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.