During the session, I outlined what I feel are some of the most essential compositional techniques that can help you increase the visual power of your imagery, and I also answered questions from the participants who had tuned in to watch the talk.
This was, by far, the more interesting and fun part of the event, because it’s always more fun to engage with viewers and expand on the dialog that each question introduces than sit there and lecture the iPad screen.
In fact, most of the time was spent answering questions and sharing my insight about a number of different photography topics and ideas.
This has been a weird year indeed. Usually by the middle of summer, I’ve done a number of in-person talks and presentations in different areas around the country, but obvious with the Covid pandemic, we’re limited to doing webinars and Zoom chats.
They’re ok, but I can’t wait to get back to regular social life.
In this bite-sized, fifteen minute workshop, I take you to the shores of Colony Glacier here in Alaska, where I explore a small section of the scene and walk you through the process of creating a few landscape images right there on location.
With clear instruction, I explain my process for evaluating the scene, looking for possible subjects and narrowing them down into a workable composition. Using a selection three different lenses, I break them down into Wide, Middle and Long, and give you specific tips for maximizing each kind of lens when working your frame.
I also deal with exposure issues and show you how it’s possible to create a series of compelling images, even when you don’t have very dramatic light. In fact, I think that shooting in less-than-ideal light can offer a better opportunity for learning, because most of us already know how to make photos in beautiful light.
In addiiton, when you have that kind of brilliant, magical light on your subject, it’s easy to focus solely on that and miss some of the other compositional tips that can lend to a more powerful photograph.
This lesson isn’t just for Fuji users. Even though I use my X Series cameras and lenses to create these photos, the methods I talk about are universal. The process of seeing, composing and using different focal lengths applies to any kind of camera system, and the general look and feel of my Fuji-specific adjustments can easily be created in post processing, if that’s your preferred workflow.
I’m pretty excited about this lesson, and I definitely plan to do more of these \\mini virtual photo workshops. Not only does it allow you to come along with me in places that you might not normally be able to visit and get direct, real-world photography tips from me on location, I see this style of instruction as a natural progression of the kinds of online tutorials that I’ve been working up to.
Expanding on the topics I covered in my previous lesson, where I outlined How To Use Fujifilm’s Highlight and Shadow Tone Controls, in this tutorial, I show you how to take your creativity and image making fun to the next level by tweaking the film simulations with some of the other creative tools and settings found in your X Series camera.
Buried in the Image Quality Menu and the Q MENU by default, you’ll find a set of useful, but little understood exposure controls. These consist of COLOR, SHARPNESS, SHADOW TONE, AND HIGHLIGHT TONE. On the X-Pro3, X-T4 and X100V, you now have a CLARITY control.
These controls are overlooked by many photographers, me included. We can all be forgiven, because the Fuji camera manuals don’t offer much explanation for what they do. I’ll admit that having been an X Series shooter for five years, I only recently started experimenting with them. I’m kicking myself for waiting so long, because they’re quite useful and they increase the times when you can get by without having to shoot RAW.
CLASSIC CHROME, WITH +4 COLOR
Basically, most of these controls go from +4 down to -2. (CLARITY goes +5 to -5.)“Plus” gives you more contrast and “minus” gives you less. Zero is neutral.
With Shadow and Highlight Tone, a setting of -1 or -2 can help rescue your lights and darks from the edge of the histogram.
Color increases or decreases saturation and vibrancy, just like in Lightroom. Want to bump up Velvia even more, go +4 for maximum, candy-color pop. Make it a little less contrasty? Go minus on the Shadows. Want to mute ProNeg Low even more, go -1 or -2 on and you’re even softer. You get the idea. Finally, Sharpness is kind of like your Clarity slider in Lightroom. Plus adds crispness, minus softens things up.
You realize how powerful these simple controls are when you start combining settings. In addition, you can even add White Balance as one of your saved parameters. Go a little blueish or greenish with your WB and you’ve got the cross-processed look. Tweak toward red or magenta and you can simulate the look of film that’s well past its expiration date. Go orangish yellow and you’ve just aged your photos by a few decades.
Think about it, the options are endless. Whether you’re simply rescuing lights and darks or radically altering colors, these simple controls offer a huge amount of creative flexibility.
VELVIA Film Sim
CLASSIC CHROME, WITH +2 SHADOW TONE, -2 COLOR
Not only has my “film” approach to photography saved me an enormous amount of time, it frees up my brain to focus on being more creative on the spot. I’m more passionate about my photography now as I ever have been and I don’t feel that I’ve given anything up. On the contrary, I feel as if I’ve come full circle and gained every advantage on the way around.
I’ll occasionally shoot RAW when I’m faced with really challenging light, or if I’m shooting a complex assignment. For the majority of my photography, though, and I hear this from many Fuji shooters, I’m shooting JPEGs and loving it. I encourage you to experiment with this kind of film mentality and see what it does for your photography.
So check out the lesson on my YouTube channel, hopefully it will inspire you to start playing around with the creative settings inside your Fuji and come up with your own recipes as well!
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