robvisual - photography

 I've updated my portfolio page after going with the outdated koken (discontinued) for the last years. I tried to avoid services like squarespace because their aggressive marketing in the photographic world is a bit too much for my taste and I want a simple page without too much features. I tried the Adobe Portfolio service that comes free within my lightroom subscription. You can map your domain to the finished page and it works like a classic CMS with focus on photographers. You can also set all important switches for Favicon, Google Analytics etc. The included themes are distraction free and classic. You can import your Lightroom cloud albums with an ease. Only the update of those albums is a bit complicated because you have to trigger it via Lightroom online. BTW: I am not paid by Adobe. They just made it easy and simple to setup a decent portfolio page within a short time that cam be updated from LR. Well done!

Back in the days I was a little film shooter. But nowadays I love the convenience of digital photography without waiting for lab results etc. But why going just into one direction? I don't think that film is outdated. It is a completely different medium with it's own characteristics and pros and cons and if you start with medium format you can achieve superb results without paying ten to thirty grand for a digital medium format system. Just buy a TLR or a Pentax 67 and start medium!  I recently bought a Yashica Mat 124 6x6 camera to start with medium format. I've tried out some films and I am still waiting for the results back from the lab. I always wanted to own a TLR because I love the way you shot with it. It is a full manual way of shooting. Everything needs to be set by you. The square format is a different way of looking at a scene and you need to be careful to hold the camera right to get everything straight the way you want it. It slows you a bit down and makes...

You love photography? Then share it with other people for free. Not every job should get paid. Just imagine you are sitting in a nice cafe and enjoy a good cup full of liquid gold. Maybe you can do the owner of the cafe a favor in taking a portrait of the staff or creating shots of the interior and load it up to your Instagram account (or share it directly with the owner). Just ask them and give something back for free. Owner of "Gang und Gäbe" Café in Munich This is great for many reasons: You give something back for free without expecting something in return.  You learn more about people and their life.  Maybe one day you want to share your art via magazines or exhibitions and those people will help you with that. Had a nice chat about his coffee project after showing him the photo. So don't be afraid and think about what you can give, instead of what you can take. This will lead to new connections and adventures. Trust me! Cheers, Nils

A good question. Let us put the price beside and pretend you have enough money to buy every Fuji camera out there. Would you buy the GFX? It has a resolution of 50 megapixels and you can do different shots with a different depth of field and less noise etc. I know that there are some reasons to gain more resolution when it comes to product photography or fashion photography. But keep in mind that you can archive medium format like results for many occasions by using today's panorama algorithms. 35mm f8.0 / 50 megapixels by combining two images free hand - works even with street shots Just think out of the box. Aim your camera at a subject and think about the possibilities in post production. The next image was taken in London at the Barbican Centre (a nice socialist looking urban landscape) and I had my 35mm attached to my XPRO2. A wide angle lens was not at hand and I wanted more resolution so I can crop the images and print it on a larger scale. Barbican Centre London ...

Everyone is talking about the new Fujinon 50mm f2 that is available now. I know, this lens is weather resistant and has a fast auto focus mechanism. Are these tech specs convincing for a photographer who already owns the 60mm f2.4? fake GFX 50s medium format panorama out of two images For me there is no need to buy the 50mm. I don't need a WR lens, because I never had any problems with light rain and I also have a super duper mini umbrella in my bag and the XPRO2 (or X100F) can be used one-handed without a problem. The auto focus speed is also not a real problem for me. The 60mm is still fast enough in most occasions (even with moving objects / look at the dog below). And don't forget that this lens is a macro lens which can be use to get real close to the subject. And the best thing is that this lens is a sharp beast (even wide open). It produces crisp and clear images with great color and contrast (read about it here at photozone ). The lens is also very compact...

My X100F is now at the repair facility at Fuji Germany in Kleve because of the broken "AF Mode" switch that stops me from switching the camera to AF-S. I will report about the handling and the results of this little operation at the Fuji-HQ. It is weird how you feel when you miss your photographic tool. I know that a camera is just a thing. It is not about the money value of it, but after using a tool for some time it gains some personality and becomes a part of your life. waiting...

If you want to document a certain topic or event you may have different needs when it comes to the camera. For my taste the camera needs to be small, quiet and unobtrusive. The performance in low light should be good because of changing situations. I recently visited a video games exhibition with a friend and I captured some images there. even in this situation Mark wasn't noticing me The first thing to mention is that no one asked me to lock the camera away, because they are not allowed. A good thing to have a camera that doesn't stand out too much. There were some situations were a big and loud camera would also have spoiled the situation. The Fuji was near silent with it's leaf shutter and most of the people were too busy to notice someone holding a tiny thing to his head and looking into their direction. Do this with a big bulky DSLR with that loud shutter. That is why most of the documentary photographers used a Leica over the years. The new X100F is instan...

How many followers do you have on social media? Do you have more than 10k followers on Instagram? How many real likes do you get? How much does it mean to you and your art? There are profiles on Instagram stuffed with terrible images receiving hundreds of likes and "get more followers" spam. Don't get me wrong. It is good to share your art and see if people like what you do. But in the first place the whole thing should only satisfy one person: you! After that comes a circle filled with friends, good contacts and clients (if you do this for money). The problem with social media is that people like other peoples content because they want to gain more followers and likes on their profile. In the end you can't decide which like is honest except the ones from people you know better. And this is where the quality comes into play. I have some great contacts on twitter and Instagram (sorry...no facebook etc. anymore) who are really into photography and when those peop...

...is still life. And sometimes it is great to enjoy the silence (like Dave sung back in the nineties) and wrap your mind around things that are not moving.

I love street and documentary photography from my heart but sometimes I need a little break from it to gain new inspiration. Do I need to put the camera away for a certain amount of time? No. I can have a break without doing so. the new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (long exposure, XT1) I use long exposure, architecture and travel photography as a break from the daily routine Sometimes I meet with a friend who is mainly addicted to long exposure photography. We meet and look out for some nice places to take some photos. At the end we have a nice (vegan) burger and a craft beer. For me this kind of photography is the opposite of what I do most of the time with my camera attached to my eyes. It is more reduced to one subject. You try to find the right exposure and viewing angle. You play with the settings and the whole thing feels like fishing: it's quiet and slow. You focus more on one perfect shot out of fifty or hundred resulting images. That one big fish. the stage (X...

Time to share my further experiences with Fuji's new model of the X100 family with you. As I wrote in my last X100F article I was coming from the older X100S and the changes for me were huge in terms of the auto-focus, the sensor and the overall speed. a lung-bun (Lungenbrötchen) as we say in Germany  After one week of taking this camera to different places I want to show you some images and share my views about the changes Fuji made in the product line. Auto-focus and EVF/OVF If you're coming from the X100S you will notice the difference, because the auto-focus was really bad back in the early days of this product line but I managed to deal with this flaw. Now it feels fast enough, more accurate and serves my needs as a documentary and street photographer very well. There are faster systems out on the market but this is not the aim of this camera. Most of the time the auto-focus delivered just the way I expected it, even in OVF-mode. EVF is bliss! It is fast ...

"One of the basic situationist practices is the dérive, a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiences. Dérives involve playful-constructive behavior and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll." - Guy Debord (Theory of the Dérive, 1958) I stumbled upon this word by reading a book about the your rights to be idle and non-productive. The author mentioned an art movement (if you can call it like that) known under the name " Situationist International ". "Essential to situationist theory was the concept of the spectacle, a unified critique of advanced capitalism of which a primary concern was the progressively increasing tendency towards the expression and mediation of social relations through objects. The situationists believed that the shift from individual expression through directly lived experiences, or the first-hand fulfillment of authentic desires, to individual express...

Look at the photo above. It was taken at a cafe where they serve third wave coffee (research it if you love coffee) and this guy suggested us a Brazilian blend as we were talking to the guys behind the counter. After taking a seat I pulled my camera out and took the image above. He was drinking his coffee like a monk and he contemplated over the whole thing for half an hour. I pulled my card out and walked over to his table. I already transferred the image to my smartphone and did some retouching to it with snapseed (it has curves!). I showed him the photo and asked him if I can use it on my Instagram account. He looked at the image and his face was delighted. He said that he loves the photo and that he is a design student from south Germany and working on a special project for a new coffee brand. We were ending up in a little conversation about his project and my style of photography. We exchanged our contact data and I wished him maximum success with his great idea and told him ...

Yesterday I told my Fuji dealer (a real shop! support them!) that they should put me on the list for a black model. I own a X100S and I don't regret the long wait. I started with the X100 back in the days and this camera was just too sluggish and painfully slow. I had the great opportunity to trade it for a X100S that is slightly better with the brilliant Trans-X-sensor. As the X100T came out I was not convinced to buy this camera because the only major things that have changed were the OVF (pip) and the in camera WiFi. Too less for a change. The implementation of CDAF and PDAF (auto focus methods) in the X100S and X100T was poor, even in bright light they are inaccurate and slow. So I decided to wait for a model that at least keeps up with the XT1. And now the gap is closed and the new X100F supports the same auto focus system like the XPRO2 what is great because I love to use the OVF on my XPRO2 and it works great. The new button placement and the ISO dial are a good evoluti...

What is creativity? Can we do something out of nothing? No. We can only create things based on other things that inspired us. In a modern sense you would say that you remix things. Remember the science fiction stories you read in a book. Fictional stuff about different planets and different species. But if you think a bit deeper you will realize that most of the things are not new. They are just remixed from things we already know. Even electricity and light (flashes) were always there. We just found a way to generate, store and use them in a different way. With photography it is the same thing. We are just remixing the things we see. We can be inspired by music, literature, nature, paintings and many of the other million influences, but at the end it was already there. You just apply a new angle of view, your personal taste to the whole picture. Sometimes it is good to think about this philosophical side of creativity and realize how important inspiration is for us. It is not imp...

The "F" stands for "Future" ;-) As always I want to drop a little list here to share my thoughts about the upcoming new model. Let us start with the problems I have with my X100s: it is sluggish - a slow camera with a bad auto focus even in bright light no updates - Fuji has done a great job in ignoring the whole X100 line in the last two years What I expect from the X100F: a fast auto focus like the X70 or XPRO2 that meets the industry standards faster interface and startup time a wheel to change ISO on the fly! maybe a better lens performance at wide open aperture That´s it. I skipped the X100T to wait for a camera that will meet up with competition in terms of auto focus. When you use this camera with the OVF you need a reliable auto focus in all situations or this thing becomes a bit of a roulette thing. And there is also room for a small front wheel you can put ISO on to change it on the fly. I don't want to dig into menus. This spoils t...

A good question that can't be answered in one sentence. Is this your first Fuji camera? Then buy it if you have the money. If you don't need the updated auto-focus system and the extra pixels your can also go with the XT-1 or XT-10. You are coming from the XT-1 There is only the auto-focus and the extra pixels. The higher frame rate and better video can be a game-changer for some people. But the display of the older models is good enough, trust me! You are looking for a mirror-less for shooting moving subjects (sports etc.) The new XT-2 is great for you. With the optional battery grip it has more juice for higher frame rates. If you can trust the most reviews out there the performance is good enough for most occasions. If you're a professional sports photographer you still should go with a DSLR. No mirror-less camera can beat this system today. Do I need the latest camera body from Fuji? Not really. But this is not the strategy....

Why are you doing it and what are the feelings behind the thing you do? There are a thousand questions on my mind when I look at my photos and try to reflect on the whole thing. Many people see photography as a technical things where you need skills and knowledge about gear to take a photo. Sure you need that skills to have your settings etc. right, but the questions above are still unanswered. The missing link is the philosophy behind the things we do. It helps us look at the whole thing and helps us finding out why are we doing certain things (or not). Street photography is a very philosophical style of photography for me. It is about taking a different position as a viewer or director and there is no second chance to take the same photo again like in a studio setting. For me it is a combination of wanderlust, curiosity and meditation at the same time: Wanderlust Walking around and let things happen around you. Exploring new streets and places without any urgency or being in...

Some days ago I had an unpleasant experience with a security guy. I was taking photos of a skyscraper in a public area in Hamburg. After I aimed my camera at the building I heard him shouting after me from three meters away. After I turned around he came closer telling me that I need a permission from the owner to take a photo of this building. I asked him if he knows the German media laws and that there is no need for a permission for various reasons. He just repeated the same phrase over and over again. I had a bit of a short temper this day and told him that he behaving not in a polite way and that he is pestering me. I left the scene without listening to his angry voice anymore. This incident showed me how important it is to know your rights as a private or commercial photographer. Maybe you get into a similar situation with someone more important than the security staff or the police. When you know your rights you can argue better and stay cool. Cheers, Nils

...gonna hate. The internet is a great place to hide and rant. After watching the latest videos from Eric Kim I browsed through the comments and was shocked by the amount of hate people put into some lines of text. They criticized the way he was taking photos in the video and some technical aspects. He must be doing it all wrong. What is wrong with you guys? If you have something to mention then do it the right way: "Don´t shove your camera into the subjects face and a wide angle lens will ruin the portrait." (wrong) "I saw in your video that you get real close to the subjects face. What are your experiences with wide angle lenses and how do the subjects react to this way of taken portraits?" (right) Be kind and ask question or make suggestions. What do you expect to happen when you post a hate comment on YouTube? Try to learn something from a living exchange not by offending other people. It is a sad that such things are even going on in the street phot...