• Fujifilm X-E1,  landscape,  sunsets

    Thanksgiving Sunset

    November 29, 2013
    Thanksgiving Sunset
    Thanksgiving Sunset

    We had Thanksgiving yesterday at my oldest daughter and her husbands new home. I say new but what they purchased was an old country school house built in 1926. They have started converting into a home, all 6500 square feet of it. What a project but one they are looking forward to. They have already had the hardwood floors worked on and the contractor did an awesome job.  This image was shot through the trees of the playground and facing west. Oh, and dinner was awesome. After grazing on appetizers I still managed to eat a plate full of turkey and yams and green beans. Even indulged in a piece of pecan pie. I hate when I eat too much.

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  • Documentary/Street,  Fujifilm X-E1,  gratitude,  quotes

    Happy Thanksgiving

    November 28, 2013
    The Homeless
    The Homeless

    “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.”  ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

    With overnight temperatures staying somewhere in the mid to high 20’s for the past few days we are seeing ice form on the pond at my condo. Canada Geese are arriving from the north and are walking on the frozen ponds. They also are walking on sidewalks so we now must watch where we step. We are cleaning frost off the windshield almost every morning. In other words it is getting colder each night.

    A couple days ago I noticed this homeless man sleeping near Old Town and it caused me to think about all that I have to be thankful for. Each morning I have the chance to wake up in a warm comfortable bed, eat a warm breakfast, take a warm shower. Not everyone has that opportunity. I will not bore you with a long list of things I’m thankful for but will share this short list. I’m thankful for my health, my family, my friends and those who are both, this blogging community, clean underwear, a home, a car, work, photography, gifts of nature, coffee shops, and of course chocolate.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

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  • Fujifilm X-E1,  People/Portraits

    On the Computer

    November 22, 2013
    Monica
    Monica

    This is my daughter, her face lit by the computer screen. It was shot handheld, 1/30 @ f4.0, ISO 6400, under exposed by 2/3 of a stop, then post processed in Silver Efex Pro 2.

    I’m enjoying the aperture ring on the lens rather than having a button or knob on the body. The switch on the side of the 18-55mm lens is easy to access for changing between aperture mode or program mode. I’m finding myself shooting mostly in program mode. I think the metering system does a good job and I’ll stay with that for a while. I will switch to aperture or manual mode when I need to be a bit more creative.

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  • Camera Equipment,  Documentary/Street,  Fujifilm X-E1,  quotes

    It’s a Cold Morning

    November 21, 2013
    Bicycle in Old Town
    Bicycle in Old Town

    “To experience growth as a photographic storyteller requires one to be a bit reflective.” Storytellers by Jerod Foster

    At 5:30 this morning it was 14 degrees with light snow. At 9:30 it had warmed up to 17 and the snow had almost stopped. The prediction is for more cold and light snow flurries throughout the day. Not going to be a good day for a picnic. May get some reading done.

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  • Camera Equipment,  Fujifilm X-E1,  Photography,  Vision

    Strange Characters

    November 20, 2013
    Strange Characters
    Strange Characters

    The X-E1 is my first camera with an EVF (electronic viewfinder). My first impression was: slow. (Notice I said was.) DPReview uses the word “laggy” in their review. I’ll call it slow. At first this bothered me as I’m use to having a DSLR camera in my hand where I can pull the camera up to my eye as I turn it on. Once it’s at my eye I can shoot immediately. This is not true of the EVF or LCD on the X-E1. I must wait a second or two for them to settle in. As I’ve gained more familiarity with the camera I’ve come to appreciate this. It has shown me a trait of looking through the viewfinder too quickly. Now, when I’m turning on the camera and raising it up to my eye I’m taking more time. This allows me to continue to look at the whole scene and not just what the viewfinder allows. So, even though the EVF is slower than an optical viewfinder it may help me be a better observer and to anticipate a scene about to appear.

    I’ve been using a G12 for a couple of years now for my travels. It has an optical viewfinder but I use the LCD 99% of the time.This was mainly due to the usefulness of the information I was able to use on the LCD that was not in the viewfinder. The electronic viewfinder on this X-E1 will display the same shooting information as it shows on the LCD. Cool! I’ve also come to check out the exposure compensation meter on the lower left corner of the viewfinder as moving the exposure compensation dial on top is quite easy to move.

    Who are those strange characters in the above image? Using your imaginations you can see some of our blogging friends, or yourself, hiding behind the goggles. 🙂

     

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  • fog,  Fujifilm X-E1

    Under The Weather

    November 17, 2013
    Foggy Morning
    Foggy Morning

    Have been under the weather the past 5 days. Started as a sore throat and then a major head cold. I usually pass through colds in 48 hours or less so this is different. My muscles hurt from all the coughing. Any way here is a shot from a week ago when we had some early morning fog. We don’t get fog that often out here so we grab when we can. Even if we have a cold. I also thought a piece of coconut cream pie would help, so I took one before going to bed.

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  • architecture,  Camera Equipment,  Fujifilm X-E1

    Where do I start?

    November 12, 2013
    Stairway Details - Northern Hotel in Old Town
    Stairway Details – Northern Hotel in Old Town

    This is not a camera review. I’m just going to tell you what I like and don’t like about the X-E1.

    My first comment  is about the image quality. I am amazed at the image quality of the X-E1, it is outstanding. The quality of the sensor and the kit lens can make me a better photographer only because it will ask me to work on what I see and how I compose. So far I’ve only shot jpeg so I have no idea what a raw file will give me. I did shoot one raw file and was amazed a it’s size, 16 meg.

    This is my first rangefinder camera so I have had to adjust to the feel of the camera and how it handles. I enjoy it’s smaller form making it comfortable to carry around my neck, not as intrusive when pointing at people. and, I personally think it looks cool. I like having the aperture ring and zoom ring on the lens, rather than buttons on the body. Reminds me of my Nikon FE2 days. More to come.

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