The Daily Photo #49- February 18th, 2016

Getting Close

1/3000 @ f/8 ISO 1600, Fujifilm X70 – 28mm equivalent.

1/1250 @ f/8 ISO 1600, Fujifilm X70 – 28mm equivalent.

1/2400 @ f/8 ISO 1600, Fujifilm X70 – 28mm equivalent.

1/3000 @ f/8 ISO 1600, Fujifilm X70 – 28mm equivalent.

I believe there is much to be learned about one’s own personal photography when shooting in the street. You never know when something interesting is going to happen. You never know when a shot will just come together. It forces me to constantly strive to be more ready and more open to the next moment. More open to the shot I couldn’t have planned. Sometimes, nothing comes together at all and I spend time just watching while people go on with their errands and commutes. Just people living their lives, moving here and there.

For me, shooting in the street is always a beautiful way to spend time, so earlier today (yesterday now), I took the only chance I had to run downtown and shoot in some of the warm and rare sunlight. I have been shooting with the Fujifilm X70 every chance I get and I have not been let down. The X70 is a super compact APS-C camera with a 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens that is sharp as a tack. It also has a super quiet leaf shutter and a tilting screen that allows you to shoot at waist level. Take away the viewfinder on the FujiFilm x100T, add a tilt-screen and shrink it down to about 2/3rds of the size and weight and you have the Fuji X70.

The 28mm equivalent focal length is pretty wide. For some people it may be too wide of an angle to shoot street comfortably, and it can be pretty discouraging if you are not feeling brave. That means that to get an intimate shot, you have to get really intimate. I usually shoot 40mm or 50mm in the street so this camera is a change of pace, and a great challenge. To get the frames above, I was literally standing about 2 feet away from the subjects, and that is definitely outside of my normal comfort zone. It can be near impossible to get that close to people in the street with a DSLR, or even a lot of mirrorless cameras. Having a small, compact and quiet camera in the streets really helps. I plan on writing a more in-depth review on the X70, buy this camera is built for street photography.

Gear used:

• Fuji X70 Camera 

See you tomorrow.