It was one of those nights where I wasn't really planning on taking photos of a concert but that's exactly what ended up happening. We heard that there were a few cover bands playing at one of the local bars called the Foundry. So, like I usually do, I grabbed my trusty x100s and we were off. As with most nights, not everything always goes as planned so we didn't end up getting to the venue until the last act was about to go on, but it was ok because it was the one I was most looking forward to shooting.

Honestly, this is the first time I even attempted to photograph a live performance with the x100s. For professional shoots I always use my d700 with the 70-200 VRII, but since this was strictly fun, I figured why not. The Foundry is a fairly small venue so I was able to get right up to the stage, well, at least to the sides of the stage. For those interested, I set the camera to Auto ISO 6400, an aperture of 2 and the RAW + Fine setting. I don't think used flash once and almost all of the shots turned out focused. I also used the continuous focusing setting.

One of the drawbacks of this venue in particular is all of the different flashing lights. I had to make sure I timed the photos in between the bursts. Even still, there was still quite a bit of posterizing so I converted the photos to BW which makes it more tolerable.

I wasn't able to get in really close like I could if I was using the 70-200 but for what it's worth, the Fuji performed admirably. With that being said, I am seriously considering adding an XT-1 to the collection with possibly the 56 1.2 lens. Time will tell. For the x100s is such a great versatile little piece of machinery.

Here are some of my favourite photos from the night. Thanks for viewing!

I am huge fan of VSCO filters for Lightroom. I use them a lot, although I am always tweaking them to fit my style. This time around I shot black and white in camera on the x100s, and then used VSCO within Lightroom to further edit. Obviously there is more control if you shoot in colour and then convert it to black and white but I tend to still get the desired effect I want. If I were shooting for a wedding or paid gig I would most definitely use RAW. With that being said I just love setting up the x!00s to shoot in black and white as it's easier to visualize when taking the photos. Plus, anyone who sees me using the camera almost always comments on how cool the camera is and if it actually shoots in black and white. So, it's also a great conversation starter. Below are a few random photos. My a favourite of the bunch is the carwash shot. Handheld, at a low shutter speed and high iso, the x100s performed great.

I haven't posted to this blog for a while but it's time for a change! I'm trying to bring my X100s with me pretty much everywhere I go. Recently I had the opportunity to take some photos in around Duluth, MN. It's always so much fun being in a completely different city as it opens up a whole different world of photo opportunities. Of course, I didn't have a ton of time to take photos but I think I came away with some good shots. Some of them are completely random, as always.

The first set of shots is actually from the hotel room itself. All the photos are processed in Lightroom using a combination of VSCO presets and my own personal touch.






Here are a few more from our walk around the city and eventually into a neat little record store called the Electric Fetus.








Lastly, this is one last photo I took during the car ride back. There are a couple short tunnels along the way and this one actually turned out!



So I was very happy I had my X100s on me, otherwise I would never have gotten these photos.

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I take my x100s with me EVERYWHERE. I don't always take photos with it but it's there if I need it. I am continually impressed with the fast focus, easy controls for the EV compensation as well as the customizable settings for ISO. When I shoot in bright midday sunlight I often set the function button to ND filter. That way I can keep the aperture at F2.0 which I leave on most of the time.

I had a chance to capture some fun photos over the last couple days since some warm weather came our way, finally. The other morning actually had quite a bit of fog which also made for some unique photo opportunities. As always, most of these shots are random. I usually just shoot what catches my eye. It's a nice departure from my wedding and portrait work. Thanks for viewing.