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.

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.

I usually always have the 35mm 1.4 on my XE-1, but today was the day I forced myself to put the 18mm lens on. Obviously it's a lot wider, which forced me to really rethink my approach. It also allowed me to get photos I normally wouldn't have been able to get. My favourite of the bunch are a couple of the first photos I took; the ones of the church. Another thing I really enjoy with this lens is the macro ability. With the 35mm you can't get 'too' close but the 18mm lets you get in much closer. Not as much as my Fuji X10, but that's an entirely different type of camera. Enjoy!

This past weekend some good weather finally stuck around so I finally got a chance to get out and walk around. I only had about 30 minutes but I came away with some interesting photos. Afterwards, I met my girlfriend at the hospital and actually captured some fun images there as well. That's why I love the portability of the Fuji line of cameras. Half of these shots I would not have gotten with my large DSLR, mainly because I wouldn't have brought it in the first place.

The purpose of the post is to share my experience of using the Fuji XE-1 in a profession setting. In this case it was for family portrait session I had at ONWA, which is not for profit organization that supports Aboriginal women and their families. Let me know first give everyone a little background about myself and why I chose to use the Fuji XE-1 as my sole camera for this job.

I am currently a part-time professional wedding and portrait photographer. For the last 4 years I have been getting paid to do this job so I do consider myself a professional. Although, I know I still have a lot to learn which is actually quite exciting and something I look forward to. Mainly I have been using Nikon gear which typically includes a d700/7000 body combined with a 50mm 1.8 lens and 70-200mm 2.8 lens. If I had to estimate I would say the 70-200mm was my primary portrait lens. The Nikon gear has and still works great but those 8 hour wedding days really take it's tool when you are carrying around all that gear. Which is why, I was anxious to explore the Fuji series camera's.

I first fell in love with the Fuji X-Series line when I picked, borrowed and eventually stole my Dad's x100. It was not love at first sight. I struggled to take good photos with it, especially in low light conditions mainly because I didn't understand fully how it worked. Once I explored it a bit more it really started to shine. I carried it with me everywhere for those 2 weeks that I had it. Fast forward to when my father left and took the camera with him, I felt like I was going through withdrawal. It was like I lost my trust sidekick.

In the following weeks I spent at least 2 hours a day looking on eBay for used x100's, contemplating buying a new one, waiting for the x100s, going with a whole X-Series camera... it was painful. Finally I made my way to the camera shop convinced I was just going to go in for a look. To see if they had a x100. No luck. 30 minutes later I walked out with an X-E1. It wasn't the camera I was intending to purchase but the ability to swap lenses, the other added functions and the overall look and feel of it quickly reeled me in.

Still, I wasn't sure if I should have just waited for the x100s. But, in those 3 months that I would have waited, I captured so many photos that I would not have otherwise taken. So in my mind it was worth it. Plus I envisioned myself potentially using the XE-1 for professional shoots done the road. That takes me to last week, my first paid portrait session with the XE-1.

Don't get me wrong, I still took two extra camera bodies, all my other lenses, and hell, I even brought my little X10 in case I was feeling adventurous. In the end, the XE-1 survived the entire shoot, but not without a few hiccups...

The first part of the shoot was done using my portable studio. This included a few pocket wizards, a couple strobes hooked up to some shoot-through umbrella's and that's it. Before I left for the shoot I quickly tested the system and how it worked at home and it all seemed like it worked. Plus, I knew is something went wrong I had my other Nikons there that I have used time and time again.

Once I was set up, I called for the first family and the rest was really a blur. Everything worked quite well. I basically left both flashes at the same setting the whole time and just used the XE-1 to adjust the lighting (ISO and aperture). Aside from the flash not going of sometimes (which is natural), and the memory card lagging sometimes, it worked quite well. Oh, and sometimes for some reason, the screen would lock up and I would have to turn it off and one. I wasn't sure, if it was because the memory card was still writing or some other reason. Regardless, I know now I need to get the 90mb Scandisk cards and not just the 30mb. I also think battery packs are in order for the flashes.

So, now to the most important part. How did the photos turn out. Honestly? Fantastic! The colours were almost perfect right out of the camera. I kept all the settings in-camera to 0, and used the RAW/Fine jpg function. I eventually used the latest release of Lightroom 4 for the Mac to edit the RAW (converted to DNG) files. I still did my fine tuning and colour enhancements but they didn't really need that much work. For the BW images, I used Silver Effex 2. Almost every photo was sharp, and I did not use a tripod at all. Near the end of the session I did some outdoor photos of some of the families and I think these colours actually turned out better then the studio shots.

Were these photos out of the Fuji better then what would have been produced from my Nikon? I'm not sure. They are at least the same quality if not better. Plus, I had a blast using the 35mm (50mm equivalent) Fuji lens. It allowed me to get nice and close with the families. The main reason I loved using the Fuji was because it was light, small and extremely easy to use. I'm not sure if I can get away with using just Fuji's for my wedding gigs, but one thing is for sure, I'm definitely bring it along to see how it performs.

Too see more photos please feel free to check out my other professional blog. Below are some images from the session. Thanks for viewing!