Fujifilm photo walk with Fujifilm X-Pro 3 camera + 16mm f/2.8 lens

Hello All, it had been a while since I posted here...things changed.

In the government building where I work, the high security access had been implemented with X-ray machines and all the cavalry, it became a hassle to bring my film inside; I had to choose a digital replacement to my work-day-downtown-location film cameras.

I tried Leica M10-D and liked it but it is just a tad :) expensive for what it does.

I handled Sony fullframes (A7 III and few others) and actively disliked its ergonomics; so Fujifilm it is.

Yesterday I went for a walk with Fuji team around Wynwood Art District in Miami, FL. There were few of us, most chosen big SLR-form-factor-top-of-the-line mirrorless like Fuji X-T3, accompanied by substantial zoom lenses.

I took, of course, X-Pro 3 and little 16mm F/2.8 lens, a very compact setup, smaller than my Leica M2 with 35mm lens.

We went around the area which had been buzzing with activity due to Art Basel Miami time. I switched the camera's jpeg to ACROS BW film simulation with large grain I like my film photos to have and took some pictures along the route, a few of them presented below.

This was not a formal evaluation of the system, but my impressions are that this is very robust setup:

• Lens/camera provide quick auto focus;
  
• reaction time of the system is acceptable;
  
• good flare resistance;
  
• I liked the way LCD build with small one in the back and fold-out main one, nice idea which fits my shooting style.

While I usually shoot in black and white only now, I did processed some RAW files using FUJIFILM RAW app; hence some color images in the sequence. I was curious about Fuji film simulations, so all these color images are film sims. I liked the look of "CLassic Chrome" and "Standard Neg Hi", but that of course highly subjective, YMMV. Anyway, till next time...

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Street Photographer In His Element

I rarely shoot digital/color, but yesterday at Leica Store Miami event I tried the new Leica M-E with 28mm lens and liked it since it has the same feeling and in many ways similar to my Leica M2 circa 1962. Unfortunately, the new camera died after few clicks; I put the lens on my M2 and continued shooting B&W film. I figured Buddha does not want me to shoot either digital or color. So be it.

Drim Kam Tru: using Zigview S2 for street photography

Once upon a time, many years ago, I made an invention. That was kind of invention one makes when at very young age: more like a dream then the real project. Anyway, along with flying submarine and device to extract energy from the Great Arctic Ocean I invented the electronic viewfinder. Like this:The Electronic Viewfinder. It was a video camera (and at the time video cameras were huge and ugly beasts!) connected to a tiny TV (and these were big, too). The TV in my dream was placed close to the eye and the camera was looking into the photographer's camera viewfinder. Using this imaginary device imaginary photographer could take pictures without pressing camera to s/his nose.
I recalled it years after, when I started shooting in the streets, but never actually believed it is doable. Even when TVs and video cameras became tiny things I still rendered it too expensive and unrealistic...until few weeks ago, when I won two ridiculously low priced *bay auctions for Zigview viewfinders.

"Streets of Downtown", pictures

The yesterday's event turned out great; the weather was nice, not too hot and it was windy which I like very much; I enjoyed shooting with you guys for good 3 hours. I brought my Pentax K200D with 20-30mm Tokina zoom, very unusual to me: I now shoot only B/W film and forgot when I used digital in the streets. That was a challenge! Colors jumped out of shadows, distracting my visual thinking -- I used not to think color and suddenly I should! Anyway, somehow I survived this and at the end switched to my trusted B/W setups with sigh of relief. Here is few more street pictures and then few more of you all, shooting and talking...enjoy:

PHOTO+PAPER: issue #2 slideshow

November in Kazan

These are from my November trip to Russia. Taken with Olympus Digital Pen camera/17mm lens in Kazan, Russia. Kazan is the town I spent the most of my life in, from 1974 to 2002. It changed dramatically since I left it but still, it is my town and I love it no matter what. I had been delighted to see that much snow, to be in cold weather after all the years in Miami damp, and to see my relatives and friends.

General Maximo Gomez and his men

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Taken in Little Havana with Olympus digital Pen E-P1 camera, 17mm f/2.8 lens.

East Flagler Street

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Taken with Olympus digital Pen E-P1 camera, 17mm f/2.8 lens.

Lincoln Road nights

I started my quest in night street photography 9 years ago with this photo. Now I am celebrating this date with series of images from Miami Beach and probably other places. My nocturnal setup includes Leica IIIF with Summitar 50mm collapsible lens and Olympus E-P1 with 21mm Voigtlander lens. It is not the best setup, but I like it a lot. Today we are looking at the pictures taken with Olympus.

Moscow, at the Metro

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Here is Moscow, from my recent trip to Russia. This had been taken deep underground somewhere in the Metrorail's shady tunnels. I think this is close to Chkalovskaya station.

Old tower (Yelabuga, Russia)

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Yelabuga is a small town, the place where I had been born and where my parents live. It is beautiful three-hundred-plus years old Russian town; before Russian there was the Volga Bulgarian border fortification (since 11th century). This tower had been restored in 19th century by local businessman and mayor, Ivan Shishkin (father of famous Russian painter Ivan Shishkin.) I found this point of view so the tower looks remote and solitary, as it was when I was a child. It has some restaurants-shops build in vicinity and they are not visible from this point. The picture had been taken few weeks ago, it was nice and cool there (especially when compared to Miami), frost on the grass in the morining, the air was clean (the place has a lot of industrial cities around, so unfortunately the air is not always smells good). I was lucky to catch this day in the fields.

Now and Then

I am back from my Russian vacation. As planned, spent most of my time with my parents in Yelabuga. Here are 2 photographs, on is 2010, the other 1974. The town has not changed much -- it is cleaner and prettier but the area where my parents live (known as "Yersovka") still the same and I glad to find it this way. I am going slowly through hundreds of images I brought back with me, both new and old. Will post some of them as soon as I have time. All in all, glad to be back :)

Russian trip

This is about the last photograph I took when leaving Russia in 2002. Now I am flying back for the first time since then, to see my parents -- they are very old -- and my other relatives and friends. I am planning to be in Moscow (couple of days), in Kazan (may be a week or so) and in Yelabuga (at least 2 weeks). I am very exited; do not know if I'll be taking pictures there but I am bringing my gear and film just in case. So hopefully I will resume this blog in 3 weeks with the Russian theme.

A man with coke

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Taken at NW 34th street in North Miami Beach in June 2009

Breeze

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This summer, on board of "Discovery Sun" cruse ship en route Ft. Lauderdale->Grand Bahama Island.

LOFT: Walking Downtown

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This picture is a pure piece of luck. I wanted to shoot it, walking behind this guy with my Sony F717, but had little hope for a success. Fortunately, the stars were graceful to me that hot muggy September day on SE 2nd Avenue in Downtown Miami.

Street prophet, his wife and elephant seller

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This man is appearing year after year under the Metrorail tracks by Government Center. He is preaching aloud with his wife seated in front of him. He is always wearing this neck support collar. His preaching is not the best I heard, he is telling Lord's word more to himself than to the others, but this time he had his better day. When I was taking this picture, the elephant seller (his hand is in the left side of the frame) asked me: "Aren't you from CIA or FBI?" Good place. Not too many spots like this is the whole Miami.

Morning in Little Haiti

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From the car window while driving from the beach through blocks of Little Haiti. She was floating in a slow motion along the wall and our car was floating slowly in the traffic. I've gotten a split second for the click.

The Vortex

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Again, downtown Miami, SW 1st street. This is digital (finally; yes, I shoot digital, too); I also have the B/W square medium format film variant, it is different but stands on its own:

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