. . .

Photo - this is my 24mm at f/11. There is a strobe in a 4x3' softbox camera left, up a bit higher than the bed dialed down to f/4 for fill. The key is a strobe with the wonderful Profoto Zoom reflector zoomed in on Jonah and the top half of the bed. So - a soft fill with a hard key. I kind of like that combo. I like the crisp light on him for the environmental portrait. That light is at f/11.

Regarding the title - yes, I am a big nerd.

Week 20: The Commute

Jonah certainly is growing up in a different world from that of his parents' childhood. Since he was a few weeks old, Jonah has been a regular straphanger. Like most boys his age, he loves trains; I'm so glad that he also gets to ride one on a very regular basis. When we decided to move to New York over five years ago, we also made the decision to sell both of our cars. It was absolutely the right decision. We truly have no need for a car in the city and when we need one to get away, we rent.

We ride the subway at least twice a day and almost every day. It's such an easy and inexpensive way to get around; it's safe; it's relatively clean; it tends to be just as fast if not faster than a car. (It is really a shame that more US cities haven't embraced public transportation.) So, I knew from the outset of this project that I needed to get a shot of Jonah on the subway. I may even get more than one, who knows. It really is a large part of our lives and something that I feel separates Jonah's experiences from many other 2 year olds - even many here in the City.

Jonah still gets to and from the subway in a stroller, but more often than not, he now begs us to get out of the stroller and "sit on the train." When there's a seat by the window, he normally ends up standing so he can watch the world go by. Some day we'll ditch the stroller altogether, but not yet.

Photo: this is my 24mm at f/2. This is lit by nasty subway car "fluorescent" light. I still have no clue what color that light actually is. It's ugly, though - especially in the old cars on our line. I've been practicing shooting on the train for some time now and am getting better at it. It really needs flash to get some decent light in there, but I haven't been brave enough to whip out the lights yet. This is the way it should be done. 

Week 19: Just a Portrait

Sometimes you just want to take a portrait. . . that was this week. We've had a lot going on lately and have had a lot on our minds. Plus, Jonah is currently sporting a fresh haircut, so I thought I'd just try and get a portrait. Unfortunately, with Jonah, those are often the harder shots to get. He's not very fond of sitting still and looking at the camera. I finally had him entertained by the big flashing lights tonight, but that meant he wasn't really looking at me. Oh well, we went with the 3/4 profile shot! Some week, maybe next, I'll get back to the bear photo. . .

Jonah's sleep issues are slowly getting better with much effort from mom and dad. Unfortunately, I can still easily count the number of times he's slept through the night in the past month on one hand.

So, this week was more about me trying a lighting technique that I've been wanting to try. It worked to some extent, but focusing lights on a target that moves as much as Jonah is futile at best. I've read many lighting blogs lately about setting a fill exposure with a softbox and then layering a harder light source over it to bring more specularity and pop to the face - that's the idea above marginally executed. So this is a Profoto head in a 3x4' softbox camera right at f/2.8 and a Profoto head in a beauty dish camera right in front of the softbox, more or less focused on his face, at f/5.6. He was far enough from the lights, though, that it started to merge together more than I wanted. I think I needed a grid on the beauty dish, which I don't own. OR, a subject that was a bit more cooperative and stationary! The photo is shot with my 24mm at f/5.6.

Some more "keepers" from the shoot are here if you are interested. Many of them I kept purely because they made me laugh.

Week 18: Inside the Artist's Studio

For quite some time, Jonah just wasn't interested in coloring or drawing. We tried; they certainly did several projects at school. However, Jonah's always came back with a few marks that were his and plenty of areas that looked like his teacher was helping and encouraging him along. Recently, though, he has really seemed to take an interest in it and, in fact, today, requested we do a "project." It was very hot outside today, but he was begging us to go outside. So, we took some pages for him to color out onto our patio and taped them to the fence. The idea was to use colored bubbles and blow bubbles at the pages - didn't work so well, but Jonah had a great time with the markers! It was pretty short lived as, even this morning, it got hot pretty quickly.

I had to get a photo in early this week as I have some work travel coming up and time is going to be tight. So, I decided to try to capture something this morning. This was an experiment with a different angle and I kind of like it. Something new for me. Different post processing, too, just to try something new.

Photo - this is my 24mm at f/1.4 and straight sunlight.

This was the finished "project", by the way:

and may more photos of the process here, if you are interested.

Week 17: Sometimes They Bite Back. . .

It's been a rough week. The sleep issues that I wrote about last week have persisted, although they are a bit better because mom and dad have taken turns sleeping on the floor in Jonah's room the past several nights. As long as we are in the room, he's been OK in his crib; if we leave the room, he wakes up and is upset.  We're working through our options and will keep you posted if we find the solution. Additionally, dad's been down with a nasty summer cold and mom has been busy with work, so Jonah's been a little more on his own than usual. All in all - it's been a rough week for all of us.

Jonah has, understandably, been a bit more cranky than usual this week. He's certainly tired and I think he's frustrated with the whole situation, too. Things apparently came to head today at school. As the incident report reads, his class was outside on the little "rooftop" playground toady. Jonah was on a scooter and one of his friends decided they wanted it and pushed Jonah to get off. (Jonah does his fair share of pushing right now, too, so he's no innocent bystander) Jonah was upset and bit his friend on the arm. His friend was, understandably, upset by this and bit Jonah - on his cheek.

So, no lipstick marks on his face up there; those are teeth marks. He's fine; no real damage. If history repeats itself, the marks will be all but gone in the morning. Important lesson for Jonah this week, though - sometimes they bite back.

Photo: this is my 135mm at f/11. The light is coming from a Profoto head in a 1'x4' stripbox to camera right.

Week 16: The Goal

What a week.

A friend of ours, who is expecting her first child, recently asked, "do I ever get to sleep through the night again?" My response was "nope." Then I think back to all of the times that my mother begged me to get out of bed because it was time to get ready and go to school. So, it seems that, at some point, children start sleeping through the night - logic tells me that is true. However, in my bleary eyed state, I have lost sight of logic.

When Jonah was an infant, like most infants, we were up a lot. Many night time feedings, etc. We worked with Jonah as he got older and got him to the point, over much time and effort, where he would sleep through the night. Oh, what a blissful time! Then, we went to Missouri for Christmas. Gone. Done. No more sleeping through the night. The slight timezone change and the disrupted routine just did him in. So, we started our sleep training from scratch. It was harder this time - he was on to us. However, we got there. He slept through the night again. Nice. Apart from times when he was not feeling well, he slept fairly well.

Then something changed. I, to this day, have no idea what it was. He just suddenly stopped sleeping well. This week everything came to a head and we had to start pushing back in a deliberate way. This week Jonah started waking up, nightly as we were going to bed. The only way to get him to settle down and stop crying was to bring him into our bed. He would calm right down and go to sleep. The rub is that, like many toddlers, he has a misconception about his orientation in our bed. He feels the appropriate way to sleep is with his head snuggled into one of us (typically Kristi), his body perpendicular to the bed, leaving his feet to kick wildly into the other (normally me). He ends up pushing the person on the "head end" off the bed and pummeling the person on the "feet end." The only person sleeping is Jonah, and he doesn't sleep well. So, we would get him to sleep, pick him up and take him back to his room. However, the moment you crossed the threshold into his room, he would wake up, cling to you with a death grip and start wailing. . . so we repeat. . .

After too many nights of this process and too many days of talking to him about needing to sleep in his bed all night long, we decided to get tough last night. Like clockwork, he woke up and started crying. After it was clear that he would not be able to put himself back to sleep, I went in, calmed him down and, after a couple of attempts, got him back in bed without ever leaving his room. When I left the room he cried like I've never heard him cry before. . . however, about 2 minutes later he suddenly stopped and slept until morning. We'll see what adventures tonight brings.

All that goes to say, my mind was not focused on creating a photo for this week. It hit me today that it was Thursday and that something had to happen tonight. Had an idea or two for photos of Jonah, but it was very clear on the commute home that he would not be very cooperative. He was exhausted. So, this seemed like an appropriate image to represent our week. Thanks to Kristi for feeding Jonah tonight while I put this together.

Photo - this was another one that I was able to see in my head and create what I wanted - pretty exciting for me! This is three small flashes. There is a speedlight with a grid on a boom arm pointed down on his pillow - that is the key light and sets the exposure, everything else is built down from there. I wanted his pillow to be the bright spot as that is the MOST important thing for us right now! There is a flash under the crib firing against the wall and the third light is camera right, dialed all the way down, just to give a little light and definition to that end of the crib. This is my 24-70 at 24mm and f/8.

Week 15: Spoiled

Where else can you play outside right before a rainstorm in your pajamas but Grandma's house? (At least he has shoes on!)

We just got back from our annual summer pilgrimage to Missouri to visit family. This year was a bit special because we attended a family reunion for Kristi's family. Kristi's grandmother turned 90 this year, so a lot of that side of her family got together to celebrate and catch up. (lots of those photos here for those who are interested) We had a nice, but short visit with my side of the family tree and then headed to southern Missouri to spend time with Kristi's side.

While we didn't spend much time at Grandma and Grandpa's house, they certainly found plenty of ways to spoil Jonah on the road. For the first time, he actually switched over to Central time - so he got to stay up WAY past his normal Eastern bedtime and he came back to NYC an absolute chocolate addict. He'll be going through detox shortly. Then, this morning he got to play outside in his PJs for quite awhile AND take a ride on Grandpa's tractor - in his PJs! Oh well, I guess that's what grandparents are for.

Photo - this is, yet again, my 24-70mm at 24mm and f/2.8. I under exposed the photo by 2 stops to emphasize the sky and then fired a bare flash camera left that I was holding in my left hand while holding the camera in my right and not looking through the viewfinder. Phew. . . lucky shot. Actually - you get to know what your lens is going to "see" after awhile and don't always have to have the camera to your face to compose the shot you want. The other note on this, for those who are still reading, the flash is fired via a Canon flash on the camera (which did not actually fire) set to control a wireless set. That enables high speed sync - this was shot at 1/3200 of a second - well above normal sync speed.

Week 14: Apple Pie

When I was a boy we went to my grandparents' house (Mom's parents) every Sunday. It was clockwork: get up; go to church; come home to change clothes; go to Holt in time for lunch. This happened every week with almost no exceptions. Every week, with also almost no exceptions, my grandmother would make an apple pie for dessert because she knew it was my favorite. It was always from scratch, crust included, and always delicious. There would typically be a piece or two left over and I would bring it home with me to have the next day.

So, here we are in Missouri this week visiting Jonah's grandparents and he finds a small figurine that I gave to his Great Grandma several years ago. It's a Boyd's Bears figurine of a grandmother making an apple pie while the grandchild watches in anticipation. Jonah really liked it and kept going back to it; so, we decided to carry on the tradition and have Grandma and Jonah make an apple pie. Jonah had a great time, especially playing in the dough!

Photo-wise, this is my 24-70mm at 24mm and f/6.3. There is a flash camera left firing at the ceiling at 1 stop down for fill and a flash camera right through white umbrella as the key.

Week 13: Welcome Summer

Summer has officially arrived in NYC! OK, it's officially arrived everywhere and it seems most of us are "enjoying" some extra hot temperatures to kick off the season. It was in the upper 90's here this past weekend when we went out to see the "water mountains" (water fountains) in Central Park. So, between that and the Solstice, I decided this week's photo should be devoted to the childhood joys of summer.

Our lives are not yet drastically altered by the arrival of summer, but I know those days will be before we know it. So far, it's pretty much life as usual - just warmer. Mom and Dad still go to work and Jonah goes to the same preschool year round. The city, however, adds a few treats! The water features come on at the playgrounds (stay tuned for that one), the Mr. Softee ice cream truck starts filling the streets with music and the Central Park cart vendors bring out the freezers full of ice cream. We were all pretty hot after running around - well, Jonah running around and Mom and Dad running after him, so we stopped for a treat and to cool down.

Photowise - this is pretty straight forward. 50mm at f/5.6 and straight up late afternoon sun.

Week 12: Story Time

As with most children, we have set a bedtime routine with Jonah. We set it a long time ago and it was one of the best parenting decisions we've made so far. When we get home from work and school Jonah plays while we make him dinner (on a good night we make everyone dinner - but those nights are sadly few and far between). After dinner is bath, followed by up to three books in mom and dad's bed, milk, and then off to his bed. I knew this was a shot that I wanted to get sometime within my 52 weeks of photos, but was not expecting to get it this week.

See, I set out, yet again, trying to get this elusive bear photo (see last week's post). I thought I had it figured out. Jonah won't sit still downstairs and about the only other place I can set up the lights and backdrop I need is on our bed. I thought, if I turned on a Pooh or Big Bird movie, it will hold his attention enough for me to get the shot I want. I'll position the camera close to being in front of the television and set the lights accordingly. It worked! The movie held his attention alright! I couldn't get a single shot with him looking at the camera (attempts are here - if you are interested: http://web.me.com/rwdavi/rwdavi/Albums/Pages/Bear_Photo,_Take_2.html) I think I may have a shot at it on our bed - just have to leave the television off next time.

So, Kristi was kind enough to let me try and get the above shot of bedtime since I already had the lights upstairs. Kristi got to the end of the story and when the very hungry caterpillar came out of his cocoon he . . . "bumped his head!" (Jonah) Silliness ensued because Mom and Dad cracked up.

This is a studio strobe in a 3x4' softbox camera left. (I love my new lights. Just sayin') 24-70mm at 24mm and f/4.

Week 11: Two Year Portraits: Take Two

I have a standing request to get a shot of Jonah holding his Pooh Bear. It randomly turns out that Kristi and I have the same photo with the same "Pooh" from when we were around 1 year old. I tried this week - didn't happen - Jonah was not interested. More on that later, but you'll hopefully see the set of three photos up here very soon.

SO, with a blown attempt at that shot, I did get a chance to Get a couple more portraits of Jonah at age 2. I really liked this one as it shows his personality quite well and, it was the lighting scheme that I was going for.

I have a bit of a challenge with taking portraits of Jonah in a "studio" environment. See, my "studio" is our downstairs family room. Which, for living in Manhattan, I am endlessly fortunate to have. However, Jonah sees that space as his play room. Namely, that's where his trains live. So, when Daddy invades his space and sets up these enormous flashing things, he's not very patient. He's not angry - he's just silly and does not want to sit still. He runs off to get various toys, jumps around, and basically acts like a two year old boy. So, I set up a shot, try my best, but Jonah runs the show. It's a bit like shooting a very small, very fast fish in a very large barrel with a BB gun - there are a LOT of misses. Jonah had great fun this time jumping into the background fabric - which is lit here with two lights to make it go white. There are plenty of shots with him blown completely out. I'm so thankful I spent the money for a proper background stand, because the rigged thing I was using before (two light stands with a metal closet rod attached as a crossbar by bungee cords) would have come crashing down on his head.

Here are the very few other "keepers" from two days of trying - if you are interested:
http://web.me.com/rwdavi/rwdavi/Albums/Pages/A_Better_Use_of_Light.html

About this shot - Daddy got his Fathers Day present early. I stumbled into a very good deal on a set of two Profoto studio strobes and I've been having a very good time getting to know them. My photographer friends out there will understand what the previous sentence means. For everyone else - while it's an entry level model, I got something akin to a Mercedes in studio light terms. This is actually only one of them. This is my 24-70mm at f/8 with one Profoto camera right in a 60" softlighter umbrella. There is a silver reflector camera left. The background is lit by two speedlights - one camera left and one camera right.

Week 10: The Plush Menagerie

Yep, another week devoted to Jonah's stuffed animals. I guess I really have myself to blame. As I mentioned before, whenever I travel, I typically bring back a little something for Jonah from whatever city I was visiting. Most of the time my schedule is really tight, so I end up buying something at the airport, and well, that tends to be plush. Plus, stuffed animals pack really easily!

Anyway, behold Jonah's collection of stuffed animals. He LOVES them. He often picks up as many as he can possibly carry (say 8 or so of them - really) and stumbles around the apartment trying to keep them all in his arms. He loves to snuggle with them and has no fewer than 12 in his crib at all times. Many mornings he will wake up and play with his stuffed animals for quite awhile before we go in and get him. You can hear him singing to them, reenacting school with them and putting them in time out.

He was somewhat willing to take this photo today. We had just come back from the store (which is one block from our apartment) and we let him be a big boy and walk, rather than ride in the stroller, for the first time. He was pretty happy about that. The first couple of shots, he climbed up, sat nicely and let me take the photo. Then he got a little silly, insisted upon putting the truck in the shot (dead center) and then started showing his true personality.

As for the photo - this is my 24-70mm at 24mm and f/4. There are two flashes - one in a 60" softlighter camera right and one in a 28" softbox camera left at one stop down to provide some fill on the animals.

Week 9: Ride Car

Unlike his Mom and Dad, Jonah is a very urban baby. Car rides are a complete novelty and are cause for excitement and celebration. His Mom and Dad not owning a car is certainly a large contributor to this. Every now and then, we rent a car for the day and drive upstate or to Long Island to visit friends, pick apples, etc., but the vast majority of his transportation experience is underground. Whenever Jonah sees his car seat - which normally lives in our storage locker - sitting in the apartment he gets very excited and says "ride car!" over and over. This week we took a trip to Sesame Place, an amusement park just outside of Philadelphia, to visit with some old friends and have breakfast with Elmo. While it is technically accessible via public transportation, it was endlessly easier to rent a car, pack up the three tons of gear required when traveling with a toddler, and drive west to Pennsylvania. I thought this novelty deserved documentation. 

Having two years of parenthood under our belts, we've learned that travel time is best coordinated with nap time, so the drive from NYC to PA was, for the most part, not very photogenic. We got to the hotel, got settled in and awaited our friends' arrival. When they got in and settled we took all the kiddos to the nearby park - despite the Africa inspired heat. This shot is right before we headed to the park - Jonah was wisely getting hydrated before we played. It was 95 degrees - no exaggeration - which is quite warm for May.

The photo - my 24-70mm at 25mm and f/2.8 and straight sunlight. 

Week 8: A Major Accomplishment

Meet Jonah's Potty.

It's been a big week in our house and in the world of our two year old! Jonah officially used the potty for the first time this week and has done so on multiple occasions. I'll spare you the details, but he's doing a good job. We still have a ways to go, but we are celebrating the big step forward. Jonah's pretty proud of himself and we're pretty proud of him, too.

I decided that this was a big enough accomplishment in the life of a two year old toddler (and his parents' for that matter) that it was worth documenting - to some extent!

Without going into the details of Jonah's accomplishment, I'm not sure what to add to the above, so I'd like to share my excitement about the above photo. I've been working on learning light for awhile now and have been making progress but felt like I was up against some sort of ceiling. So, for my birthday this year, I asked to attend a lighting workshop here in NYC that took place this past weekend. After two fourteen hour days, I feel like I've broken through that ceiling and a lot of things that I've been circling around for awhile now clicked into place.

Granted, the photo above is no Pulitzer Prize winner, but I had an image in my mind and was able to accomplish it - quickly. I thought I knew what to do - I set it up, took a shot and it was wrong. Sigh. However, this time I instantly knew what went wrong and how to fix it! I changed light modifiers, roped Kristi into substituting for a piece of gear that I don't yet own (boom arm), set it up and voila! So very satisfying. . .

So, the photo - this is my 50mm at f/8. The light is coming from a 28" softbox directly above the potty, tilted slightly toward the camera and in VERY close. It's just out of the frame. Still a lesson to learn, though. I should have put a black card off to camera left to eat the spilled light. You can see the reflection of the baseboard in the side of the potty on that side.