Fuji Landscapes | MiKS Media Photography

Jasper with Fuji – Alberta Landscape Photography

by Mac Sokulski | Apr 28, 2015 | Fuji Landscapes, Fuji X, Landscape

I have been off this blog for far too long. I got images that are piling up, and gathering digital dust, waiting for their turn. I think it’s time to stop hiding behind the camera.

Fuji has been with me for almost 4 years. The love affair started with X100. For some reason I did not mind it’s quirks and quickly adapted. All through these years, I’ve been shooting with Fuji, and I am still shooting with Fuji. Countless images of weddings, boudoir, family, and landscapes. Like fine wine, the cameras got better and better with age. This is due to Fujifilm actually updating and upgrading their cameras. There are not a lot of companies, which are so actively in touch with their user base. Companies that listen and release updates, instead of new camera bodies, seemingly every few months. I think this policy has won Fuji very loyal customers. Will it change? Possibly, but I believe the core will stay. Just because the camera does not have the latest wifi, gps, video, or some other gadget, to some it means it’s inferior. Fortunately for those of us, that care about the images, and not the gear that we use, this is a very short sighted complaint. There will always be something new around the corner. A camera with that latest gadget, which, many think, will make them a better photographer.

We know the true secret.

Here are images from a trip to Jasper National Park in Canada that happened sometime last year. I told you I got many images 🙂

Aurora, Fuji, Sony and Fish-Eye – Alberta Photography

by Mac Sokulski | Mar 19, 2015 | Fuji Landscapes, Fuji X, Landscape

Aurora, Northern Lights, what ever you like to call it, is quite a beautiful sight, if you manage to catch it. Not only our Sun should be having an angry fit, spouting radiation into space in a fit of rage, but the sky, here on earth, should be preferably cloudless. It is also hard to predict. If you want to photograph this phenomenon it’s best to go out early enough, find a pleasing location before it gets fully dark. Bring a sandwich, hot tea, and settle down for the wait. Or you can be like us. See it, grab the cameras, and hope for the best. Trust me, our way is not a very good way, since you will miss most of the light show.

Photographing the Aurora, is relatively easy. Tripod, wide angle lens, possibly a remote shutter cord, and patience. I use a manual fish-eye lens on my Fuji X-T1. I set it to infinity focus, wide open, and set the camera to bulb mode. Then press the trigger and time my shots. Depending on the brightness of the event the exposures are 15-20 sec. Kasia uses her Sony NEX camera in the same fashion.

The most important thing you can do to capture compelling images of the Northern Lights is planning. If you are like us, and run out the door with half the things forgotten, you might be in for a frustrating evening, with the dancing light in the sky mocking you.

Alberta prairie, lakes, and mountains – Landscape Photography

by Mac Sokulski | Feb 10, 2015 | Fuji Landscapes, Fuji X, Landscape

Vacations… bring such wonderful memories. These are the images from our week long trip to the Waterton National Park. There is not much to write that I haven’t wrote before. It’s a beautiful country, where flat prairies turn into high rocky peaks. Where clear streams flow through almost blood red canyon. It’s beauty is unsurpassed, and I just hope I gave it justice with these images.

Enjoy!

Waterton Sunset – Alberta Landscape Photography

by Mac Sokulski | Jan 29, 2015 | Fuji Landscapes, Landscape

Continuing with the theme of previous posts, this also will be a post about Waterton National Park, and our little excursion there last summer. My beautiful wife, Kasia, posted a little about our Southern Alberta trip, and I’m just adding more to the mix. Yes we ended up with a lot of images from that trip, and it was hard, very hard, to select the keepers, and not end up with hundreds of images. We also ended up with similar photographs, as I was following her foot steps 🙂

Weather wise we were pretty lucky, as the rain and heavy clouds gave way to blue skies, beautiful clouds and gorgeous sunset.

Gear wise, we both shoot with mirror less cameras for most of the time. I prefer Fuji, and my wife shoots with Sony, but I believe Kasia does not really care what camera is in her hands. As long as it can do what she wants it to do. Enjoy the sunset!

Family Camping

by Mac Sokulski | Jan 28, 2015 | Families, Fuji Landscapes, Landscape

The trip to southern Alberta was blast. Even though it wasn’t as great weather wise, we still managed to camp out. Since our campground was bordering the Waterton National Park, we were warned about bears, and that sometimes they like to cross over for a visit. Kids got a little scared. Soon we had the tent up, and split up into pairs for van and tent. I got the tent with the oldest, Konrad. Kasia and the youngest, Sebastian got the van. It started to rain. As we were settling into our designated sleeping quarters around 11pm, there was an excited scratching on our tent. At first I thought we were goners, but it was only my excited wife, whispering loudly that the stars were out. Can’t pass up an opportunity like that, even though the thought of bears ripping your skin off is still fresh on your mind. So we got the kids up, grabbed tripods and followed a path through the forest to a little clearing. The views were spectacular. Having a manual focus fisheye lens helps a lot as well. We spent good hour just standing there and staring into the skies. We probably missed a couple of bears that passed through the clearing, we didn’t care.

Next morning I woke up to a delicious smell of bacon, and coffee. The sun was up, birds were chirping, and everyone had their arms and legs intact… meaning no bears. We reluctantly packed our stuff and continued on our journey.

Fog and Snow, Leica and Fuji – Alberta Landscape Photography

by Mac Sokulski | Jan 16, 2015 | Fuji Landscapes, Landscape

Beautiful Day

What a beautiful day for photography. No, it wasn’t sunny, with beautiful rolling clouds, sparkling snow etc. etc. None of that. It was foggy, grey and you could call it depressing. The white fog was so thick in places, I could not see past the hood of the car. I love this type of weather. The landscape around you changes dramatically. Lone trees, that would normally be lost in the background, finally can stand on their own, the fallen in, abandoned houses, take on a new feel of mystery. Everything just feels soft, close, and safe. It’s so quiet. I could spend hours, driving around forgotten Alberta back roads. Specially with the new gear I was playing with

Gear

I had a chance to try out a interesting little lens, the Elmarit 90mm f2.8. Yup, a Leica lens. Old and showing signs of use, but the mechanics and glass are still perfect. Now I’m not surprised why Fuji made only one adapter for third party lenses, the Leica-M to Fuji X. I was always curious that, with so many old Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and tons of others, why Fuji created only one adapter, only a Leica adapter. For some of you it will be obvious, but I didn’t know, until now. You hear about the legendary Leica glass, and yes it’s still expensive. I think it’s worth it. I had so much fun shooting with this lens and my Fuji X-T1. What a combo. With Fuji focus peaking, manual focusing is easy as ABC, or 123 (which ever way you swing). The smooth ring on that very old Elmarit makes it even easier. I saw the light, and it’s bright, sharp, and gorgeous.