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.