Photoessay | FUJI X WEEKLY

Fujifilm X100F Aperture Series: f/4

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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If there’s one aperture that I use more than the rest on my Fujifilm X100F, it’s f/4. It seems to be the sweet spot, with corner-to-corner sharpness and maximum sharpness in the center. Bokeh is quite nice, although not heavily pronounced. It has enough depth-of-field to be useful in almost any situation. It seems like the best all-around aperture on this camera.

Some of my favorite images were captured with the aperture set at f/4. I use it for street photography, still-life, family snapshots, landscapes–anything really. It’s large enough for use in low-light situations and small enough for bright-light scenes. It’s a good set-it-and-forget-it option. If I could use only one aperture on this lens, f/4 would be my choice.

Ilford Harman Technology – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Walking Man – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Thoughts Grow With A Cup of Joe – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Train Watching – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Look What I Drew – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Man In The Straw Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Fortuity – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Train Ride Through The Christmas Tunnel – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Christmas Joy – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Jump – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Caramel Macchiato – Sandy, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Expedition Lodge – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

f/5.6

Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 3: Fujifilm X100F

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Great Salt Lake & Wasatch Range – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifiom X100F

Part 1 – Fujifilm X-E1 Part 2 – Fujifilm X-A3

Antelope Island State Park is a special place, but I think it is especially wonderful near sunset. That’s when the rather ordinary rocks reflect the sun’s colors, becoming vivid and rich. It’s when you can really appreciate the reflections in the typically smooth water. The crowds leave and everything becomes peaceful. It is, hands down, the best place in Utah to experience the setting sun.

A visit to Antelope Island is like a taking a vacation. It’s stepping into another place, even though, for me, it’s only a short drive. It’s like travelling without all of the travelling. It’s a quick one-day staycation, if you will, but I always feel rejuvenated and more balanced when leaving.

The photographs in this article were all captured using a Fujifilm X100F. This camera is the perfect travel camera because it is small and lightweight enough to fit into a large pocket and it’s never in the way, yet it delivers exceptional image quality. A couple of these images received some very minor touch ups with Snapseed, but are otherwise all camera-made JPEGs using my different film simulation recipes.

Sunset Rock – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Painted With Warm Light – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Cracked Earth – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Frary Peak Behind The Rocks – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Light Around The Corner – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sun, Stone & Water – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Rocks Above The Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Lake From Lady Finger Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

An Antelope Island Evening – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Island Joy – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Warm Light Over Antelope Island – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sunset From Lady Finger Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Dipping Sun – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Three Gulls – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Part 4 coming soon!

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival With Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm Lens

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Tulips In Acros – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Lehi, Utah, is a suburb of Salt Lake City. Within Lehi is Thanksgiving Point, which is a not-for-profit farm, garden, museum, sports, food and entertainment complex. It was founded by Alan Ashton, who invented WordPerfect software back in the late 1970’s. Within Thanksgiving Point is Ashton Gardens, an incredibly beautiful 55 acre oasis that seems miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city that’s outside the gate. The largest man-made waterfall in the western hemisphere can be found here.

Every year in mid-April through early-May there is a tulip festival inside Ashton Gardens. It’s reminiscent of spring in Holland. In fact, the nearly 300,000 tulips found at Ashton Gardens are imported from Holland. It really is an amazing sight to behold!

As you can imagine, if you are a landscape photographer or love photographing flowers, there are very few places that are better for capturing great images than Aston Gardens in the spring. It’s such a lovely place! There is so much beauty around every corner. If you are in the area during spring, be sure to plan a visit to Thanksgiving Point.

I went to the tulip festival at Ashton Gardens with my newly acquired Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR lens. It’s a very good lens that I’ve been very happy to use, and its 24mm equivalent focal-length is great for this type of photography. The X-Pro2 and 16mm combination proved to be perfect for this photographic endeavor. All of these images are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. I used Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome and Acros film simulations for these pictures. Yes, the same recipes that I use on my X100F also work on my X-Pro2.

Bright White Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Red Tulip – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Orange Blossoms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Cherry Blossom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Sun Flower – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Looking Up – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Blossoms By The Pond – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Flowers By The Stream – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Color of Spring – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

European Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

And It Was Called Yellow – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Blue Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Poppies Among Tulips – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Garden Flowers – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Flowing Water Feature – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Red Tulips – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Paper Wings – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

3 Waterfalls – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3 & 16mm

Secret Garden Door – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

White Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 2: Fujifilm X-A3

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Salt Lake Sunset – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Part 1 – Fujifilm X-E1

Kit Carson and John C. Fremont, who visited the Antelope Island in 1845, gave it its name after hunting pronghorn antelope. Daddy Stump and Fielding Garr would build homes on Antelope Island over the next few years. This is a place that people have been coming to for a long time. In fact, there is evidence that native people have spent time on the island since at least the time of Christ.

Something interesting that I’ve discovered since moving to the Salt Lake City area two years ago is that most people who grew up in Utah don’t visit Antelope Island. Maybe they went on a school field trip as a kid, but they haven’t been back since. The majority of people you find on the island are from out-of-town. The locals who do visit are often those that moved to the area from someplace else. It’s too bad for those who don’t make the short trip to the island because they’re really missing out.

The photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-A3, which is Fujifilm’s inexpensive interchangeable-lens option. It shows that you don’t have to spend tons of money on gear to capture something good. Being someplace interesting with a camera is more important than what camera you have. With whatever photography gear you have, just get to somewhere photogenic and make some exposures! These are all camera-made JPEGs, and a few of them were lightly edited using Snapseed on my phone.

White Rock Bay – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Bush In The Crag – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Promontory Through Weeds – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Pyramid – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Coming Storm – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

One Buffalo – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Two Bison – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rocky Hill & Cloudy Sky – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rugged – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Early Spring At Buffalo Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Green Bush Over Orange Rock – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rust Never Rests – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Forgotten Ranch Tool – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Red Lamp – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Lonely Blossom – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Sunset Over The Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Little Wave of Big Color – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Washed Up – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

A Great Salt Lake Sunset – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A5

Part 3 – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 1: Fujifilm X-E1

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Bison In The Road – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River, the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere and the 33rd largest lake in the world. It’s massive! It can seem almost ocean-like, or perhaps more like a large ocean bay, but it is located far from any ocean. One difference between the Great Salt Lake and an ocean is that the lake is much saltier, and the only thing that lives in it is brine shrimp.

The largest island in the Great Salt Lake is Antelope Island, which is 15 miles long and five miles wide. The highest point, Frary Peak, is 6,594′, and is often snow-capped in the winter. It’s accessible by road via a causeway. Antelope Island is managed by the Utah State Park system.

Antelope Island seems like a world away from the Salt Lake City metro area, even though it is located very close to the city. It looks remote, and it must have been very remote before the road was built and the city grew. Interestingly enough, the oldest non-Native American structure in Utah is located on the island, an adobe ranch house built in 1848. The Fielding Garr Ranch was a working ranch from 1848 to 1981, and now the old ranch is open to the public for self-guided tours.

Wildlife abounds on Antelope Island, including buffalo, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, big horn sheep and many other animals. At one time it was believed that the bison herd on Antelope Island was the largest in America. There are a huge variety of birds that migrate across the area.

The water is often calm and the reflections can be incredible. There are sandy beaches. There are trails that curve across the rugged landscape. There is a unique beauty to Antelope Island that draws me back. It’s one of my favorite places to photograph. But it’s also disgusting! There’s a certain “rotten egg” smell that can be found near the shores. There are tons and tons of bugs, including biting no-see-ums, brine flies (that cover the shore like a thick cloud), mosquitoes, tons of spiders (venomous and non-venomous), among other things. It’s pretty common to see dead birds. There’s plenty to love and hate about this place. I try to look beyond the gross to see the beauty.

The photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-E1. It was my introduction to Fuji X cameras. I bought it used about two years ago and kept it for a year. I loved that camera and didn’t want to get rid of it, but I used the money from selling it to help pay for my Fujifilm X100F. Without the X-E1 this blog wouldn’t exist. Some of these photographs are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, many of them are not and were post-processed using Alien Skin Exposure and/or Nik Silver Efex.

Part 2 of this series will feature photographs captured at Antelope Island State Park using a Fujifilm X-A3. Part 3 will feature the X100F. And the final installment will feature the X-Pro2. Enjoy!

Blue Umbrella At The Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

The Vastness of the Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Red Buffalo At The Great Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Boys Playing In The Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Buffalo Hill – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Area Closed For Bison – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Island Buffalo – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Deer Statue – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Ice on Antelope Island – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Ice, Lake & Mountains – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Frary Peak Reflected – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Light Streaming Over Antelope Island – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Wasatch Mountains From The Causeway – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Old Salty Stump – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Part 2 – Fujifilm X-A3 Part 3 – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Peoria, Arizona, In Color

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Date Palm – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

I traveled to Arizona twice a couple of months ago (late December and early January), and I just now finished clearing out the notebook from that trip. Even though I’ve posted several articles about that trip, these photographs were somehow overlooked.

Peoria, Arizona, is a large suburb of Phoenix. For many years it was a small and dusty town that was a little ways outside the city, but urban growth swallowed it up a long time ago. There are a few pockets here and there within Peoria that still resemble a small desert town, but mostly it looks and feels like a large city.

I didn’t spend all that much time in Peoria, but I did manage to capture quite a few pictures there. I used my Fujifilm X100F for these photographs. They’re a mix of Velvia, Classic Chrome and Pro Neg. Hi film simulations. They’re camera-made JPEGs, although I used X RAW Studio for a few. Enjoy!

Cactus Fruit – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Reaching Cacti – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Desert Fruit – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Yellow Statue – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Bar Chair – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Fake Flowers – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Chicken Fly – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Classic Remnants – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Worn Tire – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Kolob Canyon Road – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

In late December, just a couple days after Christmas, I had a chance to visit Kolob Canyon in Zion National Park. Zion is the sixth most visited national park in America and is the most visited national park in Utah. Kolob Canyon is a lesser known section of the park that’s isolated from the rest. We found a little snow on the ground from a storm the week before.

Access to Kolob Canyon is easy because it’s right off of Interstate 15 between St. George and Cedar City. A quick five-mile dead-end road curves through the scenic canyon. Because those on the freeway are just passing through and it’s a bit out of the way for those visiting the main part of the park, it just gets overlooked. It really is a hidden gem!

Kolob Canyon is full of impressive red-orange cliffs, finger canyons and sweeping vistas. It’s higher in elevation than the more-visited sections of Zion, so the landscape is little more green and a little less desert. It’s easy to see why this area was included in the national park, it’s just chocked full of natural beauty!

My short visit to the park was not during ideal light conditions for photography. The sky was a deep blue, but the sun was harsh and nearly overhead. My family and I arrived at 12:40 in the afternoon and we left about an hour-and-a-half later. Undeterred by the problematic light, I used my Fujifilm X100F to capture the grand sights that were before me. I used my wide-angle conversion lens for many of the exposures.

All of these photographs are camera-made JPEGs; however, I used Fujifilm’s X RAW Studio to process the RAW files (click the link if that statement is confusing to you). I used my Velvia Film Simulation recipe, but adjusted shadows to -1 and sometimes -2 because the shadows were harsh. I adjusted highlights to -2 in a few of the images, as well. In retrospect, I wonder if using DR400 would have worked better. Either way, I’m pretty happy with the results, all things considered.

Beatty Point – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Paria Point – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Paria & Beatty Points – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Zion Desert – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Timber Top Mountain – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Old Log In Zion – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sunlight Over Shuntavi Butte – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Orange Cliffs – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Kolob Canyon In December – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Trees, Rocks, Canyons & Hanging Valleys – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: B&W Cacti

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Barbs – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

One thing that I did on my Christmas visit to Arizona was photograph cacti. You can find cactus all over the place there. The spiky shrubs are common in Arizona landscaping, and a short walk into the desert will reveal even more. There are over 60 varieties of cactus that grow there. I only photographed a few different types, including Organ Pipe, Saguaro, Barbary Fig, Cholla, and a couple others that I couldn’t identify.

The ten photographs in this article are all camera-made JPEGs; however, I used X RAW Studio to process the RAW files (if you aren’t sure what X RAW Studio is, be sure to click the link), fine-tuning my Across Push-Process Film Simulation recipe. For most of these I increased the shadows to +4, and for some of them I reduced highlights to +3. I adjusted the exposure by 1/3 stop (either plus or minus) for a few of the pictures, as well.

I love the film-look that the Fujifilm X100F produces. A few years back I captured some cactus pictures in Arizona using a Minolta XG-1 and Kodak T-Max 400 film. What I get from the X100F using Acros and what I got back from the lab using the film gear are surprisingly similar. You can achieve film-like results with any digital camera using software, such as Nik Silver Efex or Alien Skin Exposure (both of which I’ve used extensively in the past), but with Fujifilm you can get it straight from the camera if you want.

People have told me, “I don’t get your fascination with film. I don’t like the film-look.” Different strokes for different folks. I personally don’t like pictures that look digital. I compare it to listening to an MP3 file versus an analog record. The MP3 will be more cold and clean, while the analog sound will have more warmth and character. Digital music is way more convenient, and that’s why it is so common.

Digital photography is way more convenient than analog photography, but that doesn’t necessarily make it better. I appreciate the characteristics of film, and the ability to achieve that look while enjoying the conveniences of digital is something I’m thrilled about. One thing I especially like about Fujifilm is that they maintain their analog soul in the digital age.

Cactus Needles – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Cactus Shrub – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Arms Up – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Old & Weathered – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Layers – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Minimal Protection – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Drama – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Finger Spikes – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Still Surviving – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: 20 Fall Foliage Photographs

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Fall Again – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Autumn officially ended a little over two weeks ago. It was a good season for fall foliage photography, with plenty of opportunities to capture the autumn colors. The leaves began to change in September here in Utah, and the leaves were still colorful when I visited Seattle in late November.

This was my first year photographing the season of change using my Fujifilm X100F. The camera is a great all-around photography tool, and (no surprise) it did just fine capturing autumn leaves. For these photographs I used Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome and “Vintage Kodochrome” film simulations.

The 20 photographs below are some of my favorites that I captured this last autumn. I obviously made a lot more images than these, but the ones below are what I decided to share, they’re the ones that I like best. Even though winter has fully taken hold, I hope you enjoy these fall foliage photographs, and perhaps the bright colors will bring you a little unexpected warmth today.

Temple Square – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Zions Bank Building – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Leaf On The Windshield – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Country Leaves – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Leaf In The Stream – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Floating Yellow Leaves – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fall Leaves, Wet Road – Richland, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Red Autumn Leaf – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Golden Forest – Uintah, Utah – Fujifilm X100F

Autumn Forest Light – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Orange & Yellow – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Wasatch Dressed In Fall Colors – American Fork Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Timpanogos September – American Fork Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Alpine Autumn – American Fork Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Vibrant Forest – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Highway 158 Junction – Ogden Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Yellow Bush & Red Berries – Edmunds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Autumn Hike – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Forest Trail – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Road Through The Autumn Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Snow Drifts In Acros

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

The first snowfall of the season arrived a couple days ago. About two inches of the cold and fluffy white stuff accumulated on the grass. The kids loved waking up to a winter wonderland of sorts, with snow blanketing the neighborhood

For Utah this wasn’t anything significant, but the temperature remained cold and the snow didn’t melt. The wind kicked up yesterday and created some tiny snow drifts. I noticed that the low winter sun was creating some interesting shadows. It reminded me of sand dunes–miniature sand dunes, only made of snow.

I grabbed my Fujifilm X100F, attached my wide-angle conversion lens, and set the camera to my Acros Push-Process Film Simulation. I chose the wide-angle converter because I wanted to make the pictures more dramatic–I wanted to exaggerate the scene because it was such a small scale. I chose Acros because color was unimportant to the scene, and so black-and-white was the obvious decision. Besides, it would help with the abstract nature of the images.

Here are seven photographs of the tiny snow drifts that I captured yesterday:

White Hill – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Barren Landscape – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Plateau & Cliff – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Little Mound – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Hills & Valleys – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sparse Vegetation – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Small Cliffs – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F @ Yellowstone National Park, Part 1 – Color Photographs

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Lower Yellowstone Falls – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

I had an opportunity recently to visit Yellowstone National Park for the first time. Well, I went once when I was a young child, but I don’t really remember anything from that trip. My wife and kids had never been at all, so it was a new experience for us all.

The drive from our house (in the Salt Lake City, Utah, metro area) to our campsite near West Yellowstone, Montana, is a four-and-a-half hour trek according to Google Maps. It managed to take us nearly seven hours to get there with all of the stops we made (food, gas, restrooms and a crying baby).

Although we stayed two nights, we only had one day in the National Park. People advised me that two days is kind of a minimum for a Yellowstone visit. While that is certainly good advice, one day is all that I could dedicate, so one day is all we had.

This trip had been planned for a few months. We purposely chose to visit in September because several people noted that the crowds are smaller, the weather typically decent and the wildlife plentiful at this time of year. I don’t know if any of that proved to be true.

We arrived in Yellowstone National Park in the morning. We were greeted by a line of cars also trying to get in. We discovered that, even though this was technically the off-season and not a weekend, it can still get quite crowded inside the park.

The original plan was to stay on the west side of Yellowstone and really take our time exploring the geothermal sites. However, it was a rainy and cold-ish day, so we had to scrap our plans. Thankfully we downloaded an app called GyPSy Guide to Yellowstone National Park, which cost a few bucks but was completely worth it. It really helped us figure out where to go and what to see, and made the car ride more entertaining and educational.

We ended up driving all the way around the South Loop. It rained pretty heavy at times, and sprinkled the whole day. Due to the elements, we couldn’t spend very much time outdoors and didn’t go very far down any trail. We would have seen a lot more if the weather was better. Heck, we didn’t see hardly any wildlife at all.

This wasn’t a photography trip. This was a family getaway. The only camera gear that I brought with me was a Fujifilm X100F. The conditions weren’t great. If I had more time I would have at least carried a tripod with me. I was mostly shooting at high-ISOs. Because I didn’t venture very far down any path, I relied on the Digital Teleconverter a lot instead of zooming with my feet.

If this had been primarily a photography trip, I would have been somewhat displeased with the images captured (there are a few good ones). Since photography wasn’t the main objective–simply the icing on the cake–I’m happy with what I came away with.

These photographs are all out-of-camera JPEGs. I used Classic Chrome for most, and Velvia for a few. Check out Part 2, which features black-and-white images, plus some more details of the trip. Enjoy!

Frostor – Ashton, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Chicken Shrimp – Ashton, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Give Me Some Tots – Ashton, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Hebgen Lakeshore – West Yellowstone, MT – Fujifilm X100F

Jonathan At Madison River – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Grand Prismatic Spring – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Excelsior Geyser Crater – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Excelsior Blue – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Bubbling Blue – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Along The Midway Geyser Basin Walkway – Yellowston NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Disappearing Walkway – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Jon Waiting For Old Faithful – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Goofy Siblings – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Crowds Watching Old Faithful – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Kepler Cascades – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Isa Lake Lily Pads – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Large Lily Pads – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Hot Water & Mud – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Dead Trees Near The Hot Spring – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Green Blades – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Getting Off The Holiday Bus – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Tourists At Lower Yellowstone Falls – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Umbrella At Grand Canyon – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Street Feet

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Stepping – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

There are certain photo series that I’m actively working on, such as abandoned businesses in color (entitled Space Available), that are purposeful personal projects. Then there certain photo series that are more by happenstance, not created on purpose, where I notice a common thread among images. This series, Street Feet, falls into the latter category.

I had no intentions of this becoming a project. I didn’t try to make a series. It just sort of happened. I just subconsciously did it, and didn’t even notice that I had done so until reviewing my street photography images. I saw a pattern. I realized that I was creating these related pictures.

Street Feet is pretty straight forward: street-style black-and-white photographs of people’s feet. You can’t see the full body because I was photographing the lower extremities. Sometimes it’s a closeup of someone’s shoes, while other times the view is broader.

I used a Fujifilm X100F to capture these images. My Acros Film Simulation recipe was used for every picture, and the Digital Teleconverter was utilized for many. These are all out-of-camera JPEGs. Enjoy!

Walking Man – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F