We’re just two days away from the next SOOC Livebroadcast! Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I will finish our discussion on Travel Photography, share your pictures (better upload your pictures quick if you haven’t yet), and answer any questions that you might have. It will be a great time, and I hope to see you there!
Join Nathalie and I on Thursday, July 27th, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, 1:00 PM Eastern. Your participation makes these episodes great, so I hope that you can be there. See you in two days!
If you missed Part 1 of Travel Photography, be sure to watch it. I’ve included it below:
Next week—on July 27th—Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I will be chatting about travel photography in our upcoming SOOC Livebroadcast, including showing your pictures and answering your questions. I hope that you can join us!
The Q&A shows, which are the Part 2 of our monthly topics, are always a lot of fun. They’re more relaxed and interactive. Your participation makes them great—your role is vital! If you don’t have next week’s broadcast on your calendar, be sure to mark it now. I’ve included it below so that you can easily locate it.
Two weeks ago was the Part 1 episode, where Nathalie and I introduced the theme of travel photography. We discussed all sorts of considerations and gave many tips. If you haven’t yet seen that show, you’ll want to take some time to watch it. I’ve included the broadcast below, and you can also find it on the SOOC Live YouTube channel.
In that episode we challenged you to shoot with one or more of these four Film Simulation Recipes: 1970’s Summer, Elite Chrome 200, Fujichrome Provia 100F, and Kodacolor VR. Additionally, if you want an even greater challenge, you can try to get good results from one or more of these Recipes in unfavorable light. And if you want to go boss-level, the third challenge is to print and frame one of your pictures that were captured with these Recipes. To summarize: Level 1 is to use the Recipes listed above, Level 2 is to shoot those Recipes in less-than-ideal light, and Level 3 is to print and frame one of the pictures you captured during the first two levels. Got it?
We invite you to share your results with us and the SOOC Live community. Please upload your images (click here) captured with our four recommended Recipes to be potentially featured in the next episode and also included in the Viewers’ Images slideshow. Don’t forget to include the Film Simulation Recipe name in the file name, so that we know which Recipe you used. The deadline for submission is Tuesday the 25th, which means that you still have a little time, but not a lot, so don’t procrastinate. I look forward to seeing your pictures!
Last month’s Viewers Images slideshow was delayed a little due to a few unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances. If you haven’t yet watched it, I’ve included it below. Thank you to everyone who participated!
I traveled to California’s central coast last month. If you regularly read this blog, you’ve certainly seen the pictures, such as Pacific Poppies above. Well, tomorrow—July 6th—Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I will be chatting about travel photography in our SOOC Livebroadcast. I hope that you can join us at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, 1:00 PM Eastern, as it is an interactive program, and your participation will make it better.
We have a lot of points to discuss—from Film Simulation Recipes to camera gear to practical advice and so much more! If you have any upcoming travel plans, this is a can’t-miss episode! I’ve included it below so that you can easily find it. If you don’t yet subscribe to the SOOC Live YouTube channel, be sure to do so now, so that you don’t miss any future shows.
Ever since the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City debuted back in March, the movie’s generated a lot of buzz. There’s also been a ton of interest in recreating Wes Anderson’s aesthetic and style. Now that Asteroid City is about to hit theaters across America (and presumably the world), there’s been a renewed interest in the Wes Anderson look.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to faithfully mimic an Asteroid City aesthetic straight-out-of-camera on Fujifilm models; however, you can get somewhat close, if you ok with compromises. My Vibrant Arizona Film Simulation Recipe is the closest you’re likely to get to an Asteroid City look without editing (in the article, I give some tips for getting even closer with a couple of quick edits). While it’s just not possible to achieve an orange/teal/pastel palette in-camera on Fujifilm models, the Vibrant Arizona Recipe does produce an unmistakable Wes Anderson vibe, which is definitely in-style right now.
Last month I visited Sedona, Arizona—the perfect location to use Vibrant Arizona! If there’s any place that just cries for this Film Simulation Recipe, it’s Red Rock Country. I loaded the Recipe into my Fujifilm X-T5, attached a TTArtisan 35mm f/0.95 lens, and walked around the iconic tourist town. My wife, Amanda, came along with her Fujifilm X-T4 (with a Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens), and recorded some clips.
You can use Film Simulation Recipes for video in Fujifilm cameras to an extent, and avoid color grading. Some settings aren’t available, such as Grain, Color Chrome Effects, D-Range Priority, and Clarity, which means that Vibrant Arizona can’t really be used for video. Instead, in order to get the video clips to be similar to the photographs, we used these settings in Amanda’s X-T4:
Classic Chrome White Balance: 4350K, +6 Red & -8 Blue Dynamic Range: DR400 Color +4 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -2 Sharpness: -2 High ISO NR: -4
Of course, being influenced by Wes Anderson, Amanda shot and edited the video in a style inspired by his movies. I hope that you find it entertaining, and that it will inspire you to give the Vibrant Arizona Film Simulation Recipe a try on your Fujifilm camera. Also, be sure to follow my YouTube channel if you don’t already, and give the video a thumbs-up if you liked it.
You can find the Vibrant Arizona Recipe (and nearly 300 more!) in the Fuji X Weekly App. Download for free today (Android here, Apple here); consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support this website.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
In my first video in over 23 months, I talk about using ChatGPT to make an AI Film Simulation Recipe, and I compare it to my own Recipe. The video is below, so check it out if you haven’t watched it yet!
There’s a companion article for the video, which also happens to include two new Film Simulation Recipes, that you’ll want to check out as well (click here to read it). I really hope that you find both the article and video entertaining, enlightening, and helpful.
Backlit Green – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 – Fujicolor Pro 400H Recipe
What about the pictures in this article? What do they have to do with anything?
Yesterday afternoon I grabbed my Fujifilm X-E4 with the Fujinon 35mm f/2 attached, programmed the Fujicolor Pro 400H Film Simulation Recipe into C1, and walked around the block. Even if you don’t think your neighborhood is particularly photogenic, I would encourage you to grab your camera today, and just walk once around your block, keeping an eye out for picture opportunities. This is a great photographic exercise! Oh, and there might even be physical and mental health benefits, too, so there’s that. Anyway, athletes and musicians constantly practice, and I think photographers should do the same. You’ll only get better the more you use your camera, so, if you can, make sure that you get out and use your camera sometime today.
Underwood Typewriter – Vulture City, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – AgfaChrome RS 100 Recipe
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the next SOOC Live broadcast is being delayed one day, and will now be on Friday April 28, and not Thursday the 27th. I apologize for any issues that this might cause. I hope that you can still join us!
Don’t forget: the next show will be LIVE on Friday the 28th! It’s an interactive program, so the more who can tune in, the better it will be. I look forward to seeing you then!
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words—a lot can be nonverbally communicated through an image. But what exactly is storytelling photography? How do we effectively become storytellers with our cameras? Those questions and so many others will be discussed at length in the next SOOC Livebroadcast, which is THIS Thursday, April 6th, at 10 AM Pacific Time, 1 PM Eastern. Mark your calendars now! I hope you can join us live!
For those who don’t know, SOOC Live is a bimonthly broadcast where Nathalie Boucry and I discuss Film Simulation Recipes, give tips and tricks for achieving the results you want straight-out-of-camera, and answer your questions. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow. On the first Thursday of each month we introduce and discuss a theme—the theme for March was Street Photography—and the fourth Thursday of each month we look at the photographs captured within the theme using the Recipes, talk about lessons learned, and answer any and all of your questions. It’s an interactive show, and your participation is what makes it great!
Last Thursday was the Q&A broadcast. If you missed it when it was live, you can watch it now (see below). We had some very good discussions about street photography, so be sure to play it if you haven’t seen it yet!
Also, check out the Viewer’s Images slideshow! It was so great to see your wonderful pictures—they were quite inspiring to me—and I appreciate everyone who shared—thank you! Take a look!
Be sure to follow SOOC Live on YouTubeif you don’t already, so that you don’t miss any broadcasts. I look forward to seeing you in just a few days as we talk about Storytelling! This will be an especially insightful episode, I think, so you won’t want to miss it. See you on Thursday!
Want to talk about street photography? Yeah? Me, too!
Join myself and Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry this Thursday as we discuss Street Photography live! We’ll talk about the four Film Simulation Recipes—Kodachrome 64, Classic Kodak, Serr’s 500T, and Agfa Scala—that we’ve been shooting with, show a selection of your pictures, answer any questions that you might have, and much more. I hope that you can join us on March 30 at 10 AM Pacific Time, 1 PM Eastern! This is 2nd part to our discussion, so click here if you missed the last broadcast.
We are inviting you—challenging you, in fact—to shoot with one, two, three, or even all four of the Film Simulation Recipes this month. For those wanting an extra challenge, we have two: 1) use reflections and/or silhouettes in your pictures and 2) use a 1/15 shutter speed. These extra challenges are completely optional, but I am excited to see what you do with them. Upload your images by today: up to three of your favorite street photography photographs captured with one (or more) of the four Film Simulation Recipes that we suggested you try—please include the Recipe(s) you used in the file name so that we know. The uploaded pictures will be included in the Viewer’s Images slideshow video and have a chance to be featured in the next live broadcast. Don’t procrastinate! If you have something to upload, be sure to do it right now (click here to upload).
Of course, we don’t just ask you to shoot with these Recipes—Nathalie and I are doing it, too, right along with you. This is a community-wide project, which means that everyone is invited to participate. Below are a few of my street photography pictures for this month. I didn’t do real well with the extra challenges, but I feel good that I tried, even if I wasn’t all that successful.
Recently I shared videos by Leigh and Raymond Photography, Andrew Goodcamera, and Mango Street that mention Fuji X Weekly and/or Film Simulation Recipes. That’s awesome! Those are pretty big names in the camera world. But if you look on YouTube, there are so many other photographers who are shooting with Recipes and making some wonderful content. They don’t (yet) have the large following of those well-established channels, but they deserve some love and recognition for what they are doing. That’s what this post is about. I want to share with you some of those videos that I found, which perhaps didn’t come up in your feed, but are worthwhile to watch.
Today is Wednesday, which is also sometimes called Hump Day because it is in the middle of the week. If today is a struggle and you are in need of inspiration and/or entertainment, this will surely help! Find a video or two (or more!) below that look interesting, and give it a watch. At the end, if you liked it, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to that person’s channel. Let them know that you appreciate their content!
I’m sure I missed several wonderful videos. If you published one recently that I didn’t include, or if you’ve seen one by someone else that should have been in this list, feel free to leave a link to it in the comments. The videos below are simply the ones that YouTube presented to me, and I appreciated them so I thought you might, too.
If a movie was ever made about your life, who would play you? That’s a fun question that is sometimes used as an icebreaker. I’ve never really thought much about it myself. I’ve been told several times that I have a slight resemblance to Elvis Presley (although I don’t really see it personally), so maybe someone like Austin Butler? If it were up to me, I’d choose Gerardo Celasco, who is not only a good actor, but a super cool guy who shoots with Fujifilm cameras.
In a recent YouTube video by Mango Street entitled If Camera Brands Were People, the portrayal of Fujifilm reminds me a lot of me. It’s a little too accurate. It hits close to home. The video is a lot of fun to watch—I literally laughed out loud several times. I’ve included it below, so if you haven’t seen it, you can do so now. The picture at the top of this post will make more sense afterwards.
So who played me? Unexpectedly, it was Rachel Gulotta (and, unfortunately, not Gerardo… maybe next time). Of course, the video was all in good fun, and meant as comedy. Is it accurate? Are you Fujifilm if Fujifilm was a person? Is Rachel playing the part of you? Tell me what you think!
It’s quite amazing that “Film Simulation Recipe” has become a part of camera culture. For several years the phrase was neologism and used only within a fairly small circle, but it has now become a normal part of photography phraseology. In the Fujifilm world it is (amazingly!) common jargon; “Fujifilm” and “Film Simulation Recipe” are almost inseparable. Now it is beginning to spill outside of that and into the general photography lexicon. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around that, because I never thought this would grow so big, and that so many people would use Fuji X Weekly Recipes on their Fujifilm cameras. Incredible!
Season 3 of SOOC Live kicked off today! I want to give a big shoutout to everyone who tuned in, and a big “thank you” to everyone who participated. It’s an interactive program, so your involvement is essential to making it great. If you missed it when it was live, you can still watch it above. Don’t forget to subscribe to the new YouTube channel.
For those who don’t know, SOOC Live is a (now) bimonthly broadcast where Nathalie Boucry and I discuss Film Simulation Recipes, give tips and tricks for achieving the results you want straight-out-of-camera, and answer your questions. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
In the show we announced several changes for Season 3. First, we are going to have shorter but more frequent broadcasts. Beginning in March, we’ll be live on the first and fourth Thursdays of each month. Another change is that instead of discussing a single Film Simulation Recipe each month, we’ll be discussing a theme (such as street photography, the theme for March) and how to use Recipes within that theme. There are a number of other changes, too, so if you want to know them all, be sure to watch the show.
We invite you to join us on March 2 for the Let’s Hit the Streets episode about street photography. It’a already scheduled on YouTube, so be sure to set a reminder. I hope to see you then!
For those who don’t know, I have my very own iPhone camera app called RitchieCam. The intention of it is to streamline your mobile photography workflow. It’s easy to use thanks to its intuitive design, making it useful for both novices and pros. It embraces a one-step philosophy, as the analog inspired filters deliver images that don’t require editing. If you have an iPhone, download it from the Apple App Store for free today!
Most of you are here, though, not for iPhone photography, but because you have a Fujifilm camera. Back in 2021 I published No Edit Photography: 7 Tips To Get The Film Look From Your Digital Photos, in which I gave some tips for achieving a film-like-look from your non-analog pictures. My advice was: – Shoot with a Fujifilm camera – Use Film Simulation Recipes – Use diffusion filters, such as Black Pro Mist or CineBloom – Shoot with vintage lenses – Don’t be overly concerned with perfectly sharp pictures – Use high-ISOs – Overexpose and underexpose sometimes
Read the article to learn more about each tip. I recommend starting with both of the first two (Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulation Recipes), and then add one or two of the other five tips. For example, if you have a Fujifilm X-T20, you might use the Kodachrome II recipe plus a vintage lens. Or, if you have a Fujifilm X100V, you might use the Fujicolor Superia 800 recipe plus a 5% CineBloom filter. Anyway, you have to find what works best for you, but if you are not sure, that article is meant to provide some direction, which is hopefully helpful to you in some way.
Thank you, Leigh and Raymond, for all the kind words and support! Your video is much appreciated by me. To those of you reading this, be sure to visit their channel, watch the video, give it a thumbs-up, and subscribe if you don’t already.
Join me next week for a very special SOOC broadcast! On Thursday, December 8, at 8:30 AM Pacific Time, 11:30 AM Eastern, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I, plus a number of guests, will get festive live on YouTube, as we finish our discussion of the Kodak Ektachrome 100SW Film Simulation Recipe (don’t forget to upload your pictures by December 6th—click here). We have several fun surprises planned, so this is an episode that you won’t want to miss! I hope to see you then!
For those who don’t know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different Film Simulation Recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
If you missed the last broadcast… due to technical difficulties, it’s been divided into Part 1 and Part 2, which you can find below. Also, I’ve included the last Viewers’ Images slideshow (your pictures!) at the bottom, in case you missed that, too.
This video is the viewer submitted photographs from SOOC Season 02 Episode 06. Yes, your wonderful pictures! The recipe-of-the-month was Fujicolor Pro 400H. I hope that you enjoyed shooting with it! Thank you to everyone who shared their images, to everyone who participated, and to everyone who tuned in!
For those who don’t know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different Film Simulation Recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
If you missed Episode 06 when it was live, you can watch it now (below):
The current recipe-of-the-month is Vintage Agfacolor. My recommendation with this recipe is to go dark by decreasing the exposure a little. Embrace the deep shadows! Vintage Agfacolor is compatible with X-Trans III cameras. If you have an X-T3 or X-T30, simply set Color Chrome Effect to Off. If you are using an X-Pro3 or newer camera, you’ll have to additionally set Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, Clarity to 0, and choose either Grain size Small or Large (your choice). Remember to upload your images (click here) captured with the Vintage Agfacolor recipe by September 6th to be shown in the next broadcast, which will be on September 8th (mark your calendars now).
This is a complete aside, but my daughter, Joy, is really into animation. She’s still learning. She hopes to be an animator someday. She animated a little clip for Fuji X Weekly (below). She also made a short animation using the FlipaClip App as part of a remix challenge (FlipaRemix), which I’ve also included below. If you’re familiar with Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle, it should be instantly recognizable (yes, that’s Billy Crystal’s voice…).
Leigh & Raymond Photography (formally known as The Snap Chick) dropped a video with a wonderful shoutout to my RitchieCam iPhone camera App! You’ll find the video above—RitchieCam is mentioned at about the 11-minute mark. Wow! Really, wow! I’m speechless. Thank you, Leigh and Raymond, for your kindness and support!
For those who don’t know, RitchieCam is an easy-to-use streamlined camera app intended to bring one-step photography to the iPhone. There are 18 analog-inspired filters so that you don’t have to edit your mobile pictures if you don’t want to. It is intended to be simple enough to be useful for anyone and everyone with an iPhone, although it is robust enough that even seasoned photographers should find it satisfying. Visit RitchieCam.com to learn more. Also, be sure to follow RitchieCam on Instagram!
SOOC Season 02 kicked off last month, and it’s hard to believe but Episode 02 is right around the corner: this Thursday, April 14, at 10 AM Pacific Time, 1 PM Eastern! In this broadcast we’ll conclude discussing the Kodak Tri-X 400 recipe and introduce the next recipe-of-the-month, which is Kodak Vision3 250D. If you haven’t uploaded your photographs captured with the Kodak Tri-X 400 recipe, be sure to do it soon (click here). Also, as a reminder, if you have some spare time, join us for the Pre-Show, which begins 30 minutes before the broadcast.
For those who don’t know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different Film Simulation Recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
If you missed Season 02 Episode 01, you can watch it below.
If you missed last month’s Pre-Show, you can watch it below.
And if you missed the Viewer’s Images, you can watch it below.
A couple days ago Serr (Instagram, YouTube) dropped an incredible video, called Fujifilm Film Simulation Recipes that will make you stop shooting RAW II. If you haven’t seen it, I included it above—I promise that it’s worth your time and you won’t be disappointed. I was blown away by it! Serr has some impressive video and photography skills, and they’re on full display in this feature. In other words, stop what you’re doing and watch it right now!
The Film Simulation Recipes mentioned in the video are:
I share this video with you for three reasons: 1) it’s really good, 2) this website and the Fuji X Weekly App are mentioned in it, and 3) it’s definitely the coolest video that I’ve ever been highlighted in. So be sure to watch it! Also, big thanks to GxAce for the shout-out! You should check out his channel, for sure, because he has many intriguing videos.
Episode 06 of SOOC is this Thursday, December 9, at 9am Pacific Time, 12 PM Eastern! Please note the new time.
For those who may not know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow. This is an interactive show, so we not only need you to tune in, but your participation is essential to making the episode great.
This month we will discuss the Cross Process film simulation recipe (a fun one, for sure!), as well as look at your photos captured with it—upload your pictures here to be featured in the next video! We’ll also introduce the next recipe. We have a lot of great things planned, and I know you’ll appreciate this one. Episode 06 will be on December 9th, so mark your calendars, and I look forward to seeing you then!
Episode 05 of SOOC was yesterday—I had a great time, and I hope you did, too. I want to give a big “Thank You” to everyone who tuned in and participated—you are the ones who make these episodes great! If you missed it when it was live, you can still watch it (above). We had some technical difficulties (related to a power outage) at the beginning, so (as of this moment) the show doesn’t start until about the 8-minute-mark. We’ll get this cleaned up shortly, but for now, just skip ahead a few minutes. Despite the problems at the start, a hundreds of you tuned in—I hope you learned something, that you were inspired, and/or that it was entertaining enough to make it worthwhile. Asking for nearly two hours of your time is a lot, and we really appreciate everyone who journeyed along with us!
For those who may not know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
In this month’s episode we discussed my Agfa Optima 200 film simulation recipe, and viewed the wonderful pictures that you captured with this recipe. We also introduced the next recipe: Cross Process. Upload your pictures here to be featured in the next video! Episode 06 will be on December 9th, so mark your calendars, and I look forward to seeing you then!
If you haven’t watched the previous episodes, then get yourself comfortable, grab a beverage of choice, and click the links below!
