How The XP1 Is Making Me A Better Photographer

I'd like to start today's blog with a quote from Magnum photographer Alex Webb, talking about his work: 'Luck - or perhaps serendipity - plays a big role ... But you never know what is going to happen. And what is most exiting is when the utterly unexpected happens, and you manage to be there at the right place at the right time - and push the shutter at the right moment. Most of the time it doesn't work out that way. This kind of photography is 99.9% about failure.' 

This quote speaks to so much of what I have put forward in many of my previous blog entries. To be there at the right place and time, you have to be out on the street, a lot. Moving, looking, anticipating, planning. And you have to have your camera with you and ready to fire. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I've gotten poked and prodded so many times by friends' jabs at me for always having my camera with me. Now here's the thing - the size, weight, and inconspicuousness of the XP1 make it so easy to have with me all the time that there's no excuse not to. 

The D700 was an entirely different beast. When I was out with my D700 I always had the shutter set to continuous/high mode so that when I saw something interesting I could fire off a series of exposures - that's the machine gun syndrome. It worked well with the camera and lens combo because the shutter and focus were so fast. But they were that fast because the camera was big enough to incorporate the necessary motors and electronics to enable the speed. There's always, always, always a trade off.

With the XP1 I most often shoot in single shot mode. Because I can't fire in machine gun mode and be relatively sure the shots will be in focus, I have to be more aware of events as they develop and of people as they move into target range and become fair game. I have to anticipate my shots more carefully and prepare myself to fire the shutter when the instant is right. Which all makes the whole shooting experience so so similar to shooting with my beloved Leica M6.

And another thing, I haven't yet figured out how to display an image on the reader LCD after each shutter click - I'm sure I can do it, but after a few days without that functionality available (without being able to chimp, that is) I find I don't miss it, and there's that electric kind of anticipation, that I used to have shooting film, about seeing the shots at the end of the day when I unload them to my computer.

One more XP1 related note. If you're considering using this camera, don't hesitate for a moment to get the additional hand grip. It makes all the difference in the world. After one shooting session with it I realized my hand was much more relaxed, I wasn't constantly pushing buttons and switches that turned functions on or off, and because I could hold the camera better I got many more usable shots. I'll have some of those processed for the next post.

For now, here's a couple of shots from the Saturday walk. The first is my usual, much anticipated b/w. The color in this shot was amazing. It almost made me want to show you why I have a little tickle in the back of my mind about doing some street shots in color.

I included the next shot with no processing except to convert the RAW file into a jpg, just so you could get some idea of the incredible detail the 18mm f2 lens can grab, and how sharp the revolutionary new sensor technology in the XP1 really is.

Saturday, A Beautiful Spring Day

The weather was so fine on Saturday it just screamed out to me to go for a walk. I walked across Canal Street, up Broadway and around SoHo, and then up to Union Square. I tried several different focus settings and techniques on the XP1 (for future reference that would be the Fuji X-Pro 1). When I did these walks with the Nikon D700/24-70 f2.8 combo I got drained of energy after about two hours. With the XP1 I was out for four hours and could have gone longer.

I began to notice a difference in my shooting pattern during the walk. With the D700 and it's fast firing rate/fast autofocus I shot many frames in a two hour span - usually upwards of one hundred. With the XP1 I shot slower and more thoughtfully, almost like I did with film in my Leica M6. This is not better or worse, just different. I actually like working this way a bit more. Honestly, I got quite a few bad shots - some out of focus, some badly framed - but I'm getting much more comfortable with the camera. It's a bit difficult to hold in my hand for the entire walk because the body is slim and the grip requires some hand effort. I got the auxiliary hand grip after that walk and plan to give it a run tomorrow when the temperature promises to be around 90º F. Should be lots of fun in Bryant Park.

I got a chuckle out of this shot. Caught the guy in flagrant.

Met Museum and a Photo Walk Down Broadway

One of the great joys of retirement is having the time to do anything I want on a whim. On Wednesday morning I decided the last minute to head into New York to see the Gertrude and Leo Stein collection of artwork on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also had intended to spend some time in the new arabic wing, but the Stein exhibit was so large and when I finished with it I was so overwhelmed with all the masterpieces that I was already on overload. So many of the pieces they collected turned out to be iconic early works of the great masters like Picasso and Matisse - before they were recognized for being the great masters they were to become. 

As a photographer there is so much to learn by looking at artwork other than photographs - how these geniuses created their compositions, light, and colors (or lack thereof). I was very buzzed by the time I left the museum and started my walk downtown. Sometimes I find that after I see an exhibit, I am so totally absorbed in the work that I don't look around me as I walk, and I don't take many shots. Those that I take are not satisfying. But seeing so many wonderful Picassos and Matisses left me feeling like I wanted to get out and play with the light.

I'm working to overcome the autofocus difficulties I've been having. I was given two great tips today by someone who has had the same issues, so I'll get out tomorrow to try them. For now here's a few shots from the walk down Broadway.

On the subway going uptown to the museum I sat down in front of these people, and the boy in the center just about posed for me. The detail this camera grabs is comparable to my best shots with the D700, and the tonal range is all there.

This was a quick grab shot walking out of the museum. Very typical street situation where the moment happens suddenly right in front of me and there's no time to think. Just press the shutter and pray (of course it also helps to have a few years experience).

I'm always looking in restaurant windows. This is the first time I tried a 'through the glass with reflections' shot with the X-Pro1.

I was a block from Carnegie Hall when I saw three kids with violins strapped to their backs. I'd bet they know how to get there.

Easter Parade Photo (4)/ Fuji X-Pro1

I've been practicing quite a bit with the camera and getting more confident with it. Focusing is my major concern, and will continue to be once I get the M mount adapter and start to play with my Leica lenses. Since the adapter will effectively break the connection between the lens and the camera electronics, all focusing will have to be manual. It will be exactly the same as using those lenses on the M6. My technique with that camera was for the most part to set the lens on f8 and zone focus or set the high end of the depth-of-field range on infinity. But that's down the road.

Three more pics from the Easter Parade, shot with the Fuji X-Pro1. I can only say what I've said before, the detail is astonishing, and the color rendition is superb (even though these are b/w, you'll just have to take my word for it ;-)). 

Easter Parade Photos (3)/ Fuji X-Pro1

I was out shooting in New York this afternoon on the West Side walking down Broadway. I can now hold the Fuji X-Pro1 without accidentally hitting inappropriate buttons, but I'm still having difficulty with the auto focus. It works quickly and accurately when I bring the camera up to my eye to compose and focus. No complaints there. I've been spoiled by the speed and accuracy of the D700, which I could hold at chest level and fire in burst mode as I moved past my subject. I can't do that with the Fuji camera, at least not yet. For the present time, until I get much more comfortable with the camera I'm shooting in single frame mode, and I have to anticipate my shots better so I can get camera buzzing before I click the shutter. Also, when I shot with the D700 at chest level, the camera was almost always in vertical (portrait) orientation. With the Fuji camera most of my shots are horizontal. That's neither good nor bad, but it means I can't wait until the last possible second before prepping to fire the shot. 

 Here are two more images I shot at the Easter Parade - optimized color and also b/w. This beautiful woman was shorter than me, and with that very large brimmed hat it was difficult to get a good shot of her face, so I went into a slight crouch. Not easy to look inconspicuous like that, but she had this great look of disdain on her face while I shot. Then when I straightened up after I shot, she turned to me and smiled. Duhhhh, she was posing for me.

This shot, with that red checked dress, red lipstick and sunglasses absolutely had to be in color.

But of course, being me, I had to do it b/w also.

Be sure to check out the latest issue of CameraPixo magazine #18 Different Photo Tchniques especially the feature beginning on page 64 (ahem ..... that would be mine).

Camerapixo Magazine #18

I have a feature in this edition. The magazine can be previewed here, and If you would like to save it to your desktop so you can come back time and again to view all the work in this issue, it's usually available for download as a PDF for registered members (registration is free) but I don't see the dowload link yet. All issues of the magazine are available for viewing here.

All the work in this magazine is always top notch. My feature begins on Page 64. 

Easter Parade Photo (2)/ Fuji X-Pro1

At the Easter Parade the willingness of people to be photographed - that is, after all, the reason they get dressed/costumed up, to be seen and photographed - gives the event the feeling of a carnival.  It's not, strictly speaking, street photography, but the experience of being on Fifth Avenue with so many willing and eager models for me to hone my skills using the Fuji X-Pro1 was great fun. I saw these two beautiful ladies casually chatting, and I asked them to pose for me. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Every time I process an image shot with the Fuji camera I'm blown away by the colors and detail. When I zoomed in to touch up the eyes of the woman on the left, I could count her eyelashes. The raw images are really a joy to work with (would be even more of a joy if Adobe would get off its butt and update Camera Raw to accept the new Fuji raw format!)