The Fuji X Files

Last weekend (as I write this) I was in the neighboring town of Hokitika to try out my Ilford HP5 film simulation. I found myself wandering the back-streets on a drizzly afternoon - ideal conditions for black and white images, but not my normal subject matter. Although I wasn't really expecting much, I actually came away with a couple of images that I loved, and that really excited me (see the post here ). Urban exploration really isn't my thing - mostly because I live in a small town and don't really think of it as somewhere worth exploring (familiarity really does breed contempt)! But my brief afternoon spent exploring the streets of Hokitika made me re-evaluate that a little. I decided that if similar conditions (drizzly and cloudy) represented themselves here in Greymouth where I live, then I would take the opportunity to go out and explore my local town. All you need is Love. Fuji X-E2 with XC16-50mm. f/5.6 @ 1/280th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 recipe This being Greymouth, I...

I've probably mentioned before (a few times) that when I shoot 'real' film, I often choose black and white. Firstly for practical and budget reasons - it's cheaper and I can develop it myself. But second for aesthetic reasons - I love the look you get from true black and white film stocks. Black and white conversions from colour are not quite the same. And nor is shooting on the 'monochrome' setting on DSLRs. Lake Mahinapua Sludge. Fujifilm X-E2. f/8 @ 1/240th, ISO 400. 'C6' Ilford HP5 recipe Now having said that, I believe that the closest you can get to a 'true' black and white result shooting on digital is with the Fujifilm simulations (without selling your children and a kidney to buy the Leica Monochrom). For a start, the newer X-Trans III cameras have the Fuji Acros film look built right into the camera - how good is that! But even if, like me, you've got an older generation Fujifilm body, then the custom film simulations come to the ...