Renewed Perspectives

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Renewed Perspectives.


During a previous post on this blog, returning after an extended period away from writing, I tried to give voice to the intangible feeling of the world turning into a darker and more threatening place. Well, I think it’s safe to say that’s a road down which we have all travelled further than any of us could have imagined. I just don’t think it’s possible to encapsulate all that has transpired in the last few months; events have played out, almost inconceivable in scale. And continue to do so, all over the world. It’s against this backdrop and the resulting circumstances that again motivate me to return to more creative and fulfilling endeavours.


As the coronavirus outbreak overtook the UK, like many other countries, we entered a state of lock-down. An extended period of personal isolation began, during which as individuals, we were presented with the circumstance and perhaps more importantly the time, that forced us to confront personal truths. We all faced an uncertain future, fearing for loved ones, wondering if things would ever be the same; perhaps regretting forgotten aspirations and unfulfilled ambitions. Hopefully as we begin the first tentative steps to emerge from this dark period, we do so with greater clarity and with a renewed purpose. I find that the world still holds beautiful and interesting places to discover and explore, quite often in the most unexpected and overlooked locations. 


I have a long standing aversion to applying the term ‘photographer’ to myself, perhaps more out of fear of not meeting the associated expectations that the word inspires. I see my camera, whichever particular model it happens to be at the time, as an instrument of curiosity. Finding new perspectives on the familiar or the mundane that make up the everyday world around us; which is a round-about-way of introducing my new camera: a second-hand or pre-loved, if the exceptional condition is any indication, Fujifilm X100S.


A 16.3 megapixel X-Trans CMOS II sensor compact digital camera with a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and a fixed focal length 23mm f2 lens, the equivalent to a full frame 35mm; all housed within a rangefinder style body. But I didn’t buy it for the specifications. It was the look and feel of this camera and the stirring emotions that holding it evoke. I just find the Fujifilm X100 series to be a simply beautiful range of cameras.

A pressed-tin Leica M3 replica that lives on my bookshelf.

The X100 series was released in 2011, the second generation X100S in 2013 and later models followed; they are thought to have been inspired by the classic Leica M series rangefinders, specifically the M3 introduced in 1954. Rangefinder indicates a method to focus the camera using a split image mechanism, although still appreciated by purists, the rangefinders gave way to modern film and digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, and ultimately the mirror-less camera systems that seem to be the most popular today. It is into this last category that the Fujifilm X100S finds itself, although the X100 series pays obvious homage to the analogue heritage of photography, which is one of it’s biggest appeals.
The analogue feel of the Fujifilm X series cameras is accentuated by the pleasingly tactile physical controls; chunky dials and aperture rings minimise the need to delve into the electronic settings menus.


Another appeal, especially amongst enthusiasts, is Fujifilm’s reputation for colour science in their camera ranges, this extends to the film simulations in the camera bodies themselves, that reproduce the look and feel of analogue photography, down to specific film types such as Fujichrome Provia for example.


My approach to photo processing, that is converting camera RAW files (the digital equivalent of film negatives) into photographs falls into two broad categories; a minimal edit that allows the characteristics of the camera to shine, following a photo-journalistic urge for ‘truthfulness’ subjective as that maybe. Secondly, a more creative edit that either tells a story, evokes a more emotional response or fulfils an artistic design.


In this post, I thought it appropriate to go back to the earliest photos taken with the X100S late last year, on a succession of walks in and around Sheffield city centre, to serve as an introduction and also to peer back into that pre-pandemic time.


As events played themselves out in spring 2020 the opportunities to travel were curtailed and we were left to wonder when and under what circumstances we might venture tentatively outside.






The World beyond My Front Door is once again waiting to be explored and with a renewed perspective, who knows what might be discovered.
Location: Sheffield, UK

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