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Issue 24—yes, the 24th issue!—has two articles. The first is about fall foliage photography, with its brilliant displays of color. The second is a brief look back at the previous 23 issues of FXW Zine. There are 34 pictures (including the cover) over 24 pages. Enjoy!
Autumn in a Mountain Meadow – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 100
When you think of dramatic displays of Autumn colors, you probably don’t think of Arizona. It’s easy to miss that Arizona has a significant amount of mountainous terrain, with extensive forests and even snow-capped peaks in the winter. In autumn, some of these trees change color as the leaves prepare to drop. The fall foliage in Arizona can be impressive!
Two days ago I drove up north to the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks just outside of Flagstaff for an autumn hike. The trail is called Aspen Corner Trail, which sits right below the Snowbowl ski resort. Interestingly, I was looking for the Aspen Loop Nature Trail, but I didn’t quite go far enough, and didn’t realize until later that I wasn’t even on the intended path. I had never been on any trails in this area before; I saw all of the cars and the many photographers, and just figured I was in the right place.
It was an easy hike, with very short sections that might be considered moderate (maybe). I didn’t go anywhere close to the end, just perhaps a quarter mile down where the thick forest opened to a large meadow, then back to the car as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. The place was nothing short of stunning!
Arizona Aspens – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X100V – The Rockwell
For those who don’t know or remember, the way I’m currently using my X100V is the rear LCD is turned off, and the hybrid viewfinder is set to OVF. That means that I don’t know how the pictures turned out until later when I review them. This is intended to replicate a film-like experience, in a way. Since I don’t know what I’m getting, I try to take a little extra care to ensure that I get it right. Also, I really enjoy reviewing all of the photos at once, not knowing how exactly it all went; there’s a certain thrill when one is especially great or unexpectedly interesting. This process has been a good exercise for me.
Now, let’s take a look at the seven Film Simulation Recipes that I used to photograph fall colors on my Fujifilm X100V!
This Recipe produces bright and colorful pictures. If you want to really show off a vibrant scene, The Rockwell will do it! The flip side is that it can be over-the-top sometimes—too bold, too colorful, too crisp. I was confident that this would be a good option, and I was right. If you want to emphasize the vivid colors of autumn, The Rockwell will deliver just that. I used this Recipe more than any of the others.
I don’t shoot with the Kodak Ektar 100 Recipe all that often, so I thought this would be a good opportunity. It’s warm and vibrant, and seemingly a good match for autumn photography. After reviewing the pictures, my regret is not using this Recipe more! The image above, for example, is one of my favorites of the outing. I’m going to keep this one programmed into my camera for awhile longer.
Kodak Portra 400 v2 is one of the Recipes that I typically use the most—definitely Top 5, maybe Top 3—so I thought I’d try the “v1” Kodak Portra 400 Recipe instead on this trip. I just don’t shoot with it often enough. After reviewing the pictures, this is another one that I wish I had used more. While it doesn’t emphasize the colors like the two Recipes above, it does produce an analogue-like rendering that’s easy to appreciate.
Another Recipe that I didn’t use a lot was Reggie’s Portra, although it certainly did quite well. In retrospect, I probably didn’t need to have both Kodak Portra 400 and Reggie’s Portra programmed into the camera. Personally, I prefer the aesthetic of Kodak Portra 400 just slightly more (although, overall, they’re pretty similar), but Reggie’s Portra is more versatile, so it can be the better choice if the light might be something other than sunny daylight. If I were to do this again, I’d choose either Kodak Portra 400 or Reggie’s Portra and not both.
This is a Recipe that I suspected might be very good for fall foliage photography, but I wasn’t certain. I’m now convinced that it is! Upon reviewing the pictures, CineStill 400D v2 was one of my favorite Recipes that I used, and another that I wished that I used more. Very beautiful results, perhaps the best of these seven for the light and colors on this particular adventure. I really liked this one!
Fujicolor Superia 100 was my second-most used Recipe (only behind The Rockwell), and I chose it because I wanted a Fuji color-negative film look, plus I thought this might be a good option for autumn images (although I wasn’t sure). While the picture at the very top of this article, which was captured with this Recipe, was one of my top favorites of this trip, overall I was a tad disappointed with Fujiclor Superia 100. It wasn’t a bad choice for fall colors, but it wasn’t as good as some of the others that I used less often. So, basically, Fujicolor Superia 100 was great sometimes and mediocre at other times, depending on the exact light and colors.
I wondered how a Recipe with a bit more green in it might fare in the fall. I knew there’d be some pines, and figured that the Fujicolor NPH Recipe might render those well. I think the results were interesting—and definitely different than the others—but this was my least favorite of the seven. That’s not to say that it was bad, but only I preferred the other six more. It has some potential, though—for example, the very last picture has an obvious similarity to some prints I have in a photo box in the closet. But, overall, I think there are better Film Simulation Recipes for autumn photography.
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Road Through the Autumn Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F – Velvia
Autumn officially arrived yesterday. I didn’t notice because I moved to the Phoenix metropolitan area, and in this part of Arizona it is still summer, as far as the weather and trees are concerned. Besides, this area isn’t known for its fall colors, anyway. But I used to live in Utah, and loved watching the autumn colors descend on the Wasatch, beginning at the mountain peaks in late-summer and working their way to the valley by October. I will miss that this year, for sure.
A common question I’m asked around the Autumn Equinox is which Film Simulation Recipes are best for photographing fall colors. There are many that could work well, much more than merely 10. I think, generally speaking, any recipe that uses Velvia or Astia could be solid options. Classic Chrome and Classic Negative recipes can be good, too. I don’t believe any film simulation is inherently “bad” for fall colors, but obviously some are better than others. I think oftentimes the recipes that are more vibrant will do better, so perhaps look for those. Download the Fuji X Weekly App (if you haven’t already), browse through the sample pictures, and see which recipe stands out he most to you. Or, if you’re brave, use the new Random Recipe selector to choose one for you!
If you are not sure which Film Simulation Recipe to use on your Fujifilm camera and are looking for some ideas, I have suggested 10 below, which I believe will do well for photographing fall colors. Best of luck this autumn season!
Golden Oak – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Agfa Optima 200
In the SOOC live video series, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I discuss, among other things, film simulation recipes. If you’ve never watched an episode, we introduce a recipe to shoot with, inviting you to use it and share your pictures. In the last video (which you’ll find at the bottom of this article, in case you missed it), we announced that Agfa Optima 200 was the new recipe-of-the-month. Use this recipe, upload your favorite picture (link here) that you used this recipe to capture, and we’ll share it in the next episode! Be sure to submit before November 18th, which is when the next video goes live.
Nathalie and I, of course, don’t just ask you to try a recipe—we use it ourselves, too. This is a journey that we’re on together, all of us. I wanted to share with you a few fall photographs that I recently captured using the Agfa Optima 200 on my Fujifilm X-T30. This recipe isn’t usually my first choice for colorful landscapes, but trying recipes in various situations is a part of the fun of this—there’s a lot to discover! I’m learning along side you, and that’s a great thing about this project. I look forward to seeing on November 18th what you captured with this recipe. See you then!
Red Leaves in the Forest – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Agfa Optima 200
Vine Leaves in Autumn – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Agfa Optima 200
Pop of Color in the Canopy – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Agfa Optima 200
Mountain Autumn – Big Mountain Pass, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 90mm
Fall might be my favorite season, but it’s always too short. Summer often overstays its welcome. Winter usually comes too quickly. Autumn gets squeezed in the middle. You have to be quick, because it’s fleeting. It comes and goes so quickly! If you don’t take time to see and experience it, you’ll flat out miss it, and you’ll have to wait another year for fall to return.
Autumn is the season of change. The weather changes. The colors of the leaves change. The food we eat and coffee we drink change (if you want them to). There’s beauty in change, and uncertainty. It ends cold and gloomy as winter budges in, but before it does autumn puts on a spectacular show. Autumn can be breathtakingly beautiful!
Apple Harvest – Logan, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 90mm
The photographs in this post were captured during the 2019 fall season. Many of them I’ve yet to share on the Fuji X Weekly blog, but you’ve probably seen a few of them in other articles. Some of the pictures are from early autumn when the weather was still warm and the leaves only beginning to change colors. Others are from late fall when the temperatures dipped cold and the scene turned drab. Still others were captured during the height of vibrant colors, which unfortunately didn’t last very long, yet long enough for me to get a few exposures made.
Autumn & Winter – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
One thing that’s great about where I live is the view. The Wasatch Mountains loom over our house, and are clearly visible from the back windows and throughout the yard. Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year because the mountains behind our house become dotted with the vibrant colors of the season. That’s how it is right now. The view doesn’t get old, and I feel fortunate to live where I do.
A few days ago a storm rolled through and dusted the top of the mountain with snow and ice. The contrast between the autumn trees and winter weather was intriguing and beautiful. It seemed much too early for these two seasons to meet, but there it was on display for those willing to take a moment to look. It caught my attention, and I proceeded to capture it with my camera.
Despite the front-row seat from my yard, the white mountain peaks were actually a good distance away, and required a long telephoto lens to bring the scene close enough to photograph. Attached to my Fujifilm X-T30 was a Fujinon 50-230mm zoom lens, which is my longest telephoto option. Actually, this lens belongs to my wife, Amanda, but she graciously let me borrow it. I photographed all the pictures in this article from my yard using this camera and lens combination, along with my Velvia film simulation recipe. I hope that you enjoy these pictures of when fall meet winter a few days ago.
Frosted Hill – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Veiled Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Vibrant White – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Winter Kissed Autumn – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Mountainside Autumn – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Frosted Autumn – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Peeking Peak – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lifting Autumn Sky – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
