Chasing Clouds with the X-Pro1

This weekend was a good reminder of the importance of being flexible, especially in long exposure photography. I set off Saturday afternoon to photograph Arch Rock in Corona del Mar and to test out a Fujinon XF 60mm I purchased a couple weeks ago. When I got to Corona del Mar, the skies in the area were completely overcast making the conditions less than ideal for shooting long exposures. As I looked out over the water and contemplated heading home, I noticed that the clouds over Newport Beach showed much more promise. So with an hour before sunset, I jumped back into my car and headed towards Newport Beach. As I made my way towards Newport Beach, I thought that the cloudy skies would make a good backdrop for the Balboa Pier. Upon arriving, I abandoned the idea of testing out the XF 60mm and switched to the XF 14mm so I could capture the pier along with all the details in the sky.

Here are three of my favorite long exposure images from a Newport Beach sunset that I nearly missed all together. For all three of these, I used my XF 14mm and Lee Seven5 system which consists of a Big Stopper 3.0 ND and a Soft-Edge 0.9 Grad ND.

NYC Long Exposures with the Fujinon WCL-X100

Having rented the Fujinon WCL-X100 Wide Conversion Lens for our trip to New York, I thought I would use it for a few long exposures during an afternoon visit to the Dumbo area in Brooklyn. As the sun began to set, I set up the X100S, conversion lens, and a 10 stop ND filter to shoot the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The good thing about the conversion lens is that the filter thread is the same size as the X100S. This meant that I didn't have to buy an additional step up ring to use my ND filter. The bad thing is that you need to tell the camera the lens is mounted to get the right Exif data. Not a huge deal, but I did find myself constantly forgetting to switch this setting on and off during our trip. Aside from that though, I have no complaints about the Wide Conversion Lens. My images shot using it were all plenty sharp and the wider angle of view, while subtle, really helped for capturing these iconic New York City bridges.

Brooklyn Bridge Sunset - 28 seconds at f/11

The Streets of New York City

We just returned from a four-day trip to New York City where we celebrated my sister-in-law's engagement. Since this trip was more about family and enjoying the city, I approached it a bit differently from a photography perspective. Instead of looking for grand cityscapes, I focused mostly on capturing details of the city. And instead of bringing all my gear, I packed the X100S and a Fujinon Wide Conversion Lens that I rented. While I was initially apprehensive about leaving the X-Pro1 behind, I was soon reminded of just how versatile the X100S is as a travel camera. Here are some of my favorite images captured while we explored the streets of New York City.

Simplicity and the X100S Part 2

As I've mentioned in the past, the X100S is the camera I turn to whenever I want to keep things simple. Without having to worry about zooming or changing lenses, I'm left to focus on creating images. By concentrating on what I see in the viewfinder, I find that I'm not only more creative with my compositions, but more able to find a narrative in the images I bring home. Here is a series of images from my latest exercise in simplicity.

Stephen Ip | Travel Photography

Blog

Chasing Clouds with the X-Pro1

NYC Long Exposures with the Fujinon WCL-X100

The Streets of New York City

Simplicity and the X100S Part 2

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