RESETTING MY FUJIFILM X-PRO2 TO ZERO

Select USER SETTING > RESET in setup menu.

I think it is important to hit the reset button once in a while. Start over. Take a step back. Evaluate. Creatively or technically. In photography, it's popular to say that it isn't about the technology or the camera, it's about the creativity. Sometimes, however, the technology can affect the creative.

I've been shooting with my Fujifilm X-Pro2 for nearly two years. Shortly after receiving the camera I wrote a blog post titled: "Fujifilm X-Pro2 Initial Settings," and that was also the last time I took a deep dive into the entirety of the camera's menu system.

During the past few months there have been several occasions where I was seeing the photograph, but struggling with capturing what I was seeing. It seemed to be a case of technology getting in the way of the creative. Something that I never experienced before with the X-Pro2.

Over time a camera setting or two can get changed, new features are added via firmware updates (4.01 as of this blog), and before you know it, it's possible the technology no longer matches the creative. Or matches how you're used to capturing the creative.

Did I change or did the camera? I felt myself falling out of love with the camera, but I wasn't ready to get divorced. The X-Pro2 is still a top of the line camera and I see no reason to leave; maybe I just need a little marriage counseling. A reset button.

So with that in mind, I reset the camera to its factory defaults. A fresh start. Next, I opened the manual and went through every setting as if I had just purchased the camera. Lastly, I revisited that blog post from 2016 and compared those settings to what I had just done. Surprisingly, they matched up, with only one exception. I now use both Electronic Shutter (ES) and Mechanical Shutter (MS) depending on the situation. Most notably when using an electronic remote cable release, the camera must be set to MS.

There is no need to run through the initial settings again, you can go back and read them, however, I do want to talk about some choices I made that weren't available in 2016 when I wrote that initial blog post.

1. Copyright info in EXIF data. This allows you to register the photographer's name and the copyright holder's name in advance so that the camera automatically adds the information to EXIF data for each image. 

I take the opportunity to add my email address instead of using my name twice.

2. Addition of "Eye Sensor + LCD Image Display" in the View Mode. This isn't an option I use all the time, but it does have some advantages, especially when shooting landscapes or if you need to compose a photograph while holding the camera away from your eye.

3. Voice Memo function. While not available during shooting, this function allows you to record a 30-second voice memo while in the playback mode. This is useful if you need to record a name or something special about a photograph without having to write it down.

Maybe, in the end, this is really more of a creative reset and I'm using the camera as an excuse. Nothing wrong with that. 

Finally, another new feature now available is support for backup/restore of camera settings via FUJIFILM X Aquire. In the future, if I want to reset, I will no longer have to return to zero, I can just return to my proven settings that match my shooting style.

A WALK IN THE PARK WITH A CAMERA

Fujifilm X100S, 1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.*

I found myself in a bit of a photographic rut recently, not on assignment, but in my personal photography. I think this happens to all of us from time to time and there are probably many reasons, however, since I'm not a psychiatrist or therapist of any kind, I won't try to analyze the why, but instead reflect a bit on how I cope. And this time, it simply took a walk in the park with my camera.

In a 2014 post titled 5 TIPS TO GET YOU OUT TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS, I shared ideas to help motivate you and get you out shooting, but this post is more about understanding that even while out shooting, sometimes it just doesn't click.

I titled this photo Santa and his Reindeer. Fujifilm X100S,1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.

I think it's important to remember that this happens to all creative people and that it's important to accept that we can't be 'on' all the time, that it really is healthy to have short periods of creative downtime. The key is to not allow those short periods to stretch into long periods and to find ways to overcome and manage these slumps so that you don't stay there or worse, give up entirely.

When I'm in a creative rut, I do what can sometimes be the hardest thing to do, grab your camera and go out. Shoot pictures. Bad pictures. Anything. It's alright because not shooting will never get you out of your rut.

The statue of Milton Hershey seems to be rising from the steam caused by unseasonable warm weather. Fujifilm X100S,1/ 30 @f2.0, ISO 320.

Back to that walk in the park. It had been a few weeks since I had taken a photo I liked and then came a two-day visit to Hershey, Pa. On the first day as I walked around downtown I could sense some creativity coming back. As I started shooting I began to see things, everyday things, things unique to Hershey, that I had been ignoring. That's the thing, you will sense when that creativity is returning. That night I resisted the urge to download the photos from that day because I didn't want to be discouraged if the results failed to meet the feeling I knew was coming back. 

The park wasn't completely empty, but the weather did keep many people away which gave the park an ominous feel. Fujifilm X100S, 1/60 @f2.8, ISO 1600.

The next night I visited Hersheypark's Christmas Candyland and somehow had a sense that I was going to get photos that I liked. There was fog, mist, and some light rain which might have dissuaded some, but experience tells me that this was the exact time I should be out shooting. And within an hour, I knew I was getting photographs that I liked. 

Once that feeling returns, you get lost in the process of making photographs and forget that you were ever in a slump. 

Fujifilm X100S,1/30 @f2.0, ISO 1600.

* All photos were taken using the Fuji X100s which has a fixed 23mm (35mm DSLR equivalent) lens. The camera was set to record both in raw and jpeg formats with a monochrome yellow preset on the jpegs. I used auto ISO, set to a maximum of 1600. While I typically shoot in aperture priority, these photos were all taken in manual mode.

GETTING CREATIVE IN THE SMOKYS

Horizontal camera swipe using a Nikon D4S with a 80-400 at 195. 1/1.7 @ f36, ISO 100.

I recently attended the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit in Townsend, Tennessee, and came away inspired to make better landscape photographs. 

I also came away with a new in-camera technique courtesy of Tony Sweet who during a group presentation titled "In-Camera Creative Techniques," talked about what he called a camera swipe.

Vertical camera swipe using a Nikon D4S with a 80-400 at 330. 1/1.7 @ f36, ISO 100.

To achieve this effect, set your shutter speed from one to two seconds, then move the camera either vertically or horizontally while the shutter is open. This gives you a very abstract or painterly effect.

For the examples seen in this post, I hand-held the camera and started the movement before I released the shutter and then continued on with the movement after the shutter had closed. I believe using this technique gave me a smoother look. I also tried to keep the camera moving in straight lines, but, of course, there is no reason why you couldn't try all kinds of movement, including a zig-zag pattern.

Vertical camera swipe using a Nikon D4S with a 80-400 at 195. 1/1.7 @ f36, ISO 100.

When planning to do the camera swipe technique I looked for straight lines, such as the trees, or bold colors of the leaves, both of which were in abundance in the Smoky Mountains. 

I also found out while scanning the landscape for the best scene in order to try out this effect, it made me concentrate on color and lines in a different way. That begins to translate well beyond a simple camera technique and can help all your photography.

Give it a try and if you like the results, don't thank me, thank Tony. Or better yet, sign up for one of his seminars or workshops and learn from the man himself.

THE RELAUNCH OF JFWPHOTO.COM

The homepage of jfwphoto.com using the Squarespace Ishimoto template.

It's taken much longer than it should have, but I relaunched jfwphoto.com using Squarespace and finally have everything in one place*.

I've been thinking about this for years and now that the new jfwphoto.com has been public for several weeks and I've had the chance to work and refine it, I'm glad that I did this and question myself as to why I waited so long.

In a subsequent blog post, I'll go into the details on why I choose Squarespace and offer some insight into the process along with my experiences in building the website, but for now, I hope you take some time to view my site, offer some feedback, and most importantly, ask questions.

Landscape gallery page using slideshow with Show Thumbnails and Show Next and Previous Controls selected. I'm still trying out various gallery styles.

If you are thinking about using Squarespace, they offer a full week 14-day free trial with no credit card required. I would also recommend you watch a few of the tutorials.

*Everything except this blog. Also, I currently have a redirect on the domain jfwphoto.com through GoDaddy. Both of these will change.

UPDATE: On October 20, 2015, Blog was incorporated into this site and Domain was switched.

HEADING OUT TO PHOTOGRAPH IN THE STORM

Snow showers in Valley Forge, Pa. The dark background gives the contrast needed for the snow to stand out.  1/25 @ f7.0, ISO 400.

What is your first thought when you hear a forecast calling for snow? If your thoughts turn to photography, then this blog post is for you. And if you are still with me, then hopefully the five suggestions below will help you capture some unique photographs.

This post is not about capturing a beautiful snow scene after the snow has stopped, it's all about capturing the scene while it is still snowing. In fact, the heavier the snow, the better the effect will be and you will come away with something different and different is a good thing when it comes to photography.

Slow shutter speed caused the snow to streak. 1/5 @ f2.8, ISO 200.

1. Before anything, be sure to protect yourself and your gear. No photograph is worth destroying your camera gear or putting yourself in harms way. Most cameras today are weather sealed, but if it is really coming down you might want to protect gear with a rain jacket. Something like a Kata Rain Cover on the higher priced side or an OP/TECH Rainsleeve (2-Pack) on the lower priced end will work. Of course so will a large plastic sandwich bag.

2. Snow, especially snow showers will play havoc with your focus so set your camera to manual focus.

3. Select a scene with a dark background. The whole point of photographing while it is still snowing is so that the snow will be visible in the photograph and a dark background will give you the contrast needed for the snow to be a prominent feature of the photograph.

Same scene as above but the faster shutter speed gives a very different look. 1/60 @ f2.8, ISO 200.

4. Choose the correct shutter speed to achieve the effect you want. A slow shutter speed will cause the snow to streak and give the scene a soft painterly effect. Too slow though and you might lose the snow altogether. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the snowflakes and you will achieve a whole new effect, almost like adding a noise filter. Of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't know, however, the point is to experiment and find just the right look.

While the slow shutter speed adds nice streaking snow, it is not readily apparent because of the lighter background. 1/30 @ f5.6, ISO 200.

5. Be aware of your depth of field and how it affects the scene. A shallow depth of field will enhance the effect of your shutter speed selection. Be careful using a deep depth of field as you might with most landscape scenes since in this case having everything in sharp focus may actually block the scene, especially in heavy snow.

So instead of just heading to the grocery store for bread and milk the next time the forecast calls for snow, get your camera gear ready and plan on heading to your favorite landscape or urban location.

After that, experiment and let your creativeness come through.