25

Apr 5

Omicron finally invited itself in our household—not as a mere possibility this time, but as a genuine, positive test. It’s almost anecdotal at this point, but it’s still…what’s the popular term these days? Anxiogenic. A low-grade fear you set out to bury.

I spent the last few days going over all my cameras and settings. A few needed firmware updates—so I did that—but more importantly, I took stock of their various configurations. I’m not done yet, but it’s been a great exercise. Like cleaning an attic, finding an old lamp I’d put away, and realizing it’s now a perfect fit for the living room. Because we change but tend to forget who we used to be.

I’ve mentioned Fuji X Weekly in the past (and I know most of you are familiar with Ritchie Roesch’s growing collection of custom presets for Fujifilm cameras), but I finally downloaded his app as part of this “re-exploration” of my gear. I ended up sending money his way, as an acknowledgement of the work he’s doing, but also as a thank you: for reminding me of the possibilities.

I’ve been a cheerleader of film simulations and JPEG files since the very beginning of my journey with these cameras, but lately, I stopped being fearless. I’d rely on a handful of tweaks during capture, leaving most of the grading work for post-processing. A safe and perfectly fine approach—essential even, in some cases—but missing out on the built-in science of these processors, and how they react to conditions in the field. How every generation of sensor and CPU provides slightly different interpretations of light and colour. On newer bodies we get options like Colour Chrome Effect and Clarity… and yes, all of this is irreversible in a JPEG file. White Balance is irreversible. Grain is irreversible.

It’s flying without a net.
It’s a commitment.
It’s exciting.

…

So, 25 images. That’s a lot of pictures in a single post, and there’s no rhyme or reason to them beyond the thrill of shooting. There’s an X-Pro2, an X-Pro3 and an X100F in there, all mixed up.

The sixth wave will pass; and I’ll be ready.