What is the best travel camera? My opinion, and the opinion of many other photographers, is the Fujifilm X100V.
The Fujifilm X100V is a great travel camera because of its compact size, versatility, and image quality. It features a fixed 23mm lens, which provides a classic 35mm equivalent focal length, and a bright f/2 maximum aperture. The camera has an intuitive retro design and advanced features, such as a hybrid viewfinder, leaf shutter, built-in ND filter, and weather sealing. The 26-megapixel APS-C sensor produces exceptional image quality, and, when paired with Film Simulation Recipes, is ideal for street and documentary photography. The X100V has solid build quality, yet is small enough to easily carry around, making it an excellent choice for capturing your adventures.
One travel adventure that I recently returned from was a day at Legoland (a Lego themed amusement park) in Carlsbad, California, for my son Joshua’s 9th birthday. Because his birthday is so close to Christmas, he typically gets the short end of the celebration stick, so this year we wanted to make it extra special, and a Black Friday deal made it more affordable. To capture the experience, I brought along my Fujifilm X100V programmed with the Kodachrome 64 Film Simulation Recipe. This recipe produces a nostalgic slide film aesthetic similar to the images found in National Geographic, Arizona Highways, and other magazines from my childhood. I used a 5% CineBloom filter, which I prefer for its subtle diffusion effect, for this outing.
The day started out with thin overcast sky, which gave way to midday sun before thick clouds and light rain moved in for the rest of the adventure. The X100V with the Kodachrome 64 recipe handled the changing light quite well—I even got a couple good pictures after sunset under artificial light. This camera and recipe combo is my top option for color travel photography, including a family outing to an amusement park. Because I used a Film Simulation Recipe and shot JPEG, when I returned home I only had to download the pictures from my camera to my phone, crop or straighten if necessary, and upload to my cloud storage. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Welcome to California… Maybe – Blythe, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
For those keeping up with my move (from Utah to Arizona) and adventure: I’m on the road again. The long story is that we found a home in Arizona, but the moving company can’t deliver our stuff for a couple of weeks. The short story is that we’re off on a new adventure! Among some other stops, we’re enroute to the central California Coast—one of the most beautiful places in the world, in my opinion—while we wait for our furniture and such.
Shooting out a dirty window at 75 miles-per-hour isn’t ideal; however, in whatever situations that I find myself, I try to do the best I can with what I have. That’s all anyone can do. I’m not always successful, but I thought this series was decent enough to share. I hope that you enjoy!
Storm in the Mirror – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Driving Backwards – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Objects Are Closer – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Freight Flight – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Dash Cam – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Desert Center 16 – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Cars – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Parked Truck – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Fasten Seatbelt & Dead Palms – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
Life is a Highway – Somewhere Along I-10, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”
I recently set out to create an “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit.
Over the last couple of years, as I’ve collected more and more gear, traveling with my cameras and lenses has become cumbersome, which has lead to frustrations and reduced productivity. More isn’t always better; in fact, less is often more—this is especially true when traveling. I realized that my gear wasn’t nearly as ready for adventure as I was, and I needed to make some series changes to my kit before embarking on my next road trip.
What makes a travel kit bad? If it’s big and heavy and gets in the way, it’s not good. My travel kit consisted of a backpack camera bag filled with multiple bodies and as many lenses as I could stuff inside. I went to Montana last fall, and in my bag there was an X-T1, X-T30, X100V, and X-M1, plus a handful of lenses, including the Fujinon 100-400mm and Fujinon 90mm, which aren’t small or lightweight. I hardly used any of them, except for the X100V, which I could easily carry with me, and so I did. Because I had it with me, I used it often. The rest of the gear just got in the way—literally, the backpack took up too much space in the car, and it become a point of frustration. I would have been better off just bringing one or two cameras and maybe a few small lenses—gear that might have actually been used.
I was afraid that if I didn’t have a certain camera or lens, I would regret not bringing it, if at some point I thought I might need it. You never know what you’ll need, so it’s better to be prepared, right? What I discovered over the last few trips is that the majority of what I was carrying with me I didn’t use. Or, for some of it, if I did use it, it’s only because I forced myself to use it when it wasn’t really necessary. Having too much gear actually made me want to photograph less, and made me less creative when I did. My best photography most often happened when I had limited gear—perhaps one camera and one lens—and left the rest behind.
What makes a travel kit good? It should be compact and lightweight, yet versatile. One camera and one lens is often enough, but not always. The X100V is a great travel camera, but sometimes I need something more wide-angle or more telephoto—it’s not always versatile enough, even though it is often my camera of choice. I think two bodies and a limited assortment of lenses in a small bag is good. Small enough to not get in the way. Lightweight. Something that you don’t mind having with you, so you do. A good travel kit strikes a comfortable balance between practicality and petiteness.
I put together what I hoped would be a great kit for travel photography. I was able to put it to the test on a road trip to Arizona—was it actually going to work for me?—and I discovered many good points and a few things that still need to be worked out. Let’s take a close look at this “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit that I assembled for myself, piece-by-piece.
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Bag
It might seem strange to begin with the bag, but in my mind it’s just that important. The camera bag needed to be very small, but it also had to be able to hold everything. Finding one that I felt was just the right size and design turned out to be a challenge, but after much research I stumbled across the National Geographic NG2344 Earth Explorer Shoulder Bag, and for only $40! The dimensions of this bag are roughly 8″ x 7″ x 6″, yet I can fit two cameras and six lenses inside. I was thrilled to learn that the bag fit into the middle storage console of my car, so it is completely out of the way on road trips, yet is easily and quickly accessible.
I subdivided the main compartment into four, using the soft dividers to create “hidden” storage under the cameras, which I use for lenses. The bottom-right holds two Fujinon lenses, and the bottom-left holds three third-party lenses. Two cameras fit on top, just as long as the interchangeable-lens camera has a pancake lens attached. The small front compartment holds charging cords, extra batteries, SD-cards, etc., while the two tiny top pockets (which are probably more for looks than anything) hold lens-wipes. While everything is packed in, I don’t feel like it’s overstuffed—there actually is a little room for more, should I need it.
One thing that I don’t like about this bag is that the shoulder strap is permanently attached. I might modify it at some point to make the strap removable, as I think that would improve it. Otherwise, the bag seems pretty darn good for the travel photographer.
I already owned a Fujifilm X100V, and that camera was going to be in this kit, no doubt about it. The other camera was a question mark for me. It needed to be small yet an interchangeable-lens model. I thought that my X-T30 might be too big, so maybe the X-E3, but it has the older sensor. I really wasn’t sure which camera was going to be the right one. Then Fujifilm announced the X-E4, and I really hoped that it would be the correct camera for this kit, so I immediately preordered it. After several weeks of waiting, and just a couple of days before my Arizona trip, it arrived at my doorstep. And it fit perfectly into the camera bag.
Fujifilm X100V
The Fujifilm X100V, which I’ve had for about 10 months, was a birthday gift from my wife. It’s such a great camera and I absolutely love to shoot with it. The X100V has a permanently attached 23mm lens, which is 35mm full-frame equivalent—a very useful focal-length. The compactness of it makes it especially great for travel.
There are some X100V features that are unique in my bag. It’s weather-sealed, has a nearly silent mechanical leaf shutter, built-in high-speed-synch fill-flash, optical viewfinder, and built-in neutral-density filter. I could photograph with this camera 90% of the time and be very happy, but the X100V isn’t always the right choice. It has strengths, but it also has weaknesses that limit its versatility.
If I could only have one camera, it would be the X100V; however, I believe that this camera demands a partner. If you have this camera, you also need an interchangeable-lens option to accompany it. That’s why I have two cameras in my kit, even though the X100V is oftentimes all that I need.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujifilm X100V on the Arizona trip.
Putting Practice – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Metal Pool Flowers – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Pinnacle Peak – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Fujifilm X-E4
The Fujifilm X-E4 is the smallest interchangeable-lens camera with an electronic viewfinder offered by Fujifilm. The compact size of the X-E4 is an important aspect of this travel kit. I have an X-T30, which is a small camera that’s a little bigger than the X-E4, and it does fit into the camera bag, but barely—it’s much more snug than I want it to be. In a pinch it would work, but the X-E4 is a more comfortable fit, and a better choice because of that.
When the X100V isn’t the right tool, the X-E4 fills in nicely. It adds great versatility to the travel kit. I can go more wide-angle or telephoto by changing the lens. It can store one more film simulation recipe than the X100V. It has some new JPEG features that the X100V doesn’t. Even though 90% of the time the X100V is all that I need, I found myself using the X-E4 much more than I thought I would. It’s a fun camera that’s easy to have with you because of its compact size.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujifilm X-E4 on the Arizona trip.
Three Palms – Sun City West, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
That Way – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Blossoming Red – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Lenses
In the camera bag I have six lenses—seven if you count the one permanently attached to the X100V. This provides versatility for whatever photographic situations present themselves. The lenses must be small, or else they won’t fit inside the bag.
Would a 100-400mm zoom be nice to have as an option? Yes, for sure! But it’s too big, and it would add a lot of weight—if it’s not going to be used much, it’s not worth bringing along. The Fujinon 90mm f/2 is one of my favorite lenses, but it’s also big and heavy, and not used often enough, so it’s not in this kit. A zoom lens would make a lot of sense, perhaps something like the 18-55mm f/2.8-4, but I prefer primes. My philosophy as I put this travel kit together was smaller is better. Zooms are often smaller than a few primes put together, but are rarely smaller than a singe prime. If a lens attached to the X-E4 made it possibly pocketable, that was a win. The more compact the camera and lens combo is, the more convenient it will be for travel. With those goals in mind, I chose six lenses to place inside my camera bag.
Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R
The Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R is Fujifilm’s second smallest lens, which makes it a great option for travel. The 18mm focal-length, which is 27mm full-frame equivalent, is very useful—great for walk-around photography and landscapes. This is my primary wide-angle lens in this kit. The 18mm f/2 is a little loud and a bit slow, but it captures beautiful pictures. The compact size and lovely image quality are what makes this lens great.
Most of the time when I want a wide-angle option, the 18mm focal-length works well; however, occasionally I would like something a little wider. I think a 14mm or 12mm lens would be preferable sometimes, but unfortunately there’s not an option that’s small enough for my camera bag—for example, my Rokinon 12mm f/2 is just a little too big. Thankfully, this lens is often a great choice when I want to shoot wide-angle, so it gets used a lot, and is an essential part of this travel kit.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujinon 18mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Sunlight Through Palm Leaves – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
American Motorcycle – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
Roundabout – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
The Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR was my most used lens on the trip to Arizona. It’s Fujifilm’s smallest lens, so I knew that it would be an essential element of my travel kit, but I didn’t know just how much I’d love using it. The 27mm focal length, which is 40.5mm full-frame equivalent, is the closest to a “normal” lens on Fujifilm X, yet it is slightly wide-angle.
If I wanted to really simplify things, I could be happy just bringing this lens and the 18mm f/2 to pair with the X-E4 (plus the X100V). That would be a lightweight and uncomplicated kit. Expanding the focal-length options with a few other lenses is a nice bonus, but the heart and soul of the camera bag are the two camera bodies and the 27mm and 18mm pancake lenses.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujinon 27mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Old Cars & Tires – Kamas, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Two Roses, Mary & Child – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Two Thirty – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 & Fujinon 27mm
Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR
The Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR has been my most used lens over the last two years. The 52.5mm full-frame equivalent focal-length makes this a slightly telephoto “standard” prime lens, often referred to as a “nifty fifty”. There’s a little redundancy between this and the 27mm, as they’re both “standard” lenses, but the 35mm has some advantages: quieter autofocus, larger maximum aperture, slightly superior optics. Despite that, I found myself using the 35mm f/2 less often than I thought I would.
Because I have the 27mm lens, this lens isn’t an essential part of the travel kit. Since there’s room for it and it’s been a favorite lens of mine for a couple years, I decided to include it anyway. I did use it a little on my trip, but more because I forced myself to and not so much because I needed to. I might rethink its inclusion in the camera bag, but for now the 35mm f/2 lens stays.
Lemon Tree – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 35mm
Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye
The Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye lens is quite limited in its usefulness, but occasionally it comes in handy, such as when I visited Horseshoe Bend, which demanded an ultra-wide-angle option for the dramatic landscape. The Fujinon 18mm lens wasn’t nearly wide-enough, so the Pergear 10mm came out and did the trick. The strong barrel distortion makes it tough to use, but it’s definitely useable in a pinch.
This compact pancake lens takes up almost no space in the camera bag, so its inclusion is a no-brainer. Even if it was only used a few times, and otherwise remained in the bag unused, it’s worth having around for those rare occasions when this lens comes in handy. It’s so small, lightweight and cheap, it just makes sense to have it in the camera bag, providing a more wide-angle option than 18mm.
Green Spikes – Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pergear 10mm
Sitting Above Horseshoe Bend – Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pergear 10mm
Asahi Pentax-110 50mm f/2.8
The Asahi Pentax-110 50mm f/2.8 was the last lens that I added to the travel kit. Why did I include it? Because, since it’s a tiny lens, there was room for it, and I really like how it renders pictures. This lens has a fixed aperture, which makes its usefulness limited, but when I do use it I enjoy the pictures that I capture with it. This Asahi lens is the only vintage lens in this kit.
I wish that I had used this lens more, but it had competition, so I ended up using it less than I should have. Next time I will use it more. This little 75mm full-frame-equivalent lens has a special quality and takes up so little space, so its inclusion in the travel kit should have been obvious. The Asahi Pentax-110 50mm lens is going to stick around awhile.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Asahi Pentax-110 50mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Spring Seeding – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pentax-110 50mm
Jon (and Yoda) Ready to Play – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pentax-110 50mm
7artisans 50mm f/1.8
The sixth lens in my travel kit is the 7artisans 50mm f/.8. This fully manually lens is good and all, but there are two reasons why it will be replaced: I already have a 50mm lens that I like, and focusing on distant objects is more difficult than it should be. Otherwise this a decent lens, and it has several advantages over the Asahi 50mm: closer minimum focus distance, larger maximum aperture, adjustable aperture, less vignetting—technically speaking, it’s a superior lens, but it’s missing the great character that is oozing from the vintage Asahi lens.
The reason why I selected this particular lens for this kit is because it’s the smallest 50mm X-mount lens available. I did discover that there’s actually a little more room in the bag for something slightly bigger. Ideally I’d like to replace this with a longer focal-length lens, but at the moment I’m just not sure what it will be, or when I’ll replace it. I do know that the inclusion of the 7artisans 50mm f/1.8 lens in my travel kit won’t last long.
How ultimate is my “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit? It’s not perfect, but it’s significantly better than what I was traveling with before. The bag is ideal. The two cameras are wonderful. There are some excellent lenses to choose from. No doubt about it, this is a really good kit for travel photography.
If anything, it’s the lens selection that’s not quite perfect. I like the 18mm and 27mm. The 35mm is great, too, but a little unnecessary since I have the 27mm. The X100V, with its built-in 23mm lens, is awesome. I like the Asahi Pentax 50mm lens, but it’s not especially practical for everyday photography. The 10mm Fisheye is good to have around, but not especially useful most of the time. Those two lenses take up very little space, so it’s easy to keep them in the bag just in case I want to use them, but I know that I won’t be using either of them all that often. I don’t need two 50mm lenses, so the 7artisans will be replaced.
Should I replace the Fujinon 35mm f/2? If so, with what? The 16mm f/2.8 is the same size, so it’s a logical option, although it creates the same redundancy problem, just at the wide-angle end, which actually might be slightly more practical. Maybe the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 and the Fujinon 50mm f/2 would be good options to replace the 35mm and the 7artisans models. The 50mm f/2 is a little bigger, but I believe it would fit. The Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 might be an option instead of the 50mm, which would be preferable because it has a longer reach and is also a macro lens, but it might be a tad too big for the bag. Maybe I should consider a vintage model. Or maybe replace two primes with a zoom. There’s a lot to consider, and I think replacing one or two lenses will make this “ultimate” travel kit even better. I’ll let you know when I make that modification, and how it goes.
This trip to Arizona that I recently returned from was photographically so much more pleasant than my other travels over the last couple of years. A small camera bag filled with compact and lightweight gear—a purposeful assortment of cameras and lenses—is a night-and-day difference from the heavy backpack stuffed with everything that could fit that I used to haul around. Practical and petite is preferable when it comes to travel photography. Less is often more. This might not yet be the “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit, but it’s pretty close, and will only get better.
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In 1970, E.B. White published a fictional children’s novel called The Trumpet of the Swan, which is largely set in Red Rock Lakes, Montana. E.B. White is probably best known for penning Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, both of which are literary classics. While The Trumpet of theSwan is not as well known as the other two books, it is also considered a classic children’s novel. Not long before our road trip, we read this book as a family.
My 10-year-old son, Jonathan, who likes geography—you will frequently find him looking at maps and drawing maps—said to me, “Look, I found Red Rock Lakes!” He pointed to a spot on the map that appeared to be very close to our campsite in Island Park, which is in Idaho but very close to Montana. It turns out that the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, which is where the book is set, was only an hour drive away from our campsite. We made plans to visit this remote refuge while there.
The Red Rock Lakes area features lakes, rivers, marshlands, prairies, forested uplands, and mountain peaks. It’s highly diverse. Over 250 species of birds have been spotted in the refuge, including the illusive trumpeter swan, the main character of E.B. White’s novel. Moose, elk, deer, bears, wolves and many other animals call this place home.
Upper Red Rock Lake – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
The road to Red Rock Lakes is dirt. Rough at times, lightly flooded at times, and narrow at times, and quite rural the entirety, this was a fun drive in our four-wheel-drive truck. We did see some other cars and people, plus plenty of UTVs, but mostly we were alone. Not many people venture out to this lonely place. Red Rock Lakes might not be easy to get to, but it is highly rewarding and worth the journey.
Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is incredibly beautiful! Breathtakingly beautiful at times, in fact. It’s a landscape photographer’s playground! I didn’t see much wildlife myself, but I image that wildlife photographers would love this place, too. Upper Red Rock Lake (which I have no idea why it’s named that as I didn’t see many red rocks) is surprisingly still and reflective. It reminded me a little of the Great Salt Lake, but smaller and freshwater. In some ways the refuge was like stepping into E.B. White’s book, and seeing it in person brought the words to life. I would love to spend several days there, not just a few hours. I hope to someday return.
These photographs were mostly captured with a Fujifilm X100V, and a couple were with a Fujifilm X-T30 and Fujinon 90mm f/2 lens. On the X100V I used my “The Rockwell” and Kodak Tri-X 400 film simulation recipes. On the X-T30 I used my Velvia and Tri-X 400 recipes. Both cameras are great, but the X100V is such a wonderful travel camera that it renders the other gear largely unnecessary.
Red Rock Lakes Sign – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Rock Road – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Frontier Hills – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Dilapidated Dream – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Abandoned House by the Hill – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Green Hills – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Distant Mountains – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Mountain Meadow – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Mountain Wildflowers 1 – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Mountain Wildflowers 2 – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Wildflower Meadow – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Wildflowers in the Forest – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Flowers – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Flower in the Forest – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 90mm
Poolside – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Rock Lake in Green – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Algae Water – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Pelican on the Shore – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Looking For Trumpeter Swans – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Grey Reflections – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 90mm
Upper Red Rock Lake Monochrome – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Monochrome Lake Reflections – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Water Pipe – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
These photographs were all captured at the same place: a Jack-in-the-Box in Rexburg, Idaho. On the very first day of the road trip we stopped in Rexburg for lunch. You just never know when photographic opportunities are going to present themselves, so it’s a good habit to have a camera within easy reach. For me, that was the Fujifilm X100V. Surprisingly, that Jack-in-the-Box in Rexburg provided the chance to create some interesting pictures.
Rexburg is perhaps best known for being underwater when a dam broke 1976, which flooded the area. The town recovered. It’s the last city before Yellowstone, and seems like a nice enough place. Like everywhere, hard working people are what keeps things moving forward. It’s the thankless jobs that often go unnoticed, yet they’re critical to a functioning society. It’s the premise of the television show Dirty Jobs hosted by Mike Rowe. I encountered a couple of those important yet invisible people while in Rexburg.
Blue Truck Trailer – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “The Rockwell”
Drive Thru – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “The Rockwell”
Out of Order – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “The Rockwell”
Right next to Jack-in-the-Box in the same parking lot was a closed and abandoned Wingers. According to the sign, it had been opened for 13 years. I’m not sure why it closed: lazy employees, poor management, mediocre food, bad location, current economic times? I can only speculate, but I’ll never know the answer—it doesn’t matter, anyway. What I found interesting is that just a few steps separated hard working yet invisible people from an empty building that had similar people in it, but no more. They’re gone. Their jobs are gone. They’ve moved on. The dream that inspired its opening failed, leaving only ghosts of the past behind, a haunting reminder of the fragility of it all. Invisible People and Ghost Dreams would be my alternative title to this post. Maybe we’re all ghosts. Maybe invisibility is a super power. Maybe I just inspired the next album for some indie rock band somewhere.
For the top four photographs I used my new “The Rockwell” film simulation recipe. In fact, these were some of the very first pictures that I captured with this recipe. The bottom four photographs were captured using my Fujicolor Superia 100 film simulation recipe. These two recipes are pretty much opposites of each other: one is boldly vibrant, while the other is rather dull in comparison. Juxtaposed recipes for juxtaposed subjects. One mundane stop in a rather ordinary town. You just never know when photographic opportunities will present themselves, so be ready.
Available Building – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor Superia 100”
Available – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor Superia 100”
Thistles In The City – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor Superia 100”
This Restaurant is Closed – Rexburg, ID – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor Superia 100”
I recently returned from a road trip across several U.S. states, which I photographed with a Fujifilm X100V and X-T30. The trip began in Farmington, Utah, which is where I live, and over a week-and-a-half my family and I pulled a travel trailer across Idaho, Wyoming (just a little), and Montana, and back to Utah. I visited two national parks. I saw incredible lakes and rivers. It was just a great road trip!
Upon returning, I was unsure how to best share the experience with you. I decided to break the trip into a series of articles called Traveling With Fujifilm. I’m not sure exactly how many parts there will be in all, but there will be many! This is Part 1. It won’t necessarily be in chronological order, but I hope in a logical order that makes some sort of sense.
The trip began on July 2nd right after sunrise. The trailer was already packed and ready, and already attached to the truck. We just had to load ourselves into the truck and leave. There are six of us: my wife and I, plus our four children. The truck seats six. It was a tight fit. We bonded (and occasionally not), as we spent significant stretches of time together on the open road.
The first day took us from our home in Utah to Island Park, Idaho. For the most part it’s rural country. We made a few stops for gas and food, but mostly pushed through to the destination. Island Park is amazingly beautiful! I’ll save that for another article, so you can look forward to it.
Phillips 66 – Malad City, ID – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 100
The film simulation recipes that I used for these three pictures are Fujicolor Superia 100 and Fujicolor Superia 1600. I only used the Fujifilm X100V for this section of the trip. This camera is great for this type of photography. No need to carry a camera bag filled with lenses. One camera, one lens. In fact, I used the X100V for about 90% of the pictures on this trip. While this article has only a few photographs, most in this series will have many more.
Come along for the ride! Join me on this adventure by following this series. I hope that you’ll find it enjoyable, inspirational and perhaps even helpful to your photography.
Francis Peak in Green – Francis Peak, UT – Fujifilm X100V
From my house I can see Farmington Canyon and Francis Peak in Utah. It’s an amazing view! But I had never been up the canyon or to the top of the mountain. There’s a narrow dirt road that snakes up the canyon side and leads to the peak. At the top is a radar site. Recently I grabbed my Fujifilm X100V and drove up the winding dirt road seeking adventures and vistas.
The road up the canyon turned out to be much too crowded with cars, UTVs, ATVs, bicyclists and even pedestrians. It’s not especially wide, sometimes not wide enough for two cars to pass. It’s a sketchy drive at times with steep drop-offs and rough sections. The difficult road rewarded me with beautiful scenes and incredible views.
I used three film simulation recipes on my Fujifilm X100V: Kodak Tri-X 400, Fujicolor Reala 100, and a new Velvia recipe that I’ve been working on (expect a modified version of this recipe to be published in the coming weeks). In a way this was like loading my camera with three rolls of film, but of course in the film days you could only have one roll loaded at a time. With the X100V (and most Fujifilm cameras) you can have up to seven! Amazing!
The view from the peak is nothing short of breathtaking! It feels like standing on top of the world. You can see for miles and miles and miles. I could even see my house way down at the bottom. I feel fortunate to live so close to this place. It’s great that I can make this journey again if I want, and I surely will!
FUJI X WEEKLY 