Daniel Jester 3/13/20 Daniel Jester 3/13/20

I Gave My Four-Year-Old an Old Fujifilm Camera

Recently my youngest son found an old Kodak point and shoot camera from roughly 2005. This camera is from the era when most digital cameras took standard AA batteries, but didn’t use them efficiently and burns through a pair in approximately 36 minutes of use. For the health of my battery drawer, I had to retire this camera and come up with some other way to satisfy his budding creative urges.

Coincidentally, a friend of mine asked me for a senior portrait session for her daughter. After I came to grips with the fact I have a friend with a child that is a senior is high school, I started packing up my gear. It was then that I remembered that I still had my original Fujifilm X-T1 from my conversion away from Canon, and I still had plenty of (rechargeable!!!) batteries for it.

I thought to myself “Self, you should charge a battery, slap a lens on this, and give it to the boy while we’re out there shooting those senior portraits”

That’s exactly what I did. I set all exposure settings to auto, gave him a rundown on how to push the shutter button, and let him go.

Here is a curated collection of his early works:

And a little peak on the other end of the camera

Daniel Jester 8/13/14 Daniel Jester 8/13/14

What's in my Bag - My Everyday Photo Kit

My everyday photo kit. A small but powerful kit that is perfect for everyday carry and can net you some solid results on the fly.

I carry a bag every day, where ever I go. As a photographer, I like to always have the tools I need to get that quick candid moment, or snap that impromptu portrait wherever I am.

When I purchased the Fujifilm X100s, a lot changed for me as a photographer. One of those changes was my realization that most of the camera bags I own are not at all aesthetically pleasing to me. Way too much black or grey nylon and little to no personality. So I began the search for a new bag. I settled on swapping out my camera bags for two seperate Domke bags. The one shown above would be my everyday bag, and another larger bag for bigger jobs requiring more gear.

I have now settled on a small, but very powerful everyday photo kit:

Domke F-10 Medium Shoulder Bag in Rugged Wear finish

I adore this bag and this finish. The bag is solid, durable, exactly the right size for me, and looks great. In addition to this bag, I bought a larger messenger bag when the job requires more gear, so I have matching bags that look awesome, for what that's worth.

Fujifilm X100s

There is not a lot I can say here that I or others haven't already said. I love this camera and carry it every. single. day.

LumoPro LP180

This flash is everything. I recently bought 2 more, in addition to the this one AND the two LumoPro LP160s I have. These flashes are powerful, consistent, reliable, versatile, and inexpensive. Almost everything I shoot is with a LumoPro flash.

2x Pocket Wizard Plus III + Sync Cable

Carrying these in my kit offers me two sync options: Via optical slave triggered by the X100s' on camera flash, or with these radio triggers.

Inexpensive Two Sided Reflector

Purchased from amazon.com, silver on one side and white on the other, packs up just small enough to fit in the bag. An essential part of this kit.

Batteries and Memory Cards

In the bag is a small CaseLogic wallet for carrying memory cards and spare batteries.

Field Notes 48 Page Graph Paper Memo Book + FN Pen

I am completely and totally addicted to Field Notes and their products. I carry at least one notebook with me everywhere I go, and I have multiple books filled with lighting diagrams, notes, and concepts for future projects.

Odds and Ends

No kit would be complete without a pack of gum, business cards, Advil, tweezers, a pocket knife and a bongo tie.

Not Pictured

Although I don't carry it everywhere per se, I always have a light stand and umbrella nearby, generally in my car. You never know.

Examples

These are the kind of results this kit can get you

Shot with the Fuji, LP180 flash and reflector

Daniel Jester 6/24/14 Daniel Jester 6/24/14

Life This Week: Summer Camp, Pool Time, Night Out

Even though it's only officially been summer for a few days, it's in full swing for the Jester family. We just finished working two of four weekends at a family summer camp at Whispering Winds in the Cuyamaca Mountains east of San Diego. My son Jack is out of school for the summer and already embracing a summer schedule, meanwhile my wife and I are enjoying not having to schlep across town to and from the school. Life is good.

Musicians Angel and Matthew relax on the patio and play some music

A little bit of double exposure sillyness with the built in double exposure mode on the Fuji x100s

Family photo at the pool. Photo courtesy of Ed Bonadiman

My gorgeous wife at dinner for our 7th Anniversary. Super low light portrait manual focused with the Fuji x100s.

Daniel Jester 5/27/14 Daniel Jester 5/27/14

So long Canon, I'm seeing someone else

For the last couple of months, I've been spending a lot of time with someone new. Her name is the Fujifilm X100s and I think it might be true love.

Ever since I rented the Fujifilm X100s, my shooting habits have not been the same. It's so easy to carry, shoot with, and process from, that I find that even with a wide fixed focal length, it's my go-to camera for both personal and professional work. I've been carrying it everywhere I go, which is not something I have done with a DSLR in some time. The weight, bulk, and conspicuousness of the system is just more than I want to deal with 90% of the time.

The tech and features of the X100s and other X series Fujifilm cameras have been explained and re-hashed all over the internet, so I won't do that here. Suffice it to say that the quality I get and the control I have are more than enough to satisfy me in both personal and professional work.

What I do want to say about these cameras is this: I haven't felt this way about taking pictures in a long time. The Fuji X100s has been a pure joy to use. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but it has been so long since I've felt this way about a piece of gear. I honestly love to take pictures with it.

This got me thinking: Should I ditch Canon and go all Fuji for my kit?

YES.

I haven't sold anything yet, don't worry. I am going to ease into it. The camera I am looking at to replace my DSLR is the Fujifilm XT1, and a handful of lenses. My plan is to rent it, shoot with it for a week or so, and then make a decision, but I think I already know what it's going to be. I am going to become one of those crazy photographers who shoots a brand other than Canon or Nikon.

Please, weigh in by commenting your thoughts. I'd like to know if I'm crazy.

Here is a sampling of some of my recent tabletop shots with the Fuji. This series is all about summer stuff.