What’s it All about?

©Jack Graham / all rights reserved

What is your personal quest? Where are you going, where is your photograph going? What’s it all about?

These are just a few of the questions we photographer’s constant ask ourselves If you are not you better start.

At the end of every year, I seem to always look back at what I did during the past year and where I would like the following year to go. I think that is normal for artists to have a timely retrospective and evaluation of their work. Have we grown as artists, we ask ourselves, “Is our work improving? … and if not why”. Perhaps we are overlooking something that is even more necessary to sustain us as creative beings.

All the images included here were made during my trip to the Grand Teton National Park during the winter. The top image is a 7-frame panorama, technically well done. Does it evoke emotion.? Maybe. Maybe not. The other images were made within a short walk of the grant landscape, the beautiful majestic, wat to often photographed Grand Tetons. To me, they evoke more emotion than the panorama image does.

Rather than evaluating our work based on the emotion and technical aspects of our work and growth, why not ask ourselves a few simple, but often underrated questions. Why did I make that image? What was my motivation for taking that picture? Why are I motivated to be the kind of photographer I am? For me, looking at my art from 50,000 feet rather than 500 feet is much more important and necessary and something that is challenged with every click of the shutter.

Is the pursuit to make a beautiful landscape your motivation? Ironically images we take cannot and do not represent what the location looked like when we took the image. Images should represent the emotion and the feelings you were experiencing at the time. Successful images should reflect your soul. Adhering to all you learned from the books, videos, and perhaps lectures over the years concerning the rules of exposure, composition etc. are too often the biggest distraction one can allow and that prohibit your emotion and soul to take over. How often do you get to a location, set up your tripod and go through the checklist, like a pilot during preflight? Is there a leading line, I must now apply the rule of thirds, is there a foreground etc. If I do not apply these rules the image will not be beautiful, my friends on Facebook will not like my work. For me, a beautiful image is not enough., It is just another beautiful image. Beautiful images often evoke little emotion. It is the soul of the photographer that allows an image to evoke beauty. Why not let your emotion and soul be your focus and not worry about how beautiful the image looks to others? Stop chasing the great light. Do not get fanatical about being out in the “golden hour”. As Alfred Stieglitz said, “Wherever there is light, one can photograph”.

What gets you excited, locations, great light, or emotions? I, like many of you am always looking for a new location, one that has not been photographed. I often hear from other photographers how hard this is. It is not. You just need to motivate yourself you get out, enjoy the environment, and explore. Do not be consumed about being somewhere at just the right time.

As well, being first to document a location sometimes becomes an obsession for photographers. For others shooting the “older” locations, ticking off the box and getting the perfect rendition that has been accomplished by so many others is an obsession for many photographers. Maybe it is human nature. For me being in the natural environment is what is important, not always the photography. Where is not always my concern.

I challenge you all to be less concerned with honing your craft and more about becoming artists. Forget about making images that must have a certain meaning and let your emotion take over. Your inner artist will begin to take over. I see many, many photographers, and too few artists these days.

Today, I am more about the emotion and the visual aspects in my photography rather than making that “perfect” replicated image. Get out and enjoy the beauty of the location, slow down, and let the environment and your emotion be your motivation, not the pressure of making that “perfect” image.

The process is the art of my photography. Remember, every image you make includes a part of you. The landscape or cityscape is a subjective entity. However, weather you realize it or not, you are putting your own vision and emotion into the image. Realizing this and using these feelings well result I am images that have meaning for you. The process of image making for me is vision and emotion followed then by technique and gear choices. Many times, once the shutter is depressed, the process and the art of making the photograph is completed.

Fujifilm- X-S10 … ANOTHER WINNER FROM FUJIFLM

(new firmware update issued 12/22/2020-see below)

There is already lots of reviews of the new FUJIFILM S-X10 so I’ll defer to them. However, here are few of my personal observations after extensive use. Having a new puppy really made this camera a timely addition to my arsenal.

I have had my FUJIFILM X-S-10 now for about a month or so and am enjoying it immensely. Positioned at $999.00 (body only) FUJIFILM now offers stiff competition to Sony, Cannon and Nikon. I was quite surprised on the number of features included at this price point. The sensor the X TRANS 4 BSI CMOS, included in the flagship X camera, the X-T4 is identical.

Handheld, ISO 12800 1/8 second using FUJIFILM 80mm Macro (XF-80mm F2.8 Macro)

I am super impressed with the in-camera stabilization This is now the fourth generation of stabilization from FUJIFILM. I still use my X-H1 btu feel the X-S10 is noticeably better. The stabilization works even better with stabilized lenses, but still does great on others. I have been hand holding the camera often as we recently brought home a new puppy. The results are amazing. (See images included).

I am not a videographer but it good to see that FUJIFILM included a F-LOG as well as a micro-HDMI output. I can record 4K at 30 FPS and 1080p at 60FPS.

Folks, I love this camera. It is ergonomically great. It really has a great feel in my hand due to the grip which is built into the camera. Is it a X-T4, no, but there are numerous features that both cameras offer and image quality is identical. The price point of $999.00 is great and believe me, the X-S10 is an extremely capable camera to deliver state of the art images.

FUJIFILM does a great job showing you the benefits and beauty of the X-S10. CLICK HERE for the complete package.

You will love this addition to your camera bag. I carry this everywhere. You never know where an image will pop up! Buy one now!

Complete specs are found HERE

LEFT: Handheld/ ISO 1600 1/9 sec F22

ALL IMAGES HANDHELD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I really love about this camera tech wise:

All magnesium alloy construction. (not weather sealed—the X-T4 is)
Amazing images even up to ISO 8000
Amazing 5-axis IBIS provides up to 6 stops
IBIS unit is 30% smaller and lighter than the IBIS in X-T4
36 million dot EVF with 100fps refresh rate
Same autofocus system as the X-T4
8fps mechanical – up to 30fps with the electronic shutter
4 custom settings on the mode dial
Fully articulating screen with 1.08 million dot LCD
Same X-Trans sensor (26mp) and processor as X-T4
Complete specs are found HERE

What I and other love about FUJIFILM is that they are constantly listening to their customer base and improving their cameras and lenses via firmware when necessary. Today is no exception.

Click HERE for the new upgrade which was issued today 12/22/2020

Detail of the firmware update

Ver.1.02

The firmware update Ver.1.02 from Ver.1.01 incorporates the following issues:

In case that AUTO is selected by the Mode Dial or AUTO is selected in MIN. SHUTTER SPEED of ISO setting, the shutter speed setting is changed to avoid a blur image caused by hand shaking and/or moving subjects.

ELECTRONIC LEVEL can be used when AUTO is selected by the Mode Dial.

Fix of a minor bug.