It’s amazing how time flies and the inspiration bug bites again. Just happy to report that I’ll be getting back on the wagon shortly selling my lovely Fuji X100V and going old school. Old school, I know right. After a decade of having pretty much all cameras it’s truly remarkable what inspired me to come back. Hint and it’s not a camera.
More to come real soon
Once in a while good things happen that warrant mentioning. During the tumultuous times of 911, some African-American kids, some of Haitian descent, were unjustly arrested by the FBI for their “alleged” involvement in contributing to 911. But time was on their side and eventually they got released from prison. “In the Shadow of 911” is an upcoming documentary film by the famed director Dan Reed from “Leaving Nevertheland” the very successful documentary on Michael Jackson.
At the height of his stardom, the world’s biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two boys, aged seven and ten, and their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.
The documentary, In the Shadow of 911, tells the story of the so-called ‘Liberty City Seven’ — a group of young Black men accused of assisting Al Qaeda in a plot to blow up buildings within the USA. Produced by Reed’s production outfit Amos Pictures, he considers the film to be his most complex and challenging documentary to date. The Liberty City Seven were not Muslims, had no weapons, and never communicated with anyone from Al Qaeda. Skeptical juries twice delivered a mistrial and five of the seven were convicted only at the third federal trial, three years after their arrest.”
So where do I fall in this story?
One of my images got selected to be part of the documentary. Stay tuned the documentary will be aired worldwide in September 2021 I believe.
This year has certainly been a very weird one. As everyone knows COVID-19 has been at the center of all our lives. Not much more to say but to stay healthy, use precautions to safe guard against getting infected by this plague and God willing 2021 will be a better year.
Photographically speaking, not much has happened on my front this year but I feel like my eye has really honed in a different way I didn’t see before and I think that’s a good thing. So even though I’m photographing as much my mind is always framing images as they come into my field of view. I still shoot with a Fuji X-Pro 2 but now also Canon. I recently fell in love with the Canon EF 35mm IS which is an absolute knock out.
Photographing is an exercise in design. One has to frame, recompose, often time re-shoot the scene and then begins the post processing part, its a design issue, the more I think about it, the more I come to that conclusion. Its inescapable.
Yours truly
Upon my return to photography I quickly scooped up a Graphite XT2 which totally blew away and X100T. I shot both for about a month and an opportunity arose to do an even trade for an X-Pro 2 and I quickly scooped that one and along the way I sold the X100T and picked up an X100F so I could have matching sensors. In my mind I thought I was ok. A few weeks have passed already and I began to enjoy the X-Pro 2 so much so that I pondered selling the X100F.
I mean, I like it but I like the vibe of the X-Pro 2 that much more. I didn’t give it to much though because I know myself, I would sell it and move on, but this time I wanted to slow it down, if you know what I mean. So I decided to see some of my images from a Cuba trip back in 2014 and re-process a series with Capture One 12 and I was totally blown away at the quality of the files of the X100S’s raw output. I was floored and overriding with joy because I thought to myself if this is the output you got back in 2014 imagine what can you do in 2019 with its newer sibling the X100F.
Processing this set really cemented the thought of not selling the X100F and working it as I did back then but something was still amiss. I had the Lensmate thumb grip which is fine but the shape of the X100F lends itself to not using a thumb grip due to its slightly larger size in my humble opinion but I still felt I need a grip and unbeknownst to me there are hardly any 3rd party grip providers for the X100F. After an exhaustive search everywhere I bumped into a new Meike grip specifically developed for the X100F that looks like a Fuji OEM version on Ebay and click and its on the way. But going back to the X100S I must say that this camera and including the original X100 are still viable options in 2019. The good news is that there is an X100 style camera for any budget and thus increasing Fuji X series awareness which in my opinion is a great thing.
All images shot with the X100S and processed in Capture 12
I belong to a futbol Penya that supports the FC Barcelona Futbol Club here in Miami. A bunch of fans get together at a local bar in Coral Gables and basically get rowdy. Of course, the favorite beer of the house is Estrella Damm and after three, four, five, or six here’s the result. Yup, Barca lost yet again. No Triplete, No Doblete, just “La Liga”.
All images taken with the Fuji X-Pro 2 and XF 35mm F2 WR with a new tone curve I created with Fuji X RAW Studio and a slight split tone in LR for homogeneity. I must say its got me smitten all the way. Relatedly, I have some thoughts of ownership between the Fuji XT2 and the X100F (yeah I know I’m late to party but who cares).
Fuji X100T processed in camera
I know I’m a bit behind on any analysis of this feature which I’ve used in the past before but it never ceases to amaze me just how cool double exposures are.
Ledesma Photography 