Fuji X | MiKS Media Photography

Rainy Day Photography – Cracow with Fuji

by Kasia Sokulska | Oct 20, 2016 | Fuji X

I rarely do monochromatic shots. I enjoy color far too much to let go of it in most cases. There are, however, times when the picture is asking for it and simply looks better without distraction of color. Such was the case with most of my pictures from our short visit to the Old Town in Cracow, Poland. It was cold and rainy. The sky was dark and heavy and we didn’t explore too much, which was a pity, since I haven’t visited Cracow for a very long time. Alas, such is the fate of a traveler. One never knows what the weather will bring…

Anyway, here is a few shots I took from around Main Market Square, in and around Sukiennice and St. Mary’s Basilica and a few other places we’ve passed on the way. I wish we were able to make a stop at Wawel Royal Castle, but that visit will have to wait for the next time…Enjoy!

Kasia

In the Mines of Moria.. – Poland with Fuji

by Kasia Sokulska | Oct 14, 2016 | Fuji X

Well, we weren’t exactly led by Gandalf into the belly of the mountain and it wasn’t mithril that was mined in Wieliczka for centuries, but the whole excursion reminded me of it quite vividly ;D.

I always wanted to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine – one of the oldest salt mines in Europe. It was in operation from 13th century to 2007. At the time of its establishment it was providing a significant chunk of the kingdom’s income, insuring its prosperity. Salt was almost as valuable as gold and silver.. Over 300m deep (it takes quite a long trip round and round down the stairs to get to the bottom and by the time you’re there you are quite dizzy) and over 200km long (the tours are quite a walk and the guides are quite conscious of any people that might get lost). Currently, along with close by Bochnia mine, Wieliczka is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. The tour we have taken was very rushed and, in order to be able to take any pictures, that would be worth sharing we have had to stay behind and disconnect from our group. We have been constantly asked by other guides to move along so that we would not get lost. At the end we did not get lost, but it took us hours to finish the whole tour and we were quite happy to finally escape to the outside world. If you are ever close by, I recommend a visit. There are multiple sculptures made out of salt rock inside, inspired by visits to the mine by famous people as well as showing how the mining operation was conducted in the old times. The lovely Chapel of St. Kinga, who, it is said, discovered the salt deposits in this place, is quite amazing, as well. Above the ground, there is another attraction – the graduation tower. A walk in the area of one of those (called in Polish: tężnia solankowa) is one of the most pleasant forms of inhalation therapies, used for treatment of some chronic respiratory system disorders. The salty mist is similar to the sea air. The inhalation therapy is believed to cleanse the respiratory tracts and that is why they are also referred to as nebulisation therapy.

Picture-wise, the conditions inside are very difficult. It is very dark and even with a camera flash you are shooting on very high ISO, so even my Fujis were tested there quite hard ;D. If you want to keep with your tour, you won’t be able to do any proper shots with a tripod (there is simply not enough time and too many people around). However we prevailed and, with a great pleasure, I can share some of the things we saw under and above the ground. Hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Kasia

Jasna Góra Monastery – Poland with Fuji

by Kasia Sokulska | Oct 5, 2016 | Fuji X

This time around in Poland I, definitely, wanted to go exploring, thus me and my brother took a trip to southern part of Poland. The first stop on our way was Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, where the painting of Black Madonna of Częstochowa draws thousands of pilgrims each year (no pictures this time around – there was a mass in progress, sorry). It is a beautiful place, rich in history with absolutely beautiful artwork. Founded in 13 hundreds by Pauline monks it has been a religious center ever since. In 17th century, after it survived the siege during the time of the Deluge (Swedish invasion of Poland) king Jan Kazimierz pronounced his vow to consecrate the country to the protection of the Mother of God and proclaimed Her the Patron and Queen of the lands in his kingdom. I haven’t been to Jasna Gora in a couple of decades and it was a pleasure to visit again. Regardless of thousands of visitors (and it can get very busy there), a visit at the grounds of the monastery leaves me always feeling peaceful, one might even say serene… One should definitely also visit the treasury (no pictures allowed, unfortunately) and see beautiful examples of old jewelry and other types of artwork. Definitely a place to stop by while traveling in the south of Poland.. Enjoy!

Kasia

From Home – Poland With Fuji

by Kasia Sokulska | Sep 30, 2016 | Fuji X

When I go home for a visit, pictures are the last thing on my mind, most of the time. There are, simply, too many people to see to find a moment to appreciate anything else. This time around, however, I made sure I found a few moments to go out and see some new and old places and took as many pictures as possible. Our lives are busy, traveling is not as simple as it used to be over a decade ago, thus I don’t know when I’ll be able to visit again. With this in mind I wanted to take pictures of all my favorite places and things. Things that are associated with “home” in my mind: birch forests, little spring flowers, castles and palaces, parks and little creatures, all that I’ve seen in my youth and all that I wanted to visit and didn’t have a chance before. It was even more important because of all the changes that have happened over the years. You long to go back to the old places, but it is always a bitter-sweet reunion. Nothing is the same any more so if you want to keep the old you need to record it when you see it or it will be lost forever…

For the next few posts I will show you all that I have managed to see this time around in Poland. Today, I will share the pictures I took in and around my hometown. Enjoy!

Kasia

Harris and Lewis – Impressions 2

by Kasia Sokulska | Sep 14, 2016 | Fuji X

When traveling you don’t always have an opportunity to wait for good conditions to take pictures. Sometimes you get lucky and you hit the perfect weather and light and sometimes you just have to make due with what you get. If you have opportunity to go back to a place, or wait for better conditions you are golden, but for me, especially during my trip to Scotland, I had to come up with ways to deal with the conditions I have encountered, not willing to lose the opportunity for a picture. After all I have a feeling I won’t be back to some of the places we have visited. I think, I did pretty good considering. Mind you, my opinion is pretty bias. Don’t tell me if you disagree, though ;D.

I am quite happy with the way both of the Fuji cameras I took with me handled the conditions. What is quite wonderful about them is the fact that I could completely skip HDRs and still end up with well defined sky in most cases. I do love my clouds and go to some lengths to make sure they are not overly burned. To me they are a very important part of the landscape and having a camera that handles the range of light as beautifully as the Fuji X series does is a huge bonus.

But, enough of that, Here are the shots from our last day of Harris and Lewis, when we drove back to the ferry terminal to catch a ride back to Skye. Enjoy!

Kasia

A Quick Photo Session – Scotland with Fuji

by Kasia Sokulska | Sep 1, 2016 | Fuji X

Highland Kine… I was hoping to see at least one of those during my Scottish adventure.. We have driven for a very long time and have seen them only once in a place, of course, where you could not stop and take pictures. However, during our trip back to the ferry on the Isle of Lewis, we have finally encountered these lovely creatures and had a nice photo session with a couple of them posing beautifully for pictures. Now, I am a city girl and was quite happy to keep my distance from them but my travel companions seemed to have non of my doubts about getting close to those beautiful creatures… Well, fortunately, nothing bad happened and after a good 30 minutes we got back into our vehicle and drove away. Must say, I was quite surprised to see how friendly they were and, as models go, these were very cooperative ;D. Here is a few shots I have taken during that short stop.

Kasia