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Fuji in Europe Part 21 – Going to Prague

by Mac Sokulski | Jul 7, 2014 | Fuji X, People, Urban

A nice little drive of about 3 hours from Nuremberg and you are in a different country, different culture. Europe is pretty cool like that. Prague was always on my list of destinations. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and very photogenic. This also is a big minus, because the amount of people milling around the streets of the old town is staggering. Driving through Prague, one can feel the lingering ghost of old communist block. You can see it in the drab apartment buildings, stores, schools. It is slowly being updated and replaced, but I don’t think the old communist block countries can get rid of it entirely. Being Polish, it really brought a lot of child hood memories, and maybe because of this nostalgia I really fell in love with Prague. Funny thing, that whole day spent there walking, I can’t remember if I heard the Czech language. I heard everything else, french, english, german, even polish… strange.

Gear

I tried capturing images of Prague that were not touristy, and I failed miserably. There are so much to see, that during the day, you have to see the famous sites, just so you can say “I’ve been there!”. Also since Prague has been photographed by so many, it’s not easy to find something original. Dragging, as always, all my Fuji cameras and lenses, I still primarily shot with the Fuji 56mm f1.2 and the Fuji 10-24mm f4, and the Fuji x100s from time to time. There is always something interesting to train your camera on in Prague.

Fuji in Europe Part 19 – Street photography in Nuremberg

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 26, 2014 | Fuji X, People, Urban

Streets of Nuremberg

The streets in Europe are always full of people. I guess mostly because they are designed for walking, with wide sidewalks, and easy access to shops and restaurants. Unlike the city of Edmonton for example, and I would imagine most North American cities. I can walk my neighborhood, and see maybe 1 or 2 people every couple of hours. It’s silly. So naturally Europe lends itself to street photography a lot more than North America. It’s a lot easier to sit down in an outdoor cafe, and just point the camera at something interesting. This was exactly what happened. Walked around the streets of Nuremberg, doing a bit of last minute shopping, and sat down at the cafe, had some cappuccino, and just pointed the camera. Simple easy and quite rewarding. No wonder, that a very cool street photographer Valerie Jardin offers street photography workshops in Europe, among other interesting places 🙂

Gear

This was again another perfect time to test the Fuji XT1 and the 56mm f1.2 lens. After shooting with this combination before, I really liked the way it behaved on the streets. It’s fast focus worked almost flawlessly, and I really like the look the Fuji 56mm f1.2 can capture. Also I like the fact that I don’t have to be in someones face, and can capture the natural behavior, with out being seen. I’m not hiding behind bushes or buildings, but because the Fuji 56mm lens has enough reach that I’m not spotted by the subject right away. Also because the Fuji XT1 has an articulated LCD screen, I don’t have to raise the camera to my eye, thus making me even more unseen. Absolutely perfect for great street 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 17 – St. John’s Cemetery in Nuremberg

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 24, 2014 | Fuji X, Landscape, Urban

Cemetery

St. John’s cemetery is one of the most notable burial grounds in Europe. It was established around 16th century. It has the grave of Albrecht Dürer, a very famous renaissance artist. Like most European cemeteries it’s a wonderfully peaceful place, with tall trees, and flowers everywhere. Almost every grave has a rose bush planted at the head. The history, and beauty of this place is something to behold. The graves themselves are something to behold. With intricate designs of plaques, statues, and grave stones, it’s a beautiful display of art and remembrance. I always like old cemeteries, there is some magical, quiet force there, that makes one relax and think. A beautiful place well worth visiting.

Gear

This was a perfect time for the Fuji XT1 and the 56mm f1.2 lens. I wanted to shoot wide open, so I had the variable ND filter on the lens. I’m very impressed with this camera lens combination. The bokeh this lens produces and exceptional, in my opinion, and the camera with it’s snappy focusing worked like a charm. I’m not sure if it was the lighting conditions, or maybe because there subjects I was photographing were very well defined, the camera did not have any issues missing focus, as I did before. This time everything just worked perfectly.

Fuji in Europe Part 13 – All kinds of photography in Regensburg

by Mac Sokulski | Jun 17, 2014 | Fuji X, Landscape, People, Urban

Regensburg

This is one of the older cities that we visited during our European tour 🙂 So parts date all the way to 90AD, when Romans built their fort in the area. Of course there are “few” churches, and a beautiful cathedral. The stone bridge was built almost 900 years ago, but unfortunately it was under renovations, and we couldn’t appreciate the full beauty of it. None the less what we could see was spectacular.

Gear

This time all Fuji cameras got a nice workout. X-Pro1 was mainly used with the Rokinon 8mm fish-eye lens. Fuji X100S, was mainly used for street photography, and the new Fuji XT1 was used with 55-200mm. It was a lot of fun shooting all cameras. I thought about carrying 3 DSLR, with 3 lenses, and I was very happy that Fuji created those cameras. It’s a lot more enjoyable shooting small and light cameras. Specially when you want to take advantage of as much sights as possible. Best time ever.

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.