A few shots with the Fujifilm X100F in Barcelona Airport whilst waiting for the flight back home to Manchester.
fujix100t
Goodbye 2020
Goodbye, 2020.
Here are my photographic highlights from the past 12 months.
Keep the Faith people as nothing lasts forever.
Progressing the Process.
My life before photography was pretty chaotic. I was on a downward slope with no exit plan. So, when I eventually sorted my shit out, and the clouds of doom began to lift, I decided to fuel my interest in photography.
In the early days, it was all about nailing the image and shooting anything that moved. My approach was very sporadic, and I was blinkered because there was no real direction for my work. I was too busy looking for my next hit as I wanted photography to make me feel better about myself.
I could see myself burning out with the days of failure and frustration because photography was not providing me with the constant highs.
So, what changed? Me, I had to change because I was the problem.
It took me a good few years to find a style and an approach that I enjoyed doing. Nowadays, I work mostly in colour, and yes, I enjoy working with light and shadow, but I try and keep progressing bit by bit.
I still have them days when nothing is going my way, and I can find myself in the right place at the wrong time, but I no longer get frustrated and start questioning why am I doing this.
The difference between then and now is that I enjoy the process instead of expecting the process to make me feel better. There is no progress without failure.
Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, we all get there in the end.
Keep the Faith
KV
FUJIFILM X100T CLASSIC CHROME - JULY 2017
Colour v Mono
The colour v black & white debate is something that I had a good few years ago and I decide that colour was the way forward for me.
This was partially due to my purchase of the X100T. Once I set the camera to classic chrome and looked through the viewfinder it was like a switch going off in my head and I was sold, hook line, and sinker.
Black and white still have its place especially with my commissioned work like weddings and portraits but with street photography is was going to be colour. For me, it is the difficulty of the two as there is a lot more thinking required, as all the elements need to be spot on for colour to work on the street.
I am not disregarding BNW but there is always the temptation to cover up the faults of the image by clicking that black and white button in Lightroom. And I think we can all agree that you cannot polish a turd by switching it to BNW and pumping up the clarity.
This is not me saying all BNW street work is shit because that would not be right as there are some superb street photographers out there who are producing some beautiful images in black and white.
And this is the point that we go full circle. I recently acquired the Fuji Film X100F and I am in love with the Acros film simulation settings especially the Red & Yellow filters. It was like a déjà vu moment when I looked through the viewfinder and I was seeing this beautiful grainy BNW image.
It is just small steps back into the world of BNW, but I am enjoying the process, so much so that I have opened another Instagram account for my BNW work.
Have I missed working in black & white? Yes and no but if I can have a slice of both worlds than I am happy with that. At the end of the day it is all about doing the things that make you happy.
New Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/kv_mono/
Keep the Faith
KV
MANCHESTER - X100F ACROS+RED
Fujifilm Love Affair
I purchased the Fujifilm X100T about 5 years ago, and it was a game-changer for me.
The film simulation Classic Chrome opened a whole new way of seeing, and it was then that I decided to work more in colour.
My street settings for CC are quite simple.
Highlights -1 Shadows + 2 Colour +2
White Balance, DR, ISO all on Auto as I want the camera to do the donkey work.
Why the T? This is such a versatile little camera, and I have taken it to the limits, and it has never let me down. Even in trying conditions, the T keeps going.
I have shot a full wedding with it; my bare fist boxing was all done in jpeg, and probably 90% of my street work has been done with this camera. I have hardly ever used RAW, and that is because the jpegs give me everything I need.
But my love affair with the T is nearly over as I recently acquired the X100F, and this is a thing of beauty. It has renewed my interest in Black and White with the beautiful Acros film simulations.
It is just like the T but with steroids. ISO is better, the focus is sharp and quick, and it looks and feels good.
I also own the Xpro1 with the 35mm 1.4, again a superb camera that can be temperamental at times, but this camera can produce some beautiful images when it is on it.
Everyone is different, but I like to keep my set up nice and simple I do not chase after the next big thing in the hope it will make me better photographer as its practise that makes you better.
When things are not going right, always remember it is not the camera's fault. It is the idiot holding the camera.
Keep the Faith
KV
X100T Classic Chrome