Excursions
“It’s all expected, things are for the looking” - ATCQ
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You know, for a guy who constantly says that he doesn’t shoot a lot of black and white photography and isn’t that interested in it…I sure find myself shooting a lot of black and white when I step out these days.
Part of this is due to the Kodak Tri-X 400 film simulation from Fuji X Weekly. It just looks great and I just love the SOOC photo results.
The other reason I find myself leaning toward black and white is the time of year we’re in and the fact that it’s grey and overcast here most of the time. I live right on the Atlantic Ocean and it can be pretty dreary for a large part of the year. I should be used to it by now, but it can be tough at times. That said, black and white is finally finding its proper place as I embrace the moody and mysterious vibes of the seasons.
Deciding to shoot “sans colour” has helped to get me out more often, especially knowing that as I go through my photos at the end the day, they won’t be depressingly dull because of a lack of colour, but rather they will be full of mood and contrast. I can’t be depressed if I’ve purposely taken colour out of the equation. Take that, brain!
I recently went out shooting with my best homey. Shot some black and white, shot some colour. It was a good day.
About 3/4 of the way through this particular outing, I decided to switch to colour. The sun was starting to peek out and we were approaching the more vibrant main street downtown. This time I shot with the Fuji X Weekly’s Kodak Gold film recipe, which having now shot a lot of that actual film stock myself, I would say it’s not bad, but it’s also not that accurate of a re-creation. Kodak Gold is much more vibrant. Now knowing this and having actual scans to use as reference, it’s something I can tweak in-camera going forward.
Shooting with a buddy is probably my favourite thing to do. I love shooting on my own as well, but when I’m out with a buddy, talking ‘bout life while documenting it, there aren’t many better ways to spend the day, in my opinion.
We push each other creatively, often taking photos of the same subject that turn out wildly different. We walk through each others compositions constantly, which always makes us laugh as we inadvertently ruin each others shots. I always step away from these excursions feeling pretty dang good. Lemme know in the comments: Do you prefer shooting on your own, or with a buddy?
All photos SOOC and shot with a Fujifilm XT-30II & 18-55mm f2.8.
Stay Focused.
Cheers man. Awesome to see so many of the photos from a single walk. Some good pictures in there! Shoot more black and white, it looks great!
I enjoyed the walk! I too like working with a buddy ... you have some nice quality street shots there. Thanks for sharing!