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I spent a couple of weeks walking around town at night looking for cool lighting situations, and this was one of them. It’s not a big town. I have another shot that showcases the light better, but this — despite being a little out of focus — was the better shot of my very pregnant girlfriend. This was the end of a muggy two-week heat wave where the temperature never got below 30C (86F), so we were enjoying the cool air on the porch of our apartment building… which, when my girlfriend is standing in a certain way, looks a lot like Spanish Harlem.

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Technical Stuff: The porch light is behind and above us, the background is lit by two street lights. The camera (Kodak EasyShare C533 pocket digital) was set on ‘landscape’, which (I think) means wide angle, and open one stop. Once you’ve got that, just find yourself a woman with vaguely Spanish / Native Canadian features, knock her up, then wait five months.

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There are a few things I really like about this photo — my girlfriend for one, but the broken bricks behind her, and the way the light works around them, are what make it special. Which makes sense because they’re the only things in focus. If I were to get serious about this shot I’d crop at the window, and lose the air conditioner — which I hate, mostly because it’s not ours, and the green chair. But the chances of me getting serious about a photo right now are slim, none and nada… no time, I’ve got a kid coming in a few weeks and I still haven’t grown up yet. The song is “Spanish Caravan” by The Doors from ‘Waiting For The Sun’ (1968).

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