X-Photographer

A series of interviews with professional and high-end amateur photographers that have made the switch to Fujifilm. Learn about all of their different photographic journies that led them to becoming official Fujifilm X-Photographers.

A Decade-Long Love Story: X100 Series & Kevin Mullins

The sixth generation, the FUJIFILM X100VI, has recently caught the attention of a renowned documentary wedding and family photographer Kevin Mullins. Having used every X100 camera for over a decade, Kevin shares his insights into the evolution of this iconic series and the remarkable features that make the X100VI a game-changer for photographers of all genres.

The FinePix X100: How It Started

At a trade show in Germany, Kevin Mullins recalls his first encounter with the X100 series. It was the compact yet powerful FinePix X100 that caught his eye, leading to a pre-order and an instant connection. The small form factor allowed him to fit seamlessly into the environment of the wedding and to capture intimate moments without being intrusive. This was the beginning of a transformative journey. He moved from bulky DSLRs to a camera that not only delivered exceptional images but also improved the overall photography experience.

“The FUJIFILM X100VI is just fun to pick up, use, and experience…”

Kevin highlights the consistent emphasis on look and feel throughout the development of the X100 series. The aesthetic design has been a constant, contributing to the overall enjoyment and passion photographers derive from their tools. Kevin believes that having equipment you enjoy using is an integral part of the creative process, and the X100VI continues this tradition of functional and beautiful design.

X100VI
X100VI

“When working weddings, I will use the X100VI hand in hand with an X-T5 or other X Series body – it’s all manageable for me,

Kevin Mullins.

The FUJIFILM X100VI is a camera that makes the creative process enjoyable, and Kevin encapsulates this perfectly. The X100VI has fun qualities in addition to its technical prowess. The appeal of the camera lies in its seamless integration into the photographer’s workflow, allowing the creative process to be pure and pleasurable without any unnecessary complications.

The X100VI introduces a number of upgrades, but Kevin is particularly excited about the 40.2-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and the inclusion of up to six stops of IBIS. The increase in megapixels will allow photographers to get closer to their subjects while maintaining exceptional image quality. In Kevin’s view, the X100VI is not just a professional-standard camera. It is a compact powerhouse that is accessible to everyday users.

“(…) the X100VI is a real opportunity. They’re getting incredible image quality and cohesion thanks to the fixed lens – all in a camera they can pop into a pocket. Street photographers, commercial photographers, landscape photographers – the millions of people with those shared needs – should be paying attention to the X100VI,

Kevin Mullins.

Check here for more Kevin’s insights about the FUJIFILM X100VI.

Kevin Mullins

A documentary wedding photographer based in Malmesburry, Wiltshire, UK. He captures weddings across the UK, Europe and overseas. Apart of weddings, you can find him running workshops, mentoring, and presenting his work across the globe. You may be interested in Kevin’s personal monochrome project and his education offerings.

Slowing Down for Perfection: Renée Kemps & FUJINON Tilt-Shift Lenses

“Home is where your heart is”, right? Then, it has a truly captivating story to tell. With a keen eye for the spaces we inhabit and a passion for playing with light, Renée Kemps reveals these stories and makes them visible, turning everyday home details into unique communication tools. Recently equipped with her FUJINON’s GF30mmF5.6 T/S and GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro lenses, she became an architectural storyteller, using all-new camera capabilities and benefits of the tilt-shift lens to document a sense of place.

“There’s something in a space, a property or architecture, that really only speaks to you. Focus on that individual perspective. Personally, I love intimacy in my images, but there’s also elegance and fragility,”

Renée Kemps.
Photo 2023 © Renée Kemps | FUJIFILM GFX100 II and FUJINON GF30mmF5.6 T/S
Photo 2023 © Renée Kemps | FUJIFILM GFX100 II & FUJINON GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro, 1/100 sec, F5.6, ISO 100

For architectural photographers, maintaining straight lines is paramount. The tilt-shift functionality of these lenses proved to be invaluable, enabling Renée to correct perspectives in real time. This is particularly crucial when capturing details from a slightly downward angle, ensuring that lines remain straight without the need for post-production adjustments. It also offers a unique perspective for those who seek more complexity and variety in photo compositions.

“It’s quite unusual to have a telephoto tilt-shift lens. Often, they’re only made super wide, which limits you. I think this variety is beautiful to have, because for me and a lot of other people, it lets us apply tilt-shift benefits to so many different things. Partnered with the shorter lens, you have an incredible range. You can play around and take a whole different approach to scenes,”

Renée Kemps.

Paired with the new FUJIFILM GFX100 II body, with a remarkable 102-megapixel quality and the rapid functionality of X-Processor 5, these tilt-shift lenses have a powerful ally for image perfection. The large sensor quality provides bigger flexibility and allows for extensive cropping without compromising image quality. It is especially useful when working with challenging spaces.

“They make you slow down a little. Sometimes, you just end up running around a property photographing everything all at once, because it looks so good. With this pair, you can really say: ‘This is the corner I want to document, and I want to have it perfect.’ You live in that moment, and that’s where you can create your best work,”

Renée Kemps.

Read the full story of Renée’s experience with the GF30mmF5.6 T/S and GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro here.

Renée Kemps

A commercial and editorial interior, architecture and lifestyle photographer and art director. Based in both London and Amsterdam, she operates on a global scale, producing remarkable work that has been featured in editions of Kinfolk, Ark Journal, Openhouse Magazine, Wallpaper, AD, Ignant, Elle Decor, Vogue, and Harpers Bazaar. Her clients include, among others: American Express, AMAN, RIMOWA, Carl Hansen & Søn, Ark Journal, Ogilvy, Kinfolk, Virgin, H&M Home, The White Company, Creative Blood Agency.

The Secret of Successful Commercials: David Lineton & GFX newbies

In commercial photography, each object has something special about it. Its colour, shape and texture, its origin or functionality may tell nothing separately but all together, they show off a distinctive character embedded within – and it’s a story to tell.

In the hands of a London-based photographer David Lineton, a camera turns into a magic tool that extracts the extraordinary from the seemingly prosaic. Creating commercials for world-known brands like Jo Malone, Ogilvy, Huawei, DMR Jewellery, and others, he brings to the surface the unique essence of products, catching games of shadows, reflections, and forms with the exceptional attention to detail.

For this purpose, he found his personal perfect match – FUJIFILM GFX100 II and FUJINON GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro. This combination gave him an opportunity to streamline the commercial workflow and reach impressive professional heights.

“With the GFX100 II, everything we’ve seen in the GFX System is improved. Though it’s fundamentally a similar sensor and delivered image, fine tweaks make it that much better. The camera now boasts so many more capabilities for professionals,”

– David Lineton.

Photo 2023 © David Lineton | FUJIFILM GFX100 II and FUJINON GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro, 1/4 sec at F16, ISO 100

With its ergonomic body and intuitive design, GFX100 II is extremely comfortable and easy to use during photo and video sessions. It offers astonishing 102 megapixels, giving incredible clarity even with 100% zoom or when cropping in on files. It is also our first body with built-in Frame.io Camera-to-Cloud capabilities, which allows to drop files directly to a cloud, significantly speeding up the workflow.

Exploring various tilt-shift approaches with GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro, David opened up plenty of opportunities for optical creativity, such as playing with the focus or depth-of-field effects, and much more. In-camera correction of converging lines also helps avoid visual issues when experimenting with angles.

“Stand-alone, GF110mmF5.6 T/S Macro is an excellent and phenomenally sharp lens. Through and through, it’s beautiful. But the huge benefit for me, as a commercial photographer, is that I can change the plane of focus in relation to the sensor. You can create sharpness in different areas of the frame. For example, across the surface of a table viewed from a three-quarter angle,”

– David Lineton.

The combined potential of these GFX System’s additions allows commercial photographers catch product’s slightest details and use them seamlessly to create its brand-new perception. Curious about the full story? Click here and find out more about David’s insights into settings preferences for extraordinary commercial sessions.

Zooming in on Wildlife: GFX100 II Test-Drive with Shelley Pearson

Bird photography is a delicate art that requires patience, precision, and a dash of wonder. Each bird presents a unique challenge. You learn to anticipate their moves, study their habits and habitats, becoming a part of their world. Every click of your camera is a hunt for a perfect moment, and your lens must be incredibly accurate and responsive to capture the elegance of a hummingbird’s glance or the wild spirit of an eagle’s flight. It’s about capturing life in its tiniest and the grandest. 

Based in Australia’s west coast, a professional bird and wildlife photographer Shelley Pearson tried the new GFX100 II camera paired with the Fujifilm GF 250mm F4 LM OIS WR prime lens and the Fujifilm teleconverter GF 1.4X TC WR in the field.

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Through the Lens of Loss and Hope: “Patterns of Home” by Nora Lorek

When the world crashes, there must be something you can lean on anyway. Sometimes, it’s dad’s words you caught as a child, sometimes it’s a thin thread on your wrist, sometimes it’s an embroidered bedsheet you bring when fleeing your home – a tangible artefact of a life left behind. Documenting these stories means encapsulating hope, the essence of home and belonging, resilience of the human heart meeting loss.

A Swedish documentary photographer Nora Lorek shares the stories of people who faced the loss in its various faces, focusing on migration, culture, and human rights. With her Fujifilm GF55mm F1.7 R WR, Nora puts an image on those moments that for some people seem ordinary and for others are hard to imagine.

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Explore Marvels in The Deep with Emily Endean and the FUJIFILM X-T5

Underwater photography is always a dance with the unknown. Here, where gravity seems optional and light is oddly distorted, you face a completely alien world of colour that challenges basics of conventional photography.

As you go deeper, the water filters out colours from the spectrum. Red, for instance, is among the first colours to disappear, which can result in photos dominated by blues and greens. Water’s higher density affects how light and objects are perceived, causing distortions in size, shape, and perspective. Thus, achieving sharp focus, balanced lighting, and vibrant colours here demands dedication and expertise. And this world requires a camera as adventurous as the photographer to unlock and capture what’s hidden in the deep.

For the UK based nature photographer Emily Endean, the underwater world is a bottomless well of inspiration. Following it, she grabs her FUJIFILM X-T5 and dives into the waves to document the morning beauty of the water landscape.

FUJIFILM X-T3 + FUJINON XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, 1/250 sec | F4 | ISO 250
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