A Window Moment

This was taken on the day of the Dead Carnival in London. Streets were buzzing — colour, movement, music echoing through alleyways. But this moment came quietly.

High up in a window, a child watched everything unfold. No costume, no confetti, just a still figure behind glass. I almost missed it. In the middle of photographing dancers and crowds, I looked up and saw this, a calm face, a raised hand, and a quiet curiosity peeking through the frame.

It was completely candid. I didn’t get the sense they even saw me. They were caught in their own world, observing the chaos below with a kind of quiet patience. That contrast struck me.

I shot it with the Fujifilm X-T3 and 23mm f/1.4, a combo I rely on when I want to stay nimble and close to the story. The narrow depth of field helped isolate the moment, letting the brickwork frame the child naturally. I exposed for the highlights in the window to hold detail in their face, even with all the reflections and glare from the street.

This is the kind of photograph I chase. Not the grand scenes, but the in-between ones. A simple expression, a slice of stillness and the kind of image that makes you wonder what they were thinking, or if they’re still at that window now, watching the last of the crowd disappear down the street.

Photography lets you hold on to these fleeting things. A glance. A gesture. A passing connection that was never meant to be captured, but somehow was.

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Shot in London during the Day of the Dead Carnival using the Fujifilm X-T3 and 23mm f/1.4 lens.

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