Story behind the picture

I shot this photo in 2020 at Oulu Airport, Finland, while waiting for my flight to Helsinki. By the window, I spotted two boys watching the planes. The pandemic had already begun in China and was spreading across Europe. As the world was beginning to shut down, the image took on a deeper meaning than I could have anticipated at the time.

The sun was setting, casting a soft glow through the curtains. The light and colors were beautiful, as you can see in the image (this is more or less straight from the camera with minimal post-processing, such as minor adjustments to the highlights and shadows). I quietly reached for my camera and approached the boys carefully, not wanting to disturb the moment as they were perfectly positioned. I took just a couple of frames; this was the second one.

To this day, it remains my most widely shared photograph—a special thanks to Leica Camera for featuring it in several places. At one point, it was even the header image on the Leica Store UK website.

The equipment

Camera: Leica M (Typ 240)

Lens: Leica Summicron-M 50mm f2 (type 5)

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My discussion with Ricky Huerta on his podcast