X-Thusiast Featured Photographer Andrey Moisseyev

Our June X-Thusiast hails from South Australia and captures beaches, sunsets, street photography and more. Learn more about the diverse photography from Andrey Moisseyev, and get his advice for pursuing photography as your passion.

 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from?

 

My name is Andrey Moisseyev and, yes, I realise my surname might be a tongue twister. I live in Adelaide and capture everything touching my life in the surrounding area. South Australia is a very beautiful state with great beaches, amazing sunsets and picturesque hills. My daily work is in information communication technology (ICT) within the city but photography is my passion, ensuring I carry a camera almost every day in order to find new angles and perspectives on life. My work has been used by such brands as SA Tourism Commission, Woolworths, Jetstar, Hahn, Mother’s Choice, different local councils, etc. I’ve also been published in Australian and international car magazines, calendars and local newspapers.

 

 

How did you develop an interest in photography using Fujifilm equipment?

My interest in photography began at twelve when I took pictures for a short time but I was obliged to take a hiatus. I returned to photography at 26 after I grew dissatisfied with my simple 6MP point-and-shoot, and upgraded to a decent DSLR to capture higher-quality images of my family.

 

The results and sense of satisfaction thereafter led me to the realisation that photography would be my lifelong passion. All the while, my artistic eye, studio and technique expanded and improved, along with the range of equipment. Finally, I concluded that I needed to acquire something more compact that would easily fit into my backpack while maintaining an excellent image quality.

Fujifilm X-T2 with XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR – F13 – 30 seconds – ISO 200

 

Last year, I started to look for a camera that would meet all my expectations. I considered many brands before an email from my local camera shop arrived announcing the release of the Fujifilm X-T2 in Australia. I visited the shop and bumped into a Fujifilm representative demonstrating the camera in-store. I spent an hour or so talking to him whilst testing the camera. A few days later, I became a happy owner of the X-T2 with an XF18-135mm kit lens. Since then I have seldom been without this camera.

 

How would you describe your photography style and strategy?

 

I’m still settling on a style but it is definitely within the spectrum of Velvia colours. Most of my subjects are cars, architecture and landscapes but I prefer not to box myself into a single genre, as my interests are wide: portraits, still life, street, macro, etc. Also, I shoot a lot for micro stocks, another reason to buy a compact camera that needs to be easily portable while still offering a resolution of at least 24 MP.

 

What inspires your photography?

 

I’m forever trying to improve myself in the field and learn new techniques. I follow other photographers through social networks and online art galleries and analyse how and why they are taking their pictures. In addition, the beauty, sheer scope and energetic light of Australian nature drives me onward to capture the ever-expanding horizons of our universe.

Fujifilm X-T2 with XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR – F8 – 10 seconds – ISO 200

 

Where are your favourite places to take photos and do you prefer a certain type of light?

 

I found myself shooting a lot of sunsets. Here in SA, we have the most beautiful sunsets viewed from the beaches with jetties. I also like night city views and I discovered that my X-T2 is very good at taking night and long-exposure photos. As for the quality of light, it is always different and one simply needs to be prepared to capture the right moment.

Fujifilm X-T2 with XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR – F6.4 – 1/250 second – ISO 200

 

What is your favourite memory from a photography session?

 

I have many and it’s hard to remember all but the most recent, which was from our trip to Hahndorf, South Australia, where I was capturing the autumn colours of the village. After I uploaded a few pictures on Facebook, one of the photos went viral and was shared more than 30,000 times and viewed by more than 100,000 people in just a couple of weeks.

Fujifilm X-T2 with XF27mmF2.8 – F7.1 – 1/250 second – ISO 200

 

Can you tell us what is your favourite Fujifilm camera and why?

 

Presently, I only own the Fujifilm X-T2 and am delighted with it. It is very compact, weather-sealed and has good build quality along with a perfect resolution for now. I also appreciate how it manages noise. I particularly enjoy the tilting screen feature, which allows me to get down very low or above my head. I’m keen to experiment with the GFX 50S when funds permit.

 

Which Fujinon lens or lenses do you prefer to use with your Fujifilm camera and why?

 

As I was striving for portability and universality, I’m happy with the XF18-135mm; however, recently I purchased the XF27mmF2.8 pancake lens, reducing my camera footprint to the point it fits into my pocket — which is great! Going forward, I plan to acquire the XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6, XF56mmF1.2 and XF23mmF1.4, and hope I won’t have to wait too long for this to happen.

 

What sort of workflow do you use in your photography? Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG?

 

I shoot both. The X-T2 has two SD card slots and I set it up to write RAW into one and JPG into the other — it is very handy. After copying files to my PC I do a backup onto another hard drive straight away. I always use Adobe Lightroom to process RAW files and Photoshop for editing.

Fujifilm X-T2 with XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR – F5 – 1/250 second – ISO 200

 

Do you have any technical tips you’d like to share? Perhaps suggestions on the best lighting, shutter speed, white balance, aperture, ISO, etc.? Other preferences?

 

My technical tip is for RAW conversion in Lightroom to sharpen my photos, which I was very happy with. Following extensive experimentation, I achieved the desired result. In Develop module, Details tab for XF18-135mm lens, I use the following settings: Sharpening 70-80

Radius 1.2-1.3

Detail 5

Masking 30

After this — in Camera Calibration — I switch to profile “Camera Velvia/VIVID.”

 

Do you have advice for new photographers or the next potential X-Thusiast?

 

Give it a go and never give up! Life is short and there is only one moment, which will never be repeated. It is the present — capture it! If you like to take pictures, just do it regardless of the opinions of another. I guarantee that a Fujifilm camera is the perfect tool with which to accomplish this.

 

To see more of Andrey’s work, check out his Instagram page.

 

If you or someone you know in Australia is interested in joining our X-Thusiast community, check out the full X-Thusiast Gallery and submission details here.