Hi ,
I wanted
to start by sincerely thanking you for downloading my Fujifilm Tips and Tricks guide. I hope it helps you better understand your camera so that you can take full advantage of all the powerful features it has to offer.
As someone who shot DLSRs for 25 years, not only was my move to the X Series a refreshing transition to carrying lighter equipment, I feel a renewed
level of creativity whenever I pick up one of these cameras. No matter if it’s the X-T2 or the highly capable pocket-sized X70, I’m in love with the imagery, and the performance. Since I traded in all of my DSLR gear, there has never been a day when I questioned making that move.
I never feel limited, only expanded. I’m guessing you have a similar feel about these
cameras. They’re kind of infectious that way.
I hope you enjoy reading my newsletters. I send them about once per month, with a few other notices throughout the year when there’s something noteworthy I think you should know about.
With that in mind, I’m going to start by giving you a list of
resources designed to help you get even more out of your camera and your photography. These aren’t just tips, they’re more about method, carrying, and instruction. I realize your style and gear choices may differ widely from mine, but I hope you find some of these things useful.
Keep in mind, this
issue is formatted a little differently than what you see in future issues. In addition to gear reviews, I always include lots of free information, exclusive content and links to interesting photography articles. Again, all designed to help make you a better photographer.
Why? Because I love photography and I get just as excited when I see other people capture great images too.
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Cameras are really cool, but it's the glass that really counts. In the end, your lenses are what determine the look and feel of your imagery. Over the years, you may upgrade bodies a few times, but a great lens will last for many
years. I’ve shot with nearly all of the Fujinon X Series lenses, and in this blog post, I narrow them down to my personally favorites. These are the four…(ok, five) that I like the best for my style photography. | | Read
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My Favorite Packs for Carrying my X Series Camera Gear |
I’ve used so many different photo packs during the course of my career, but these are ones I’ve been carrying the most during the past few years. When it comes to camera bags, everyone has their own preferences, but if you shoot outdoor adventure or travel work and want something that’s built for outdoor photography, I recommend checking these
out.
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This pack comes in three sizes, but I like the small 10L model because it’s so small and streamlined. This is my number one pack these days, and has been for awhile.
It fits a decent selection of gear, including the XF100-400, or a body with the 50-140 attached, plus a couple other mid sized lenses. It has a zipper pouch for a water bladder, but I often
use this for carrying extra batteries and my card case. It has a tripod sleeve on the other side, which I often use for carrying an extra jacket.
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The Photo Sport was my favorite pack for awhile, and I still like it a lot. A top loader with a quick access bottom camera compartment, this is great for long days in the outdoors, where you want to carry more food, water and
clothing, and still have easy access to your camera gear.
The pack will hold a camera body and a couple of lenses, but big glass like the 100-400 and 50-140 won’t fit in the dedicated camera compartment when they’re attached to the body. If you hike, climb, bike, ski or travel with one camera and a couple of primes or smaller zooms, this is a great choice.
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This is a sweet little pack. I like the design- it looks more like a daypack and less like a camera bag, and it keeps the access to your gear secure against your back when you’re wearing it. For this reason, it’s a pretty good choice for traveling.
The lower
camera compartment will hold a body and a few lenses, while the upper part holds extra things like clothing and snacks, with space for a tablet or small laptop like a Macbook Air. Like the other two, it also has a rain cover, so it’s more functional in the outdoors than some other camera bags and daypacks. | | Read More |
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The Kenti holds quite a bit of gear in two side-access panels, and it will even fit an X-T1 with a 50-140 lens attached. It also has an upper compartment for clothing and other gear and a couple of other handy zipper pockets for things like batteries and cards.
I really like
the Kenti and I still use it quite a bit. This is the pack I used during my recent 6-week bikepacking trip in Romania I did last fall. If you tend to carry a little more gear and want a rugged outdoor pack, I’d recommend giving this one a serious look.
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For quick and fast photography when you’re hiking or skiing, accessibility is king. Getting your camera into your hands within seconds is how you grab those great moments. I’ve always used chest and waist pouches, and my recent
favorite is the Mindshift UltraLight Camera Cover.
It’s a soft case nylon chest pouch that works great with the X Series cameras, and it keeps them right at your fingertips, which is WAY faster than trying to fish the camera out of your pack. If you like to travel super fast and light in the outdoors with one body and a small to medium prime, this might be the one. | | Read More |
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RAW Processing and Photo Editing Software
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If you shoot RAW with your X Series
cameras, you might have figure out that Lightroom doesn’t do a very good job processing the Fuji RAW files. The special configuration of the X-Trans sensor and the lack of an optical low pass filter, means these camera are capable of producing incredibly sharp, high resolution imagery that rivals most full frame cameras.
However, Adobe’s demosaicing algorithms is calibrated for Bayer pattern
sensors, which are used in just about every other camera on the market. If you want the best possible RAW conversions from your X Series camera, you should consider using different software.
The two programs I like best are Iridient
Developer and Luminar. Iridient was created by one guy and it’s both amazing and affordable. It’s capable of extracting the best detail from X-Trans RAW files and the developer is constantly working to tweak and improve it. This is the program I use and recommend to anyone. With a few simple workarounds, it also plays
nicely with Lightroom.
Luminar - My pick for the best, easiest and most affordable processing software.
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Luminar is also an excellent choice for Fuji shooters, and it's also quite inexpensive and very easy to use. It has a wonderfully simple and totally customizable user interface, a host of very powerful and professional tools, and a set of presets that look awesome.
I haven't been a
"preset guy" in the past, but I love the way the Lunimar presets look, and they offer a wide variety of looks. You simply choose a style and dial it in anywhere from 0-100. This allows you wide flexibility in how you can adjust your photos and make them stand out. This method is fast, too. I can choose a preset, dial it in and have a finished, tweaked photo that looks great in only a minute or two.
If you want to go deeper, you can choose between any number of powerful filters, tools and layer adjustments that give you even more power to process your photos and get very professional looking results. It works as a standalone program or as a Lightroom plugin.
Luminar has a free demo, and if you click this link and use discount code DANBAILEY, you can save $10 on the software.
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For initial browsing, culling and editing, I highly… I’ll say it again… I HIGHLY recommend Photo Mechanic. It’s SOOO much faster than Lightroom when browsing photos, especially larger RAW files. You could create an entire efficient workflow around Photo Mechanic and Iridient Developer.
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I published two photography books last year, and the notable thing about these titles is that I wrote both of them during my transition to using X Series cameras full time. When I first started compiling my notes, I was a full time Nikon shooter.
During the midpoint of the writing process, I had been using my Fuji cameras considerably more in my photography. Mirrorless camera technology was quickly improving, and by the time I did the final editing, my transition was complete; I was no longer using my Nikons at all. In fact, a few weeks after the first book was published, I traded in all of my DSLR gear.
Published by Focal Press | Capturing significant moments and producing powerful imagery that evokes the feel and mood of adventure requires specialized skills and a wide variety of creative ideas.
This book teaches photographers how to think geometrically and how to pull together the elements that make for
a successful shot, all while being immersed in the action. The practical manual will improve your technique for creating more compelling adventure imagery, whether you’re shooting ultra-marathoners splattered in mud, rock climbers in a crevasse, or mountain bikers hurtling past you.
It outlines methods and techniques that I’ve practiced and developed during the nearly 20 years I’ve worked as a pro photographer, and it includes just about
every technique I use in my style shooting. And it’s not just the hardcore stuff, these techniques can be used by anyone!
At 300 pages, and nearly 60,000 words, there’s a massive amount of photography instruction in here. It contains advice on gear, technical tips, compositional ideas and in-depth insight, and I even talk about how to get the most from mirrorless cameras, which I feel is very up-to-date since I’ve transitioned entirely
to shooting with the Fuji X cameras during the past year. | | Read More |
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Published by Backpacker Magazine and FalconGuides |
This is an easy-to-read, pocket-sized how-to guide for taking
great pictures in the outdoors. Written in a very concise style, Adventure Photography offers a wide array of information tips and photo examples that will help you improve your technique and your understanding of the basic factors that go into shooting compelling photographs.
With a published size of only 7″ x 4.5″, and 155 pages, it easily fits in your backpack, camera bag and most jacket pockets. It’s small enough to throw in the glove box or
up on the dashboard. Sure, it might get dog-eared and faded up there, but that won’t affect the words, I promise. The stuff inside will still be good.
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Online Video Course
| Last year, I also shot an 80-minute instructional video course with Craftsy called Outdoor Photography Essentials. Watching it is basically like coming out on a workshop or an actual shoot with me and watching as I explain how I bring all of the elements together in order to create a successful shot.
I like to think that the hallmark of my style revolves around being able to quickly respond to constantly evolving light and situations
in the outdoors, and so that’s what I tried to convey in this course. In it, I give you the tools and tips you need to make it happen. Also, it was shot entirely with the X-T1.
As with every Craftsy class, you can watch your lessons anytime, anywhere and revisit as many times as you’d like — forever. You can ask me questions and even get direct feedback from photos you upload.
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I encourage you to visit my blog and spend some time digging through some of the older posts, I’ve got a lot of tips and insight buried in the archives. Here are a few to get you started:
Upcoming Workshops &
Events
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2017 FUJIFILM X PHOTOGRAPHER SUMMITS |
With Jack Graham, Bill Fortney, Dan Westergren, Karen Hutton and Dan
Bailey
• April 5-9, Great Smoky Mountains, Townsend, TN • September 6-10, Portland, OR
Study and learn "on location" from a group of official FUJIFILM X-Photographers in these intensive, three and a half day workshops, set in the varied landscapes of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. The first summit is coming up soon, so click here for more info!
2017 MIDNIGHT SUN ALASKA GLACIER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – JUNE 23-25 |
• June 23-25, 2017
Camp on the shore of a glacier lake in Alaska, paddle around the icebergs, photograph landscapes under the midnight sun and shoot aerial photos of massive glaciers from a n open-door helicopter. This trip is filling up, so click here for more info. I hope you enjoyed your introductory issue of my newsletter. For more info, insight and imagery, you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. While I do try to answer all of my emails, those are the best places to find me if you have any questions.
Enjoy the rest of Spring and best of luck with your photography! |
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