Xpedition

Just two days after getting my Fujifilm X-Pro1, I participated to a Belgiumdigital Shooting Day in the southern Antwerp area. Our route partly followed the ‘Expedition Blue Gate Antwerp’ trail, a discovery tour laid out last year through a historically significant but today largely abandoned section of the old harbor (locally known as ‘Petrol South’).

The gear was brand new to me, but coming from the X100 and having read the X-Pro1 manual long before the camera arrived, the basics were well understood. Just a matter then of getting familiar with the latest toy and two of its new lenses.

What’s so special about the old petroleum harbor? In 1863, only four years after drilling the first well in the US, Antwerp already had become the largest and best equipped import harbor for oil products in Europe. It kept that status until 1927, when Hamburg and Rotterdam took over.

At the start of the 20th century, Antwerp moves its focus for oil related activities to the south of the city. An area of 100 hectares is acquired and construction work starts: a 300m long concrete pier, underground pipelines, huge fuel storage tanks…  After only one year of operations a big catastrophe happens: one of the fuel tank ruptures and ignites. Immense fires rage for twelve days and destroy the installations almost completely.
Within the year, the infrastructure is rebuilt and industrial activities resume, and with that, the first complaints about oil leaks and the resulting pollution are recorded.

When World War I erupts, the authorities give the order to set fire to the oil tanks and destroy all infrastructure. The arriving German troops will find only a small part intact. After the war, the expansion of Antwerp’s petroleum harbor resumes. By 1920, no less than 233 oil storage tanks are counted. A final extension is realized in 1934. But the area runs out of space for new plants, and oil tankers have grown to a size that the old harbor can no longer accommodate. During the same  year a first new refinery is constructed in the northern harbor. This is the beginning of the end for ‘Petrol South’…

Today, only a few oil-related companies remain active, the rest of the area is dotted with industrial antiquities and derelict buildings. But the heavily polluted site stands on the brink of a new future: a massive cleanup and reconversion effort has begun to turn this part of Antwerp’s south harbor into the place to be for new sustainable and ecological ventures.

It’s not hard to see that ‘Petrol South’ is a visually rich area and a real treat for photographers. So it did serve as an ideal playground to discover a new camera that by itself represents a unique combination of past and future.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X-Pro1, Fujinon XF 18mm f/2.0 & 35mm f/1.4

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 16

There’s plenty of debate about the optimal aspect ratio for cameras. Do you prefer the 35mm film classic 3:2 proportions, or the old school video 4:3? Or do you long for 4x5 or 6x7 film ratios?

I for one find myself returning to a square image crop on a regular basis. probably a deeply rooted heritage from 6x6 analog film shooting days - or even 4x4, do you remember those tiny 127 format rolls?

So for this episode in my X100 saga, a choice of ‘square cuts’ from a recent  Belgiumdigital Shooting Day and from Scott Kelby’s PhotoWalk, both in Antwerp.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 15

Tone and structure… Two characteristics that may contribute to make an image more captivating and interesting. And even more so with black&white (con)versions.

Here’s a number of playful variations on shots taken during two separate strolls in Antwerp: a recent Belgiumdigital shooting day, and the local edition of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk.

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay…

Help!

Hope

Despair

What’s on tap?

B&W conversions using Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 14

No doubt: the Fuji X100 is an excellent tool for street photography. But how does it perform after the sun goes down?

A recent shooting day in Antwerp provided – after a tasty dinner with the friends – for an opportunity to find out.

All five images are shot handheld (no tripod!) at ISO 1600.

Once again, I am amazed how well the X100 performs in low light conditions, deals with a large dynamic range and renders colors under mixed light sources.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 6

Just a few more random impressions with the Fuji X100 from my recent visit to Antwerp’s Central Station.

Later this week, the X100 will go on a short city trip: stay tuned for more images to come!

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 5

Following a meeting in downtown Antwerp, I decided to take the X100 out the the Central Station. Always a place for inspiration, always a challenge from the wide variety of lighting conditions.

I am seriously impressed by how well the X100 handles metering and exposure in a broad range of situations. Add to that the richness of the RAW files that give you plenty of options for creative post-processing.

Did I mention that I like this gem more and more?

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 3

What better choice for black&white street photography than a retro styled, discreet and compact camera with a fast 2.0 lens and excellent high ISO image quality?

Here’s a few more examples from my recent evening stroll in downtown Antwerp.

All shots were captured in RAW at ISO 800, converted using Lightroom 3.4 and Silver Efex Pro 2.0.

The X100 delivers color JPEGs pretty much to my likings, and there’s surely room for further improvement from the extensive fine-tuning options available. I am less satisfied with the snap and contrast of out-of-camera B&W files: I will have to experiment more with ‘stronger’ settings for the processing parameters.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 2

The Fujifilm X100 promises to be a great street photography tool. It also does very well in low light situations, due to its optical/ electronic viewfinder combo an excellent high ISO performance. All the reasons to take mine out to the streets of Antwerp on a damp and misty night…
 

   

All images shot in RAW at ISO 800, JPEGs from Lightroom 3.4.1.

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

100X100 – episode 1

I have started the process of discovering the wow’s and ouch’es of my new compact sidekick. For now, it’s mostly an exploration of how the camera behaves (at its ‘standard’ settings) and how I can tweak the out-of-camera results to my taste.

I plan to share this journey with you, posting chunks of random shots from the X100 until there’s 100 of them. Along the way, you will learn about my experiences and conclusions.

All of the following sights of Antwerp are out-of-camera JPEG images, shot handheld at ISO 200 through 800, resized in Lightroom 3.4.1 with no or only minimal ‘Basic’ adjustments.

 

I am already amazed by the quality of the JPEG files this camera delivers. Excellent capture of dynamic range, good handling of mixed light sources, very low noise levels… And that little 23mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.0 lens is simply stunning!

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

Less is more (take two)

I like from time to time to go back to my photo archives, and search for pictures that do well with a black&white treatment. It’s a good way to revisit old favorites and see them in new light. Sometimes shots that didn’t ‘work’ in color get a new life as well.

Here’s a few from recent Antwerp collections.

   


Gear notes: D700, 24-70/2.8, 24-120/4.0VR

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version