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 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.

Seeing as how this winter is brutally cold and I really haven't had too much of an opportunity to get outside and take photos, I find I am giving myself little projects to do inside. This time around, I chose one of my old cameras, the Polaroid 320 camera, to photography from different angles.

I also wanted to see if I could use just one light, in the case a lamp, to create some dramatic and interesting lighting. Well, you be the judge. It does got to show you that you don't need expensive strobes or studio lighting to create unique photos.

In case any of you are wondering, the camera does work. I actually have film for it and I have attempted to take some photos. Only a couple have turned out but it's fun to experiment nonetheless. The key is to have a lot of light with these kind of cameras.

The following photos were taken with the X100s using a single desk lamp. They were then processed, as usual, in Lightroom 5 using VSCO.

So, this has been a long time coming. About 2 years ago I borrowed my fathers X100 when he was visiting from out town. I was instantly hooked, amazed, frustrated and excited ... all at the same time. It was a love hate relationship at first as I dove in and really got to know the camera. I had trouble focusing at times, especially in low light and it took a short while to get used to the feel. It was certainly different from my full frame cameras that I use for paid gigs.

The two weeks he visited I don't think he saw the camera once. I had it on my at all times. I took it out to some Christmas parties, some nights out and some walks. All the while, really getting it know it better. The more I used it the more it amazed me. Especially once I started editing the images in Lightroom.

Then it was gone. My Dad left and took his camera with him. The following few months were hard as I constantly longed to have one but just couldn't justify the price. I would continually go to the camera store here in town and talk to the owner, all the while in the back of my head trying to convince myself to just get it.

Then for some reason, I decided to get the X-E1. The whole interchangeable lens thing just made sense at the time. I still have that camera today and love it. After that, I decided to get the X-Pro 1. My reasoning was that I already invested in a couple lenses so why not. My master plan was to eventually use the Fuji's for my upcoming wedding season. It didn't quite go as planned.

For my first couple weddings I did bring them with me, along with the 35mm 1.4 and the 18m 2.0. They worked fine but were nowhere near the speed (focusing) that I have become accustomed to working with via my full frame Nikons. So I reserved them to slow and deliberate scene shots or the occasional portrait photo. Keep in mind this was before the next couple firmware updates which would eventually greatly increase the autofocusing speed.

I actually picked up a used X10 about a year ago. It was a great price and I just couldn't resist. While it was a good camera, and it got a lot of use, something was still missing. That itch for the X100 just never went away.

Seeing as how I didn't foresee myself using all the Fuji cameras to justify the cost, I ended up selling my XPro 1 which was tough. And also my X10 which was also kind of sad because it was a great little camera.

Then, just a couple weeks ago I got a great deal on a used X100s and I snapped it up immediately. I haven't looked back since and I have pretty much used it every day. The X100 had some issues as many people have pointed out on numerous forums, but I never really had a problem with that camera. But, the X100s ... just works. Sure it may focus slow in macro mode, and low light isn't the fastest but I have absolutely no complaints.

I have so much confidence in that little camera already that I used it on a paid shoot in which children (not sitting still) were involved. It worked great. I will be writing a future post on that in the near future with photos to prove it.

Most of the photos I take with my the X100s are randomness. I just like getting close and really trying to find that interesting angle of an object or a scene. I then take it into Lightroom and play around with the processing. Here are a few recent images.

The first one is of my girlfriend holding our cat Nessie.

While playing cards on the kitchen table, a muffin was placed down and this is the result.

Just a wine glass. But I loved the texture on the bottom.

Fooling around with the Macro mode.

And lastly, my girlfriend (as usual) posing with the guitar.