Right now, people are talking about Fujifilm Recipes. Thanks to models like the new Fujifilm X-E5, which is the first camera to use the term “Recipe” inside the menu, more and more people are discovering the joys of Film Simulation Recipes. Interestingly enough, not only are camera-made JPEGs no longer stigmatized, they’re actually “in” right now—they’re cool.
Yesterday, DPReview posted an article by Mitchell Clark entitled Why the Fujifilm X-E5 turned me into a film recipes fan. The article specifically mentions two Fuji X Weekly Recipes: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 that Anders Lindborg created and 1976 Kodak that I created. Interestingly, it’s written from the perspective of someone who’s always dismissed camera-made JPEGs and Recipes. But, after trying some while preparing for an upcoming Fujifilm X-E5 review, not only did the author have a change of heart, but it also affected how he thought about the scene he was photographing (in a positive way). This article makes it ok for those who have never tried Recipes to do so, and explains that you might not realize what you’re missing out on.
Next is from the New York Times—the New York Times!! The article, which was published just today, is entitled No One Needs a $5,000 Point-and-Shoot. But Man Oh Man, Do We Want This One. by Ben Keough, and is found in the Wirecutter (“Games and Hobbies”) section. Specifically, it’s a review of the Fujifilm GFX100RF.
“Photos look great right out of the camera,” Ben wrote. “Strange as it may sound to seasoned photo nerds, I went into my trip with the GFX100RF with the intention of shooting JPEGs—essentially using this $5,000 camera the way my parents documented family vacations with their film point-and-shoots. And guess what? It worked spectacularly well.” He went on to specifically mention my Kodachrome 64 and Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipes.
Above, clockwise from top-left: Kodachrome 64, Kodak Portra 400 v2, 1976 Kodak, and Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Recipes
Of course, it’s not just large photography sites or major newspapers that are talking about Fujifilm Recipes. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many camera stores recently, from the small but up-and-coming Nuzira that’s local to me in Arizona, to B&H in Manhattan, and a whole bunch of others in-between. I was even interviewed recently by Mike’s Camera. No matter the store, the story is the same: people are interested in Recipes, and they’re being talked about by both customers and employees. As one sales representative told me at a major store, “Half of my sales of Fujifilm cameras are a direct result of your App.”
I didn’t make Film Simulation Recipes to sell cameras, but nonetheless it has become a major selling point, and now even an official feature. I made Recipes to help people—including myself—more quickly and easily achieve desired picture aesthetics, in a way that’s often more fun and authentic. It’s simply a way to help others, and be a positive part of the photography continuum. As I wrote last week: Shoot more, edit less, and let your camera become your darkroom.
You knew this happen one day !
It’s crazy just how far it’s all gone.
Big congratulations Ritchie.
It took a while to get here !
And back then doing SOOC jpegs and using recipes were quite poorly considered or more so being weird / against the stream (I quite like that to be honest).
I’m happy that you are producing change of hearts like I’m doing here when talking to core RAW / post-processing users who are discovering recipies 😉😎
Happy also to see your name / app pop-up now a bit every where and in known newspapers.
So this is celebration time my friend 🎉🍾
I’ve literally been told that I’m doing great harm to the photographic community by not encouraging people to shoot RAW and edit, and that I’m hindering people from becoming anything more than amateurs by suggesting that they could use JPEGs instead.
Even in the comments section of the DPReview article, one person said, “I think you should be encouraging your readers to shoot RAW.” Thankfully, someone responded, “Please continue to encourage readers to make images in the way that best suits them. Leave the gatekeeping to the comments/forums… if you must.”
I think it goes to show that the ridiculous mentality that photography must be done a certain way in order to be “right” is still there, but it’s fading because others aren’t putting up with it.
It’s been a journey, for sure. I appreciate all of your encouragement and kindness along the way!
I remember more than well our discussions along the way since you started your blog…
Even I, I’m still a weirdo to use the Advanced filters for creative purposes (some are working more than well, and like you I would wish a revemp / remplacement of some of them so to introduce the cool ones found in the Instax Evo Wide and X-Half). But I really don’t care, only the results do means something.
And people should be free to do as they want without judgement as long it matters at the end.
So yeah what a long difficult way done, but still a way to go!
And smart convincing to do!
I also like since the start your way : for the good of the Community.
I act the same. And my great great uncle who invented one of the core instruments for piloting without visibility, never wanted to make the brevet fir it. His instrument was the safety and good of the aircraft pilotes and passagers… He died crushed by one of the huge aircraft hangar bay door during a big storm saving the live of one his employees instead.
With the brebet he would and our family be very rich.
Now he is only mentioned in few specialised aircraft books. But he served the greater good with full honnor. That’s the most important, and than making a bunch of money on others.
I also very much like how you handle your blog with smart moderation. What a pleasure and relief. Especially that I’m quite formal on the ‘old’ Net etiquettes / ethics (quite obsolete now with current unmonitored social medias) as a former forum moderator.
I’m simply wishing that now you are fully recognised by your outstanding work and for many a game changer one.
I do not hesitate to publicise you, you blog and app when showing and explaining film simulation recipes. During the Fujikina Brussels event, I could see the growing interest on them.
And also if now you can live from it after such tedious work / effort / investment (many would have stopped after such a long time, so ‘I take off my hat’ as we say in French 😉🫡).
Still a road to go on.
But 2024 and 2025 are good starting years in that respect.
Keep going🤞🖖
I appreciate all of your kind encouragement, it means a lot. 😀
Ben Keough here. Love the site, thanks for all the effort you put into the recipes!
Oh, wow, Ben! Didn’t expect a comment from you. I appreciate all of your kindness and encouragement!
Yeah, big hype, big times 😀
Your site unlocked the world of recipes to me, some years ago. I recently realized that now that recipes got so famous, one can actually choose his/her favorite recipe influencer.. Crazy.
I find it harder to find and commit to a personal style now, due to the shear amount of aesthetic looks that are so easily and readily available. But it’s still a great journey, so far 🙂
And maybe the experienced “recipists” can ramp up guidance for new shooters to not get lost ..
I’ve written several articles to help with that, such as the Which Recipes When series and The First 7 Recipes to Try series, plus many others. But perhaps I can and should do more. Thanks for the feedback!
Take a bow, you deserve it. Sure we may not like all recipes but if someone finds 2 or3 (or more) that suit them then that’s a good thing and if someone prefers raw then good for them. Thanks for the constant work. Fuji should pay you for bringing people to the platform
That’s the great thing: there’s pretty much something for everyone, no matter your style or camera. I appreciate all of your kindness!
Hello, as far as I know, GFXs since 2019 have a top dial wheel to set and select 6 recipes. They are called “C” as Custom instead of “R” as Recipe, but actually act the same with same purpose than X-E5 recipe wheel. Am interested right ?
That’s not quite the same, but sort of similar. On the GFX, the “C” options are Custom Settings Presets, which are known as C1-C7 on most Fujifilm cameras, including the X-E5. On some cameras (like GFX and the X-H2), it’s only six (instead of seven), and it is found on the top dial; on the X-S10/X-S20, it’s also found on the top dial, but it’s only C1-C4. For most cameras, it’s found in the Q Menu and not the top dial.
In addition to C1-C7, the X-E5 has a Film Dial, which has the ability to save up to three Recipes if you want, which is sort of like having C1-C10. However, the main function of the Film Dial is merely to switch between various Film Simulations (not Recipes, just the Film Sims). The ability to program three Recipes into the Film Dial is basically a bonus function of it.
I hope that all makes sense and answers your question.
Yes thank-you Ritchie, but after selecting a recipe, how do you change the film simulation without touching the rest of the recipe settings as they are all on the same dial?
You cannot change the Film Simulation and leave all the other settings the same on the three Recipes programmed into FS1/FS2/FS3 on the X-E5 Film Dial. That’s a limitation those three Recipes have that others (say, ones programmed into C1-C7) don’t.
I have followed you and your recipes since my first Fujifilm camera, the X-T10. The recognition in mainstream media has been a long time coming. I am so happy for you. I my opinion, the stars have aligned due to our love affair with social media. “We” have a need to share our personal lives in almost real time. Our Fujifilm cameras allow us share our “edited” images far quicker than all but the most determined/professional.
That’s a very interesting observation. The speed at which pictures can be shared is certainly a benefit. I know that I’ve shared pictures with strangers (such as with street photography) immediately after capturing the picture, which is just incredible that it’s even possible to share what seems to be a fully edited picture (although it’s SOOC) with someone immediately.
So, some people has just realized that, needing to sit down and spend time on a monthly subscribed 3rd party app, just to turn your raw images from your beloved, big, heavy and expensive camera, into something useable, may not be the most fun way of photography. Huh, interesting.
🤣 🤣
It took me awhile to realize it. Some people are apparently more stubborn than I am…. 🤣
On a more serious note: there are some people who truly enjoy RAW editing. There are some people whose style requires a technique that’s not possible SOOC. There’s no right or wrong way to do photography, just whatever works for each person.
More and more people are realizing that Fujifilm cameras and Recipes are what works for them, and that’s amazing. 😀
It’s not always possible get certain looks with in camera jpegs, there’s nothing wrong about shooting raw.
For me, after Fujifilm, I would never shoot raw unless I paid for a professional work. Since I’m just a enthusiastic hobbyist, it’s not likely to happen.
I like how different camera manufacturers are developing their own style of creating in camera jpeg styles. Being able to create useable results in camera will attract more customers for every brand. I hope they put more effort to their jpeg engines and we will see more options for jpeg photography in the future.
It’s definitely starting to catch on across multiple brands. Fujifilm has a leg up just because they devoted more R&D into it and has their long history with film to rely on, but it’s good to see other brands take it a bit more seriously.
I’m a hobbyist, so I’d rather to go out and shoot, than spending time on editing raws✌️
Thanks for the comment! 😀