robvisual - photography

How does life looked back in the 50ies? We know it from thousands of photos taken in this decade. And there are also thousands of different perspectives. Tourists just do their "I was here" thing showing future generations how a typical vacation looked back in this specific time and place etc. Photographers add some concepts, art, a story and other things to the great visual diary of the world. Things around us are changing very fast and a house is demolished in just a few days and the whole street-view looks different over night. But from older photos we know how it looked like the day before. So don´t forget. You are also adding your view to the visual records of history.

Leica was and is still in the game. But let us sort this company out. They are the role model for rangefinder cameras. But who else is doing such a cam except Fuji? No one. I can´t understand it, because other brands also had great products in the past. Imagine the great Canonet series from Canon. The Canonet 28 was a well built rangefinder model that has a lot of fans still using and collecting this little precious today. This camera is awesome and it would be easy to substitute the rewind-button with a shutter-dial and do some other modifications without ruining the original design of the whole thing. I would also hide the display on the back (make it flip-able) and cut away the movie-mode and other non-sense a simple camera does not need. It also should not have an EVF for the real rangefinder experience. You can use the screen on the back for such things. The lens should be a 23mm @ f1.8 or f2.0 with integrated leaf-shutter. The whole cam should be simple to use like the origi...

Some day you may feel sad and alone in a big crowd. Thousands of people but no one is taking notice of you. They just pass by and don´t even look at you and your work. The internet is such a place with millions of people that can see your work online. You see other photographers getting enormous attention and credits. And your work is like invisible. What´s wrong with my style of photography? Maybe there is nothing wrong with that. But bear in mind that being noticed is the result of some work in the background: * writing a blog or publish a video on youtube about photography and art * creating or supporting communities * getting in touch with other photographers in real life * exhibitions in the real world * work hard * and finally luck! the right time and place (don´t forget that!) XATAR - XPRO1 27mm @F4 But is it really important to be noticed by thousands of people? The most important viewer of your photographic work should be the one behind the camera: you...

Do the experiment: When you´re sad just smile for a minute and the artificial smile becomes real and you feel better. The same goes with photography. When you feel uninspired and dull grab your camera and go out without a destiny. Don´t try to come back with some great photos. Just let it happen. Visit a good café and contemplate about life, meet a friend or just read a book. Your camera is with you and maybe some magic will happen. Don´t expect too much. Just go with the flow... contemplate

down/stairs - XPRO1 27mm @ f4

If you touch your new camera it will be the tool from yesterday. The life-span of a digital camera is very short compared to it´s older analog mates from the past. I remember my dads camera. It was a Minolta XD-7. A great piece of photographic equipment made in cooperation with Leica in the early seventies. This camera was so durable and well built that it sill works like a Swiss clock today. Even the self-timer purrs like a cat. This camera had only one piece of electronics in it: a center weighted light-meter that did the job most of the time. There are also hundreds of lenses and other stuff available for this camera. You can still grab this cam today and take some awesome shots out there in the wilderness of the jungle we call life. A real long term invest, isn´t it? Today we buy a digital camera with way more features and the ability to get instant access to your photos without the whole chemical process in between. You have also more flexibility when it comes to panoramas and ...

If you are a listener of the WeShotFuji podcast you may have heard of the FujiFriday . It is a little photowalk organized by Scott Bourne in Seattle. And now Marco Larousse is doing the same thing here in Hamburg. I was there and it was a relaxed afternoon with ten other FujiFreaks. Marco did a little tour to touristic places like the town hall, Hafencity district and the new subway station there. As an official X-photographer Marco gave us some insight into the world of the X-system and how Fuji tries to improve their products by feedback from the base. And no. Marco was not violating the NDA by telling us some secrets ;-) I leave the reader here with some impressions from this sunny photo-event...

I´am thinking about life since I was eleven or twelve. I asked myself about the whole universe we live in and what is it good for. Philosophy can help us in many cases where science can´t. Some years ago I discovered Taoism. The poems Laotse wrote down more than two thousand years ago. There is a great book from Wayne Dyer that translate the poems into our time and gives some more information how to use them to think for yourself. Taoism in it´s pure form means that you don´t need to interfere and do things all the time. Most of the time it is great to lean back and get into the viewers position. From this point the important words or things come to you. For me street photography includes the highest forms of the TAO. Imagine the days were you don´t want to talk to people and be like a ghost flying around the streets without expecting something specific happen. You get away from the drivers seat and sit by the window, enjoying the drive. The more you watch the scene the m...

Nearly 80% of the time I carry my X100s with me. It sits in my bag, ready for action. I was at a fancy restaurant with my wife and a friend because they just wanted to see it from the inside. As they studied the menu cards I saw a guy with a US flag on his back waiting for his meal. There where two people at the service desk at the entrance looking up the whole place. So I got in between the subject and the desk grabbing my camera inside the bag. After some little switches I raised the cam to my eye to took this shot: USA - X100s 1/30 @ f2 (3200ISO) He was looking into the kitchen. I love the light that is shining on his face and the tiny little reflection on the right window tile. The glossy table in the foreground is also nice and knife, fork and napkin are telling you that this photo was taken in a restaurant. Without a stealth and small camera this photo were nearly impossible without getting notices by other guest or the personnel. Also the shutter sound is not noticeable ...

Some posts ago I shared my first experiences with the Fujinon 27mm. One of the cheapest and flattest lenses they offer today. And I´am still satisfied with this little beast with that sharp teeth. On my X-PRO1 it transforms this camera into a slightly bigger X100s/t with the ability to change lenses. The shutter is a bit nosier. But in most situations I don´t care (for the exceptions I have my trusty X100s). going down / X-PRO1 @ f2.8 (ISO 1600) Look at the colors and the structure of the tiles in the background of the shot above. The whole photo has this crisp 3Dish look I love so much. It fits perfectly into this situation full of lines and different materials and colors. This image is also a quickshot into the sky. The color rendition and sharpness of this lens is outstanding. Something I wish I had on my DSLR back in the Nikon days for such a low price. So buy this lens if you need a high quality low profile lens for about 300 Euros. You won´t regret it!

Today I got an email from Marco (WeShootFuji Podcast) with an invitation for the next Fuji Photowalk in Hamburg. The link: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/ fuji-friday-hamburg-october- 10th-photowalk-tickets- 18822981043 See you there for a little Fuji happening!