I shot the senior portraits for Layla at Empire Mine State Park using the Fujifilm X-T3. Below are a few of my favorites.
Pictures were shot with off camera flash in a softbox using High Speed Sync.
Fujifilm 80mm Macro Lens
I recently picked up the Fujifilm 80mm Macro lens and from the moment I held this lens, I knew it was special. First thing you will notice about this lens is the size. It is a pretty large and heavy lens, made of all metal and glass. The only plastic seems to come from the lens hood. Even with the weight, it seems to balance well on the Fuji X-T2, even without a grip. When I really noticed the weight was when it was in my camera bag.
As other people have said, the sharpness of this lens is insane. But even more impressive is how smooth the backgrounds are when using this lens. It is by far the highest quality glass I have used and I expect to be using it for a lot more then just close up macro photography.
The image stabilization made it possible to shoot sharp images like this without a tripod.
Shot handheld, thanks to the outstanding OIS features included with this lens.
Shot in the blacksmith shop at Empire Mine State Park.
Another handheld flower image.
Like all Macro lenses, the depth of field is very shallow, so locating the ideal focus point can be a challenge. Overall I thought the lens focused quickly when used inside and outside. Being able to work without a tripod gives me the freedom to quickly move around the subject.
Empire Mine blacksmith shop
I really like how well this lens gives you a feeling of depth, even when shooting directly at something like this old rusty gear.
Red White and Blue
I have always loved shooting rusty things and Empire Mine State Park is the motherload for rusty history. Add some snow and everything changes. I went out early on Sunday morning to try and see if I could capture the snow mixed in with the gold mining equipment, before the snow melted.
The park was closed when I first arrived, but i was able to shoot this over the fence from the parking lot. The sky was pretty dark still at this time of the morning.
When I returned 2 hours later, much of the snow had already melted.
Shooting in the snow is new to me, and the biggest challenge has been to keep the white balance as close as possible, without the snow turning blue or the highlights being blown out.
Winter in the Foothills
It took a really long time for winter to finally happen in Northern California. Between storms and bad driving conditions, I managed to find time for a few photos before the rain returned to melt the snow. These are my favorites.
The biggest challenge about winter in Nevada City is how fast the snow melts. I want to shoot the snow in 3 or 4 different locations, but I seem to run out of time before the snow is gone.
Broad Street, Nevada City
Broad Street, Nevada City
Deer Creek in Nevada City
Nevada City
Empire Mine State Park, Grass Valley
Empire Mine State Park, Grass Valley
Nikon vs Fujifilm
Yesterday I returned to the Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley, California to test out my new Fuji 18-55mm lens. I wanted to see what a Nikon D810 image (shot last year) looks like vs a Fuji X-T2 image from the same location.
Shot with a Fuji X-T2 with the Fujifilm 18-55mm lens. Handheld with a high ISO. Edited in Silver Efex Pro. f2.8, ISO 5000, 1/60th. (testing the OIS).
Shot with the Nikon D810 with the Nikon 24-70mm lens. Tripod. Edited with Silver Efex Pro. f18, ISO 400. 15 second exposure.
While the composition and editing are a little different, I think this is an interesting comparison of these systems. I prefer the high contrast found in the Fuji image. Which image do you prefer?