Art | MiKS Media Photography

Fuji in Europe Part 18 – Hidden little gem

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 25, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, Landscape, Urban

A Gem

Right next to the cemetery, hidden from view, is one of the most beautiful little parks in Nuremberg. It’s surrounded by 4 story buildings, and it’s very easy to miss. It’s a perfect little quiet spot away from the busy traffic of everyday. It has a little restaurant at the entrance with a lovely patio. Perfect for a cup of coffee and a bit of peace and quiet. It’s filled with manicured shrubbery, old statues and fountains. One can stroll along gravel paths, and as the affinity for sundials is strong in Nuremberg (they can be found on most buildings), there is a sundial made out of small bushes, at one end of this park. Perfect little spot.

Gear

Again, as with the cemetery, Fuji XT1 and the Fuji 56mm f1.2 came out to play. I love the soft bokeh this lens creates, and it was perfect for what I wanted to shoot in the park.

Fuji in Europe Part 12 – A special lens for special place

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 14, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, Urban

Special Place

All the German cities that we visited have one thing in common. Churches, churches, and more cathedrals. They are all very beautiful places, old, and filled with art and history. Some places are positively ancient, dating to 800… I’m not a believing man, and really seeing the amazing riches of these churches, doesn’t fill one with confidence in religion. But this blog is not about merits of religion. It’s about art, and pictures 🙂 . These magnificent structures, are absolutely spectacular. It really called for a bit different strategy when taking images of them.

Gear

This time it was a simple decision. Fuji X-Pro1 and a Rokinon 8mm fish-eye lens. I would have used a Fuji lens, but unfortunately this type hasn’t been produced yet, and I haven’t heard any rumors of one being even thought of. Luckily Rokinon filled that space, with their manual focus, and inexpensive glass. The lens is small and light, but the build quality is quite good. Because the lens is so wide, I can set it to aperture f8, infinity focus, and I don’t have to touch the lens at all. Couple this with great ISO control of the Fuji X-Pro1 and all the images come out great.

Fuji in Europe Part 10 – Street Photography in Würzburg

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 12, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, People, Urban

Würzburg The Streets

With any European city there is always ample time to devote to street photography. There is so many people, and so many interesting things happening, that it’s not hard to catch interesting images. Most people don’t really care about being photographed, as there are so many tourists with cameras, that it’s a normal occurrence. Having a small kit comprised of only Fuji cameras this makes it easier, as I didn’t stand out from the crowd with a little camera.

Gear

This was a perfect time to try out the Fuji XT1 and 56mm f1.2. I had a variable ND filter on the lens, so I could shoot wide open in the bright sunlight. Focusing was fast, but not always accurate. Don’t know why, but the lens sometimes completely missed it’s mark. It wasn’t very frequent, but enough that it got a little annoying. Of course the X100s wasn’t neglected. It’s stealth proved to be quite helpful in capturing some interesting images. Enjoy!

Fuji in Europe Part 9 – Würzburg The Residence

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 10, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, Landscape, Urban

The Residence

As pretty much all the cities in Europe Würzburg, dates to early early times, and of course a church gets built first 🙂 Dating back to 748 AD. The Residence was built in the early 1700. It’s a huge building, with beautiful gardens in the back. I was told not to take photos inside… but I’m a bad man that way… 🙂 The art, sculptures, and fresco’s by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, are absolutely astounding. It was a real pleasure to visit, and see that people took pride in their craft, and everything was done with care and passion. There was no room for “that’ll do” thinking.

Gear

I knew I should have mounted my fisheye lens on the Fuji, when we entered the Residence. I didn’t, and was a little intimidated when I was told that no pictures were allowed inside. I still tried to capture the beauty of the place with carefully held Fuji X-Pro1… hip shooting, just for my reference. Fuji is perfect for this type of shooting. It’s almost completely silent, and doesn’t attract attention. Since I was shooting rather blind, unfortunately most images did not make it, but there is still a few that shows the splendor of the place.

Fuji in Europe Part 8 – Sad history

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 9, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, Landscape, Urban

History

One cannot escape, being in Nuremberg, the sad history of the place, namely the Zeppelin Field. It’s a very strange place, with a very creepy feeling to it. Of course this is where the Nazi rallies took place. The place is a falling apart. I had a chance to stand where Hitler stood during the rallies…. didn’t want to. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do this. It’s a sad place. The Germans are trying really hard to distance themselves from the Nazis, and war. There is a statue of Bismarck very close to where I was staying. It’s rather neglected and standing among tall trees, so it’s almost invisible.

Gear

I did not take a lot of pictures of the Zeppelin Field. There are tons out there, and really the couple I took where for me only, as memories that I’ve been there. Mostly the Fuji 10-24mm f4, was used. It was a good thing I took that one, since the building is massive, and it would be hard to capture it all in a narrower lens. Here are some images from that evening…

Fuji in Europe Part 7 – Around Nuremberg

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 8, 2014 | Art, Fuji X, Landscape, People, Urban

Nuremberg

After a little excursion to France, we spent the next day resting, and taking in the sites of this beautiful city. Parks parks everywhere. It’s quite amazing to see so many green spaces, where people can walk, relax, and actually enjoy a little bit of silence from the busy streets, and busy life. The buildings of the old town are quite something as well. In the parks there are always people, walking, biking or just enjoying nature. It’s beautiful, really beautiful.

Gear

Two cameras, two lenses. I knew that the main reason I brought so much gear with me, was that I did not want to switch lenses. I had the wide angle 10-24mm f4 mounted on the Fuji X-Pro1 and the 56mm f1.2 on the X-T1. I find shooting this way best, because I don’t have to worry about switching lenses, if a scene lends itself more to a wide angle, than a medium telephoto, and vice versa. This also eliminates the possibility of dust getting on the sensor. Yes it’ more cumbersome and the bag is a lot heavier, but I have choices 🙂 Even though the bag filled with cameras was about 10 kg in weight, when walking around the city and taking pictures, I hardly even noticed it. Here are some shots from walking this day… enjoy!