Fallen Swing – Albion, Mich.
fuji xe-1
Waking Light
Horton, Michigan
It’s getting to be that time of year where the sunrise is perfectly timed to my morning commute. From now through early September it will be great for photo making, like with this little shed on my neighborhood street.
This was one of those photos that I screeched to a halt in my car, pulled over, and crept through the trees to get the shot.
One of my favorite spots on my morning commute. It’s fun to see this little barn change from season to season.
The landscape version might make a good desktop wallpaper, eh?
Exploring the W. K. Kellogg Manor House on a recent job retreat.
(yes, that Kellogg)
A lovely estate that is now run as a biological station by Michigan State University.
Had a chance to try out Fuji’s Astia film simulation mode on the Fuji XE-1. Lots of contrast and color. Not bad.
From my previous post on exploring abandoned places with my Fuji EX-1, here’s the abandoned home near Spring Arbor, Mich.
There was also a business of some sort attached to the property (it’s listed as commercial real estate, I think I saw on the sign). A boat out back, a big field, and a large empty storefront.
I always wonder why these types of places are taken over by homeless folks. The threat of arrest? Guarding your turf from other vagabonds?
A lot of the house, especially past the kitchen, were too dark to explore. But there were enough fun little details, like the hat sitting on the counter, to make this a worthwhile location.
I may have to ask my realtor friends what the story is on this property.
Even more so than with my Instagram feed, I’m venturing into abandoned places and trying out some photography with my new-ish Fuji XE-1.
My phone is easy to shoot with because it’s always with me, and I can pull over somewhere and grab a few shots, and then jump back into the car and drive away.
But lately, I’m scoping out some locations, and carrying my Fuji in the car everywhere I go – just in case. And the 27mm Fujinon lens is flexible enough to get the kinds of shots I want.
Above is from an abandoned home near Spring Arbor, Mich. I’ll have a lot more coming soon from this location.
Turtle Power
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bandwagon started at just the right time for me, just as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was waning in popularity. As a kid, I needed another franchise: cartoons, movies, toys, video games, the whole thing.
At about nine years old, the Turtles were it. They offered another world to invest in, and boy, did they give it to me.
So when I went to my fraternity brother’s DLux Entertainment Expo earlier this spring, it was slightly weird to realize the Turtles here were not strict about their secret identities.
They weren’t shy about taking off their turtle heads. It was a little bit like the mall Santa taking off his beard in full view of the kids.
But at least they had pizza for lunch, right?
Double Exposures
While not perfect, the in-camera double exposure feature on Fuji X cameras is pretty fun to play with.
I’m using the Fuji XE-1, but the other Fuji X cameras offer the same feature. It’s nice to have the double exposure option a few button presses away in camera.
I have the double exposure mode set to the Fn button on the top of the XE-1. That way, if I’m feeling creative, I hit it and start firing away.
The camera sets each exposure at 50% opacity and layers the successive image on top of the former. You don’t get creative options like, say, Canon offers, but at least you can see the overlaid images in the viewfinder.
Making these monochrome let me focus on the shapes and design aspects of the images. I’m dealing with blocks of circles, squares, and lines, and seeing how they interact.
It’s a fun exercise without dipping into Photoshop. There’s a bit of processing on these to make them black and white, and to boost things like contrast. But all of these double exposures were created as seen in the XE-1’s viewfinder.
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