x-h1 – Fotomonkey Photography

Oct 29

by FotoMonkey in gear 0 comments tags: fuji, telephoto, x-h1

A Day at the Zoo

Ok, so today is the last day with the 150-600. I figured I’d slow things down a little and go from high-speed jets to mostly stationary animals and headed out to the zoo. Historically, we’ve had a very good zoo with some outstanding exhibits. This trip left a little to be desired with numerous animals off exhibit. I ended up spending four hours, though. Of course, part of that was returning to some of the animals more than once to see if they’d become more lively. Let me say that carrying this lens around for so long will do a number on your back. I’ve always had an interest in birds. Whether we’re talking about a large bird like this green-winged macaw or something smaller like an African grey or even a conure, I think they’re intelligent and interesting creatures. I don’t think I’m at the point in life that I’d commit to a 70-year pet so I’ll remain content to just taking their pictures. As I continued my journey through the Emerald Forest Aviary I couldn’t help but stop and snap a picture of this spoonbill. There were quite a few of them chilling out near the water but […]

Aug 06

by FotoMonkey in film-recipe 0 comments tags: recipe, x-h1

Florida Summer

I’ve been working on my own recipe for the Fujifilm X-series camera and finally got to use it in its intended environment…bright beach vibey scenes. I took a recent trip to Key Largo, Florida and was able to run the recipe in various scenarios. I wanted something to bring forth that summer vibe and what better place to test it than the Florida Keys? This sample gallery includes a selection of images ranging from sailing, to kayaking, some random street shots, sunsets, and a few pics of Key West. Overall, I think I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I think it worked well in its intended settings and I’m looking forward to trying it out around town for the remainder of the summer. Recipe Let me know in the comments below if you use this. Better still, tag it in your social media with #fuji-florida-summer.

Jul 29

by FotoMonkey in travel 0 comments tags: key west, kodachrome60s, sooc, travel, x-h1

Key West

Had a great day sailing today aboard bluQ with Honest Eco Tours. We actually got under sail which was a surprise for July. I was glad we didn’t have to motor the entire way. We explored several areas around the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Our stops included a kayak trip around a mangrove island where we enjoyed seeing a number of frigatebirds. Our next stop was a sponge garden. The sponges filter the water at a rate of 10x their body mass every ten minutes! No wonder they make for a great indicator about the water quality. While snorkeling around the garden we enjoyed the sights of large hermit crabs, a yellow spotted stingray, numerous lobsters, and many fish. While we were underway, we also got to enjoy a few dolphin encounters. The most exciting was a family with mom, dad, and about a 3-month old baby. After exploring the water, it was time to explore a little of Key West. The heat was a scorcher and we couldn’t muster the gumption to head over to Duval Street with the main Key West activity. Instead, we stuck around the historic seaport. The photos in this gallery were taken with […]

Jul 16

by fmadmin in journal 0 comments tags: crisp chrome, sooc, x-h1

A Splash of Color

I’ve really been on a black & white kick lately, but I’m not opposed to color. In fact, I’ve been simultaneously trying out a number of new color recipes to see what I want to make permanent residents on my camera. This is going to be a quick post to share some of my color images from downtown. One thing I’ve noticed around Jacksonville (and not around the downtown area) is that there are a number of very good murals. The detail in some of them is amazing. Once I have a nice catalog of them I’ll try to share. Here are some for your review to whet your appetite.

Jul 12

by fmadmin in gear 0 comments tags: sooc, tri-x, x-h1

Time for Pancakes

Ok, well, probably not the type of pancakes you’re thinking about. Although, I have to admit, that would be pretty good, too. No, today we’re talking about a new pancake lens. I wanted to try something a little smaller and less obtrusive for street photography and thought a pancake-style lens might fit the bill. I opted for a 25mm f2.0 manual lens from TTArtisan. The lens arrived today and right off the bat, I love the small size and metal construction. I’m not a huge fan of the screw-on lens cover, but hopefully I’ll get used to it. I’m curious to see how it works with the UV filter when it arrives. Since Amazon didn’t deliver until after 6pm I didn’t have a lot of time with it. I was determined to do something with it, though, so I slapped it on the X-H1 and headed out the door to pick up my chicken wing to-go order. I only snapped a few shots but it did a pretty decent job. I’ll spend some more time with it over the next few days and try to provide an update. All shots were with the Kodak Tri-X 400 recipe. I set the […]

Jul 07

by fmadmin in art 0 comments tags: sooc, x-h1

Daido

Daido Moriyama is a Japanese photographer renowned for his black & white work. A visionary of the 1960s, Moriyama’s work has landed in collections around the world such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York. A recent Facebook challenge led me to explore the Daido Moriyama film recipe for Fujifilm cameras. This post is the result of that exploration. Today (July 8th), I headed to St. Augustine, Florida, America’s oldest city. The previous images were captured in my front yard or driveway and I really wanted to put the recipe to test in the real world. I’m pretty happy with the results. Hopefully you agree.