Just a Thought For Today

No photos today for this post. I'm heading into New York City for the Easter Parade in a little while and I was mulling over what I wanted to accomplish photographically, when I had an epiphany. I need to slow down with this new camera. There is so much I want to learn how to do with it, many features with which I need to experiment so that I can incorporate them into my shooting flow. I have a bit of an obsessive/compulsive personality. I want to to it all now, and I want it to be right the first time I do it. Never mind that I spent many years honing my skills as a documentary photographer so that I now shoot street the way I do. Never mind that my understanding of how to use my D700 took several years of experimentation to develop an intuitive feel for the camera and what it can do.

When I step out with my Fuji X-Pro 1 (which is a totally different beast from the D700) I want the same quality shots as I was already getting. The only way I'm going to be able to do that today is set the camera up with the most comfortable settings, leave it that way, and go out and shoot. I have enough to learn with just that: how to gauge distance and framing with the fixed focal length 18mm f2 lens (effectively 28mm), how to get my timing right with the autofocus (it's different - not better, not worse - just different), how to hold the camera so I'm not pushing buttons or spinning little wheels inadvertently. 

In the coming weeks there are several features on which I hope to get a handle: how to shoot 

1) with the auto ISO feature - this is a functionality that I absolutely loved on my D700

2) with the manual focus and gauge hyper focal distance

3) panoramics

4) bracketed exposures

But for today (and just for today) I want to have fun with my new toy, get some great Easter shots, and post them here - maybe even in color!