You can now watch episodes #4 and #5 of my Fujifilm Retrospective video series, where I’m looking back at my 10-year history shooting with the Fujifilm X Series cameras.
In each episode, I’m featuring the specific X Series models I used during that time period, discussing the notable improvement and innovations that were being introduced into each new model, and how all of this affected not just my own photography, but the entire photo industry as a whole.
And I’m sharing a selection of my favorite images that were shot with each X Series model. All in all, it’s a really fun trip down memory lane, and on that’s very relatable, given that so many people have had similar experiences with their own Fujifilm journey.
Part 4 features the X-T1 and X-T10, and how those two cameras continued to build on the innovations that were taking the new mirrorless technology to the next level.
Part 5 is all about how the X-Pro 2 and X-T2 broke massive ground and brought the X Series to a whole new level of pro-quality performance. With these two models, Fujifilm delivered big time and gave us cameras that were just as capable, if not more so in some areas, as most high-end DSLRs at the time.
It’s been great to everyones’s comments on each video and hear about your own experiences with the X Series, so keep ’em coming, and stay tuned for the next episode!
Continuing with my 10 year Fujifilm retrospective, where I’m looking back at my decade-long journey with the X Series cameras, and how they’ve impacted my photography life, I have now posted Episode 3 on my YouTube Channel.
In late fall of 2013, Fujifilm sent me a prototype of the new camera they were working on, which was a fast autofocus, weather sealed outdoor camera with an SLR style body.
The body itself wasn’t finished yet, so they sent me a different model with brand new firmware. This way, I could test the new features of the yet to be announced camera. Then on January 28, 1014, Fujifilm officially announced the X-T1.
Designed as a premium quality, interchangeable lens camera, it was built to deliver pro quality performance, and withstand the elements. The X-T1 featured a compact SLR style body, mechanical dials, 80 points of weather sealing, a bi-directional tilting LCD screen, vastly improved high speed shooting performance and a new hybrid autofocus that did full predictive AF tracking at 8 fps, with 49 autofocus points that were positioned across the entire frame.
The camera’s 16MP X Trans sensor, coupled with the new EXR II Image processor, the X-T1 produced exceptional image quality, and even better color rendition and clarity with those amazing Fuji film sims. Interestingly, the sensor on the X-T1 had the same pixel density as the full frame Nikon D800, which meant that both cameras effectively had the same resolution.
A Clear, Usable EVF
The X-T1 also had a brand new High Precision 2.36 million pixel high eye-point electronic viewfinder, with a much higher refresh rate and a full, immersive view that was bigger than any other camera out there at the time. At .77x, it offered an even bigger view than any other camera available at the time, including the Nikon D800 and Canon 1Ds Mark III.
In addition, the EVF displayed shooting info inside the viewfinder, and it even had an auto-rotate feature that turns both the image and the info into the correct orientation when shooting verticals. That was a nice touch.
The top deck of the X-T1 had 3 main dials for Shutter Speed, ISO and EV+/-, which put 3 of the most important controls right at your fingertips, and 6 programmable Function buttons. By comparison, the X-PRo 1 had 1.
In other words, the X-T1 was truly a groundbreaking camera, and I like to think that based on my conversations with Fuji, the they designed the X-T1 especially for me. It was the X Series camera I’d been dreaming of ever since I first laid eyes on the X10. It was the camera I’d wanted me entire career.
An Outdoor Photographer’s Dream Mirrorless Camera
As a pro outdoor, action and travel photographer, I drag my cameras through the dirt. I occasionally drop them and bang them against rocks. They get dirty and scratched, and they get rained and snowed on, and sometimes frozen. They get shoved into backpacks and panniers, carried up mountains and along dusty trails and long gravel roads.
In addition, the subjects I shoot aren’t always standing still in controlled locations. They move quickly, and often erratically, and I need a camera that will reflect the demands of my quick thinking, quick shooting, tricky light, fast moving, lightweight style of photography. What works for a lot of people doesn’t necessarily work for me, and having done this for years, I know exactly what I want from a camera. And the X-T1 was it.
It was the camera I’d been waiting for my entire career.
Right after the X-T1 was announced, I was sent a final production model. This was a few weeks before it was available for purchase. That week, I took the X-T1 to Iceland, where I shot almost a thousand photos, putting the X-T1 through it’s paces, with action, landscapes, urban scenes, and even night shots and northern lights. I all cases, the X-T1 passed my test and met, no exceeded my expectations.
Essentially, I was the very first US photographer who got to shoot with the X-T1 after it was announced. This was also right around the time when Fujifilm was developing their X-Photographer program, and they brought me on as one of the first US photographers.
There’s so much more to tell in my X-T1 story; this post only scratches the surface, so be sure to watch the full episode and stay tuned for the next one!
Last week, I began a new series on my blog and YouTube channel, where I look back at my decade-long journey with the the Fujifilm X Series. In this fun retrospective, I share some of my favorite images shot during those early years, talk about the specific models I used, and discuss the impact they had on my photography during the past decade.
In Part 1, I talked about my fateful introduction to the X Series, which started with the X10, and why that represented such a momentous shift in my entire photography paradigm. In this post, I’ll talk about what I feel was a very important transition period in my photography.
The March to Mirrorless
Having bought the X10 in the fall of 2011, I used it extensively for a year and a half, shooting everything from adventure to landscapes to portraits and just about any other thing that caught my eye. I spent a lot of time getting myself familiar with the features of this fun little camera, and becoming enamored with the whole idea of this new mirrorless trend, which was just starting to make waves in the industry.
It was a very interesting time in the photography world, because smartphones were quickly becoming the preferred tool for taking pictures. Big cameras were losing their appear with the casual shooter, and point and shoots had lost the war with pocked sized telephones, so the industry realized they had to adapt.
I saw this firsthand during one of my trips to NYC. I would spend all day at the photo show looking at cameras, and then afterwards, I’d wander around Times Square at night and see thousands of people taking pictures with their phones. Except for the one or two students with “retro” cameras, there was not a real camera in sight anywhere.
Three years earlier, in 2008, the first interchangeable mirrorless camera was developed in a joint venture between Olympus and Panasonic. By using live view electronic displays and LCD screens, instead of a traditional pentaprism, and a sensor-based contrast-detect autofocus system, these cameras were considerably lighter and smaller than DSLRs.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC and Olympus PEN were some of the first mirrorless cameras, and they used the Micro Four Thirds format. They were indeed small and compact, but compared to DSLRs, they didn’t have near the same quality or performance.
Nonetheless, with the success of Micro Four Thirds, mirroless cameras were here to stay. Fujifilm released their first mirrorless camera, the X100, in the fall of 2010.
Instead of the EXR format CMOS sensor, which allowed for greater dynamic range than typical Bayer sensors, as well as impressive sharpness, despite its small size, Fujifilm used their new X-Trans sensor in the X20. This was the same sensor found their flagship model at the time, the X-Pro 1.
Fuji’s EXR pattern sensor
With its random pixel array, the X-Trans sensor design was more resistant to moiré effects, which eliminated the need for an optical low pass filter. This allows the sensors to effectively achieve a higher resolution with the same pixel count, a fact that X-Pro 1 shooters quickly noticed when they saw that their Fuji images were as sharp, or sometimes sharper than images they shot with their full frame DSLRs.
This increase in sharpness compared to the X10 was immediately visible to me, and I was blown away but how much detail I could resolve with the tiny sensor on my X20.
Dwarf fireweed, Neacola Mountains, AlaskaClouds at sunset, Anchorage, Alaska
In addition, the X-Trans sensor is less susceptible to digital noise, so the X20 had even better low light shooting capabilities as well. And what noise there was, which started to appear above ISO 400, wasn’t intrusive; it actually had a quality that looked a lot like real film grain. This had me intrigued, and so I started to experiment with shooting at higher ISO settings, just to create a more film-like look in my images. I found it usable at these higher settings.
The X20 also had an updated autofocus system, which include much better focus tracking on moving subjects. And it has a max frame rate of 12 fps at full res. (The X10 had 10 fps max, but only 7 fps at full resolution.) As an action shooter, this was music to my ears, and so I found the X20 to be an ever more capable companion when I took it on my outdoor adventures.
As with the X10, I was still shooting it alongside my Nikon during most of my outings, but I was finding that an even greater number of my favorite images from those adventures were made with my little Fuji. Not only was it holding its own alongside my big camera creativity, its rugged metal body and weather sealed design withstood all the abuse I was throwing at it.
Bumblebee on the borage plant.
I wasn’t the only one who discovered just how rugged these little Fujis were. I got an email one time from someone who lost her X20 on the trail for 3 months. It survived being rained on, snowed on and even chewed on by a bear. At the end the season, she found the camera and after drying it out and charging the battery, it still works fine!
X20, with bear teeth marks.
Making Contact
Fujifilm, or rather FUJI Photo Film, used to be a client of mine in the early 2000’s. Every so often, they’d put out a call for trade show images, and I would get letters asking me to submit my favorite slides shot on Fuji film to be considered for use.
They actually used two of my images during this period, and afterwards they’d ship me the prints. The image below of the biker was shot on PROVIA, while the orange mountain image was shot on Velvia; in fact the mounted 24″ x 36″ they sent me still hangs in my house.
Eric Parsons mountain biking at 12,000, Rocky Mountains, ColoradoSunrise on Long’s Peak, Colorado
Even at that time, I barely knew anyone at Fuji, but I at least had a working history with the company. With this in mind, I decided to reach out to them. After I’d been shooting with the X10 for about 6 months, I sent an email to one of their reps. I followed up later with more images, and was eventually passed up the chain, until I finally landed on the desk of the Marketing Manager for Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Division.
He contacted me to let me know how much they liked my X10 images, and that began my current relationship with Fujifilm. This was early 2012, even before the X20.
They were really excited by how psyched I was with the X10 with the images I was getting, and in the summer 2012, they licensed two images from me to be used to help market the X10.
As I remember, they were even considering doing a whole Costco display with a head shot and testimonial right on the packaging, but that fell through for some reason. Either way, we continued to keep in touch and I continued to share my X10 and X20 images with them.
Evening light on the Kichatna Spires, Alaska Range mountains.Spring aerial photo of the Kenai Mountains at sunset, Southcentral, Alaska
The X Series Growing
By early 2013, the X Series line was growing. They’d just come out with the 2nd generation X100, and the X-Pro 1, which had already been out for a year, was making huge waves in the industry.
Both of these models were a huge hit with professional wedding and portrait photographers, as well as street shooter and photo journalists, who were all blown away by it’s exceptional color and image quality, and intriguing, classic form factor, which included the optical viewfinder.
Along with the X-Pro 1, Fuji had launched their first X Series lenses, which were the 18mm, 35mm f/1.4 and 60mm macro. By the the fall of 2012, the’d introduced the 14mm f/2.8, and their first zoom, the 18-55, which had a fast 2.8 aperture built-in stabilization. This lens got excellent reviews, being way better than most kit lenses that were out at the time.
North American T-6 Texan airplane on the tarmac at the Valdez Fly-in, Alaska
An interesting note, while some manufactures were trying to recapture the consumer market away from smartphones, Fujifilm decided to pursue and appeal to professional photographers from the start. I remember reading an interview with Kaycee Baker, who as Fujifilm’s product manager at the time, and she was saying that the X100 came about because pro shooters wanted something smaller and lighter than their heavy DSLRs that they could cary with them on their own time.
So, Fujifilm went after the pro and enthusiast market and targeted people who love shooting, who love the craft and tradition of photography, which is why they designed the X Series cameras with the retro look and feel.
It’s also the reason they decided to go with the larger APS-C size sensor for their cameras, instead of using Micro Four Thirds. APS-C, which as a format that came from Kodak’s short lived APS-C film cameras, is a larger size than M43, but it still saves considerable size, weight and cost from a “full frame” camera.
And, by reaching back into their long history with silver halide film, which is where the more random design of the X-Trans sensor comes from, they were able to make an APS-C sensor produce resolution and noise control that was equal to full frame sensors.
Adding the X-E1
In the late spring of 2013, Fuji sent me an X-E1. They were really excited by what I was getting with their tiny sensors cameras, and were interested in seeing what I could do with the full size APS-C sensor.
First introduced in the fall of 2012, the rangefinder-style X-E1 was basically a slimmed-down version of the X-Pro 1. Instead of the hybrid optical viewfinder, it used a fully upgraded electronic viewfinder.
It was the second interchangeable lens X Series camera, and like the X-Pro 1, it also featured the 16MP X-Trans sensor. Compared to the X20, the X-E1 was a fair bit bigger, especially with a lens, but still way lighter and smaller than my Nikon D700.
Off to Europe!
Amy Sebby riding towards a storm, crossing the Alps by bike along the Via Claudia Augusta Trail, Southern GermanyNeuschwanstein Castle in the clouds, near Fussen, Germany.
The X-E1 arrived right before I left for a two-week cycling trip in Europe. During my trip planning, I had found a route called the Via Claudia Augusta, which is an old Roman military and trading road that’s been turned into a bike route that crosses over the Alps from Germany, through Austria and down into Italy.
For this trip, I took along the X-E1, the X20 and a little Nikon Coolpix point and shoot that I barely used. I shot thousands of photos with the two Fujis, riding with one, sometimes both of them around my neck while pedaling this historic route through small Tryolian villages, along secluded farm roads, dirt paths and even some singletrack.
Brooks leather saddle on a bicycleScenics of The Alps, Fussen, Germany
X-E1 Alaska Style
After the Europe trip, I returned to Alaska and continued to shoot with the X-E1 throughout the summer and fall, photographing landscapes, adventures scenes, mountain aerials and even shooting some action sports with it. I was definitely putting the X-E1 through its paces and being blown away by the image quality I was getting from the much larger APS-C sensor. They were every bit as sharp and crisp as my D700 images, if not sharper, and those brilliant Fuji colors brought my back to my film days with a renewed sense of excitement.
Given that the X-E1 was primarily used by portrait wedding and street shooters at the time, I was excited to show the people at Fuji what I was getting with the camera.
Mt. Redoubt and the Neacola Mountains, AlaskaHiking on the Knik Glacier, Chugach Mountains, Alaska
Adapting the X Series to my Style
Even though the X-E1 produced incredible image quality, it was by no means an action camera. In that regard, it still couldn’t hold a candle to my Nikon in terms of autofocus performance and being a highly capable outdoor body. However, I stuck with it, because I recognized that mirrorless was a new technology that would likely improve in the future.
In fact, I embraced the challenge of trying to incorporate the X-E1 and X20 into my fast moving, fast shooting style. It wasn’t always easy, because in some areas, my skills were far beyond what the cameras could do, but this inspired me even more to try and find ways to adapt.
My technical experience as a photographer allowed me to find workarounds in order to get the kinds of photos I wanted, and this continued to fuel my excitement. I also looked for ways to expand this challenge by imposing even further creative challenges.
While shooting one cyclocross race in the fall of 2013, I used only two Fujis, and to make things even more interesting, I set the X20 to shoot Miniature Mode only, and the X-E1 to shoot black and whites, with both cameras shooting in square format. It was the kind of challenge that really tested my skills, but I ended up getting some great and very memorable photos from that race.
Arctic Cross Cyclcross Race, Goose Lake, Oct. 12, 2013Arctic Cross Cyclcross Race, Goose Lake, Oct. 12, 2013Arctic Cross Cyclcross Race, Goose Lake, Oct. 12, 2013Arctic Cross Cyclcross Race, Goose Lake, Oct. 12, 2013
Prelude to the Next Phase…
During my conversations with the people at Fuji, I would tell them that if they ever made a rugged outdoor version with fast autofocus, I’d switch full time to Fuji.
Well… when I went to NYC in October for the 2013 Photo Plus Trade show, two years after my fateful introduction to the X Series, I met with my Fuji contacts in person.
I repeated my line about wanting a fully capable, weather sealed, fast autofocus X Series camera, and they responded by saying,
“Well… we having something that we think you might be interested in seeing…”
If you haven’t seen this series, this is where I answer specific questions that you give me and present my real-world advice and responses to the photography topics that you’re curious about.
Each episode is formatted with “video chapters.” This allows you to see the list of questions I answer in each episode, and easily navigate between them.
Definitely stay tuned for more episodes, because the questions keep coming! Also, feel feel free to leave me a comment on the video. It’s a great way to let give me your feedback, and it helps other people find my channel as well.
In addition, if you see a question in the comment section that you know the answer to, feel free to jump in and answer it yourself. Let’s make this a community effort!
Sunset in the Great Smoky Mountains, shot with the FUJIFILM X-T2.
Yesterday was Fuijfilm’s 88th birthday! 🎉📷🎂🎞🎁
On January 20th, 1934, FUJIFILM was founded in Japan to produce photographic film. In the 88 years since then, they have grown and diversified into industry leaders and innovators in many more fields, from photographic film and digital photography, to a wide range of healthcare, including medial imaging, regenerative medicine, biologics, cosmetics, industrial materials and business solutions.
As if making cameras to help us deal with the pandemic wasn’t enough, FUJIFILM’s medical division is currently playing a big part in the manufacturing of COVID vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other anti-viral products, with plants in North Carolina, Texas, Denmark and the UK.
In addition, FUJIFILM has recently developed a “Mutation Detection Kit” that’s designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants at a very high sensitivity, as well as a new Covid-19 antiviral drug, which they developed in conjunction with a Chinese pharmaceutical company.
Basecamp flags and sunset on the Baltoro Glacier, Karakoram Himalayas, Pakistan, shot on Velvia slide film in 1994.
As an X-Photographer and FUJIFILM camera and film shooter for almost 30 years, I’m proud to contribute and be a part of this long, storied legacy. My own journey with FUJIFILM began when I bought my first roll of Velvia slide film in May of 1993, when I was 25 years old.
I shot Fuji photo film almost exclusively for the next thirteen years, until I moved to digital photography in April of 2006. I got back on the FUJIFILM train in the fall of 2011, when I bought the X10 which was my first X Series camera, and I’ve been an X Series shooter ever since.
So, out of my 30+ year life with photography, 23 of those years has been spent shooting FUJIFILM in some way.
I would like to extend my best wishes and congratulations to FUJIFILM on their continued success that has helped make for a better world in so may ways over their 88 year history. You can read the timeline of FUJIFILM’s history here.
Alpenglow on Gasherbrum I, Baltoro Glacier, Karakoram Himalayas, Pakistan. Shot on Velvia slide film in 1994.
Aerial photo of the Chugach Mountain peaks at sunset, winter, Alaska
This month, FUJIFILM is celebrating their 10-year anniversary of the X Series. Having bought my first X Series camera in late 2011, I’ve been on board for most of this decade-long ride, so I begin a memorable look back on my own journey with the X Series cameras as well.
What an amazing and rewarding adventure of creative exploration it’s been so far, with a renewed passion for photography, endless fun and a wonderful sense of community with my extended FUJIFILM family, and also with you guys, my fellow Fujifilm brothers and sisters around the world.
This post will be the initial article in a retrospective series about my 10-year history with the FUJIFILM X Series camera, and the impact that this journey has had on my photography during the past decade.
Chapter 1: It All Started with the X10
In October of 2011, while attending the PhotoPlus Trade show, I wandered by the FUJIFILM booth. At the time, I was a Nikon shooter, but I had begun to grow frustrated with my heavy cameras.
In fact, earlier that year, I had begun to strain the muscles in my right forearm, which I attributed to a heavy dose of one-handed shooting, which is one of my often-used camera techniques. This ailment required quite a few weeks of trigger point massage therapy to work out the excessive muscle tightness and alleviate the pain.
So, even though I didn’t really have any conscious ideas about switching to a new camera system, the seeds had been planted, which is why my visit the Fuji booth that day was such a serendipitous event.
It was a rather quick visit, because it was near the end of the show on Saturday afternoon. I was actually headed towards the door to leave the Javits Center and rush over to Penn Station to begin my long journey back to Alaska.
During the previous couple days at the show, I’d read about this exciting new X100 that Fujifilm had launched earlier that year. A rangefinder wasn’t really in my wheelhouse at the time, but I was at least curious to see what it was all about.
Anyway, when I stopped by the booth, my eye caught sight of a little black camera that was sitting on the table. It had a darling, very classic retro-style look, with an all metal body and pair of dials on the top of the body.
I was immediately entranced, and when I put this svelte little camera in my hands, it was love at first sight. It didn’t look like any point and shoot I’d ever seen, because it wasn’t a point and shoot. It was a fully operable cameras, just a small one.
It just felt so fun, so intrinsic, so… liberating to hold this cool little machine, but that wasn’t even the best part. When Brandon Remler, who was, and still is FUJIFILM’s awesome NYC area sales rep, showed me a very specific feature on the X10, I was immediately entranced. The deal was sealed.
The Film Simulations – Legacy Color Palettes Brought Into the Future
What Brandon showed me was the Film Simulation feature, which is one of the most fundamental, bedrock aspects the X Series, even to this day. When my eyes caught the Film Sim menu, and the official logos for classic films like Velvia, ASTIA and PROVIA, which were films that I had cut my teeth on during my early development as an photographer.
These were the very color profiles that were integral to my early creative development as a visual artist. I had shot so much Velvia during my film years; it was my favorite go-to stock for almost all of my action and landscape imagery. You could almost say that during those early years, my eyes and creative mind had become calibrated to the amazing colors that Velvia produced.
To have those very film profiles at my disposal once again… well, that was all it took. As soon as I got home, I called B&H photo and ordered an X10. It arrived a few days later, and that was the beginning of it all. It was my gateway drug to the X Series.
The X10: By Itself, And as a Second Camera
During the next few months, I spent a lot of time getting to know the X10, experimenting with the film simulations and the other fun creative tools it has onboard, and falling in love once again with those amazing Fuji colors.
I carried the X10 with me, even during times when I wasn’t taking the “big cameras” along with me, and in that way it became so liberating, because I started shooting way more photos for fun, you know, just to be creative. Taking picture simply for the sake of taking pictures. Isn’t that how it was supposed to be.
I begin to feel so comfortable with the X10, I even started to use it for shooting “serious photos,” if there is such a thing.
By the spring of 2012, I started using the X10 as a second camera alongside my Nikon during various hiking and biking adventures, or else using it as a “behind the scenes” camera to document specific scenes and camera/gear setups. A particular method that worked well was shooting long lens telephoto with the Nikon and using the X10 for middle to wide angle shots.
One of the things that I loved about the X10 was that I could shoot JPEG and still get these amazing images with brilliant colors and exposures.
Entranced with the creative simplicity this little Fuji offered, I shot my first X Series aerial with the X10 in April of 2012. Having shot a few Nikon aerials in the past, I was blown away by the unbelievably rich, dynamic tones I was getting straight out of the camera on the X10. This opened up a whole new world for me.
This showed me that image from a compact camera like the X10 were indeed good enough to be use for professional use. And even though I wasn’t really to give up my DSLR yet, I could feel the earth moving under my feet.
That first year with the X10 represented the beginning of a momentous shift in my entire photography life and paradigm. Enjoy this collection of some of my favorite X10 image, and stay tuned for more posts about my 10 year history with the FUJIFILM X Series cameras.
Also, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what your gateway camera was into the Fuji system!
Back in 2018, I began a new video lesson series called Photography On The Brain. The idea for this exclusive course was to share the very ideas that resonate in my own brain which have continued to drive my fascination and enthusiasm for photography for over 30 years, and challenge you to think about photography and creativity in a whole new way.
To kick off the new year, I’d like to offer you the entire 30-lesson bundle with over 5 hours fo content at a very special price of 50% off.
Ideas You Can Use
Assignments That Challenge You
Going beyond tips and technique, Photography On The Brain takes a much more cerebral approach to creativity and image making, and explores concepts that are designed to inspire and motivate your own creative, technical and mental growth as a photographer and artist.
Each lesson explores a different concept in an intelligent and thought-provoking way. I show you lots of image examples to illustrate, and at the end of each lesson, I give you an assignment that will challenge you to try and apply that particular concept into your own image making.
As a 25+ year professional photographer, instructor, author and top-rated photography blogger, I possess a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience shooting in a wide variety of situations and conditions.
With this course, you’ll get a huge amount of insight and inspiration, all presented in a unique way, because it’s coming directly from my own brain! As you digest and explore these ideas and engage your own photography brain, you’ll gain more confidence with your creativity and begin to develop a style that reflects your own personal vision, and that will continue to evolve and excite you, year after year.
Watch A Free Lesson
To give you an idea of the style and approach of Photography On The Brain, I’d like to give you one lesson for free, which you can watch below.
Join Me On This
Special Learning Journey
With my blog, books and videos, I’ve helped thousands of people become more confident, more well-rounded photographers, and I know that I can help YOU become the best, most authentically creative photographer you can be.
Dan Bailey’s knowledge of outdoor photography is as good as it gets!
His enthusiasm and passion for making images is unparalleled. He simplifies what could be complex, and imparts a vision that inspires one to get out and shoot. Dan is approachable and responsive to any questions one might have. I have had the pleasure of attending workshops and presentations with Dan, and he personifies talent, integrity and expertise and caring. Plus, he is FUN!
Janel Brown
I would recommend this course to anybody who wants to gain further insights into photography.
Not just another course on photography, "Photography on the Brain" gives insights into why we should try different approaches in order to become better photographers. For example rather than simply describe what a wide angle lens is, Dan talks about how it can affect you compositional style and how you can use it to your advantage in certain situations.
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Your advice has inspired me to try new things
I consider myself an advanced amateur and my interests range from macro/close-up of flowers and plants, to landscapes. Dan Bailey provides great advice that will help you get to the next level.
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After leaving film photography 25 years ago, Dan has brought me into digital photography and has always encouraged me. He will ask what I am shooting, make a positive comment and then a suggestion that I might try.
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I have found his teaching style to do the same. He is able to share his knowledge of photography in a clear and uncomplicated way that is both inspiring and enjoyable.
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Dan’s passion for photography is infectious and motivational
Dan's dynamic teaching approach is based on liberating people from the hugely technical side, instead emphasising the ‘get out there and give it a go’ method. He has remarkable ability to break down analysis and learning into bite-size chunks that give you the confidence to try.
Many would-be teachers get bogged down in what they regard as essential details before suggesting taking a photo, by which time the student’s mind is not on the photo, but the camera.
Obviously with Dan’s experiential learning approach, every student is allowed to start at their own beginning.
Dan is very generous not only with his time but his knowledge and experiences. He is not a pixel-peeper, he views cameras as tools, not subjects for constant comparison, and his primary aim is to get the highest quality picture in the simplest way and to share his knowledge with everyone who is interested.
Roger Sinclair
Your stuff on the web is really inspiring.
You have this great ability to make things easy to understand. Especially your brilliant e-book "X-series unlimited" have been very useful and motivating in understanding, exploring and be able to get the most out of my XT-2.
I see you as a Giver, and it is very inspiring to have the possibility to learn the best tips and tricks from an outstanding photographer. Keep up the good work!
Morten Larsen
I would like to thank you taking the time to look at and comment on my two recent photo submissions to photography on the brain group on Flickr.
I am really liking those comments! They have helped fuel my excitement for photography.
Daren Wilz
I have signed up and viewed the first lesson and found it helpful!
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Kathryn
You can't really be a follower without being enthused by your enthusiasm for photography
For me it's helped me just get out and do it, no matter what the weather.
I recently sent an email regarding tips in using wide angle lenses and must admit quick surprise it was actually YOU responding and not perhaps a staff assistant. This has spurred me "onward" to enjoy, learn, do my best and enjoy, enjoy and again enjoy while I am able.
The second episode of ASK DAN! is now up on my YouTube Channel! This is my brand new video series where I answers your photography questions and give you my real-world advice and responses to the exact camera and photography topics that you’re curious about, in my typical no-nonsense, real-world style that draws from my 30+ years of photography experience.
Each episode is formatted with “video chapters,”, which allows you to see the list of questions I answer in each episode, and easily navigate between them.
Enjoy this episode, staying tuned for more, and as always, feel free to leave me a comment on the video (this helps other people find my channel).
Also, if you see a question in the comment section that you know the answer to, feel free to jump in and answer it yourself. Let’s make this a community effort!
Aerial photo of the Chugach Mountains in winter, Alaska
I just wanted to take a minute and wish you happy new year! Hopefully 2022 will bring less stress and anxiety, and more brightness, as well as a gradual increase in the overall number and quality of experiences and interactions than most of us have had to endure during the past two years.
It’s been a tough go for all of us, but I think that we’re starting to see the waves recede. If you’re like me, then perhaps increased and expanded creativity is one of the things that has helped get you through these uncertain times. Maybe you’ve learned things about yourself and have opened up some new doors with your own creative ventures, or in other areas of your life.
In fact, I just launched a second Instagram channel called @danbaileymusic. This new channel will allow me to further express my musical creativity and enthusiasm, anti will allow you to get to know this side of me even more. After all, I’ve been a musician for longer than I’ve been a photographer.
So if you have any interest in following this aspect of my creativity, then be sure to follow the music channel, as well as my regular photography channel, @danbaileyphoto.
I’m cautiously optimistic about 2022, and I have some great new ideas and projects on the burner, including more episodes of ASK DAN!, my latest YouTube video series, so stay tuned!
As always, thank you very much for your support in 2021. I wish you the best for the upcoming year, and I look forward to more photography and creative fun with you in ’22.
Maybe I’ll even see some of you out there this year!
I just wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy holiday season. It’s been another topsy turvy year, so I hope you’re able to take some well-deserved downtime over the next week to relax and enjoy your time with family, friends, pets or whoever you end up with.
To help enhance the spirit even more, I’d like to share my holiday music with you. I’ve recorded a few Christmas songs over the years, including two originals. I did A Very Cozy Christmas last year, with an accompanying music video that I think came out really well!
So, enjoy the songs, and have yourself a merry happy holiday season, , whatever it happens to be that you celebrate. I’ll touch base again after the holidays with more photography goodness. As always, thanks so much for your support.
