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.

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.