Hi ,
I'm writing this from Whistler, BC, where I'm stopped for a few days during a 3-week cycling trip around the Vancouver area. I’m really impressed at how bike-friendly Vancouver is, and even though we’ve encountered some heavy rains this week, I’m excited to explore more of this beautiful area!
I can’t believe that September went by so fast! It’s one of my favorite months for photography. The obvious draw are the gorgeous fall colors, but there are other benefits that I enjoy as well. The crisp cool air helps produce sharper images when shooting long distances with long lenses, and magic hour occurs at an earlier time in the evening, and at a different angle than in summertime. This means the sun hits certain features in the landscape more prominently in the fall. It’s always fun to watch how the sun hits certain subjects throughout the year. Have you ever done a “season series,” where you shoot the same subject from the same vantage point during different months of the year?
I spent most of my September racing and photographing cyclocross in Anchorage, and of course, editing lots of cyclocross photos. I love shooting ‘cross, because it’s such a great opportunity to practice action photography techniques and try out different approaches. Also, it was an excellent chance to do some extensive testing of the Fuji X-T2 autofocus system and see how the new AF-C Custom Settings work. With 5 settings and an empty slot for your own making, these different settings allow you to tweak how the X-T2 acquires and tracks moving subjects, and whether it ignores or pays attention to things that quickly come into the frame.
One of my favorite settings is #4. This is for “Suddenly Appearing Subject,” and it gives you nearly instant acquisition and lock, like when you have a biker who enters the frame very quickly. I was impressed at how well this setting works. Overall, the X-T2 tracks like a champ, better than any mirrorless camera out there. In fact, in a recent interview, a Sony executive admitted that they have nothing that can match the AF performance of the X-T2. That’s a pretty amazing testimonial!
Note- some high end DSLRs also have an AF custom menu- if your camera has this kind of setting, I would highly encourage you to dig an and see how it works. You may find that using a different setting might help you better capture certain types of action.
The X-T2 is slowly shipping through the preorders, and I know that both B&H and Amazon and local dealers are gradually getting caught up. If you're wanting to get an X-T2, be patient, they’re coming!
Upcoming Events
I’ll be presenting at a number of upcoming events around the country during the coming weeks. As of right now, here’s what’s on the schedule:
October 26-30: Great Smokies Photography Summit, in Townsend, TN. I’ll be one of many presenters during this 5-day workshop.
November 5-6: Kenmore Digital Camera Expo, outside of Seattle. I’m back as one of the featured speakers both Saturday and Sunday, and I'll be at the Fujifilm booth to answer questions and show you some of the gear. I’ll be giving two different talks, one general X Series presentation and one geared towards advanced techniques with the X Series and the X-T2 in particular.
November 10: Drink and Click with Fujifilm and Samy’s Camera: 7:30-10:00pm at The Garage in Los Angeles, CA. This casual and informal event will give you the opportunity to demo X Series cameras and lenses, including the X-T2, and I’ll be on hand to answer question and share war stores with fellow photographers. I’m looking forward to seeing some of my SoCal friends there and meeting new ones as well! You need to register, but it’s free and there will be giveaways!
In addition, I may be doing an in-store presentation at Samy’s on either Nov. 11 or 12, where I’ll talk in depth about how I use the X Series and how you can get the most out of your Fujifilm gear.
November 15: Nelson Photo in San Diego. I’ll be continuing my west coast tour with a stop at Nelson Photo. Stay tuned for an exact time for when I’ll be doing my talk.
If you aren’t able to make it to any of these events, don’t worry, I’m hoping to travel around to some different parts of the country in 2017. Stay tuned and keep in touch. If you have a local store that you think would be a great place for me to give a presentation, let me know and I can try to put something together!
I’m also putting together my Alaska photo workshop schedule together for 2017 and so far I have a couple of really cool locations picked out for next summer. I’ll be announcing those very soon…
Creative Tip - Much Less is a Whole Lot More!
I like to think that photography is more about representation than reproduction. If you can show only part of a subject, you can actually create a much more powerful image. The power of abbreviation in photography activates your viewer’s mind and bring them into the process as an active participant- it makes them imagine what’s outside the borders of your frame.
Next time you’re out shooting, try to abbreviate your subject matter. Make it a challenge to see how little you can show of the subject and still make it discernible to your viewer. And even if it’s not initially apparent, that’s ok- it’s OK to make them think and ponder a little bit as they try to figure it out.
Go for minimalism. Pick out one or two strong element and tell the story with as little information as possible.
Gear Corner
Fujifilm: Fuji just announced their amazing new medium format mirrorless camera, the GFX. This gorgeous new camera system aims to target the professional and commercial market, but I also think it’s going to appeal to current DSLR landscape shooters. I see it as a real competitor to the 50MP Canon 5DS. With a stylish body that’s not much bigger than the 5DS, and a much bigger sensor, (much better low light performance), the Fuji GFX will produce incredible quality image files.
Fuji also released their new XF23mm f/2 WR lens. I saw this one in a store last week, and it’s a really cool lens! About the same size as the XF35mm f/2, but lighter weight, the new 23 focuses quite close and make an excellent all-around lens for street, portraits, travel, photojournalism, landscapes and general shooting. It’s on sale now!
Nikon didn’t unveil anything notable at Photokina last months, but their D500 continues to be the hot camera in their lineup. If you’re already vested in the Nikon system, the D500 is a very high performing DSLR. Nikon also has their new 300mm f/4 lens. With new technologies, it’s amazing how much smaller and more compact this new version is compared to their old 300 f/4 glass.
Olympus just announced their OM-D E-M1 Mark II. It’s an impressive upgrade, with a faster 120 fps EVF, faster AF system, twin cards slots and 4K video, this is easily the highest performing M4/3 camera yet.
Around The Web
Before I share some cool links, I just have to brag a bit- My blog was recently ranked as one of the Top 100 Photography Blogs on the planet! And I recently hit 2 million page views! I’m really excited about this, because I’ve worked very hard to create what I feel is an honest and organic website that helps outdoor photographers. Whether you’ve been a longtime reader or you’ve only read one or two of my posts, I have you to thank for your traffic and your support over the years.
The Secret to Ansel Adams’ Success. In this short video, Ansel’s son shares his thoughts on why his father made such an impact on the photography world.
Exposing for the Highlights. A great article by David duChemin that throws away the rules about what makes a “properly exposed photograph” and how to look at histograms vs. your own images. Just another great example to show that rules are meant to be broken.
15 camera tips every photographer should know. Here’s an easy-to-read list of photography ideas, some you know, some you may not, but all geared towards making you a more knowledgeable photographer.
Here’s a list of the 3 photography books that made the biggest impact on me when I first started out. I’ve learned a lot from books over the years, but these are the ones that really helped set me on my course back when I was brand new to the craft.
I hope you have an awesome October! As always, keep in touch, share this newsletter with your friends, and if you’ve read one of my two photography books, please consider leaving me a review on Amazon.
Happy shooting!
-Dan
