Viva Cuba!

Ok, it’s been a little while since I posted anything to this blog. And for that, I apologise. It’s been a busy 6 months, we moved house, we got married, we got cats, pretty much everything major that could have happened recently, has happened.

So, on to this post, after my soulmate and I got married, we jetted off to Cuba for a much needed break on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Varadero. Sun, sea, sand, s…..shedloads of rum and a few photos along the way. Photographing the old American cars in Havana has always been on my bucket list. Now I’ve ticked it. 😉

Having been experimenting with numerous film sims over the past few months I came to the conclusion when I got to Cuba that I had no idea which one to shoot, so what now? I shot RAW. I’m sorry, I know, you don’t usually buy a Fuji camera for the RAW files, you buy them for the excellent JPEGs. But… I wanted a choice and I wanted maximum dynamic range in the strong Cuban sun. I plumbed for Lightroom’s classic chrome approximation and I’m pretty happy with the results.

Hometown Walk

It was time I had a walk around my home town of Leeds, my mate was coming up for a photo walk so it was time to see what the old town could show us.

I find it quite difficult to shoot in Leeds as I know the city so well, it’s probably over familair to me. The city centre can be really busy too so I spend a lot of time south of the river as it’s quieter.

On this particular outing though the sun was shining, the city felt warm and alive and it was good to show Chris my view of things.

Really starting to get a feel for the Fuji X100V, I’m starting to see things through the 35mm equivalent focal length, I still won’t say I’m a big fan of this focal length though, however it is starting to grow on me.

Colour shots are Classic Neg (mostly) maybe the odd Provia shot as I somehow managed to set that film sim by accident, mono is Acros +R as usual. All shot on Fuji X100V. Only camera I’ve got!

A Walk Around York

I had a few hours to kill on Sunday morning so I thought I’d give the car and the camera a run out to York.

I love York, the architecture is simply stunning, the gothic minster, the city walls, a castle, Medeival streets and a river running straight through the middle of it. There’s loads to see and you could easily spend a couple of days there and not see it all.

Sunday’s weather was cold and fresh but the light was amazing, lovely and warm and very directional creating long shadows.

I took a bit of a different approach to shooting, I’ve been trying to focus more on my composition and using light to create leading lines, also tried a bit of street photography – thanks for the tips JP!
I’m pretty pleased with the results.

All shots were taken in Classic Neg on the x100V, it’s the first time I’ve done a shoot with just this film sim but in warm light I think it really works.

Harewood House, Leeds

May 2021

Another May outing, this time to the stunning Harewood House in Leeds. Fabulous weather again, we really seem to have had some great weather this spring, after the previous outing not only did I pack the camera but some sun cream as well!

Again, black and white shots are Monochrome + Red Filter and colour shots are a mix of Pro Neg-Hi and Velvia. Fuji x100s.