Meetup

FREE Photowalk in Ann Arbor, MI — Sign Up Today!

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

On November 9th—in about two-and-a-half weeks—I will be co-leading a free photowalk in downtown Ann Arbor with Fujifilm X-Photographer Bryan Minear, who is incredibly talented. If you are unfamiliar with Bryan, check out this short video (click here). It’s a true honor to collaborate with him on this photowalk. We’re partnering with PROCAM and Fujifilm, too—it’s definitely a group effort to pull this off!

Early one rainy morning back in May, Bryan and I photographed together in The Catskills. Neither of our rain jackets did well at keeping us dry, so, by the time we finished, we both ended up completely soaked. It was a great time nonetheless. Bryan is an awesome guy, and you are not going to want to miss this opportunity to meet him and photograph charming Ann Arbor.

Bryan Minear getting soaked – Windham, NY – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodak Tri-X 400 Recipe

For those who live in Ann Arbor, Michigan—as well as the surrounding areas—be sure to join us. Detroit is right there. Toledo and Lansing aren’t too far. Grand Rapids, Cleveland, and Fort Wayne are a pretty far drive, but some people have traveled longer distances than that for the other photowalks—if it’s not too far for you, I’d love to meet you in person. If you think that you can join us, you will need to sign up (click here to register), but it’s quick and easy to do, and best of all FREE!

We will meet somewhere in downtown Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 9th, at 10 AM. The exact meetup spot is TBD, but we will email it out to everyone who signs up once it has been finalized. Afterwards, we will head over to PROCAM for some refreshments. It’s going to be a great time!

Fujifilm Photowalk was a Success!

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

Captured on RitchieCam.

Yesterday’s Fuji X Weekly + Nuzira collaborative Fujifilm photowalk in Scottsdale, Arizona, was a huge success! Altogether, 16 people showed up, including myself and Lucas White of Nuzira. It was a great group of photographers, and I think everyone had a good time. Most were local to the Phoenix metro area, but three came from Ohio and one from South Dakota—they were in the area, and it just happened to work out that they could attend. It was such an honor to co-lead everyone through Old Town Scottsdale!

The weather cooperated wonderfully, but it didn’t initially seem like it was going to. May is typically a hot month—the average high temperature right now is 90° Fahrenheit; however, a cool-front passed through shortly before the photowalk, which kept it at a more reasonable 82° at the start, and 77° by the end. Because of the frontal system, the wind howled most of the day, and clouds covered the sky. Just as the photowalk was about to begin, the wind calmed and the clouds cleared, revealing endless blue. Really, it couldn’t have been better.

Most people had an X100-series camera, ranging from an X100T to the new X100VI. The other cameras I saw were an X-T100, X-T20, X-E4, X-S10, X-S20, X-Pro3, and X-T5. The camera I brought was my X100VI, which is perfect for walk-around photography. Lucas had a bag full of gear, which he graciously let anyone try out if they wanted. Fujifilm provided some stickers and pins to give away, and Sigma provided multi-use tools (screwdriver/wrench/bottle-opener, etc., combo) with their logo.

The Film Simulation Recipes that I used for the photowalk were Kodak Portra 400 v2, Kodachrome 64, Kodak Tri-X 400, and two upcoming Recipes that have not yet been published, one based on Nostalgic Neg. and the other on Reala Ace. As we were walking around, I was stopped by someone who recognized that I had a Fujifilm camera, but seemed only vaguely familiar. “I’ve heard about those,” he stated. “Can I see some of the pictures?” So I showed him the images I had just captured on the photowalk. “It’s just like the Reels!” He took note of the camera name, said “thanks” and walked away.

It was great to meet everyone who attended, and have some face-to-face conversations about Fujifilm gear, Film Simulation Recipes, and photography. Every time I looked around, I noticed that those in attendance were talking with each other; it was great to help facilitate community. Fujifilm cameras and Recipes seem to bring people together.

I want to give a big “thank you” to those who came out and joined us! I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to meet up, chat, and photograph. I hope to see everyone again sometime in the future!

What Would you Want from a Fuji X Weekly Event?

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

This is me.

I need your help!

I hope to organize a Fuji X Weekly meet-and-greet type event in the Phoenix, Arizona, area sometime later this year. While I’ve been to a few photography gatherings before, I’ve never hosted one. What I’d like to know is what you’d expect or hope for from a Fuji X Weekly meet-and-greet.

Sahand Nayebaziz

Obviously, it could be really simple. Come say hi, as I’d love to meet you. Let’s shake hands and talk gear informally. This would be the most simple to put together, but maybe the least exciting to attend?

It could be more convention-like, with booths from local camera stores and photography-related businesses. There could be presentations or workshops, and perhaps even guest speakers. A small expo would be a heck-of-a-lot more complex to organize, and would likely require an entrance fee to offset the costs. I doubt there would be enough interest to justify anything like this, but maybe this is what people would most want?

Dave Wyman

A third option is a group photowalk. Let’s not just talk gear, but use our gear. Let’s meet up somewhere and take pictures, perhaps in an urban setting, or some place that’s especially good for photography. If the location is ideal, it could be all in one place, and no need to drive around (other than to the event).

I’m sure there are many other ideas, and I’d love to hear them. Even if you would never come to Phoenix because it is too far away, I’d still greatly appreciate your feedback. I want to make this event special for those who can attend (and, who knows, maybe it will be the first of many?), but I’m unsure what direction it should go. Perhaps one of these ideas resonates with you, or none of them, or some aspect about one is intriguing but another aspect is not. Leave me a comment with your ideas and opinions!

Julio Suarez

Also, how likely would you attend this event, for those who live near the area? Let me know that, too, with a comment. I really look forward to hearing your input!

I don’t know yet when this meet-and-greet will happen (or even for certain that it will, although I really hope it will). Most likely it will be either in the spring or fall, but preferably in the spring. As soon as I have more concrete answers, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, your input is much needed, and will help me out tremendously. Thank you!