One of my favourite visual exercises is to venture out with the Fuji X100S. I usually do it on the weekends and in the early morning and it’s not only for the good light. You would be surprised how public spaces change when deserted. The lack of crowds and noise allows you to concentrate on the art of seeing, at least for me.
Why the Fuji X100S? We have written extensively about this gem of a camera and why, in our view, it is still the best digital camera on the market. The greatest appeal lies in its size, simplicity and fixed lens. I walk around looking innocent and people don’t even notice when I take photographs. Many view me as a non-threatening tourist with his little point-and-shoot.
The fixed lens, dedicated knobs and lack of camera bags let me focus on theme, light and composition! You may say that it is not a good idea to limit yourself but the longer I’ve been taking photographs, the more I think that constraint is one of the most important pillars of photography.
Constraint applies to equipment, size, the number of photos you take or the number of elements you fit into your frame. Somehow, this little camera has helped me to create most of my favourite photographs.
On this particular morning I decided to take on the cruise ships that visit Vancouver every year. The arrival of these huge vessels is usually quite a busy affair, also visually. The best way to tackle a busy scene is by elimination. It is quite a time-consuming and intense exercise but it can yield great results.
All images were shot with the X100S, converted to B&W using NIK Silver Pro.
2014 © Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
Super photos. I must admit that when I saw the boats come in this year I did not see the pictures as you do as everything seemed so giant sized! This reminds me to use my x100 in London. I like the way you have framed your subject in each photo. Love b&W 🙂
The BW seems like a great choice here. I have the same sense around constraint. It’s a challenge and a pleasure, and also a great tool if you are ever in a creative funk.
Number one and number four are especially striking to my eye. The latter is just very cool.