New Orleans with the Fujifilm X100F

On a recent (and first time) trip to New Orleans, I decided to leave all my gear at home and borrow a Fujifilm X100F to bring with me instead. Since I was going to be there only for 2 full days, and Photography was definitely not the focus of the visit, I wanted to have a camera that would be with me at all times without having to worry about size and/or weight. It has a fixed 23mm (non-interchangeable) lens, which makes it the perfect equipment to throw in any bag or even a jacket pocket.

I was curious to see if, by having the camera always accessible, I would be more enticed to just document everything that caught my attention, without overthinking or planning much. Not only that happened, but also having nothing but a fixed lens forced me to move around and get much closer to my subjects. No wonder so many people prefer prime to zoom lenses. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss having my trusted 16-55mm with me in some cases, just to be able to get a bit closer. But I’m sure I would have missed a lot of significant moments by constantly thinking about all the range I would have with that lens.

Here are a few favorite frames from the trip:

Equipment used:

Window Display Portraits

One of the most valuable skill you need to have as a Photographer, in my opinion, is curiosity. Not the latest gear, proper education, post processing skills, but simply being curious all the time. I always like to say that, as a beginner, you should be out photographing every single Photography genre that you can be exposed to. That will teach you not only what you enjoy shooting, but most importantly, what you DO NOT enjoy shooting.

With that in mind, I decided to join a few photography friends that decided to go out one night to photograph the window displays decorated for the holidays, a long time tradition in NYC. I had no idea that something that has very little appeal to me, would end up being so enjoyable. Using only available lighting from each display and treating the mannequins as models ready to be photographed, I found a lot of pleasure in walking around looking for interesting and (sometimes) unusual angles to capture each of them.

Here are some of my favorites: