robvisual - photography

When I walk the streets I try not to be to mono-fixated and shoot just street photography content. I think it is important to capture everything that might be interesting in front of your eyes. I never follow any guidelines that tell me that I have to shoot photos in black and white only to make them look more like HCB. I just take photos... And then everything makes sense (for me). The surrounding images create a visual story providing more information about time and place. It can also be a diary or a personal notebook. If you limit yourself and always shoot photos with people in it you might loose the whole picture and the precious little details at the same time. Just forget everything you know about photography and be a child again. Just hit the shutter button and capture all the things happening around you. Be foolish and play with your visual tools. Cheers, Nils

When you leave the plane or train in a foreign country to explore people, culture, arts and architecture you become a tourist. Maybe you just want to take a photo of yourself to document that you have visited a certain place or for your friends following you on social media. Tourist come in groups, couples or alone with a huge backpack. What they all have in common is their aim to get some unforgettable memories far away from home. After looking at tourists I started to take photos of them real close to separate them from the place they are standing in to capture their emotions and gestures. The result is a fascinating insight into a world where people act like children in a positive way. They do silly things and climb on statues or take selfies in a sacred place like a church. Look at all the joy on their faces and compare that with the modern world full of hard work and less time we are all living in. (click to see the whole album)

Time passes by and it feels strange to get used to a new gadget so quick. That feeling of excitement is nearly gone and the new camera just another camera. Don't get me wrong. It still feels great to own a high quality product that feels good my hands, but this "wow, something new!" is fading. And the results? The X-PRO2 still does the job and delivers a great image quality, paired with a fast and reliable auto-focus. The ability to download photos via a wireless connection feels great, because you love this feature when you travel (for reviewing photos on your smartphone or tablet when you're back in the hotel) or want to send a photo immediately to someone you just photographed. Nothing new when you already own a X100t or X-T1, but when you mostly worked with an X-PRO1 you will love it! My only concern is the auto ISO handling of this camera. In my first article I was happy to find profiles that allow you to store (only) three different presets that allow you...

This one sentence you will read often on the web in lots of articles. The problem is that I can't follow that rule (and a lot of others). I mix black and white with color and love to change the camera and the focal length like I change my socks every day. ;-) I tried to stick to one format, focal length or whatever, but it doesn't work for me. My eyes are detecting a scene and my brain screams out for a certain look or focal length. I found out that I am not this consistent type of photographer who does a series of photos that all have the same look and feel. It is nearly impossible for me. But if you are a careful reader of this blog you know that there is nothing wrong with you. Don't follow any rules and take everything to serious. Many good tips and thoughts from other photographers can help us getting new inspiration and getting better every day, but you know what's best for you. Just follow your inner voice and do what your love. That is the key to ...

Lines and shapes guide us through our life. The horizon is a line and the sun is a disc shaped object in the sky. A street leads into the horizon and the sun is setting behind it. We all know that we can use these lines as visual elements in our photos. The following images are all full of lines and shapes that are used by me as guiding elements in the composition. Some of these elements frame the subject and some other lead the viewers eyes to it.

Some days have passed by and the camera feels more like an every camera does. I find it always interesting how hard we suffer when we wait for a new gadget and how fast we forget about those feelings after a short period of time. "Hey, come on! It's is a brand new X-Pro2!" ;-) I did a little trip with my wife and my parents in law to a nice little hotel in Kuehlungsborn (a place at the Baltic sea coast of north/east Germany) to enjoy walks at the beach, a hot sauna and a good dinner to forget about work and get some fresh air into my lungs. The camera was with me (as always) and I took some more photos for this little real life review. Will it blend? The mother of all questions. This camera does the job and feels great in the hand of a photographer. My lineup for the weekend were the XF 27mm and the 60mm lenses. The last mentioned glass is said to be sluggish in terms of auto-focus so I was curious about how it will perform on the X-Pro2, because on my X-T1 it...

Today I found an envelope in my mailbox. The long awaited Sailor Strap has arrived from Poland with love. The design is simple and useful. The round sailor rope feels great on your skin and has a strong and sturdy look and feel. It looks even better attached to a retro camera like a Fuji, Leica or an Olympus for example. After I applied it to my camera I was ready to set sails into the streets ;-) If you're interested in getting one than look on this website: sailorstrap.ecwid.com Cheers, Nils PS: I am not getting payed by the creator of this handcrafted strap. I just want to share the things I like with you. You won't find any affiliate links etc. on my blog. I keep this free of any banners and other things that have to do with money!