Flamingo Advert

April 04, 2022

My latest work for Flamingo has just released, both the advert and original image can be found under Still Life.

Personal Projects, work in progress or one to forget?

December 30, 2021

I have made many Instagram posts over the years saying that I’d write about my experience when shooting Mochimno between 2016-2018, but have yet to write post any BTS let alone write about my experience and how one project and it’s failings turned into what would evidently become Mochimono, a series of still life images documenting the personal effects of people who were either displaced or died during the Great Tohoku Earthquake of 2011.

As the end of year hard drive merging and clear out begins I was going through some old files I took in 2018 on a trip to Japan, similar region to where I shot my initial project. I’ve always wanted to document the remains of the towns that were left to rot following the melt down at the Daichi Nuclear Power Planet in 2011.

For me the biggest issue was access, transport and potential punishment from the local Japanese authorities. As Japan is somewhere I visit yearly and don’t wish to be bared from visiting. Now that I have the access to a car, I feel that such a project could gain some ground and be a little more realistic, regardless of access.

when I shot Mochimono and even the ground work of the images and experiences I will be discussing here, it was all done on foot. I would travel as far as I possibly could by local means and then walk from there. This way of working had it’s up downs. Being able to go off the beat and track and access places not possible by car were essential to the trip. Where the latter I’d find myself standing in the pouring rain lugging an over filled backpack in the back end of winter in the middle of no where and restricted by bus/train time tables.

It’s nearly 2022 and two years since I’ve been to Japan [due to this pandemic*]. Two years is a long time and even when visiting North Eastern areas during 2016 -2019 I would find that a lot would change. I’d be curious to visit some of the areas that I had previously taken photos and see how different they are, not for a photographic perspective, but just out of curiosity.

Untitled, 2018. An abandoned car in the ‘No Go Zone’.

The key thing here is time, how much has it changed? I know there is still plenty to document, I’m sure of it, but as with the initial ground work of Mochimono, which was going to be a landscape project, I found that upon visiting the areas I researched, they had changed greatly over five years. This is a whole post in itself, so I’ll save that for the long over due post about that series, but to say the least I was ‘disappointed’, if that’s the right word? Long story short it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing and being ground level wasn’t the way to document the now baron areas.

I wish I posted these images at the time of taking them, this is something I’m very bad at. Even now I’m yet to post them on my website, let alone Instagram and other social platforms. I like a handful of images from the time I spend exploring these areas. I find it difficult as visually it was very interesting and as I wasn’t sure what type of images I was intending to create, I would therefore shoot various things, from still life to architectural landscapes.

Looking back, I now know how I’d shoot the project. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of looking back fondly at these images and the days spending just wandering care free, but there is a part of me that wishes to actually get this project off the ground.

Untitled, 2018.

One of two abandoned supermarkets I found on my travels. The smell was revolting, this was likely due to animals finding their way in and having their way with the place, hence all the brown.

Geek Corner - APSC and going forward with the GF system

December 30, 2021

I recently traded in my GFX50R to upgrade to the GFX100, as I saw a deal that I just couldn’t refuse.

At the time of trading it, I thought I’d receive the camera next day, but that wasn’t to be. A commission came in and I’m without my GF system.

I opted to use my XT3 for the [still life] shoot. A system I got for video and I think I’ve only ever shot actual work on it, and that was 10 days ago. The video quality is still incredible and something I really need to make more use of.

I’ve always been a little apprehensive with shooting anything commercial on and APSC camera, video fine, but It’s always best to offer the best possible quality file and I fee APSC can’t touch Medium Format [and even the latest full frame tech], wether that’s Fujifilm or Phase, in terms of image detail and quality.

Granted you’re paying significantly less for a APSC Fuji than your are a GFX or a medium format flagship. But going from Medium Format back to APSC, I just can’t warrant shooting still life/food on such a sensor size. Sure when you post it on a website or socials, you’d probably be hard pressed to tell what system it’s been shot on.

But in terms of detail, crop-ability and the latitude in the file in post, APSC just can’t compete. APSC is fine for your prosumer/everyday person, and some commercial work, but I’d always reach for my GF system, even opting for an R5 over an APSC for commercial purposes.

With that said, I love my X100V & XT3, and the image quality, colour is perfect for shooting everyday life & any of the more documentary/reportage football.

For my needs the 50R, in terms of image quality is far more than I need. Though I felt the 50R’s performance and handling was feeling a little tired, I noticed this on a job recently.

Outside of shooting on a tripod the camera isn’t that comfy to operate for long periods, especially with larger lenses. Walking around taking occasional shots is fine, but to do a full blown shoot [hand held] is very uncomfortable, but that’s not what this camera is made for.

Saying that, the form factor of the 50R does lend itself more to travel shooting. I could easily put in my bag & with no real issues and not draw too much attention to myself. The 100 on the other hand resembles a flag ship DLSR, and there is no chance I’ll be taking that away with me, unless for work/personal project.

As I can now switch from stills to video on the GF system on a shoot, opposed to using the XT3. I have started to ask myself if I’ll move away from the X Series of cameras?

I’m really waiting to see how APSC sensor technology develops. There is talks of a 40+ APSC system coming sometime in 2022. At this time the XT3 is more than enough for the kind of work I use that system for and I don’t ever see myself using the APSC systems for still life/food anyway [unless for video].

I did start writing about future sensor tech, but this is for another post. It’s far too technical [boring] for most peoples tastes.

At the time I was pretty happy to part ways with the 50R, but it hit me that I do in-fact miss this system, and that it’s the reason I decided to even write a post about the 100. Ultimately I hope Fujifilm release a 100MP or even a 50MP + sensor in the R series but with phase detect auto focus & useable video as it really is a lovely system and one I will sorely miss.

And just to round things up, here’s are the pro’s and cons.

Pros

Imagine quality is unrivalled at its price point.
4k 4.2.2 10 Bit - The 50 series were just unusable when it came to video
Handling - More comfy than the 50R
USB C Charging
E-Ink screen is nice, but will miss the dials
Histogram on the top/back screen
Larger lenses are better suited to this body
IBIS - first camera I own to have such a system

Cons [More Dislikes, there’s no bad cameras these days]

I can’t see myself taking this system away with my on non job related trips, just too big and ‘pro’ looking.
The lack of dials, but then again this is a work tool, nothing more. The 50R & Subsequent Fujifilm cameras will be the fun cameras.
Probably the worst paint job on a system, love the colour but the application is so poor.
Silly to complain, but the sheer quality and detail will cause issues.
File size is ridiculous
Port flaps, I prefer the more ridged doors on the XT3

Studio 59 | New Studio

November 27, 2021

I moved to Studio 59 in E2 recently.

Directions

Travelling from Cambdrige Heath Overground Station is only a 7 minute walk. Google map directions can be found here.

Travelling from Bethnal Green Tube Station, Google map directions can be found here.

Food & Drink [Coffee]

Three doors down you’ll find The Common E2, a cute little cafe & coffee shop.

NPLH 7 N16FC

April 28, 2021

I have some new images in this issue of NPLH

Andrew | Two Sticks Forge

February 27, 2021

PowerBloc - Macbook pro, Monitors, Lights and more

October 29, 2020

I’ve recently decided to switch my existing HyperJuices Batteries to V-Lock batteries.

But why?

I’ve been running HyperJuice 222WH batteries for several years now, and even been able to adapt them to power the latest Macbook USBC laptops. But I feel like all HyperJuices, including the latest 100WH ones are very limited in their uses.

Charge a Macbook [with the extra £50 USB C charger on older models]
Charge a USB devices

That’s it… Maybe I’m being harsh.

As some form of social distancing seems to be in place for the foreseeable future. The use of wireless monitors and other devices seem like a must have on shoots. I’m needing to find alternative ways of powering said items other than a HyperJuice.

The reason for V-Locks is that they are much more versatile than a HyperJuice.

They are universal & are industry standard [in video] and depending on the shoot, I’m sure you could borrow one in an emergency from a video crew, maybe...

Also 99% of [good] rental houses stock these batteries globally.

Power Laptop, Laptops, Phones, Cameras, LED lighting, Monitors etc…

NineVolt PowrBloc [PowerBlock]

There are alternatives to the PowrBloc, including hyperjuices, but as I’ve already invested in Ninevolt, both in the digiplate [Inovativ respectively] & IQ Tether cables, I feel that it’s good to continue supporting a company that are producing new and interesting products, regardless of the high shipping costs & Import Tax… ugh.

A Few Test

It’s hardly a benchmark test of a real world performance on set, though I’d thought I’d run one and see how it fairs. I was able to stream footage [football] over wifi for over 3 hours and 30 minutes through chrome, which is known as a CPU hog. The footage was streaming at between 720p & 1080p on full brightness.

In relation to a real world shoot, I can’t really say how this would be comparable when hammering the shutter & processing files. This is something I will just have to try prior to a real world shoot. Typically I don’t machine gun things on set, but some do… Though Wifi & streaming are typically actions which drain a lot of power, so I feel this is a good starting point for testing.

As they are rated around a similar power spec to the latest HyperJuice USB batteries, I would expect them to have a similar draw when used on a shoot.

The cable & Powrbloc is actually supplying 100W of power unlike many cables and other USB C batteries.

It’s a piece of kit I’m looking forward to using on future shoots, feel free to get in touch if you’d like to hire for a shoot. I’ll be building a 4-6 battery kit in the near future for more heavy location jobs, so check back soon.

Fujifilm X100V

August 15, 2020

I was planning on buying this system upon release, but due to the global pandemic, I couldn’t justify such a purchase at the time. Even now I’m still waiting to get back to some kind of financial normality before updating my X100T.

I brought my X100t in 2015 to accompany me when I shot the series Mochimono. I was shooting film at the time and wanted a small point and shoot to document my time and also act as some sort of digital light meter/polaroid. I didn’t use it as much as I thought at the time, I was too content with shooting on my iPhone, which I now regret.

At the time I didn’t really like the camera too much, I think this was more down to the field of view, 35mm. I never shoot 35mm, always 6x7/6x6 film, so the format was something I grew to dislike the more I shot larger formats.

It wasn’t until I started spending a lot of time in Japan that I forced myself to love this camera, maybe 2 years after it’s purchase. I remember taking pictures at night with flash, nothing more than a bit of fun with the external flash, and I loved it. The quality I got from it and the engaging conversation about photography and, well how it all worked.

Since then I’ve weened myself away from shooting on my iPhone, and it’s the best decision I made. I would love shooting on my phone, only to get the images on a larger screen to see they aren’t worth using. Now I rarely take a picture on my phone, unless it’s junk stuff for Instagram stories, something that has zero worth.

So it’s come time to upgrade my X100T, I skipped on the F as I didn’t feel there was a massive difference for me to part with another £1000, especially as I got to a point where my T would basically be flung around with little care, now having been repaired twice… I think. Once Fujifilm announced the X100V, I knew, ok this is the upgrade I’ve been looking for.

This isn’t so much of a review, as this is a much loved system that continues to gain users and praise alike.

I just want to present my own thoughts on this camera, comparing to the T [and F respectively as I have less handling time].

Design & Handling

I’ve always enjoyed the Black finish on all Fujifilm cameras, but the updated more Leica M style of this camera looks incredible, especially in silver. I hired silver purely on the fact that it looks so beautiful. Will I be purchasing the camera in Silver? Doubtful, I don’t want to be seen with this camera, I want to take pictures without people realising, though I don’t think the style of camera/silver finish stands out too much.

A slightly bigger grip is welcome for my massive hands. Though I do feel I wish it had more grip, but that was ultimately ruin the design, so I can live without.

Changes to the body, as with recent Fuji cameras the D-Pad appears to be removed XPro 3, GFX 50R, GFX 100 to some criticism, yet it would reappear on the XT4, yet removed on the X100V. Huh?

At first I felt like this wasn’t the best move, due to basically removing 4 customisation buttons, something that Fujifilm was famous for. When setting up the camera for the weekend, I set up what I thought the most used features were on my T were,

Flash
Film Simulation
Shutter Type

That’s it… With the addition of the wonderfully intuitive ISO dial, which is a 1 to1 replica of a traditional film camera, I found that the FN button I had assigned [on my T] for quick ISO changing is no longer needed.

With the lack of of a D-Pad, you lose 4 buttons instantly, but there’s still 10 customisable buttons, if you need anymore than that, well I think something’s wrong. As I mentioned before, the lack of D-Pad was a concern, but having used the camera for the weekend, the thumb-stick is much more intuitive than a D-Pad.

Touch screen would go onto replace the 4 missing function buttons, but as with the XT3 & GFX 50R, I would turn them off. Other than for playback of images, and selecting a focus point, I see very little use for the touch screen.

The X100V has a fold out waist level screen that is flush to the body, a first I believe in any camera. It’s so streamline you wouldn’t know it was even a function. Clearly it’s been designed for those who want to shoot from the hip and still wish to view that they’re shooting.

Specs & Image Quality

In terms of summing up the cameras specs, It’s like a slightly less feature packed XT3/XPro3, which are very capable cameras.

It shares the same sensor, screen and EVF as the XT3, which is a camera I still use today and recently shot a portrait on it and was blown away by the quality for the size of the camera/sensor. Best way I can describe the quality is that it’s similar to a Canon 5DMKIV, which is still the industry standard for photography at the time of writing this.

As I mentioned before, when shooting on an iPhone, the quality would be rubbish [compared to a traditional camera] when blown up on a screen. As you can see the quality between the X100V & MKIV is marginal despite the smaller APSC sensor, with the Fujifilm GFX 100 destroying everything.

Full specs can be found on the Fujifilm Page or DP Review.

Video & Vloging

The video in this camera is very capable, 10 Bit 4k at 29.97p 4.2.2 200MPS [externally], which is pretty standard on all professional cameras at the moment. So coming from the T with its woeful video functions to be able to shoot high quality 4K video in what is my everyday camera, well it’s very welcome.

I’ve always wanted to have a better camera to shoot a bit of small video, without bring along my XT3, so for things like holidays, this should be ideal.

As every reviewer/consumer seems to be obsessed with being able to record ones self, I thought that I would discuss this.

This isn’t a Vloging camera, due to the 35mm lens, which isn’t he widest, & lack of stabilisation. This camera has no reason to have IBIS, it’s not a video camera, and would just incur a larger form factor and price. For reviewers to even try and start a conversation about this is beyond me, it’s a point and shoot, everyday street camera.

But can you film yourself on it? Well I did without too much trouble, other than being shaky, then again if you were adamant on it, get a gimbal. I thought the Autofocus & face tracking was pretty good, I did a small test & face tracking didn’t lose me, even in a badly lit room. And no I won’t be posting that video.

The video very features are good, a nice to have, but I wouldn’t use it as my main camera for video.

Conclusion

When I brought the GFX50R I felt that I would take it everywhere with me, but I don’t, it’s just too big and I don’t need that quality, even though I thought I’d somehow need it. The X100 series, especially the V, hits the sweet spot for me in terms of quality & portability.

I would say that that T, and subsequently the V, is my favourite camera to use, the dials, the size and discreetness of it. If you’re looking for a camera that is stylish, portable and produces high quality images, the 100V will not disappoint.

Things I like/Pros

Same sensor as Flagship X series Cameras
4K Video
New Lens [finally]
11 FPS is ridiculous!
Retro ISO Dial
Waist level folding screen
Leaf shutter & high sync
Gorgeous design
USB C charging
wether sealed*
4 stop ND built in

Things I don’t like/Cons

My hands are massive so this camera can feel a bit awkward to hold sometimes.
OVF - It’s a nice to have but rarely use, removing it and the hidden EVF would reduce costs in an ever dying camera market.
Buying a £100 [ish] filter to make the camera weather sealed.
Not being able to us the built in ND filter when shooting video.

It’s very hard to find much, if anything wrong with this camera. I was trying hard to find something that I dislike about this camera, and even my cons are splitting hairs at most.

If you have an T or F i’d recommend the upgrade. I’d say this is easily the most enjoyable fixed lens compact camera out there.

Thanks again to Fujifilm & Hire A Camera for the loan of the camera.