Category: Be Inspired

A collection of inspirational blog posts that will give you some great new ideas and cause you to pick up your camera and go out shooting

Fujifilm X Magazine – Issue 1 reader images 2/3

X-series users from across the globe share their finest images and the stories behind them

Here’s a few more users’ images published in our Fujifilm X Magazine. If you would like to see your images in our magazine, and if you’re an X-series user, we’d love to see your shots. Email your images, along with details of the story behind them and some information about you and your photography to: xmagazine@bright-publishing.com

 

MATTHEW HART – FESTIVAL TIME

MATTHEW HART
Camera: X100 Lens: 23mm fixed
Exposure: 1/1250sec at f/5.6, ISO 250

I had a press pass for the Africa Oyé festival and this image was taken from the press pit. The event is the largest African music festival in Europe and is held every year at Sefton Park in Liverpool. This lady was just dancing in the crowd, so I grabbed a shot then processed the resulting image using Adobe Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2.

I’ve been blown away by the X100, not only does it look great but it’s all you need when you are out and about. I’ve been so impressed with the image quality that I sold all my Nikon DX bodies and lenses. It really is that good!”

http://www.lighttraveler.co.uk

ALAN FEGENT – VICTOIRE

ALAN FEGENT
Camera: X20 Lens: Zoom at 28mm
Exposure: 1/1000sec at f/2.2, ISO 100

I’ve owned an X20 for a couple of months and it has put the fun back into my photography. I always want to go out and shoot more! It offers a 1:1 format, which I like to use on my portraits, plus I love the fact that it’s both small and light but doesn’t limit my creativity in any way.

Victoire is my partner’s grand-daughter. For portraits like this, I prefer to work like a photojournalist, trying to seize the moment. I just left her to have fun while I took photographs using the available light – I wanted her to completely forget about me and the camera.

I try to keep post-production to a minimum. Here I used Lightroom 5 to convert the Raw file and Color Efex Pro 4 to add the contrast and colour.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanfegent/

MICHAEL GREENE – HOME FROM CALIFORNIA

Michael Greene
Camera: X100 Lens: 23mm fixed
Exposure: 1/250sec at f/2, ISO 640

This is my son’s friend Tommy who had just returned from an extended trip to California. I wanted to get an image of his tattoo, but didn’t want just a record of the artwork. This guy has a beautiful form and his face is classic. I realised while looking through the viewfinder that parts of all those elements just looked right. The shot I took afterwards, with his face in it, isn’t half as compelling to look at.

As soon as the X100 was announced, I sold the digital camera I was using. I don’t need program modes and I don’t need the camera to do the thinking for me; give me an f/stop, shutter speed and ISO control and that’s it. I have the X100 with me all the time – that’s no exaggeration. The camera is built well and stands up to daily use; I don’t baby it. The image quality is just amazing, too – there’s a lustre to the photos that I really can’t describe, it just fits with how I see the world.

http://www.thesleepingimage.com

Fujifilm X Magazine – Issue 1 reader images 1/3

X-series users from across the globe share their finest images and the stories behind them

Here’s a selection of users’ images published in our Fujifilm X Magazine. If you would like to see your images in our magazine, and if you’re an X-series user, we’d love to see your shots. Email your images, along with details of the story behind them and some information about you and your photography to: xmagazine@bright-publishing.com

 

VICENTE DASÍ LÓPEZ – STROLLING WITH MY X100

VICENTE DASÍ LÓPEZ
Camera: X100 Lens: 23mm fixed
Exposure: 1/250sec at f/2, ISO 640

Vicente won his X100 in a Fujifilm-sponsored competition. “The theme was street photography and I entered an image taken in Valencia using my X10,” he says.

Now that I’ve got the camera, I often go walking around Valencia and take it with me; that’s where I took this image. I find the X100 is really comfortable to carry and delivers excellent results with the high-performance Fujinon lens; it’s perfect on detailed subjects like this. There’s very little noise when working with high ISO settings and I like the way the controls are distributed – the design helps me enjoy taking every shot and encourages my creativity.

http://vdlfotografo.blogspot.com.es/

 

BERND TWIEST – DUNCAN

BERND TWIEST
Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: XF 35mm f/1.4R
Exposure: 1/125sec at f/1.4, ISO 200

This is my dog, Duncan. It was one of the first shots I took when I went out testing my new X-Pro1 in a forest near our home in Holland.

I love black & white photography, even more than colour. This image was taken using the Monochrome Film Simulation mode and I tweaked the colour temperature in Adobe Lightroom to give the image a real vintage look.

The X-Pro1’s size and weight are crucially important to me. My health limits how much photography I can do and if the camera was too heavy, I wouldn’t be able to take pictures at all. I also like the image quality – the pictures are sharp straight out of the camera. 90 per cent of the time, I shoot JPEG instead of Raw because the quality is that good. The ISO performance is magnificent, too

I don’t feel scared to push it to ISO 6400.

 

SHANEA GAIGER – FRECKLES AND SPECKLES

SHANEA GAIGER
Camera: X-S1 Lens: Zoom at 55mm
Exposure: 1/160sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

This is my daughter Derryn who has for a long time had some severe body dysmorphic issues. We had talked about a ‘demon-confronting’ shoot for a long time and the idea was to create a few images of her without make up, without retouching, just using natural light, so she could see how beautiful she actually was, despite her own feelings. It worked, so well, in fact, that she gained enough confidence to take up modelling as a part-time hobby.

I moved to the X-S1 from an S100FS and it feels much more solid and produces better results. I was recently asked to do a basic photography lesson with a young autistic lad interested in photography and we used the X-S1. He had never attempted to use a ‘real’ camera before but he found it really easy to get to grips with and by the end of the day he was talking about buying one himself.”

http://harpyimages.deviantart.com 

What to shoot in November – Longer wintry nights

Remember, remember, there’s plenty to shoot in November! Don’t put your camera into hibernation just when the nights are drawing in – try our pick of this month’s most photogenic events

Couple walking in night lights.
Australian seascape at sunrise
Starry sky in winter
Manhattan
Boats on shore of Lake Motosu with Mount Fuji in background

The end of October saw the clocks shuffle backwards by an hour across the whole of Europe, giving early risers a little more daylight, and earlier sunsets at the end of the day. Don’t be disheartened by the encroaching dark or use it as an excuse to hang up your camera until the spring, though – there’s plenty to shoot in these shorter days. For starters, why not try your hand at some low-light photography? Before you even leave the building, do a little planning.

Think about where you’d like to shoot, and be sure to tell someone where you’re headed – or better still, convince an equally shutter-happy friend to come along for the ride.

Don’t let your quest for the perfect shot get in the way of personal safety, and be sensible about where you plan to stop and take pictures. Cities and remote landscapes alike can be beautiful once the sun’s gone down, but they can be scary and potentially dangerous as well – so be safe.

Low-light landscape pictures can be incredibly impressive, but getting a great shot when there’s little light around is a real challenge – longer shutter speeds are essential, so make sure you’ve got a tripod or other support on hand to ensure pin-sharp details. Keep your ISO setting low and set a shutter speed of around 15 seconds to capture as much light as you can. Set your lens as wide as possible and ensure your aperture’s also as wide as it can go, which will help to retain details and make the most of available light. Adjust your camera’s white-balance to change the mood of the image: you might find that cooler, bluer tones give you more of a midnight feel, so don’t forget to experiment while you have the chance.

Want to capture a lifelike scene at dusk? You could always test-drive the built-in HDR feature on most X-series cameras to layer exposures and achieve as much detail as possible in your final image. And if your dramatic sunset landscape has turned out cloudy, try using the X-series’ Film Simulation modes to shoot a moody black & white twilight scene with real drama in the skies above. Most importantly, don’t forget to take a torch, keep a spare camera battery cosy in your pocket and wrap up warm, because the more comfortable you are, the more you’ll enjoy your low-light shoot.

First frost

First FrostIf the month lives up to its reputation we’re in for chilly mornings – but this means beautiful images of finely-detailed frost for you. Get close to the fronds of plants in your garden, or seek out a frozen cobweb for a glorious late-autumn shimmer. Just head out around sunrise before any thaw and don’t forget your gloves!

Winter wildlife

Winter wildlifeWild creatures are readying themselves for the rigours of winter, so this time of year is an ideal opportunity to see beasts out and about collecting their food. If you’re a fan of feathered subjects, try setting up a feeding station in your garden and see what local birds you can lure in front of longer lenses like the XF 55-200mm.

Christmas lights

Christmas lightsThe big switch-on seems to happen earlier every year – but that just means more time for shooting the decorations! Larger towns and cities become a festive light show, but make sure you time your shooting for twilight so there’s still some blue in the sky – it’s this contrast of natural and man-made light that will make your shots sparkle.

Festive markets

Festive marketsWith Christmas just around the corner, you’ll find festive markets aplenty in your local towns and villages. Seasonal crafts, twinkling decorations, cheerful crowds and a variety of unusual foods present ideal subjects, and if you’re shooting handheld, remember to switch your Optical Image Stabilisation on for sharper shots.

Traffic trails

Traffic TrailsLong exposures change the way you see the world, and a great example is when shooting the rush hour. Using a shutter speed of around 10 seconds turns crawling cars into an amazing stream of light and with its shortened days November is the perfect time to try it out – you can even shoot a few on your way home from work.