Yesterday, December 27th I was happily going about my business doing a little work and trying to relax after over-indulging on Christmas day when my partner called me over to her outside the front of our house.
I wrongly asumed that she wanted me to help to carry the shopping in. However as I walked towards her there was no shopping and she continued to beckon me over.
I really wasn’t ready for what she was about to show me. As I peered over the side of the road in to the boggy filthy field I heard a chorus of tiny yelps as to my amazement there was a litter of 9 puppies scrambling around in the mud, calling for their mother or anyone else to get them out of the mess that they were in.
Someone had clearly brought this litter of puppies (which I guess are 2-3 weeks old) in a sack and dumped them in this boggy field to die. Just days after Christmas and these tiny creatures were thrown out like garbage with not a care for them.
My wife asked me what we should do. Now I should explain that we are in the Philippines, there is no pet rescue or even animal welfare here. I understand that is a luxury for rich countries so the options are limited to, let them die or save them.
I don’t have a lot of money but I am sure as hell that I’m not going to let these innocent animals die. I couldn’t live with myself if I just ignored them.
Obviously being an animal lover I said we will get them all of course, so we proceeded to wade through the mud bare foot and gather them all up. Nine puppies in total, 5 boys and 4 girls to add to the two dogs I already have here.
After a quick bath to clean them up and get rid of the fleas they were covered in we gave them water and I headed off to the local pet food supply store and bought a couple of kilos of puppy food.
I put them in our outside utility room to dry and rest as they were obviously stressed and tired and left them with a bowl of water and food.
So this is their first full day with us and I am glad to say that they all seem healthy enough apart from a few chewed tails and some friction burns (probably from when they were thrown of the motorbike or car that dumped them).
I let them out today and the two most adventurous boys came out almost instantly and started to explore our yard, followed by a couple more and then eventually the whole gang appeared. They are now sat lazing in the afternoon Sun after having eaten most of the food I bought yesterday and made friends with Barney and Mitziou my two other dogs.
So this is a pre-warning that I now have 9 new subjects to test cameras out on so expect plenty of puppy pics to come whenever they’re up-to their cheeky antics.
I don’t know how anyone can just throw animals out as if they are garbage, especially when it would have been possible to find them homes here with just a little effort.
My plan now is to get them healthy and let them enjoy life a bit as puppies should. I’m now like the pied piper as they follow me everywhere I go. Two of the boys are very adventurous and boisterous and one of the girls is quite timid and shy. She is the smallest of the litter so I will be keeping an eye on her to make sure she gets her fair share of food.
I’ll leave you with a few photos I just took of them with the Nikon D7200 and Fuji XT2 as I will be doing a vs video and article on those two cameras soon.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year.
I’ve been testing them out for a while now shooting portraits, street photography and a few landscapes too.
This weekend I was asked to photograph a wedding here in the Philippines and I thought it would be a great chance to test these three cameras against each other in a fast paced, unforgiving environment.
Now I’m not a professional wedding shooter. I’ve shot landscapes, portraits and commercial work professionally but wedding photography is a whole different ball game. I made it clear what the couple could expect from me and that they really should hire a pro wedding photographer. However budget was a concern and so I offered to help out as they are friends of my Fiancée.
I also wouldn’t recommend shooting a wedding with a bunch of different cameras as it was really hard work switching between three systems and still trying to get shots of the couple’s big day.
I shot all cameras with prime lenses.
For the Fuji I used the 23mm f/1.4 and 90mm f/2. On the Pen F I had the 17mm f/1.8 and 45mm f/1.8. On the Nikon I mainly used the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and the 20mm f/1.8.
Fuji XT2
Handling
In terms of handling I found all three to be well suited to fast paced shooting where you don’t get a second chance to capture the shot. The Nikon feels solid and well-built but you do start to feel the weight after a full day. I’m writing this article up 2 days later and my arm still feels a little sore so less weight is always better in my eyes as long as I don’t feel I’m compromising on image quality too much.
The Pen F is fantastic for blending in to the crowd and not intimidating subjects thanks to its small size and beautiful looks. Although as the only foreigner at a Filipino wedding it’s pretty much impossible to blend in despite the Pen F’s best efforts.
The Olympus Pen F also offers a fully articulating touch screen and touch to focus which is great for getting shots at interesting angles.
The Fuji XT2 was and is my favourite camera to handle of the 3 because it offers quick access to ISO, shutter speed and aperture via external dials. When you’re trying to photograph constantly changing and moving subjects it’s great to be able to see and change your settings as you bring the camera up to your eye. I can’t tell you how great the Fuji is for that reason alone.
The Nikon feels the most like a workhorse and it certainly is fast to use and solidly built. However during the ceremony I was aware of its louder shutter going off and I opted to use the more discreet Pen F and Fuji XT2 a lot of the time. That’s one of the major benefits of shooting mirrorless. The mechanical shutters are quieter and they have the option to use a totally silent electronic shutter. The Nikon D7200 does have a quiet mode but it’s not that quiet and it slows the camera down.
Some people deride Micro 4/3 because of the smaller sensor but I really don’t think these people use the cameras in the real World. I’ve shot loads of photos with all three of these cameras and as you can see in this article the difference in image quality between M4/3 and APS-C is very small now.
Olympus Pen F
The only real benefit I see to larger sensors is the ability to create more shallow depth of field and the better high ISO noise performance but you only really see a big difference when you jump up to full frame.
Image quality from all three cameras is superb and certainly good enough for professional work. Of the three I prefer people images from the Fuji XT2 because at high ISO’s it does have slightly less noise than the other two. Just be sure to turn down in camera noise reduction to -4 otherwise any Jpegs you shoot will make your images look like mush. I shot raw at the wedding to give a little more leeway to edit the photos later on so it wasn’t a problem.
I also appreciate the ability to throw the background out of focus a little more than you can with the Pen F. This was especially useful as the locations I was shooting at didn’t always have pleasing backgrounds, in fact some would have quite easily ruined shots had the background been in focus. Obviously the new Olympus 25mm f/1.2 Pro gives us micro 4/3 users a great choice for shallow depth of field shots but I don’t have that lens yet despite it being on my Christmas list.
I had planned on shooting a Nikon D750 at the wedding too but thanks to the postal system here it didn’t arrive in time. I’ll be comparing it with the others once I get my hands on it.
For me the most important aspect of the cameras on the day was auto focus performance. This is where the mirrorless cameras actually kicked the DSLR’s butt. Yes, I know this is where DSLR’s still reign supreme according to most but in reality both the Pen F and Fuji XT2 focus really quickly and only slow down a touch in bad light. They lock on fast and when they give focus confirmation you can be sure you got the shot.
Olympus Pen F
What I found frustrating with the Nikon D7200 when reviewing the photos after was the amount that were out of focus. It just isn’t as accurate to focus as the mirrorless bodies. It may be a millisecond faster but what’s the point if focus isn’t spot on.
The Nikon 50mm f/1.4 is not sharp until you stop it down so the benefit of a larger aperture is lost. Whereas the Fuji 23mm f/1.4 and 90mm f/2 are sharp wide open and combined with the more accurate focus of the XT2 gave a far higher hit rate. The 17mm and 45mm on the Pen F are both perfectly sharp too.
The Pen F in my opinion has the best S-AF of the three cameras as it is quick, silent and deadly accurate. The only down side to the Pen F is that you don’t have direct access to change AF points. Instead you need to press the left D-pad button and then press one of the direction buttons to move the focus point around. It’s only when you are shooting something like a wedding that you notice this tiny delay but it does make a difference occasionally.
I also can’t overstate how useful I find an electronic viewfinder in my photography. I love the WYSIWYG nature of EVFs. It is so much better to use as you don’t need to take a shot then chimp on the LCD screen after to check it. For me the constant chimping needed on DSLR’s does ruin your flow and gets irritating after a while. With the large EVFs on the Pen F and particularly the Fuji XT2 I could quickly change to Acros or the Pen F’s black and white modes and see what my shot would look like in black and white. It also showed me whether the exposure was correct and if focus was spot on.
Nikon D7200
So which one would I choose if I had to do it all again?
Before I shot this wedding I have to be honest and say that I had a preconception that although I prefer mirrorless cameras for personal use, I would in fact find that the DSLR was still better when it comes to Professional use in a fast paced environment like a wedding.
Well, I was wrong. For me mirrorless cameras have caught up and in fact overtaken DSLR’s in every area that matters and if I was buying just one camera now it would be mirrorless and it would be from Olympus or Fuji.
If I could only have one of these cameras and I thought I may be shooting further weddings then it would be the Fuji XT2 because of the external control dials, slightly better high ISO performance, ability to deliver more shallow depth of field and fast accurate AF performance. I also happen to think the Fuji lens line-up is fantastic. Mind you, so are the micro 4/3 lenses.
If I was buying one camera just for personal use it would be the Olympus Pen F all day long. It is simply beautiful and a joy to use. Lightweight, great AF, excellent image quality and I haven’t even mentioned how much fun the colour dial is for black and white photography. That’s the camera I take with me when I go out with family and friends.
Olympus Pen F
If you are going to shoot a Nikon I’d opt to jump up to full frame because the DX lens line-up is pathetic. The Nikon bodies are very good but I just prefer using mirrorless cameras these days and with the Fuji XT2 the AF is now quick enough to do its job.
If I was shooting another wedding with a Fuji XT2 I’d be buying a lot of spare batteries though as I fully drained 2 before the reception had finished. In fact I would buy the VPB-XT2 grip so you don’t have to worry about battery changes.
The Nikon D7200 after a full day was still showing 80% remaining and the Pen F about 40%. I took roughly the same number of shots with each Camera. That’s the only benefit the Nikon had over the others.
There are many phenomenal photographers to follow on Facebook throughout the world that deserve recognition. This list includes 10 of those photographers that post amazing work on Facebook for followers to enjoy. Included are fine-art photographers, wildlife photographers and many more.
1. Simone Bramante
https://www.facebook.com/Brahmino http://www.brahmino.com/travels
Simone Bramante is based in Italy and works in six continents. Simone’s work has been published on Vogue US, Forbes, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Repubblica, Wired. With over 6,000 Facebook followers and 750,000 Instagram followers, he has become known as ‘Brahmino’ and also the first Italian photographer on Instagram. Brahmino’s work is very crisp, genuine and conveys a refreshing message. His work focuses on storytelling, portraiture and travel. Simon Bramante’s work is stimulating and certain not to bore photography enthusiasts.
As she quotes on her Facebook page, “There is beauty to be found every day.” This quote describes the way in which she photographs her surroundings perfectly. Ginger Unzueta is a very devoted to her family, her faith and in addition to her passion for photography, is a homeschooling mother of three. She teaches a workshop focused on lifestyle photography and mentors other photographers. She captures everyday activities in the most magnificent way. Ginger portrays the simple things in life through her photography in a way that is appealing and exciting. Ginger Unzueta’s work has been featured on the Huffington Post, BabyCenter.com, Daily Mail and several blogs.
3. Dean Bradshaw
https://www.facebook.com/deanbradshawphoto
Dean Bradshaw has a very distinct style that is evident through his work. He is an advertising photographer and director based in Los Angeles, California. His portfolio features spectacular portraiture, motorcycle photography, athletes, and much more. Dean Bradshaw thrives on narrative and is attracted to the ‘why’ of things. He has worked on National Geographic campaigns and his work has been featured on ABC. Dean Bradshaw’s work is very colorful, some of it comical, but overall very deep and interesting.
4. Terje Sorgjerd Photography (TSO Photography)
https://www.facebook.com/TSOPhotography
Terje Sorgjerd primarily goes by “TSO Photography” and is an incredible landscape photographer from Norway. His work is breathtaking, to say the least. His work has been featured on many news outlets, including but not limited to: Discovery Channel, CNN, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Weather Channel, Washington Post, Good Morning America and The Guardian. Terje Sorgjerd is also recognized for the following time-lapse movies: “The Aurora,” “The Arctic Light” and “The Mountain.” TSO’s work has a surreal and overpowering feel to it. This artist is definitely worth adding to your list of “likes.”
5. Mikko Lagerstedt
https://www.facebook.com/mikkolagerstedt http://www.mikkolagerstedt.com
Mikko Lagerstedt is a fine-art photographer out of Finland. With over 900,000 followers, he is quite the artist. He especially enjoys atmospheric and night photography, with an emphasis on simplistic landscapes. While most of his work is dark, it is at the same time far from gloomy. His work has been featured on Daily Mail, The Huffington Post, BBC, Business Insider, Nikon, The Telegraph and much more. Mikko has won multiple awards and even offers tutorials to viewers on his website.
6. Kirsty Mitchell Photography
https://www.facebook.com/kirstymitchellphotography https://www.kirstymitchellphotography.com
Kirsty Mitchell is a British fine art photograper. Her work is very well recognized and captivating. She has won multiple upscale photography awards and has over 300,000 Facebook followers. She began studying photography, fine art and the history of art at 16 years old. Kirsty’s works have been published on Harper’s Bazaar, The Royal Photographic Society and Vogue Italia. You can see the level of work that goes into her art. It is very inviting and detailed. Nikon is noted on her website as her ambassador of fine art photography.
7. Jody Miller
https://www.facebook.com/jody9 http://www.jodymillerphoto.com/
Jody Miller is an award-winning fine art photographer. Her work is phenomenal. In addition to multiple exhibitions and awards, her photography has been featured on Huffington Post, Washington Post, Coastal Living Magazine, and much more. While she does not have an official Facebook page for her photography, you can follower her, as she makes her work public on her page and it is splendid! Jody is a photographer you must check out!
8. David Guttenfelder
https://www.facebook.com/DavidGuttenfelderPhotography/ http://www.davidguttenfelder.com/
If you are looking for intense and amazing photography, look no further. David Guttenfelder is a world-renowned photographer. He is currently a “National Geographic Photography Fellow focusing on geopolitical conflict, conservation and culture,” as mentioned on his website. Prior to this he worked for the Associated Press for 20 years. David Guttenfelder has also worked for TIME, New York Times and Newsweek. In addition to many awards, he is a eight-time World Press Photo Award winner and finalist seven times for the Pulitzer Prize. His work is exhibited in various locations all over the world. He posts very interesting photos that often include a story.
9. Suzie Esterhas
https://www.facebook.com/suzieszterhasphoto/ http://www.suzieszterhas.com/
Award-winning wildlife photographer Suzie Esterhas is most-definitely worthy of a follow on Facebook. Her heartwarming images of all types of creatures will brighten your day. Her work has been featured on Popular Photography, Smithsonian, TIME, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Popular Photography, and National Geographic Kids. Suzie is based out of California and is known for capturing newborn animals and family lives of endangered species. She posts a lot of good photos on her Facebook page regularly.
10. Shannon Leigh
https://www.facebook.com/shannonleighstudios2/ http://www.shannonleighstudios.com/
Shannon Leigh is a famous newborn and child photographer based out of Georgia. Her work is amazing! She has been recognized by Top Ten Magazine, Model Life, Chic Magazine and Mozi Magazine. Her work is very uplifting and precious. If you like babies, you will love Shannon Leigh!
I hope you find some of the artists work as inspiring as I do. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook to keep up with what I’m doing next.
It’s been over a week since my last post mostly thanks to the fact that I am incredibly busy at the moment. I am getting married in January and the paperwork required here in the Philippines is very time-consuming to arrange and obtain. I am also in the process of sorting out visas for my wife and daughter so that we can return to the UK next year. Therefore I have been spending a huge amount of time discussing everything with lawyers, accountants and every other official I can think of to get everything prepared properly.
In between all this I am continuing to work and test cameras.
So what is coming up. As some of you will know I will be interviewing Damien Lovegrove, the acclaimed Fuji X photographer and portrait guru. I also have a Nikon D750 on its way to me as I am going to do a comparison between the Nikon D750, D7200 and the Fuji XT2 to see which one is the better camera. I’ll be testing those at a wedding I’m shooting next week and will try to get the article online asap. I have previously owned and used a D750 so I’m familiar with all three cameras. As the Fuji XT2 and Nikon D750 are in the same ballpark when it comes to price I think it is an interesting comparison to make. Since I currently have a D7200 and it is considered one of the best APS-C cameras on the market I will throw that into the mix too. Don’t forget to check out my Nikon D7200 review and Fuji XT2 review to see what I think of those two cameras.
I’m still waiting on stock of the OM-D E-M1 II to arrive and once it does I’ll be reviewing it over the coming months and comparing it to the XT-2.
I will also have more articles, a few lens reviews and I’ll take a more in-depth look at the auto focus capabilities of the Fuji XT2, particularly in low light.
Who are the seven most influential people in photography? The experts don’t seem to agree. Nevertheless, once you examine various sources, a pattern slowly develops. One thing is certain, if you wish to take great photographs then you have to study the work of famous, influential photographers. “It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” –German photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995)
While some of the greatest photographers are now no longer with us, many remain who never fail to fascinate us with their photos. Having said that, here is a list of famous photographers–living and dead–who still influence our lives today.
1. Ansel Adams “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”–Ansel Adams
Adams was a photographer and environmentalist. He was born in San Francisco, California on February 20, 1902. He died in Monterey, California on April 22, 1984.
He is one of the most easily recognized names in the industry. He is most famous for his black-and-white landscape photographs such as those shot in the Yosemite National Park and other locations in the American West. Along with Fred Archer, he created the Zone System in order to establish the correct exposure and alter the contrast of the actual print. This added a clarity and depth to his photos. He mainly used what is known as “large-format cameras.” Their high resolution aided in making certain that his photographs were sharp.
2. Yousuf Karsh “Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.”–Yousef Karsh
Karsh was an Armenian-Canadian photographer who specialized in portraits. He was born in Mardin, Turkey on December 23, 1908, and died in Boston, Massachusetts on July 13, 2002. Both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and TIME magazine referred to him as “one of the great portrait photographers of the 20th century.”
His signature style was marked by his dramatic use of theatrical lighting. His photos told stories with a universal appeal. He sought to reveal people’s secrets with his pictures. His portraits speak to people around the world.
3. Robert Capa “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”–Robert Capa
Born Andre Friedmann, in Budapest, Hungary on October 22, 1913, was a photojournalist and war photographer. Considered by some to be the most influential adventure and combat photographer in history, he died in Thai Binh, Vietnam on May 25, 1954. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1947 for chronicling World War II in pictures.
He also co-founded the cooperative agency Magnum Photos in Paris, France. Hungary issued a gold coin and stamp to honor the five-war veteran. He believed that you had to be close enough to get good pictures and would therefore frequently work in the trenches with the soldiers while the majority of other photographers took their pictures from a safe distance.
4. Henri Cartier-Bresson “The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.”–Henri Cartier-Bresson
Bresson was a humanist and photographer. Born in Cereste, France
on August 22, 1908, he went on to become a reputed master of candid photography before passing away in Montjustin, France on August 3, 2004. His style was so influential he makes most “top photographer” lists. He generally shot in black and white and was one of the first photographers to actually use 35mm film. He retired almost three decades prior to his death so unfortunately there are not as many examples of his work as there could have been had he not retired early. 5. Dorothea Lange “One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you’d be stricken blind.”–Dorothea Lange
Lange was a photojournalist and documentary photographer who was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on May 26, 1895. Before her death in San Francisco, California on October 11, 1965, she became well-known for the photographs she had taken during the Great Depression. One of her most famous photos is that of a migrant mother. It is also reported to be one of the most famous photos in history. She is also known for her photos of the 1940s Japanese internment camps.
6. Jerry Uelsmann “Photography is just light remembering itself.”–Jerry Uelsmann
Uelsmann is a photographer who was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 11, 1934. His work was ahead of its time. He led the way with photomontage in the American 20th century.
He was notably talented in the darkroom. He put that talent to good use when he introduced the world to unique images of composite photographs. To date, he has never used a digital camera because he personally feels that his strengths and creative talents are actually more suited to his darkroom.
7. Annie Leibovitz “The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.”
Leibovitz is a famous American portrait photographer. Born in Waterbury, Connecticut on October 2, 1949, she continues to be one of the most popular, iconic photographers to influence the music industry and pop culture. Her work continues to inspire generations of young people.
To date her most famous work are her photos of singer-songwriter, musician, actor, artist and former Beatle John Lennon. They were taken on the same day he was assassinated. Her work can be seen in Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair magazines.
Leibovitz’ photographs were also used on a pair of record albums by Joan Armatrading. She is also the first woman to have exhibited her work at London’s National Portrait Gallery.
She lists Richard Avedon, and his concept of “personal reportage”, as a major influence on her work. She believes in creating a close rapport with her subjects. She has no problem with falling in love with those she photographs. Her work is somehow descriptive and intimate.
So there you have it, 7 of the most influential photographers of all time. I hope their work inspires you like it does me.
A number of these great photographers didn’t lug around big heavy cameras, in fact many of them took shots on 35mm film cameras. To me, today mirrorless cameras are similar in size to 35mm film cameras, especially cameras like the Olympus Pen F and Fuji XT2 or X-Pro 2. Except the image quality that we get from these cameras is much better than 35mm film. Imagine what you can do with a Pen F or XT2 and a couple of small primes. We really are very lucky today to have so many great choices at our disposal. Photographers like these inspire me to get out and create images.
I must admit that I was quite excited for this Fuji XT2 review. Partly that was down to my love hate relationship with the XT1. That was a camera I loved the concept of and indeed it had many great features such as external dials for aperture, shutter speed and ISO, a huge viewfinder and great image quality. However there were a few aspects that made me begrudgingly sell it. The focus still wasn’t quite as good as it needed to be and other cameras offered more features at that time. See my XT1 vs Olympus EM1 video for more on that.
My excitement was also aroused due to the internet buzz over the improvements made to the X-Pro2 and indeed the early noise coming out from Fuji XT2 reviews.
Before we go any further I would just like to remind you that if you find this review helpful then please shop using my Amazon links. It wont cost you an extra penny but it does help to support my work here. Absolutely anything that you buy through my links, even groceries helps me to keep adding to the website. A huge thank you for those who use the links.
As you can see from the list Fuji pulled out all the stops here to create a true flagship camera that has improvements across the board. The new 24mp sensor, a bump of 50% from the older generation 16mp sensors is a welcome addition and brings it in line with the competition.
Fuji clearly want to take the video market more seriously with 4K output and they have listened to feedback from photographers in nearly every department and worked to improve on what they already had with the XT1.
Fuji XT2 Review – Handling
The XT2 is slightly larger than the XT1 at 133x92x49.2mm and also 67 grams heavier. In the hand this makes the XT2 very comfortable to hold, offering good grip and a little more space to work with when using the controls.
I always felt the XT1 was a good camera but in need of a few improvements and the XT2 has come up trumps here, offering a little more room to work with and a more robust feel than its predecessor.
The front grip is slightly more pronounced on the XT2 and fits perfectly in my hand.
The first and most noticeable addition is the new AF Joystick which allows you to easily re-position your selected AF point directly with just the a flick of the controls. It works seamlessly and really speeds things up when you need to quickly select or change your focus point. This has the added benefit of freeing up the D-pad direction buttons to use as custom function buttons.
The New AF joystick located below the Q menu button
The Fuji XT2’s magnesium alloy shell is fully weather sealed (when combined with Fuji WR lenses such as the 90mm f/2) down to -10 Celsius, having 63 points of sealing. The VPB-XT2 grip is sealed to the same level. I’ve been caught out with my XT2 + 90mm f/2 in torrential downpours and it dealt with them rather better than I did.
One of the features that draws many photographers to the Fuji X-Series of cameras and especially the XT1 and 2 is the retro style control dials.
The Fuji XT2 retains the shutter speed dial although now it offers a 1/8000 maximum shutter speed. This is a particularly welcome feature for those wishing to shoot with fast aperture primes in bright light.
The XT2 also has a physical ISO dial with a range up to 12800 ISO + the H (high ISO options set in menu of 25600 or 51200)
One of the major handling improvements I’ve found with the XT2 is that Fuji have now changed the ISO locking mechanism to a push ball point style button. Now you press to lock and press again to unlock. This is vastly more usable than the one on the XT1 where you had to press and hold it to unlock the dial every time you wanted to change ISO.
The dials are also slightly taller and better damped which makes them much easier to change quickly. They are now what I would consider as close to perfect as you can get. In fact they’re so good that I don’t think about them. That’s a good thing as they simply do their job and don’t hinder the shooting experience at all.
The addition of dual memory card slots will be appreciated by everyone but in particular by pros because it gives the option to have an overflow, backup, or to shoot raw to one and Jpeg to the other. Both slots are UHS-II ready (unlike the X-Pro2) so you can stick a fast SD card in both and keep on shooting as I have.
You can get the same memory cards that I used from Amazon UK
and Amazon.com for international readers
Dual SD card slots, both UHS II compatible
Fujifilm have also attended to one of my gripes on the XT1, namely the flimsy memory card door. It is now much more robust and features a small lock so that you no longer accidentally open it in use. The little flick lock is easy to operate so doesn’t hinder you when you want to access your memory cards.
Locking mechanism and better build quality are appreciated on the memory card door.
The exposure compensation dial is well damped and in my time using it has never been knocked while getting it in and out of my bag. It doesn’t feature a lock unlike the shutter speed and ISO dials but it doesn’t seem to need one. It offers +-3ev of compensation with the addition of a C position which extends this to +-5 ev.
The Fuji XT2 retains the front finger and rear thumb control dials but they now include push to click functionality taken from the X-Pro 2.
The rear D-pad buttons protrude away from the surface a little further than on the XT1 and feel much more responsive in use. No more squidgy buttons here.
The video record button has been removed and replaced with a dedicated video position on the drive dial (Located around the base of the ISO dial). The options on the drive dial are now Movie, Bracketing, Continuous High, Continuous Low, Single frame, Multiple Exposure, Advanced Filter (effects), and Panorama.
The Fuji XT2 offers several metering modes which are changed with a second dial around the base of the shutter speed dial. Spot metering is taken from the centre 2% of the image frame, centre weighted which adds increased importance to subjects in the centre of the frame, multi and average. For most circumstances multi metering does a good job although I often switch to centre weighted when shooting portraits, particularly against a bright background.
I found the XT2 to under expose slightly in some circumstances but it’s so easy to add a touch of exposure compensation via the dedicated dial that it wasn’t really an issue. Just something to be aware of.
[UPDATE] This feature is offered. I missed it but found it while playing with the cameras menu system. Thanks to Eric who also pointed this out.
It would be nice if Fuji would offer the option of linking spot metering to the AF point in use as this can be really useful for shooting portraits off centre and for shots such as birds in flight against bright skies.
The XT2 also includes bracketing options for exposure, ISO, film simulation, white balance and dynamic range. Exposure bracketing is inexplicably limited to only 3 frames though which will be a serious gripe for those interested in HDR photography. I’m sure Fuji could increase this via firmware and I suggest that they do. Adding the option to bracket up to 7 frames would seriously increase this cameras appeal to HDR photographers.
There are 8 special effects filters which I have never used but for those interested they are Toy Camera, Miniature, Pop Colour, High Key, Low Key, Dynamic Tone, Soft Focus and Partial Colour. The effects don’t work when shooting video of course but they also don’t work if you are shooting raw and Jpeg.
More interesting I suspect to the vast majority of photographers is the addition of the Acros film simulation along with the ability to add red, yellow and green colour filters as well as grain in two strengths. I’ll take a more in depth look at this in the image quality section below.
In addition to Acros we also have the standard film simulations of Provia (standard colour) , Velvia (more saturated) , Astia (A little softer in colour than standard and nice for outdoor portraits), Pro Neg standard, Pro Neg Hi (Give nice skin tones Hi offering a little more contrast), Classic Chrome (muted colours for a retro look) and Monochrome with the ability to add red, green and yellow filters.
Classic Chrome is still a favourite.
Out of these filters I find myself mainly using Astia for outdoor portraits, Classic Chrome when I want a more subdued vintage look to shots, Pro Neg Standard and Hi when shooting portraits both in and outdoors depending on the look I want. If I want a black and white image I always use Acros now as it delivers beautiful contrast without blowing highlights and blocking shadows. The smooth tones of the new simulation are rich and very, very pleasing but more on that later.
The Fuji XT2 also offers an interval timer to shoot up to 999 images at intervals of between 1 second and 24 hours.
Viewfinder and LCD Screen
The Fuji XT2 retains the same excellent 2.36million dot viewfinder as the XT1. Offering 1024 x 768 resolution with a large 0.77x magnification. Compared with its rivals the XT2 viewfinder offers a huge view and is certainly one of the selling points of this camera for me.
An excellent feature carried over from the XT1 is that when shooting in portrait orientation all the shooting information is rotated so it is easily legible. A great feature and one which I’m not sure why other manufacturers have not implemented on their models.
There is also an option to show a slightly smaller image along with a second image to the right giving a highly magnified view with focus aids such as peaking and split screen simulation. I must admit though that I don’t use this feature as I prefer to keep the immersive large display intact.
The viewfinder has a vast number of display and overlay options which enable you to set it up with the information that is most important to you. It offers a level gauge although unlike Olympus and other models it is only a single axis level.
The viewfinder is now twice as bright as the XT1 which is perfect when shooting on bright sunny days as I have been recently. The refresh rate remains around the same at 60fps vs 54 fps on the XT1 but you now have the option to use boost mode on the XT2 to increase this to 100FPS. This is particularly useful when shooting fast moving subjects and firing off a burst of shots.
I’ve found that while there is still a little lag when tracking fast moving subjects it is now pretty minimal and I have no problem keeping up with the action when using boost mode.
The viewfinder eyepiece is now larger and keeps out stray light effectively.
Overall I’d say the Fuji XT2’s electronic viewfinder is the best on the market. It’s a joy to use.
LCD screen.
The LCD screen on the XT2 looks virtually unchanged at first glance. It remains a 3″ 1040 unit and unfortunately Fuji have again decided not to add a touch screen. Particularity with the addition of 4K video on the XT2 it would have been great to have a touch screen in order to easily be able to pull focus when shooting video.
However Fuji have implemented an ingenious design to allow shooting at varying angles in portrait orientation. As well as being able to tilt vertically there is an additional hinge that allows the screen to flip out horizontally. It’s a great bit of design and one that adds to the usability of the camera in more situations. For some reason the shooting information doesn’t rotate to match the shooting orientation unlike when using the viewfinder.
One issue I have on my XT2 and one that has been reported by a number of other users is that when switching on the camera both the viewfinder and LCD white out for several seconds before the exposure seems to adjust and display correctly. I’m hoping Fuji attends to this in a firmware update. In fact, knowing Fuji I’m almost certain they will as they are the best in the industry for adding fixes and improvements via firmware updates.
Fuji have implemented a new menu system on the XT2 which overall is a little more user friendly. Being a long time Fuji X user it has taken me a little while to get used to it but now that I have it is more intuitive and makes more sense. The new menu layout is tabbed and with the XT2 offers an AF specific tab, highlighting the cameras aspiration to become a workhorse of pro sports and nature photographers. I’ll talk more about this and the AF performance further on. One small gripe is that it doesn’t always remember your last location in the menu. So for example, I format memory card one, it then takes me out of the menu and I have to go back in, re-locate the format option and repeat for slot 2. It would be better if once card 1 is formatted it just kicked me out to the same sub menu so I can quickly format card 2.
The Fuji XT2 is well connected, now with a separate 2.5mm remote jack and thankfully a common 3.5mm microphone socket. There is also an HDMI port and a faster USB3 port too. The XT2 can output uncompressed 4.2.2 8bit 4k video externally although internally this is reduced to 1080p.
WiFi options remain essentially the same as the latest X Series models. It uses the same app and offers the same features. There is no NFC or Bluetooth available.
The XT2 uses the new NP-W126 battery which retains the same power specs but apparently deals with heat better. Presumably this is necessary when shooting 4k video. The older XT1 batteries will still work but just make sure to check for overheating issues if shooting 4k video. The battery door on the XT2 now feels more sturdy and has a reassuring feel to it when opening and closing.
What is new on the XT2 is the ability to charge it via USB which is great, if like me you have a number of different cameras and travel a lot. No more lugging all the various chargers with you. It is still supplied with an AC charger though unlike some Sony’s I have purchased in the past.
The VPB-XT2 battery grip offers a number of additional features which I shall quickly list here. For my Fuji XT2 review I did not purchase the battery grip so can’t really comment on them.
Increases shooting speed to 11 FPS
Reduces shutter lag
Adds headphone jack
Increases 4k shooting time from 10 to 30 minutes
Takes 2 additional batteries.
Adds AC power so you can shoot even without batteries
The VPB-XT2 is more than just your standard battery grip and I will probably purchase it in the future when funds allow. I’m getting married in a few months time so I can’t justify it right now.
Amazon.com link
Amazon UK link
Overall Fuji has addressed every single one of my issues in terms of handling that I had with the XT1. It feels better made, the dials are much more user friendly and there are no little things that bug me. Ergonomically I’d say Fuji have made the perfect camera with the XT2. I absolutely love using it. I previously always found using a PASM dial and control wheels to be faster than the external dials of the Fuji system. However with the XT2 that has changed. The extra depth of the ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation dials give just the right feedback to be able to change them quickly and easily. The revised ball point pen style locking mechanisms are so much better and the slight increase in overall size mean that this camera handles superbly. I actually can’t think of anything that I would change in terms of ergonomics. Oh yes I can, just add a touch screen Fuji and then the XT2 would be perfect.
Fuji XT2 Review – Auto Focus
I got the Fuji XT2 with super high hopes for the auto focus system, mainly because of the hype that I had heard on the internet about it being incredible, amazing, lightening quick etc.
The XT2 now sports 325 auto focus points (you can select to only use 91 if you wish), including 169 phase detect points. The area covered by the phase detect AF points is significantly larger than on previous models so tracking subjects becomes much easier. The XT2 also offers Zone and Wide AF tracking modes which use a portion of the AF points to keep your subject within them.
In Zone AF the autofocus area becomes a square measuring 3×3, 5×5 or 7×7 points. You can adjust its position using the AF joystick or cross keys. If you are using S-AF mode you can choose from a 13×7 array, or in C-AF, the smaller 7×7 square.
First lets start by talking about the AF speed in S-AF mode because that is probably what a lot of us use most of the time.
I intentionally shot the XT2 with an older 23mm f/1.4 and a more recent 90mm f/2 because I am aware that if I only used older lenses then any criticism of the XT2’s auto focus would be blamed on the older lens design.
I can say now that the Fuji XT2 auto focuses faster than any other X series camera that I have tried. It is faster to focus and lock on than the XT1.
When shooting in good light it is very quick to focus and very accurate too. Using the new AF joystick combined with the additional focus points available you can easily adjust your AF point and for example, highlight the one over your subjects eyes.
Speaking of eyes, the XT2 offers face detect AF and eye detect AF with the ability to select left or right eye. I have found this to work very well in practice although I still slightly prefer Olympus’ system. The Face and Eye detect AF can be overridden manually by selecting your AF point with the joystick. Something which wasn’t available when I tested the XT1. Face detection is not available in C-AF mode though as it only uses contrast detect AF.
In the menu system you can select your priority between focus and release and have it set separately for S-AF and C-AF. For S-AF I always have this set to focus priority.
The auto focus is fast but it is still not quite as quick as my Olympus Pen F which is instant. The XT2 is quick but on occasion when using older lenses such as the 23mm f/1.4 it can hesitate for just a fraction of a second. However when using the 90mm f/2 it was noticeably faster.
In general it is fast enough for almost any purpose. Capturing photos of your children who wont keep still for a second will not be a problem for the XT2.
Tracking performance on the Fuji XT2 is where I found the greatest improvement. In comparison to the XT1 the XT2’s tracking performance is excellent. It is quick to pick up the subject, almost always selects the correct subject (especially if you select the suddenly appearing subjects option as below) and once locked on it gave me the highest hit rate of any camera that I’ve tested so far and that includes my Nikon D7200.
What’s new with the Fuji XT2 is the ability to select between a number of different tracking profiles to suit your subject. These profiles alter the sensitivity and speed of the XT2’s auto focus. The profiles available are Multi-Purpose, Ignore Obstacles, Accelerating / Decelerating Subjects, Suddenly Appearing Subjects, and Erratic Motion. This feature is normally found on high end DSLR’s aimed at pro sports photographers so it is great to see Fuji including them here.
The new menu system is intuitive to use.
Turning on boost mode supposedly improves AF performance but in all honesty I found that it didn’t hugely affect AF performance or the hit rate I was getting with the camera.
The buffer depth of the XT2 is good. I was using matching Sandisk Extreme Pro 32gb 280 mb/sec UHS II cards in both slots and when shooting Raw+Jpeg at 8FPS the camera would only start to slow down after about 3 seconds. The buffer then cleared in about a further 3 seconds.
Shooting Fine Jpeg I was able to shoot forever. Shooting Compressed Raw files I was able to capture 34 frames before the camera slowed down.
Overallthe Fuji XT2 has some of the best AF performance you will find in any mirrorless camera. Combine this with the additional tracking AF profiles and it is a very capable camera for almost any use.
Fuji XT2 Review – Image Quality
Classic Chrome
The Fuji XT2 uses the same 24mp X-Trans III sensor found in the X-Pro 2. It increases resolution by 50% over the older 16mp sensors. It also now allows shooting in raw at ISO 100
Resolution
In terms of resolution this allows for greater detail and increased ability to crop your images if required. Wildlife photographers in particular will be delighted with this increase in resolution as you can never have too much reach or ability to crop when shooting animals in the wild.
Where I really notice this is when shooting portraits, the new sensor shows more detail in the eyelashes of a subject. It is also quite noticeable when shooting detailed landscapes. The higher resolution combined with lack of AA filter allows for incredibly sharp images. Combined with the new autofocus system, getting pin sharp images even at large apertures is easy. Don’t forget that thanks to the way mirrorless cameras work there is no need for micro adjustments to the AF system when using different lenses. When your shot is in focus, you can be sure it really is in focus.
What is surprising if you look at the results below is that the Nikon 18-140mm kit lens does surprisingly well when compared with the Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 prime.
Dynamic range
To test dynamic range I set the Fuji XT2, Nikon D7200 and Olympus Pen F up on a tripod. Shooting at all the cameras base ISO settings with the same shutter speed and aperture and in raw.
Fuji XT2 + 23mm f/1.4 @f/4, 1/50, ISO 200Nikon D7200 + 18-140mm @ f/4, 1/50, ISO 100Olympus Pen F + 17mm f/1.8@ f/4, 1/50, ISO 200
There are a couple of interesting things to note here; The Fuji at ISO 200 is a little brighter than the Nikon shot at ISO 100 but darker than the Pen F. This would match my findings that it can sometimes under expose a little. The XT2 seems to prefer to under expose slightly and protect the highlights.
Secondly, when you increase the shadows in Lightroom to the same level as the Olympus Pen F the Fuji retains the detail and doesn’t introduce too much noise. So the detail is still there in the shadows while protecting the highlights.
Fuji XT2 (left) with shadow brightness increased to match the Pen F (right)
Now if we compare it against the Nikon D7200 where I have increased exposure by one stop in Lightroom, effectively giving an ISO 200 image we can see that the Nikon image is brighter at the same settings. There is not much in it though so to me it doesn’t look like Fuji are fudging the numbers anymore, or at least not to any significant degree. The Nikon is exposing the image slightly to the right on the histogram and indeed it shows more clipped highlights than the Fuji file but shows more shadow detail. The Nikon image is also more saturated but when shooting raw it’s not a significant factor as you can easily change the colour.
Fuji XT2 (left) and Nikon D7200
There is some jpeg artifacting in these images so I will upload full resolution samples to Flickr so that you can look in more detail.
From these results I can say that the Fuji XT2’s sensor is right up there with the best performing APS-C sensors on the market. I would also say that at this point, dynamic range and resolution are no longer significant factors when choosing between APS-C and Micro 4/3. All the sensors perform really well at base ISO.
Fuji XT2 Review – ISO performance
I tested the noise performance of the XT2 against the Nikon D7200 and Olympus Pen F.
Firstly I tested all 3 cameras in the same dim light using the same shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings. All shots were taken in Manual mode using a tripod. The light was very dim.
At ISO 1600 the differences between the three cameras are minor. At 3200 we start to see a gap emerging as this is where Micro 4/3 tends to fall behind.
The Fuji starts to show better performance than the Olympus Pen F around 3200 ISO
It also performs a little better than the Nikon D7200
Fuji XT2 (left) vs Nikon D7200 at ISO 3200
At ISO 6400 the Fuji sensor really starts to show better noise handling than the Nikon D7200. Noise is better controlled and finer as you can see below. I’d say it has about 1/2 stop advantage at this point.
At 6400 ISO the Fuji XT2 starts to perform noticeably better than the Nikon D7200 (right)
Finally I shot both cameras at 12800 ISO and at this point the D7200 image starts to break down, I was surprised how well the XT2 handled it. At this point the Fuji XT2 is significantly better than the D7200, by almost a stop. The Pen F at 6400 performs very similarly to the Fuji XT2 at ISO 12800.
Fuji XT2 (left) performs considerably better than the Nikon D7200 at 12800 ISO
So in terms of noise performance the Fuji XT2 has improved on previous generation sensors by around a stop at high ISO’s. This is very impressive considering that they have increased resolution by 50% over the older X-Series models and their ISO settings seem to be more in line with the competition now.
I feel comfortable shooting at ISO 6400 on the XT2 and will go to 12800 if required. Remember these shots are all raw files with no post processing work done on them. They were converted straight to Jpeg in Lightroom (creative cloud version). As I mentioned before I will upload the samples to my flickr account so that you can look in more detail if you wish.
Acros Film Simulation
As I mentioned before one of the additions to the XT2 is the Acros film simulation first seen on the X-Pro2 earlier in the year. I personally find this black and white mode to give beautiful tones with plenty of contrast. In my testing it requires contrasty scenes to really get the best out of it but then high contrast scenes always benefit black and white images.
Below are a few samples. You can see more on the Fuji Acros vs Pen F Tri X page here
Fuji Acros + Yellow filter
Fuji Acros + Green Filter
Video
The XT2 adds the ability to shoot 4k video and for me this is a huge bonus because it was an area where I would previously had to have kept a separate camera just for video. I have only briefly tested it but the quality looks to be excellent with little of the artifacting that we saw from previous Fuji models.
I’ll be testing this further and adding some samples once I have a faster internet connection.
Fuji XT2 Review – Conclusion
Overall Fuji has really pulled out all the stops with the XT2. They have upgraded the sensor giving 50% more resolution yet somehow improved high ISO noise performance. Everything about the camera feels quicker than the XT1, from the menu system through to auto focus performance.
The AF joystick speeds up AF point selection by a huge amount and this combined with accurate face and eye detection means that you rarely miss a shot. S-AF is as quick as anyone needs in real life and tracking performance is among the best I have used.
Yet it is the handling where I feel that the XT2 really shines now, thanks in large part to to all the minor changes that Fujifilm have made to the design. Slightly larger body, more rugged build quality, larger dials, better feeling buttons, better quality memory card and battery doors, dual SD card slots and an intuitive hinged LCD design.
I think Fuji have made the perfect handling camera and it really is a joy to use. I get to use a huge number of cameras and for me the Fuji XT2 feels the best in use. It is quick and easy to control and the image quality is superb, right up there with the best APS-C sensors. The fact that it is also a good looking beast is a bonus.
Apart from the addition of a touch screen LCD I struggle to see how the Fuji XT2 could be improved ergonomically. It seems to have hit the perfect size/weight/performance combination for all my needs.
Fuji have smashed it out of the park with the XT2 in my opinion and judging by the stock delays I think a lot of people agree with me.
I mentioned previously in a post that I wondered whether the XT2 would be enough to tempt me back in to the X-System as my main camera. Well I no longer have to wonder. I shipped off three cameras for sale yesterday and the XT2 wasn’t one of them. I’ll be keeping that and hopefully adding a few more lenses to my bag too.
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How do you make it on to our list of the 5 best landscape photographers in the World?
Well below I shall go through my picks for the 5 best landscape photographers in the World based on the quality of their work first and foremost. We also take into account how influential they are in the genre and industry. You might not agree with my picks, that’s fine as I’d love to hear who you would place on your list of the 5 best landscape photographers in the World.
I worked solely as a landscape photographer in the UK for a number of years. I sold prints and had my own gallery too. In the end other ventures lead me down a different path but I will always love beautiful landscape photography and appreciate all the great photographers out there who are inspired by natures beauty.
To become a truly great landscape photographer requires passion, skill, dedication and developing your own signature look. That’s why number 1 on this list is none other than ….
Best landscape photographers in the World – Number 1.
Alain Briot is a French landscape photographer based in the USA. His work of the Navajo native American reserves and the Canyonlands of Arizona and Utah are simply awe-inspiring.
His images have a signature style and his Fine Art prints are sublime.
Alain started life in Paris but has lived in the Southern USA for 30 years now. His trademark images are of the vast landscapes of the American south-west where he makes his home.
So what makes Alain the best landscape photographer in the World?
One of the aspects of Alain’s work that elevates it above others, beyond his mastery of composition, is his ability to capture the subtle hues and tones of the Arid landscapes that he often photographs. He knows the limits of reality and doesn’t push his images too far in post processing.
However his images are still full of life, colour and detail. Staring at his artwork transports you to the landscapes that he has photographed so passionately for many years.
When creating his portfolio of work of the American Navajo’s, Alain lived among them for years, allowing him to learn about their culture and landscape. This enabled him to understand their values and capture them within his artwork.
Antelope Canyon
Alain has a fine portfolio of work, some of his most breathtaking are his intimate captures of Antelope Canyon. Great composition combined with meticulous post processing brings out every twist and turn of the canyon as the rare rays of light bounce off its walls.
Alain, is not only a highly respected landscape photographer but he is also a prolific teacher and author, contributing his years of knowledge and insight to the Luminous Landscape website and authoring many books on how to improve and market Fine Art Photography.
He also runs very popular workshops and tuition which you can see more of here
We were lucky enough to speak to Alain and ask him a few questions.
1. What inspired you to take up landscape photography?
“I was inspired by the realization that photography can be used as an artistic medium. I was trained as an artist at the Academie des Beaux Arts in Paris and when I started working with photography I decided to approach photography as art and use it as an art medium.”
2. What is your most satisfying image or project?
“For me photography is an art and I approach it as such. My goal is to create artistic photographs, not documentary photographs Therefore what is satisfying for me is creating photographs that are expressions of my vision, personality and inspiration instead of photographs that represent the subject factually. Documentation is what comes out of the camera. Art is what comes out of the artist’s soul. I want my photographs to be about what inspires and moves me, not about what my camera captures.”
3. Do you have one top tip for our readers to improve their landscape photography?
“Focus on improving your artistic and technical skills, not just on acquiring new gear. Collect art instead of cameras. The limiting factor is you, not your cameras, computer, software or other gear. Most beginning photographers own cameras, computers, software and gear that are far better than their artistic and technical skills. The limiting factor is their technical and artistic knowledge, not their gear. They don’t need to buy more gear! They need to improve their technical and artistic skills and increase their level of personal commitment to their work.”
4. Where is your favorite location in the World to photograph?
“I love the American Southwest: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California and so on. If you have not photographed the American Southwest yet you owe it to yourself to do it now. I teach workshops there and I invite you to join me in photographing these beautiful areas: Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Death Valley, White Sands, Arches, Canyonlands, and many many more.”
5. What camera do you use?
” I want to start by saying that what matters most for me is the personality of the photographer, his vision, his inspiration and his approach to the subject, not the camera that he uses. Asking ‘what camera do you use?’ is like asking Picasso ‘which brushes do you use?’ or ‘what brand of canvas do you paint on?’. It is reducing art to the level of craft. I know that we cannot take photographs without cameras. But we cannot paint without paintbrushes or carve without chisels or play music without instruments. Tools are important, but what matter most is the artist’s vision not the tools or the supplies he or she uses.
However, as I said, I will answer your question so here it is: I use a Phase One digital back on a Hasselblad Camera, several Canon 1Ds Series cameras and a Fuji X100s. Except for the Fuji which has a fixed lens, I use these cameras with an assortment of lenses ranging from 8mm to 400mm. I don’t think this gear is different from what many other photographers use. What matters is what I do with it.”
Best Landscape Photographers in the World – Number 2.
Number two on my list is Alexandre Deschaumes, another French photographer whose work is some of the most evocatively emotional in the World today.
His images exude atmosphere and his use of light and composition create photos that transport you in to his world.
Alexandre’s images often focus on more intimate details within a scene and combine this with incredible light and beautiful colours. His images of the Autumnal colours in the Forests of his native France are un-rivalled in their majesty. If you like your photography to be atmospheric then Alexandre will be an inspiration to you.
We were lucky enough to speak with Alexandre and learn a little more about what inspires him.
We suggest you take a look at the incredible work on his website .
1. What inspired you to take up landscape photography?
“The romantic feeling of autumn mist, and some kind of inner sadness and frustrations.
2. Which are your favourite images?
Alexandre Chose the two images shown, not surprisingly as they are simply stunning.
Ethereal Journey Click for larger version
3. What one tip would you offer aspiring landscape photographers?
“keep the first sight/spontaneity is very important”
Expanding on this we believe Alexandre is suggesting that what first attracts you to a scene is what you should attempt to capture in your photos.
4. What camera do you use?
Alexandre uses a Canon 5 DSr to capture stunning detail in his images.
A book of Alexandre’s beautiful images is out now and available through his website
Best landscape photographers in the World – Number 3.
Alex Noriega is an American photographer whose love of grand American landscapes can be seen in his photography of the Rocky Mountains.
His photos show great talent for breaking a scene down in to simple elements. They are uncluttered, pure in their form and this is all due to his mastery of composition.
Alex spends a lot of time in the field and this shows through his ability to capture beautiful scenes in the most incredible light. His images are breath-taking.
Alex kindly spared a little time to answer a few of our questions.
What inspired you to take up landscape photography?
“Having grown up in the flat and farm-covered Midwest of the US, my first road trip west of the Rockies was eye-opening. I was blown away by the geology laid bare in the desert and the grandeur of the mountains, and felt compelled to dedicate my photography to that, since it moved me.
2. What is your favourite image?
“Either “Volcanic Autumn” or “Hibernation”. One is a more grand image, and one is more intimate, and oddly enough, they’re both from Mount Rainier. What makes them favorites for me are the compositions, and the sense of mystery.
Volcanic Autumn Click for larger versionHibernation Click to see larger version
4. Do you have one tip for aspiring landscape photographers?
“Find your own style and artistic voice. Emulating other artists is a great tool for learning, but eventually the only satisfying and meaningful images you create will be those that are uniquely your own.”
5. What camera do you use?
Alex uses a Nikon D610 although he would quite like a D810.
Don’t forget to visit Alex’s website to see more of his beautiful work
Best landscape photographers in the World – Number 4.
Charlie Waite is a British landscape photographer who is renowned around the World for his elegant compositions. His images often have a calm and tranquil nature and this is achieved through expert use of composition and subtle tones throughout.
Rydal Water, England Click for larger version
The image above of a boathouse on Rydal Water is one of my favourite images of Charlie’s. It reminds me of a classical painting by Constable, the famous English artist. The composition, light and subtle hues are expertly brought together thanks to the photographers technical and artistic ability.
Charlie manages to capture the beauty of the English countryside perfectly and this is why he makes it on to my list as one of the best landscape photographers in the World.
It is little wonder that Charlie Waite has made numerous appearances on TV a well as being the brainchild behind the Landscape Photographer of The Year competition in the UK.
You can see more of Charlie Waite’s work on his website here
Best landscape photographers in the World – Number 5.
Marc Adamus is a widely published and acclaimed American photographer whose images show fantastic composition along with the use of great light.
He often makes use of foreground elements to draw the viewer in to the scene.
Here’s a snippet from his website
” Marc’s pursuit of landscape images have taken him around the world almost continuously for well over a decade now. The visual drama and artistry of his photographs are born of a keen eye for the many moods of Nature and a life-long passion for the wilderness. This passion shines throughout Marc’s work and has attracted a wide audience around the world.
Marc’s style is unmistakable. His talent for rare captures of amazing light and fleeting atmosphere imbue his portfolio with a sense of the epic, majestic and the bold. His success derives from patient single-minded pursuit of all the unique moments that generate the magic and energy of the wilderness, often spending weeks or even months immersing himself in the landscape he shoots despite the rigors of season and weather.
Marc’s photographs have been published extensively worldwide in a large variety of media ranging from calendars, books, advertising and the publications of National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography and over a hundred more. Marc’s clients have included Fortune-500 companies such as Apple, HP, Toshiba, Blackberry and more, in addition to wilderness focused enterprises such as the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club.
A full-time professional from 2005 onward, Marc has been frequently mentioned and recognized as an original artist, an innovator and a trendsetter in the modern age of landscape photography. Marc is regularly noted as one of the most influential landscape professionals in modern history. “
All the above photographers are technically excellent. It is their vision that elevates them above the norm and puts them on our 5 best photographers in the World list. . I hope you found their work as inspiring as I do and that you take the time to visit their websites to find out more about them and their photography.
If you want to improve your photography then don’t forget to check out my article on 10 easy ways to improve your photography or take a look at some of the eBooks that I recommend here
And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest news, reviews tips and more.
When you want to convince people of the value of your services, you have to first know your own value. Customers have many choices when it comes to photographers. Prices can vary a great deal, whether someone wants a wedding photographer, shots for a resume or glamorous shots for modeling jobs. Value is conveyed in many ways, such as the way you present yourself, the quality of your work and the prices you charge. When setting your prices, you could be making the mistake of pricing yourself so low that others don’t see the value in your work.
Know Your Own Value so Others Will Know it
Many photographers, especially when just starting out, assume that customers will always be drawn to someone who has the lowest price. This is certainly true for some customers, but certainly not all. You also have to realize that many customers are willing to pay a little more for superior work. It’s up to you, however, to convey to potential customers that you offer high value. First, however, you have to be fully aware of this yourself. Knowing your own value is the first step for building a successful photography business.
Presenting Your Services
Presentation is crucial for every type of business. With a visually-based art such as photography, however, it’s especially crucial. People who don’t know you are going to judge you based on how you present yourself. When they look at your brochure, website, ad or business card, they’re going to form an instant impression on who you are and what you have to offer.
When creating your promotional materials, it’s important to take the time to present yourself in the most professional and appealing way possible. If you want to convince people of your value, make sure that you convey your value in everything you do. This starts with your website and any other content that describes your services. Of course, it also pertains to your work itself. Do you have a portfolio that includes your best work? Do you have testimonials that help to build social proof of your value? Do you always put forth your best effort when taking your photos?
Set Yourself Apart
Part of knowing your value is being clear about what you’re offering to people. Don’t make the mistake of marketing yourself in a way that’s ordinary and generic. If you do this, you’ll have to set your prices low. If you’re exactly like a dozen other photographers in your area, there’s no reason for people to pay more than bargain prices for your services.
Even if you offer similar services as many other photographers, you have your own unique style and way of doing things. If you’re a nature photographer, for example, you may specialize in certain types of scenes. You may have a flare for creating old fashioned scenes for portraits. Or your look may be hip and modern. A good exercise is to write down a list of points that define your style or genre. If you can’t immediately think of any points that set you apart, you may want to give this some careful consideration. When you do something unique, you immediately add value to your work.
The Problem With Pricing Yourself Too Low
You naturally want to drum up as much business as possible. Setting low prices may seem like the best way to do this. If you’re business is new, you may have the notion of starting off with introductory bargain prices and raising them later. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to raise prices once people are accustomed to paying a certain price. This way of thinking can work alongside the tips I gave in my how to make money from photography article. You set your prices at the level that you want/need and you offer a discount to your first clients in order to build your portfolio.
In general, the lower your prices, the less value you are attributing to your own work. You may not see it that way, but others surely will. You may get clients who are seeking a bargain. However, such people will flock to another photographer who’s even cheaper the first chance they get. You don’t want to engage in this kind of race to the bottom.
Understand Your Value
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve had your business for years, it’s always good to reassess your image, both the one you have of yourself and the one you convey to the public. Remember that it’s never too late or too early to improve this image. Your value is communicated in many ways, including the appearance of your website, your marketing materials, the way you describe your services and your prices.
If you’re trying to obtain more customers by setting low prices, you may want to rethink this strategy. It’s a trap that keeps you locked into low prices and an image that conveys low value. People always assume that prices are commensurate with quality. Naturally, if you raise your prices, you must offer people quality that makes them feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.
Determining and increasing the value of your service is something you can do in many ways. It’s more of a long-term goal than a quick fix. The first thing you have to do is make sure that you value your own work highly enough. Once you do this, it’s much easier to convice others that you’re special.
Knowing your value will help you to make more money from your photography. You can see my article on making money from photography here.
If you are like I was when I started out and you are wondering how to make money from photography then keep reading because below I will go through some of the best ways to start earning some money with your photos and skills.
Making money from photography is a dream that a lot of us have at one point or another. We dream to be able to ditch the day job and make money doing something that we love.
Imagine how great it would be to be able to spend more time taking photos, less time grinding away in your day job and how fantastic it would feel to be your own boss.
One of the benefits of making money with photography is that you can decide where and when you work and this also gives you the chance to spend more time with your family.
I’m not going to lie to you though, it is hard and very competitive, especially when starting out. But if you are really committed, have the desire and passion plus some skill then it is still possible to make money from photography. A lot of people will tell you not to do it, that it can’t be done, that there’s too much competition and everyone has a camera these days. I’ve heard it’s a dying trade etc etc.
Well I’m here to tell you that just like any business you can succeed if you are willing to do what 99% of others are not. You have to work hard, be dedicated, make sacrifices and strive to be the best that you can be.
If you really want to make money with your photos then you can, you just have to know how, where and most importantly what is in demand.
I’ll start out with one of the most obvious ways to make money as a photographer and build up to the most profitable.
How to make money from photography – Stock
Stock photography is licensing your images to a stock photo library or agency who then sell them on your behalf to companies, newspapers, magazines and websites. This area is very competitive but most people think that they can upload a few of their holiday snaps and make a few bucks. That is very unlikely.
I know photographers who make a living solely from stock photography so it is certainly possible to make a decent income from your photos via stock agencies.
The key here is to research. Look around you and there are images everywhere, on bill boards, magazines, leaflets, newspapers, websites, holiday brochures and a million other places. Take a good look at those images and try to learn from them because a lot of them are taken by successful stock photographers. If they are selling their images then you can too. You just have to be as good or better than them.
Look at the types of images that are around you. They are usually evoking a mood, telling a story or have incredible light. So if you want your images to regularly sell on stock websites then you need to create images that do the same.
One of my most popular stock photography images is a shot of a very rural school in Scotland with a school sign in front of it. It is a completely average, un-memorable shot but it has sold countless times to national newspapers because it clearly represents rural schools. I took this shot on my way to a landscape location I had scouted out and because I had been following the news, I knew that the UK Government was considering closing rural schools. Therefore I predicted that there would be lots of news stories about it and in turn lots of demand for such an image.
That right there is research paying off. Keeping up to date with current affairs and trends is vital to making money from your photography in stock.
Below are some of the best stock agencies to sign up to.
Alamy – Alamy has a lot of newspaper clients in the UK. There is an initial submission requirement which if passed then allows you to upload the rest of your images.
Getty – Getty is one of the most prestigious stock agencies, working with famous and renowned photographers. They sell around the World and have a huge client list including major news networks and newspapers. I would suggest only applying to Getty if you have a portfolio of very distinctive images or you have access to celebrities and well known people.
Shutterstock – Shutterstock is what’s called a micro stock agency. They concentrate on selling in volume which unfortunately means that they often sell your images at quite a low price. However if you can build up a huge library of images then there is money to be made due to the volume of sales.
Istockphoto – iStockphoto is similar to Shutterstock.
There are hundreds more stock photography websites so just do a Google search. If you have a specific set of photos, such as steam trains of the UK etc then it might be worth searching out a particular agency that specialises in such areas.
How to make money from photography – Magazine Submissions
Even though the publishing industry has suffered a decline in recent years there are still plenty of publications that require high quality content on a regular basis.
I used to provide material to a number of different magazines in the UK, in particular I mainly supplied to the photography magazine industry. While the pay is not great it is another source of income and can lead to more work.
When submitting to magazines make sure you make it as easy as possible for the editor to say yes to your submission. He/She has to look through hundreds of submissions so make yours easy to deal with. Send some of your best images, follow the guide-lines to the letter and I always used to write a short friendly cover note and include a sheet of thumbnails of the images so that they could quickly scan to see the quality.
Eventually you will build up a rapport with certain editors and they may even start to throw some commissions your way which pay a little better.
How do I know who to contact?
Scan the magazines in your local store and grab a list of contact details. Alternatively in the UK there is an excellent publication which lists all active magazine publications, newspapers and other potential outlets. It gives you contact information for picture editors and submission guidelines as well as the types of images required.
For me producing prints and selling them is probably the most satisfying part of my job. If your images are of a high enough standard then get out there, find galleries, cafes, restaurants and hotels and show them a quick portfolio of your images. These establishments might buy your prints off you but in all likely-hood they will agree to display them for sale in return for receiving a percentage of the sale. The percentage of the sale they take ranges from 20-50% . Make sure to factor this in to your retail price.
Remember, local images sell best so look for tourist hot spots and get out there and photograph the most popular locations in the beautful light to give yourself the best chance of selling in any numbers.
Printing your own prints is not for everyone because you need to make sure you have a colour managed workflow. I’ll write up an article on that at a later date.
If you are going to use a print service then make sure you do a test print first to ensure that the colours match your screen. Most print services offer an ICC profile to download and use in Photoshop to ensure everything matches up. Check your printers website.
Selling prints can be profitable and it is all about finding the right place to exhibit. For instance I used to sell a few thousands Pounds worth of prints every month during the Tourist season on a Tiny island off the coast of Scotland. I had about four galleries selling my work on that island and the biggest most popular gallery was my worst performing outlet. If you can, find a space for your work in a smaller gallery where the owners meet and greet the customers and offer a personal service. They know you and your images personally so they are more likely to sell your work. They can offer a bit of information about you as an artist and that is what really sells your prints.
You could even offer to do open days where you meet the customers. In my experience, meeting potential buyers yourself is a surefire way to increase your sales. It makes the purchase much more personal and they have a beautiful print to remember you by.
What size prints should you offer?
In the UK I used to offer 12 x 8″, 20 x 16″ and 30 x 20″. Offering three sizes is often seen as the best idea as it means that you have something catering to all budgets. Anything smaller is not worth your time and anything larger you can take as a special order. Remember that houses in the UK are smaller than those in the USA so the market for larger prints in the States is bigger. The art market for photography is also more established than in the UK so there is more money to be made.
Remember the larger your print the more profit you make and that’s what we are trying to do here…. Make money from our photography.
How much should you charge?
This can be based on two factors. One is your costs. You need to add up all the costs you have to make each print. That includes the print itself, your time, your equipment and of course factor in any percentage you are handing over to the gallery. Then add your profit on top and you have your retail price.
You can also base this on your worth as an artist. If you are established and have a following then you can charge more for your work. Part of pricing is knowing your value as a photographer which I discuss in an article here
Alain Briot has a fantastic system for this so I encourage you to check out his website because he is an absolute expert in selling fine art photography and I learned a lot under his tutorship.
Do not make the mistake of undervaluing your worth just to get a sale. The right buyer will pay the right price for your work because they appreciate your talent. As a guide my fine art prints sell for anything from $40 up to $800 depending upon size and the number of prints in an edition.
How to make money from photography – Offering your services
This is probably the most common way for photographers to earn a living and it is also the most business-like.
Essentially you offer your services as a photographer, whether that be in wedding photography, portraits, kids, fashion, lifesyle, commercial, product or any other form.
There are several ways to start out in this industry. You can look to work under an established professional or company by applying to be their apprentice. I have had many requests for this from people just like you who want to get their foot in the door. I can tell you the do’s and don’ts when applying to be someone’s apprentice.
Send your CV, a brief portfolio and a cover letter. Don’t suck up too much in the cover letter. Do your research on the photographer and give them an idea of who you are and what you are looking for. Tell them why they should pick you above all the other applicants. We are not always looking for the best photographer but the best fit for our business.
As in a lot of other walks of life it is often who you know not what you know that gets you by so try to network with photographers and peers to get in to their social circle. It might just be the advantage you need to get your break in to the industry.
You can also start out on your own, after all, all you really need is a camera, a website and the passion, drive and determination to succeed.
Speaking of websites, that is one of the most effective tools a photographer can use to gain exposure and book clients. It can also be a platform to sell your prints and make money from your existing photos.
A simple wordpress site and web hosting costs peanuts to create and run so before you do anything else, set up a website. Simple, quick and easily navigable are the key ingredients to an effective website.
Host your site on a great webhost like TSOHost as they are reliable, fast and offer excellent customer service. That’s who I use for this website. You can even get a 10% discount off their packages by entering the code The Cotswold Photographer . This offer is only available to the first 20 customers though so don’t wait around.
I also use Hostgator in the USA because like TSOHost, they offer great service and fast, reliable and cheap hosting packages.
Running your own photography business is not an easy task though. When you are starting out you need to have more than just good photos. To make money from your photography you need to be able to identify a market for your photos and products and effectively advertise to them.
The best way to get your name out there is to network on social media but don’t just randomly tweet that your services or images are for sale. That’s like bombarding people you don’t even know with sales leaflets and we know that most of those get thrown in the trash. Instead talk to people and join in conversations on social media. Join related groups and add valuable input to discussions. Then when you have built up trust and rapport you can subtly point out what you offer.
Do not throw money at Google Adwords unless you know what you are doing because it can be a real drain on your finances and could even bankrupt your business before you get started. It can cost thousands of dollars to test to see what is effective on Adwords and you probably just don’t have the finances at the start of your photographic career.
Top Tip
Build up your portfolio by offering discounts to your first clients. A good strategy for wedding photographers just starting out is to offer a 50% discount to your first client and tell them it is because you want to build your portfolio. Tell them that this is a one off offer though and the next client will only get a 45% discount. The next client would get a 40% discount and so on until you are charging your full price. This not only helps you to book those first important customers but it also helps you to build a great portfolio which will justify your full asking price.
It is also very important to understand that to make money from photography you need to be a businessperson first and foremost. You need to have a grasp of your finances and be able to work out a business plan. You need so many skills to succeed, you need to be an accountant, web designer, marketer, customer service agent, secretary and of course a photographer.
Don’t let that put you off though because the rewards are infinitely greater than the initial struggles and if you plan, persevere and produce the goods you will become successful. Then eventually you can start to outsource some of the more tedious tasks and concentrate on what you love, creating photos.
I’ll have plenty more to say on the subject of how to make money from photography in future articles including some killer tips to make your website pay for itself so make sure you subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with all the latest tips, reviews and more.
Now if you are really serious about changing your life around, ditching the 9-5 and becoming your own boss then I suggest you read Going Pro by Kelly Kingman. In her book she has over 91 pages of insider tips on how to make money from photography. She is a very successful pro photographer and she explains step by step how you can fulfill your dream and turn Pro. Along with all the great information in the book there is also an audio download with interviews from some of the most successful pro photographers giving their incredible knowledge of what it takes to turn pro and make a success of it.
Here’s a link to the book
That’s all for now folk as I’m exhausted after another 18 hour day
I just took delivery of the Fuji X-T2 and I already have the Olympus Pen F. Seeing as though these two cameras are well known for their black and white output I thought it would be fun to add some comparison shots each day as I test them more and more. So make sure you check back as this page will be added to regularly whenever I shoot black and white images with both cameras.
If you have black and white images from one of these two cameras (or the X-Pro 2) that you would like to share then email me or leave a comment and we can build up a great library of shots to give everyone chance to see which black and white mode produces more pleasing photos.
Here’s the first couple of shots.
Pen F + 17mm f/1.8 , @1.8, 1/320, ISO 200. Black and white mode 2, no filters.Fuji XT2 + 23mm f/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/350, ISO 200. Fujifilm Acros, green filter.Fuji XT2 + 23mm f/1.4 @ 2.8, 1./550, ISO 200. Acros, green filterPen F + 17mm f/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/1250, ISO 200. Profile 2 no filtersPen F + 17mm f/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/160, ISO 1600. B&W Mode 2 , no filtersFuji XT2 + 23mm f/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/124, ISO 640. Acros, no filters
A couple of quick portraits
Fuji XT2 + 90mm f/2 @ f/2, 1/125, ISO 2500. Across no filtersOlympu Pen F + 45mm f/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/160, ISO 800. Black and white profile 2 no filters.
And a couple more from today
Olympus Pen F + 45mm 1.8 @1.8, 1/1250, ISO 200. Profile 2 no filtersFuji XT2 + 90mm f/2 @f/2, 1/1000, ISO 200. Acros no filtersPen F + 17mm f/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/125, ISO 640 Profile 2 no filtersPen F + 17mm f/1.8 @ 1.8, 1/200, ISO 200 Profile 2 no filtersFuji XT2 + 23mm f/1.4 @1.4 , 1/250, ISO 250 Acros + yellow filter
