fujifilm

Getting started with flash

by Roger Payne October 15, 2015 Comments6

So how do you get on with using flash? If you’re like 90% of the world’s photographers the answer to that will be ‘pretty badly’. You’re never quite sure what it’s up to, never feel fully in control of what’s going on and are never completely happy with the results you get. And that’s a shame because, when you come to think about it, flash is the most controllable light source you have at your disposal. You can fire it when you want, put out lots of power (or very little) and you can even shape or colour the light. Just imagine what brilliant landscape photographers we’d all be if we had the same amount of control over daylight! So, flash isn’t the bad news that many photographers consider it to be, it’s simply a question of learning the functions you have at your disposal and how to bend them to your creative will.

No doubt, after the rousing words of my opening paragraph you’ll be wanting to get to grips with multiple flash set ups right from the off. But that’s a little like competing in the 100m at the Olympics before you can walk. Let’s ease you in more gently by giving you an overview of the flash features you have at your disposal on a Fujifilm X-series camera and when you might press them into service. In this particular case, I’m heading to the Flash Set-Up menu on an X-T10.

Within that menu you’ll find the Flash Mode option, which gives you five choices: Forced Flash, Slow Synchro, 2nd Curtain Sync, Commander and Suppressed Flash. The last option is perhaps the most obvious; selecting Suppressed Flash means the flash won’t fire even if it’s popped up ready for action, nor will a hot-shoe flash fire if it’s attached to the camera and switched on. But seeing as this a guide to firing the flash, we best move on.

Forced Flash is the polar opposite of Suppressed Flash. As long as the integral unit is flipped up or a hot-shoe flash is attached and switched on, the flash will fire on every shot, irrespective of how bright the light in the scene is. This may sound a little odd, but you’re actually most likely to use this mode in bright daylight for a technique called fill-in flash. This is where you ‘fill-in’ shadows – typically in a portrait – with a low powered burst of flash, which is achieved by combining Forced Flash and the Flash Compensation mode. Take a look at the two shots above. The one on the left is taken without flash. It’s OK, but the subject’s face is in shadow. By using Forced Flash and -1 Flash Compensation, we got a lower powered burst of flash that filled in the shadowy area and put a nice catchlight in our subject’s eyes.

Next on the menu is Slow Synchro, which is used to add a touch of dynamism to action images or to shoot portraits in low light conditions. Selecting this function and a slower shutter speed produces the sort of image you see above on action shots. Panning the camera during the exposure introduces the blur, but then the burst of flash momentarily freezes the subject so you get this look. The shutter speed doesn’t have to be too slow – the shot above was taken at 1/8sec, but it adds an extra dimension to your shots.

Equally, using Slow Synchro can help capture more ambient light in low light conditions. Take a straight shot with flash at night and you’ll end up with a shot like the one below left – rather dull. Use Slow Synchro and the longer exposure ensures the background appears while the flash illuminates your subject perfectly. In this case you’ll need to keep both the camera and the subject still – we’d recommend a tripod and a head brace. Ok, maybe just the tripod.

Note: It’s worth noting that Slow Synchro is only available on the menu in aperture-priority and program exposure modes. If you want to combine a slow shutter speed in shutter-priority or manual modes you still can – just switch to Forced Flash and select the shutter speed you require.

2nd Curtain Sync is another one for those who want to make movement look natural and, much like Slow Synchro is a question of combining a burst of flash with a longer shutter speed. The ‘curtain’ part of the equation refers to the camera’s shutter curtain. In any given exposure, the first curtain begins the exposure, the second curtain ends it. Typically, when you’re using flash, the flash is fired at the start of the exposure – when the first curtain moves. But switching to 2nd Curtain Sync, the flash fires at the end of the exposure. This is largely irrelevant if the exposure is a fraction of a second. But it’s important with a longer exposure. Take a look at the two shots below. For the shot on the left, the flash has fired at the start of the exposure and then the car has moved to create the blurred light effect. The trouble is, it looks as though the car has reversed. It didn’t, it moved forwards. By selecting 2nd Curtain Sync, the flash fires at the end of the exposure after the car has moved, so you get a more natural-looking effect with the blurred lights.

Note: When using 2nd Curtain Sync with a built in or hot-shoe flashgun, two bursts of flash will fire. The first at the beginning of the exposure, is purely designed for the camera to get an exposure assessment and does not effect the actual exposure. The second flash, at the end of the exposure, is the one that actually illuminates the subject.

Finally, we have the Commander mode, where you can use the camera’s integral flash to fire a second flash away from the camera. This is used for more creative on-location effects, like the one below. It’s simple enough to do and produces professional looking results.

So that’s the top line when it comes to shooting flash. Hopefully, this top-line introduction has armed you with enough information to start getting to grips with the flash modes you have available. But we’ll be going into more detail on each of these techniques in subsequent blogs over the next few weeks.

Filed under Photography Tutorials

Five wedding photographers who made ‘The Switch’

by Fujifilm EMEA October 7, 2015 Comments13

So you’re thinking about making the switch to a Fujifilm mirrorless system. You’ve read the reviews, watched the videos and listened to people tell you how their experience of shooting weddings has changed since they halved the weight they carry around for 14 hours every Saturday. They might have also mentioned how much time they have saved with post processing due to the quality of Fujifilm’s JPG files. Or how many candid shots they are getting now since they blend in with the other guests.

But you’re still not sure.

Let these five professional wedding photographers tell you about their experience of making the switch.

If they can do it, why can’t you?

Ian Weldon – Ian Weldon Photography

“I had my Canon 5D II in my bag and a 580 EX-II Speedlight, just in case. My head was spinning all day and I must have opened that bag 3 or 4 times and had to force myself to not take the ‘easy way out’.”

“After that day, nearly 4 years ago, I’ve never used anything other than Fuji cameras for my wedding work. Light, inconspicuous and all round pretty cool. What more could a documentary style wedding photographer need?”

“80% of my wedding work is shot with the X-Pro1 and 18mm f2 and the rest, mostly dancing shots, are with the X-T1 and 18mm f2. I do switch to the 35mm f1.4 on occasion for that extra bit of reach and use a Nissin i40 flash with sync chord. That’s it, liberating!”

See more of Ian’s work

Website: http://www.ianweldon.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ian-Weldon-Photography-124854627581367/timeline/ & https://www.facebook.com/ian.h.weldon
IG – @ianjweldon
ello – https://ello.co/ianjweldon
tumblr – http://ianweldon.tumblr.com

Paul Richards – Albion Row Photography

“I first used Fuji at a wedding way back with the original X-Pro & 35mm in July 2013, originally using it alongside a DSLR. I loved it, but it wasn’t until 2014 and the purchase of an X-T1 along with the 23mm & 56mm that the system really took over my wedding photography.”

“The Canon 5d3 was rather swiftly retired; there’s a lot that I love about the Fuji system but for me the main eye-opener that changed the way I work is the tilt-screen. I shoot weddings in a documentary fashion and the tilt-screen has become a firm favourite of mine. I love being able to move among guests in tight receptions with a wide-angle prime and the ability to shoot with the back screen as a waist level viewfinder. I get so many shots without people noticing I am there and without the intimidation of a camera raised to the eye. I can get closer and make shots with a feeling of intimacy and of being there – with a guest’s eye perspective.”

“For a wedding photojournalist I think the combination of image quality, ease of use, discretion and weight (or lack of!) that the Fuji system offers is outstanding. Nowadays I shoot with 3 X-T1 bodies and mostly the 16mm f1.4, the 35mm f1.4 and the 90mm f2 lenses and I am immensely happy with the system as a whole.”

See more of Paul’s work

Website: http://www.albionrow.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weddingphotocornwall
Paul has also written a couple of blog posts about his switch that you can find here and here.

Lord Parker – Lord Parker Photography

“I switched from Nikon to Fuji in the latter half of 2014, after Damien Lovegrove advised me this was the future. I’m a disabled Photographer, so the weight of the DSLR has always been a problem by causing me to be more unbalanced.”

“When I switched to the Fuji X-T1 I was astonished by the weight of the camera and the images that were coming out of it, in my opinion superior straight out of the camera compared with the Nikon. The Fuji X-System has really helped me with my disability, no more arm aches and back ache”

“I shoot all my weddings using nothing more than the Fuji X-T1 and the X-Pro 1 with the 27mm, 18mm and the 16-55mm lenses. I don’t use flash, unless I’m getting creative after the wedding with a Cactus for some off camera flash work, I find that the ambient light, a low F-Stop and an ISO of 6400 is easily manageable.”

See more of Lord Parker’s work

Website: http://lord-parker.co.uk

Steve and Samantha Vaughan – SSV Photography

“We are documentary style wedding photographers, based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Our style is to photograph the whole day, from preparation to well past the first dance. We starting using Fuijfilm X-series equipment a couple of years ago, to lighten the load on a long wedding shoot, but to also make us less obvious during the day.”

“With our DSLR gear, we found guests would pose and point at us. Using our 2 X-T1’s and X100T we are able to mingle with the guests and take natural, relaxed images. It is truly liberating to shoot a whole wedding with just a small shoulder bag, two bodies and 4 lenses.”

“The image quality from our X equipment is fantastic, as are the lenses. We are totally committed to Fujifilm equipment now.”

See more of Steve and Samantha’s work

Website: http://www.ssvphotography.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SSVPhotography
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BicesterPhotos
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stevevaughanssv/

Mike Riley – Michael Riley Photography

“I’ve been a commercial photographer for a while now but have recently decided to start offering a documentary style wedding coverage. I’ve thought about it before but I’ve always resisted as I’ve never liked the wedding pictures I’ve seen in the past – all grip and grin, faked smiles and endless group shots which don’t tell you anything other than what people wore on the day.”

“As a contrast to the highly technical staged commercial studio work I do I want to tell stories. To tell stories I have to be in the middle of the action or at least very close to it and so when picking kit to do this with I settled on the Fuji X system.”

“I already had an X-Pro1 for personal use and the quality was fantastic – so good in fact that its sometimes hard to match the jpg quality with a RAW edit. The X-T1 I’ve added to the kit bag now is even better as it its a more responsive in use and is completely silent with the electronic shutter allowing me to be stood right next to the registrar or vicar and shooting without them knowing about it.”

“I can be right in the middle of the action capturing the story of the day without people stopping and gurning at the lens. Because of the small size of the kit I can move fast and easily and not worry about a massive lump of glass and metal swinging around as I move. I’ve shot one wedding this way so far and look forward to many more.”

See more of Mike’s work
Website: http://www.michaelrileyphotography.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikerileyphotography
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MRileyPhoto
Instagram: https://instagram.com/michaelrileyphotography/

Filed under Be Inspired Photography Reportage Wedding

Speed, smoke and adrenaline – putting the Fujifilm X-T1 to the test

by Fujifilm EMEA September 29, 2015 Comments8

By Jordan Butters

I first fell into motorsport photography almost by accident, through an interest in the competitive motorsport of ‘drifting’. Having tried my hand at driving in the sport for a brief spell, I hung up my race helmet and picked up a camera.

For the uninitiated – drifting is like all the best bits of a race rolled into one; the close calls, the smoke, the sliding, the excitement and the crashes. Competitors have to ‘drift’ powerful rear wheel drive cars around a predefined series of corners at high speed and angle according to criteria set out by three judges – this is often done in ‘tandem’ with another car for added excitement! I’ve photographed everything from historic classics to rallying and GT racing and, if anything, you have to have your wits about you more when shooting drifting than any of the above – it’s without a doubt one of the most exciting, emotional and unpredictable motorsports to spectate and photograph. There’s never a dull moment.

This year I was hired as the official photographer for the Extreme Drift Allstars series – a six-stop championship that tours across Europe showcasing the best drivers on the continent on some truly interesting and challenging circuits. The demands of the job, and shooting drifting specifically, are pretty hard on the kit that I use. My camera and lenses need to be durable, reliable, and perform without fault. Autofocus speed is critical, as is the ability to take a knock or two and stand up to the environment.

There’s rarely an event that passes when I don’t get covered in bits of rubber, dirt, dust, champagne (from the podium, of course!), pelted with debris, or find myself ducking for cover! Shooting track-side isn’t to be taken lightly, and the consequences for not being on your toes at all times are severe. My images are used for PR and marketing purposes, so I have to work fast and efficiently to capture, process and output work that represents the series and drivers in the best possible light. When Fujifilm approached me and asked me to put the X-T1 Graphite Edition, XF50-140mm F2.8R LM OIS WR and XF16-55mm F2.8R LM WR lenses through a test of speed and durability I knew exactly the circumstances to do so in!

My usual kit comprises of one or two full frame professional DSLRs, a 70-200mm f/2.8, and a selection of fast prime lenses. Straight away, my bag is noticeably lighter with the X-T1 in place of my usual DSLR setup. When using the 50-140mm and running the camera in High Performance Mode I find the VG-XT1 Vertical Battery Grip a welcome addition – not only does it increase the number of frames you can squeeze off before a recharge, it also balances the weight of the light X-T1 body with the bigger lens too. I always carry my little X100S with me when travelling too, and I’d previously tested the X-T1 with the excellent XF 23mm f/1.4 R while shooting street photography in Budapest last year and was very impressed with how it coped. The X-T1’s recent v4 firmware and autofocus upgrades intrigued me further – how would it fare when shooting fast action?

Before hitting the track I set the X-T1 up to suit my style of shooting. Most of my on-track images are taken in shutter-priority mode, which allows me to control the shutter speed to dictate the level of motion blur in the image. Setting this up on the X-T1 is easy – simply rotate the lens aperture ring to ‘A’ and then select the shutter speed using the top dial. The front control wheel by your right index finger then fine-tunes the shutter speed in ⅓ stop increments. Depending on the speed of the corner I’m shooting, around 1/250sec to 1/320sec is ideal to freeze a car approaching, whilst retaining motion in the wheels to avoid it looking parked.

I use back-button focusing with my DSLR as it allows me to switch between how I focus easily. I managed to set the X-T1 in a similar fashion, however it requires setting the camera to Manual Focus to decouple focusing from the shutter button. I then simply press the AF-L button once for single shot AF, hold it down for continuous focus or don’t press it at all if I want to manually focus – all independent of the metering and capture functions which are still taken care of by the shutter button. However, this doesn’t behave in exactly the same fashion on the X-T1 as I’m used to, as when depressing the shutter button and AF-L buttons simultaneously I found that only the first shot was in focus. I’ve found that all cameras require at least some form of adjusting to, so this wasn’t a huge deal, and is hopefully something that Fujifilm can look at in a future firmware update. Reverting back to focusing using the traditional shutter button half-press to focus, the camera acted exactly as expected.

Attaching the 50-140mm to the X-T1, the first thing that I noticed was the nice little touch of having a small window in the lens hood through which to adjust a circular polariser. I use a CPL 95% of the time and having to remove the lens hood each time to adjust it is a pain! The second thing that impressed me about this lens is the speed and accuracy at which the AF locks on. There is very little discernible difference between the X-T1 and my DSLR in this regard.

When tracking cars coming towards me at speed the X-T1 performs flawlessly, only thrown off balance when flare bounces off the car’s surface, or when presented with a low-contrast area. What really surprises me is how quickly any AF misjudgments are quickly corrected by the camera too. The X-T1 rattles off frames at an impressive 8 frames per second and the AF would only lose track for a single frame, or two at most, before locking back on. At the levels of magnification offered by this focal length any slight inaccuracy is amplified, but this lens and camera combination knocks it out of the park – the results are tack-sharp. Colour me impressed.

Tracking using the EVF was one area that concerned me before trying the X-T1. It’s obviously not quite the same as tracking through an optical viewfinder, but it’s as close as you’ll get and doesn’t cause a problem. Both traditional optical viewfinders and the X-T1’s electronic viewfinder go dark when firing the shutter, which makes tracking a car whilst shooting an acquired skill, as you lose line of sight momentarily every time an image is recorded. I don’t know if it’s possible, but if Fujifilm’s engineers could program in a way to keep the EVF always live whilst the image is being recorded then the X-T1’s viewfinder would snatch the advantage away from the traditional optical viewfinder for shooting sports!

Using AF-C + Single Point for my initial tests worked well, but relied upon my ability to track the car with a single AF point, set to the smallest possible size for accuracy. I was keen to see what the X-T1 could do in some of the more automatic AF tracking modes.

Switching to AF-C + Zone mode, I am able to select the area of the frame that I want to track the car in, perfect for compositions when the car is outside of the 3×3 central zone used in AF-C + Single mode. Panning the cars as they pass side-on, the AF system doesn’t have to work too hard as they maintain a constant speed and line and the distance between myself and the car doesn’t change much, however I can see that it’s doing its job as the AF points track the car as it shifts around the frame. Adjusting my position so that I shoot the cars approaching and passing offers more of a challenge to the AF system, and slowing down the shutter speed to capture more motion blur tests my panning technique too. By keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, locking your elbows into your hips and rotating just the top half of your body, you’ll soon start to see consistent results when panning, and you can start to have fun by playing with really slow shutter speeds.

Shooting with the 16-55mm is fast and accurate. Wider focal lengths tend to be more forgiving than telezooms when it comes to AF accuracy; as the subject is smaller in the frame any misfocusing is less easily noticed, however even zoomed right in it’s clear to see that the 16-55mm isn’t struggling.

The long end of the 16-55mm is perfect for those parts of circuit which permit me to get that bit closer, whereas the wide end is ideal for capturing the cars as part of the environment, for shooting the interiors of the cars as the driver buckles in, or when I’m lucky enough to get a passenger ride during the practice sessions!

I always look to capture more than cars sliding around the track – when I deliver a set of images I want to record the details and the emotion of racing too. Shooting on the startline is something that you can’t really do in many other motorsports, but with drifting I’m literally able to poke my lens into a driver’s window as he sits waiting for the light to turn green. It’s where I produce some of my favourite work; all the driver’s anticipation and emotion shows in their eyes, however it’s also very challenging to capture strong images here. You have just seconds with each driver before you have to be clear of the car, so being prepared with the right settings is crucial. Some cars are very dark inside whereas some are bright white and bounce the light around. Sometimes you’re shooting through the sloping windscreen glass while adjusting a polariser too – this makes judging the exposure settings beforehand tricky.

This was one area where the X-T1 delivered some really surprising results, all thanks to the EVF. Setting the 50-140mm lens to f/2.8 and selecting ISO 800 generates a fast enough shutter speed in most circumstances while retaining good image quality. I’m not bothered about blowing highlights or blocking areas of shadow for these images, and my exposure is based purely on the driver’s skin and eyes. With the EVF to my eye, I move into position as I adjust the exposure compensation dial until I see the results I want and press the shutter. The EVF helps me get it right on the first take without reviewing the LCD, adjusting and reshooting. I don’t even have to check the screen afterwards as I know what I’ve captured before I even press the shutter – perfect!

While I was already a big fan of the X-T1 as an all-round performer, I was apprehensive to shoot motorsport with it. My primary concern was autofocus performance, however the X-T1 quickly settled any reservations I had. The XF50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR really impressed, and the X-T1’s EVF simply cannot be faulted for helping you get the shot right first time in tricky conditions. While the X-T1’s control layout is incredibly intuitive and ergonomically pleasing to use, it did take me some time to adjust to its traits and quirks, but this is true of any camera. After a day or two shooting with it, I got faster and better with it, and before long was getting the same results that I’m using to getting with my regular kit.

My secondary concern revolved around using such a small and light camera in an environment which I know to be tough on kit, but the X-T1 rolled with the punches and stood up to everything I threw at it just as well as any pro DSLR I’ve used.

Size definitely isn’t everything, and the X-T1 is not to be underestimated!

TO SEE MORE OF JORDAN’S WORK

Website www.jordanbutters.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jordanbuttersphoto
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jordanbutters
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jordanbutters

Click here to find retailers selling the Fujifilm X-T1

Click here to find retailers selling the Fujifilm XF16-55mm

Click here to find retailers selling the Fujifilm XF50-140mm

Filed under Be Inspired Photography Sport

Press photographer & Canon user David Hedges shoots Glastonbury with the Fujifilm X-T1

by Guest Blogger September 25, 2015 Comments17

By David Hedges

Revelers watch the sun rise from the Stone Circle as Glastonbury Festival comes to an end at Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 29 2015.

Like the cliche of many photographers, I got into taking pictures by means of my dad letting me have a go on his camera, which he then struggled to get back. I ended up taking photography all the way to University, doing a degree course at The University of Plymouth and graduating with a first in 2011. I was lucky enough (and through spending my summers doing work experience at local papers) to be offered a job coming out of university for South West News Service (SWNS), one of the largest agencies in the UK, and for the last four years that’s where I’ve been, covering news and features for the national papers.

One of the highlights of being a press photographer in the South West of England is having the opportunity to shoot Glastonbury Festival each year. If ever there was an event that you could fill your entire photography portfolio within a matter of days, this would be it. Everything from portraits, to music, to all the quirky stuff that happens there, it’s a photographers dream. The last few years I had been shooting on my Canon gear, and believe me, after 5 days of lugging it around a mud strewn festival site that spans the size of a small City, you start to feel it. So this year I planned something different, I thought I would try using the Fujifilm X-T1 system to cover the festival. Armed with the X-T1, 16-55mm 2.8, 56mm 1.2, 50-140mm 2.8 and the 23mm 1.4, I took to the, for the most part, sunny fields of Glastonbury for one of the biggest festivals of the year.

Revelers enjoy the Friday night atmosphere at Glastonbury Festival on Worthy Farm, Somerset. After a deluge of rain, the sun broke through for the headliners. June 26 2015.

Arcadia bursts into life as revelers enjoy the Friday night atmosphere at Glastonbury Festival on Worthy Farm, Somerset. After a deluge of rain, the sun broke through for the headliners. June 26 2015.

A dressed up woman poses for a photograph as revelers start to make their way home as Glastonbury Festival comes to an end at Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 29 2015.

The first obvious thing I noticed was just how light the little X-T1 was, even when paired with a long, fast zoom. It made light work of the arrival shots, which was of course the somewhat predictable shots of guys and girls arriving with too many bags and crates of booze.

Revelers arrive at Glastonbury Festival 2015. June 24 2015.

That evening, it was a trip up to the stone circle as thousands of people watched the sun set over the massive site by the Glastonbury sign. I tried out a few panoramas here using the built-in mode on the X-T1, which worked perfectly and really gave a good sense of scale to the site, which is the size of a town!

The sun sets over the festival site on the first evening of Glastonbury 2015. June 24 2015.

Throughout the rest of the festival, it was a classic mix of music and colour shots. Come rain, shine, night or day I was out and about with the camera. And, the size & weight of the camera really meant I didn’t feel like crawling into my tent for a rest. Well, at least not until the wee hours of the morning. I was also blown away by the quality of the images produced as well. For a non full frame camera it was fantastic in low light with very usable high ISOs, and when it came to editing some of the built in film emulation presets made it easy to give a stylised look to the images.

Edvinas Meilutis performs various flips as revelers relax at the Stone Circle as the sun sets at Glastonbury Festival 2015, on Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 25 2015.

Florence and the Machine performs on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival 2015, on Worthy Farm, Somerset. Florence was moved up the running order due to the Foo Fighters having to drop out. June 26 2015.

The who perform on the Pyramid Stage to close the festival at Glastonbury Festival on Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 28 2015.

After using the camera and lenses for the best part of a week, I found my favourite lens to be a fight between the 16-55mm and the 56mm. But the 16-55 might have just stolen the show with its weather sealing. It was much needed come the Friday when the heavens opened for the first of two deluges that weekend. I was confident enough that the camera and lens wouldn’t give up, even though the rain really was coming down and the mud started to build up in true Glastonbury style.

Two girls shelter under a shop sign as heavy rain descends at Glastonbury Festival 2015, on Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 26 2015.

I think the key to photographing Glastonbury is to approach it with an open mind. There are pictures everywhere you look. Interesting people, music, and just the vast site that the festival is based on. Having a camera with you at all times means you’ll never miss a shot and that’s what I really loved about the Fuji system. I could carry around a body and a couple of lenses and not feel like I needed a trip to the chiropractor afterwards. Oh, and of course the main thing to remember when covering Glastonbury…wellies. NEVER forget your wellies.

Revelers play in the mud as the sun comes out, following an hour of heavy rain at Glastonbury Festival 2015, on Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 26 2015.

If you would like to see more of my work, please visit:

Twitter: @dhphotography
Instagram: @pressphoto
Web: www.davidhedgesphotography.com

Revelers begin to head home through a sea of rubbish near the Pyramid Stage as Glastonbury Festival comes to an end at Worthy Farm, Somerset. June 29 2015.

Filed under Be Inspired Photography Portrait Reportage

Making the switch – Why these three professional photographers choose Fujifilm X

by Fujifilm EMEA September 17, 2015 Comments10

Recently we teamed up with Amateur Photographer (AP) to create an experience day for 60 of their lucky readers.

While we were there we interviewed our three guest speakers and asked them all to tell own story as to how they made the switch to Fujifilm. Check out what made Damien Lovegrove, Matt Hart and Paul Sanders switch to the Fujifilm system, and also what has made them stay using it.

Damien Lovegrove

Portrait & lighting guru Damien Lovegrove talks about how he made the switch to the Fujifilm system and how using the smaller system helps him connect more with his subject. Can you guess which Fujifilm camera first caught his eye?

To see more of Damien’s work, click here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-fQ-vclAZo

Matt Hart

Street & event photographer Matt Hart tells his system switching story and praises the benefits of using the Fujifilm cameras; from the exposure previewing LCD screen, to the discrete ergonomics and quality of the final imagery.

To see more of Matt’s work, click here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okc-WE3BLvQ

Paul Sanders

Former Picture Editor of The Times Paul Sanders explains how DSLRs created a barrier between him and the landscape and how using the smaller Fujifilm system brought back his passion for shooting. Not only that, he also shares some excellent philosophy to shooting pictures.

To see more of Paul’s work, click here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOX5I7B542k

The day itself was a perfect opportunity for Amateur Photographer readers to get hands-on with the Fujifilm X system and to learn from our very own Fujifilm X-Photographers. Throughout the day, multiple workshop sessions were held, allowing the experienced professionals to pass on their photographic tips & tricks covering long exposure landscapes, single light portraiture to the in-the-moment street photography.

To read more about the day, please visit AP’s website.

Filed under Be Inspired Interviews Landscape / Cityscape / Seascape Portrait Street

Tutorial: Understanding exposure & using it creatively

by Fujifilm EMEA September 15, 2015 Comments9

What is “Exposure”?

We’ve all taken them – an amazing once-in-a-lifetime photo but when we look closer, the photo is too dark or too bright or the subject doesn’t pop enough. A properly “exposed” photo will show details in both the lighter and darker areas of a photo AND show the subject and background in proper focus.

Exposure can be defined as the amount of light that enters the front of the lens and hits the sensor of your camera.

There are 3 elements that determine the correct Exposure and they are heavily dependent on each other – ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture. There are many combinations of these 3 elements that can produce a correctly exposed photo BUT the “effect” of each combination will drastically impact the creative look of the photo. Let’s look at each element.

ISO = Film speed

If you’re old enough to remember using a film camera, you would have bought various “speeds” of film depending on the lighting conditions you were shooting in. ISO determines how sensitive the camera is to incoming light.

Today’s digital cameras allow you to adjust the ISO (aka film speed) either through an ISO dial or through the menu system. The downsides of using a high ISO is that the photo will become “grainy” or noisy. It might be properly exposed but it will not be as sharp.

Generally, you don’t need to fiddle with ISO, as it has the least effect on the creative side of your image out of the 3 elements. To minimise the grainy effect simply set your maximum AUTO ISO to 1600 through your menu system and your photos should never appear grainy. Or if you prefer, you can also set your ISO to a specific number like 200 or 400 and adjust the other 2 elements to get the correct exposure. You may need to use a higher ISO if you have manually set the other 2 elements and your camera is still warning your photo is underexposed. Most cameras have the capability to shoot at ISO 12,800 or higher if needed, but generally you are ok at ISO 3200 before you will see any “noise”.

Aperture = Focus Depth of Field

We’ve all seen them. Those professional looking photos of Aunt May where only she is in focus and the background is blurry. This is easily achieved by adjusting the Aperture setting on your camera. Aperture is the amount of light that can pass through the camera lens and determines how much of a photo will be in focus (called depth of field).

Depth of field example

Click here to learn more about Depth of Field

Setting the correct Aperture setting (called f-stop) will provide you with the desired effect for your photo. BEFORE you set the Aperture you need to know what type of “effect” you want depending on what scene you are shooting.

Aperture blades at different f/stops

If you are shooting a landscape, for example, you will want to have everything in focus so an F-stop of F8 or higher should be used. If you are shooting close-ups or portraits, you will want to blur out the background to make the subject stand out so you should use the lowest F-stop your lens allows like F2.8 or F1.4. Or if you are shooting in low light, you will need as much light as possible so an F-Stop like F2.8 will be adequate. Each lens you use will have different F-stop ranges so be sure you use the right lens depending on what you are shooting.

Shutter Speed = Controls motion

Next to Aperture, Shutter Speed is probably the next element that you will adjust the most. Shutter Speed is defined as how long the sensor is exposed to the light and scene you are shooting. The longer the exposure (slower shutter speed), the more light that hits the sensor and the more movement will be captured. The shorter the exposure (faster shutter speed), the less light and less movement will be captured.

Shutter Speed comes into play mostly when you are shooting moving objects OR low light scenes. Again, you will need to determine beforehand what kind of “effect” you want your photo to show. If you are shooting a moving object like your child playing soccer or a friend playing badminton, you can “freeze” the action by selecting a high shutter speed of 1/500 or faster.

11417774_10155657707360534_6520493767888390111_o — Fast shutter speed used to freeze the movement in the image.

Likewise, if you are shooting a moving object like a flowing water, you can show “movement” by selecting a slow shutter speed of ½ second or even longer with the use of a tripod.

Slow shutter speed used to increase movement and create a fog-like water effect.

You can even use a slow shutter speed to help capture the drama in an image by panning with the subject as you take the shot.

11952734_10156017990690534_1081162171390231172_o (1) — Shutter speed set to: 1/40 – image taken whilst panning with the car.

Or if you are shooting low light scenes, like a night sky, where fast moving objects is not an issue, you can select a slow shutter speed of 1 to 30 seconds with the use of a tripod. You can also use slow shutter speeds to create light trails from cars and other similar light sources.

10460865_10155080157000534_7647043384773184242_o — Slow shutter speed used to capture the light trails from car headlights

Keep in mind, that slow shutter speeds will usually require a tripod as even the smallest hand movement will cause a blurry image. General rule for hand holding, is to take the focal length you are shooting at, say 100mm, and use the reciprocal number for the min shutter speed 1/(focal length) or 1/100. Any slower, and chances are you will get a blurry picture.

One of the hardest photos to take is an action shot in low light, like your child’s school play. You will need a fast shutter speed to “freeze” the action and prevent “blur” due to camera shake so an f-stop like F2.8 or lower is required to allow as much light in as possible. In this instance, you may need to increase the ISO setting to ensure the photo is properly exposed up to 1600 or higher.

How do you know if your scene is properly exposed BEFORE you shoot? Most of our Fujifilm cameras will either show on the LCD screen the shutter speed or aperture settings you have selected in RED if it’s not exposed properly. OR your LCD screen will actually preview the exposure on the LCD screen itself before you shoot.

We know that this topic is probably one of the hardest ones to get your head around at first, but don’t worry, you definitely will and it’ll be sooner than you think!

Happy snapping! 🙂

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