Behind the Truth and the Legend

More Stylist of Sorts action, guys.... I did a quite a few of these for Anne. And this particular one was a bit of a “milestone shoot”, cause this was the first time I didn’t bring the DSLR at all. I had full confidence the X100s would do the job. The shoots before this one, I still shot with a combination of my Fuji and Nikon.  But this one was officially 100% Fuji. Ok, not really a 100%Fuji ... I still used my SB800, that’s still a Nikon flash. =P But you guys get the point. Mirrorless Revolution right here.  

Yes, I know, another blog post about a some guy who made the plunge into mirrorless waters. But that’s exactly the thing, why do you think there are so many tales like this blog post? Countless stories of photographers who’ve written saying how much better it is to shoot with a Fuji. Why is there is so much documentation of pros saying no regrets selling their 5D mark 3′s for Fuji Xt-1′s... The answer is because, the X-system gives the photographer more freedom. It’s that combination of mechanical dials and a small body. It’s the compactness, making you move more, interact better, even forget about the camera. 

Let’s talk about the gear:

X100s + TCL + Nikon SB800 in a Medium Westcott Apollo Soft Box on a stand + a Wein Sync hot shoe trigger

Yep, 1 light plus 35 / 50mm equivs, plus a medium soft box. Basic and easy. 

My subject was Adrian, Managing Director of Underground Logic. This was shot in Dec of 2014... check out the article here: http://www.stylistofsorts.com/?p=365

more soon. cheers

=) 

i got a lot of catching up to do..... it’s been 9 months. I’m still alive, guys... Let’s start with some stuff I did for Anne Bella, who is running the show over at Stylist of Sorts. Mae is one of Anne’s clients who owns this restaurant called Ill Ponticello. Her family bought this joint and did a re-boot. As you can see, it looks fancier! 

This was supposed to be a make over shoot, but I couldn’t help whipping out the beauty lights and my headshot lens. I just had to shoot that face! =P 

I shot everything with my X100S + TCL, then I did the head shots with my Nikkor 105DC

check out the full post here: http://www.stylistofsorts.com/?p=105

more soon

"This is my camera. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My camera is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I master my life.

My camera, without me, is useless. Without my camera, I am useless. I must shoot my camera true. I must shoot straighter than my rival who is trying to outshoot me. I must capture before they capture. I will…

My camera and I know that what counts in photography is not the number of frames we capture, the speed of our burst mode, or the megapixels we make. We know that it is the keepers that count. We will capture…

My camera is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its lens and its body. I will keep my camera clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…

Before God, I swear this creed. My camera and I are the eyes of this generation. We are the masters of life’s moments. We are the savers of our lives.

Headshot action from last Friday. No Photoshop here too (mostly because my Photoshop skills suck). =P

Biñan Beauty 

Was shooting headshots with my 105 the whole afternoon so I slapped on the 35 and did some verticals. No photoshop here! All I did was tweak the exposure and cropping in LR a wee bit. I'm digging this whole #nophotoshop movement. The Sigma Art lens continues to shine. 

Will post more head shots soon!

cheers 

Here's a bts shot of the headshot action i did for MSI. Rockin the Photek Softlighter + Mcnally trigrip for a basic beauty light that never fails me. I like my light simple and easy. Cheers! More soon...

SINYMA March 2014

hey guys Im still alive! been extremely busy, it's only now i found some time to shoot. Anyways, SINYMA sound in focus... Props to Mau for getting this all together. And to Ian, thanks for letting us use your studio, and more importantly, congratulations on the baby girl! =) Cheers!

 more soon

Wow, I can't believe it's December. What happened to November?? Anyway, allow me to drop this post. I just gota share this. =)

Ever since I got the x100s, I've been on the hunt for a really good wrist strap. I was looking at Gordy's and Lance Camera straps, both brands are really, really nice. Only problem, they are not available in Manila. I could order from them, and have 'em shipped to my friends house in California. Then after that have it shipped to the PI, but that's gona take forever, and it's probably gona cost more. So thank goodness for Crumpler! I walk into the shop (and I know i've seen all their straps) but to my surprise, they have this wrist strap called "The Knot" it's perfect for a small mirror-less body. Whats surprising it's not listed on their website.  And it's a steal... it only cost 350PHP (about 7 US Dollars). 

It's comfy, it's cheap, it's tough, and it looks great. I hope the Crumpler guys are reading this... Why oh why isn't it listed on your website?? =) I dunno if they are phasing this item out, or if it's just available in Asia... beats me... But if you're looking for a wrist strap that's perfect for a small camera, try to look for The Knot. You won't see it listed online, but if you check out their stores, go straight to the camera strap section, see if they have it, you won't be disappointed.

More on gear soon! 

I haven't touched my Nikon kit ever since I got my Fuji. Why? Because of two main things: 1. The image quality of this X-trans sensor is better than my Nikon D7000. I know, I know, it's an unfair comparison because the D7000 is freakin old. But I really can't help but compare. And 2. It's so easy to carry around. Even you're smallest Pentax DSLR with a pancake lens can't compete in size. 

So many good things one can say about the x100s, But to put it in one short sentence, I can only think of these words: This camera does things right.

Period.

I never thought the day would come where I would shoot in JPEG. Check out these gorgeous files:

Real world shots from Japan

Right below is the guy in Yodobashi who sold me the camera ISO 3200 I believe... 

Bokeh is not the same as f1.4 lens, but it does the job

I'm tellin you... Fuji does them JPEGs right. 

Other cool things about it:

dead silent

that viewfinder works! 

can take a beating 

them Fuji film simulation modes (Velvia, baby!)

the Fujinon lens is sharp!

auto ISO

high ISO performance

how it looks, it's so damn sexy

max flash sync speed  with my radio trigger is at a thousandth of second 

What I don't like:

battery life 

auto focus is still not as fast as my Nikon

That's pretty much it... 

More shots from Kyoto, Osaka and Nara:

The story was my dear friend, Jippo was kind enough to lend me his X100 to use in Japan. He was actually trying to sell it to me... I told myself, I was in a win - win situation, if I couldn't buy the X100S, at least I could buy this older x100. So I actually had 2 whole days of shooting before I went to Yodobashi Camera. I couldn't resist buying a Japanese camera in Japan, so I settled for the S. 

Here are the x100 images just so you guys can compare...

In good light, both cameras have magical image quality. The S just does a better job in auto focus and high iso / low light performance. 

Btw, my friend is still selling his x100, and the price has dropped. Let me know if you might be interested. It's still a damn solid camera. 

More soon, guys. I can't wait to shoot some strobes with this baby. Oh boy are my Nikons gona get jealous.