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S E I R E W S I T H X F U J I F I L M HOW TO SHOOT A PHOTO PROJECT

Shooting a photo project Make your photography part of something bigger. Shoot pictures with a theme that matters to you

HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO THINK about why we shoot photographs? More often than not, there isn’t a deeper reason – aside from something looking pretty, quirky or interesting. But you can give your photography more meaning by making it part of a wider project: a photographic study into something that’s happening in your neighborhood or a personal element in your own life. Photojournalism is a hugely powerful tool, having the ability to convey ideas and emotions in way that no other medium can. And because cameras are designed to be portable and unobtrusive, you can use one to shoot creative documentary photography of a huge variety of subjects – from the everyday to the extraordinary. Photo projects don’t always have to highlight serious and significant issues; they can be playful and funny, or just form a record that you and your family can look back on in years to come. Over the next few pages you’ll find inspiration for a number of different photo projects, along with ideas of how to get started and how to publish your finished work. We look forward to seeing what you create!

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PLAN AHEAD

It’s easy to get flustered when shooting in this way, so set up your camera before you make the approach. Use settings you’re comfortable with for portraiture – F2.8 in Aperture Priority mode with face detection and continuous shooting, for example. And don’t be afraid to ask your subject to move to a better spot if the background is too cluttered or the light is wrong.

HOW TO MAKE THE APPROACH

Having trouble plucking up the courage to walk up to your chosen subject? Here are some words of encouragement for the next time you want to pop the question.

• Work out what you want to say in advance – once you start talking your nerves will fade away. • Ask yourself: what’s the worst that could happen? In reality, it’s that someone says no, in which case you'll smile, say thank you and go on your way. • More people will say yes than you think. We reckon that if you approach ten potential subjects, nine would say yes. • What would you say if someone asked if they could Strange Photographing a stranger on the photograph you? You’d be pleased, right? street is challenging and satisfying • Be prepared to strike up a conversation and take a in equal measure genuine interest in your subject. It’s polite, and you’ll get a better expression too. encounters Show the image to your subject and offer to send them • Show the image to your subject and offer to send them a copy by email. Some photographers even make use of ASKING A STRANGER if you can shoot his or her Alternatively, try documenting a particular area an SHARE SP-3 portable printer to give out small portrait is one of the most nerve-racking things for a with portraits of the people that live there. This is prints on the spot. photographer to do, but impromptu street portraiture a great approach to try on holiday – though do be can be the basis for some cool projects. aware of cultural differences if you’re somewhere One approach is to look for subjects that have unfamiliar. something in common. People with freckles, long hair, You can emphasize your subject against bicycles or musical instruments – any common thread a smooth, blurry background by shooting with a wide that ties together your images. You’ll find that once aperture. you’ve got some examples, approaching new subjects is much easier, since you can show them what you’re The XF56mmF1.2R is superb for this, with the aiming for with your project, and why. fastest aperture in the X Series range.

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Start a collection

Shooting pictures for a photo project is a lot like gathering collectible objects – and it can get just as obsessive too

A FUN WAY TO SHOOT a photography project is to start a collection, in much the same way as a philatelist collects stamps and a lepidopterist gathers butterflies. It’s an approach that’s been used by many serious photojournalists to illustrate a theme, as well as those on vacation looking to set a challenge for themsleves. There is literally no limit to the subject matter you can pick for this kind of project, though it’s an approach that lends itself well to humor. We’ve seen photographers collecting pictures of: discarded shopping lists, ice-cream sellers, 'no entry' signs, flower sellers, numbers from one to 100, ‘lost cat’ posters… the list is endless. For projects like this to work well, the collection of photos needs to work much better than the sum of its parts. For example, a candid photograph of someone laughing into a cell phone might be a perfectly adequate street photo, but as part of a series of 50 pictures showing people on PLAN AHEAD their phones (or indeed people laughing), it’s much more powerful. Oh, and the Carry a small FUJIFILM X Series camera with you results look great put together as a photo at all times, so you’re always ready to add to your book. Try making one as the perfect end to collection. Don’t worry about finishing the project your project. – there’s no reason why it shouldn’t go on for years.

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The story of Even the most routine days are worth photographing. Always your life carry your X Series camera with you

THE COMPACT, nonthreatening nature of FUJIFILM The key is to carry your camera with you as much EVERY STORY HAS A BEGINNING… X Series cameras makes them popular with as possible. Look at some of the more compact photojournalists, who value discretion and the ability models in the range, like the X100F and X-E3, or Periods of change are always good to start with. This could be a physical to observe a scene without influencing it. If this is a pair your X Series body with a small , change in your town, such as the redevelopment of a rundown neighborhood, concept that appeals to you, too, then the good news like the XF27mmF2.8. or a more personal aspect of your own, like the arrival of a new baby or even is that photojournalism is really easy to get into – all something you are struggling to come to terms with. you need is a story to tell. If it’s your first attempt at photojournalism, then pick a story that doesn’t You don’t have to journey to the other side of the need too much interpretation. Later, when you have more experience, you can world to find a subject worth recording with your try documenting something more complex – discovering the details of the camera. In fact, as any experienced photojournalist story as you go along. will tell you, there are plenty of stories unfolding in Documentary projects like this can take months or even years to your own community that can be just as rewarding complete, or they can be over in a few days. It’s really up to you and the story to capture on camera. you choose to tell. But don’t be afraid to shift your point of view as you go along and redefine the initial idea if you need to.

YOUR FIRST PHOTO STORY Stuck for inspiration? Here are some ideas to get you going. But don’t feel like you have to stick to them rigidly – adapt as needed to fit your own life.

• Document your commute If you take the same journey to work every day then you’ve no doubt noticed the same people, scenery and locations. These are all great subjects to photograph. Or look out for something on your route that’s changing slowly over time – you may have a special chance to capture it every day. • GetGet to to know know someone someone else’s else’s life life WeWe all all know know somebody somebody with with an an interesting interesting job job or or lifestyle. lifestyle. Try Try asking asking them them if if you can be a fly-on-the-wall at some stage and record how they live or work. • GetGet your your opinion opinion out out there there Outraged at politics? Passionate about the environment? A cause that you believe in makes a great subject for a photo essay – and lets you communicate your message to others, too.

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Go on a

road trip BE FLEXIBLE A long drive is the perfect Try to be as versatile as you can be with opportunity to capture your photography. Landscapes, portraits and details are all essential ingredients in a series of related images. a travel photo project. So get a map out and plan a photographic journey

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD the expression: ‘it’s not the destination that counts, it’s the journey’? This is the appeal of the PACK YOUR BAGS road trip: vacations that are more about the drive than the destination. Once you’re on the road, you can’t easily turn around Road trips are superb subjects for a and go back to get that spare battery or a lens you travel photography project: they have a forgot. Better to make a list of the gear you’re going to beginning and an end, good characters take several days before you leave. and great scenery. Being self-contained, they don’t drag on forever, and there • Versatility is key – you’ll need focal lengths that can are plenty of things you can do with the tackle landscapes, portraits, detail shots and more. pictures afterwards – pictures for your But you don’t want to be weighed down too much wall, a photo book or perhaps a web either. Go for a that can handle it all, like gallery for your friends. the XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. Subject matter on a road trip will be • If you’re really limited for space, choose a compact varied, so your kit needs to be versatile. X Series camera like the X100F, or even an X-E3 with You’ll find yourself capturing landscapes, an XF27mmF2.8 pancake lens. shooting portraits, and maybe even • You can never have too many spare batteries! Also photographing the local wildlife if you’re consider a car charger to recharge your batteries lucky enough. And don’t forget those while on the move. small details that will bring the memories • Have a backup strategy to make copies of your flooding back – that round of amazing pictures, just in case of a memory card failure, or an cocktails on the first evening, the classic accident or theft. Some FUJIFILM X Series cameras road signs along the way, or the delicious have two memory card slots, so you can back up as roadside breakfasts each morning. you shoot, but it’s still good practice to transfer your Don’t be afraid to shoot some video images to a portable hard disk or smart device as too. The odd movie clip mixed in with your you go along. still photos makes a great slideshow for your blog or social media profile.

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A year in When it comes to documenting your life on camera, a 365 project is perhaps the the life... ultimate test of commitment TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL IT'S POSSIBLE TO CARRY a small X Series camera You can make use of your camera’s wireless Each evening, think about what you might photograph everywhere, so when you see something interesting, capabilities here, too, so you won’t miss posting tomorrow so that you know what you’re doing. funny or poignant, rather than snapping it with images to your 365 project blog just because you’re Try to have a few ideas in your head for those days your phone, you can shoot some proper, creative away from home. Transfer pictures to a smartphone when you can’t get out and about. photography. or tablet computer and you’ll be able to edit and post Don’t worry if you can’t post to your blog for a few Many photographers who enjoy this kind them on the move. days; the act of taking the pictures is the most of everyday creativity start a 365 project – a There are no limits to what you can put on important thing. commitment to shoot a photograph every day for a your 365 project. Some photographers add to the Try to carry your camera with you as much as possible. year – with the aim of offering a glimpse into their challenge by putting extra rules in place, like ‘selfies life. Search out the hashtag #365 on social media only’ or that pictures need to be taken at a certain Learn how your camera pairs up with your and you’ll find millions of 365 blogs and profiles – in time each day. But if this is your first go at a 365 smartphone so you can edit and post on the move. fact we’d say that some kind of online presence is project then we think you should just keep it simple Remember the small details. Try getting up close crucial to this kind of project. and enjoy yourself. with a macro lens.

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Your Every project needs an outlet, and ASSIGNMENT eventually you’ll want to show off your work. Here are a few options… If you like the idea of shooting to a brief but can’t think of an idea of your own next steps just yet, here’s a project to get you started. Shoot one photo showing each of the topics below and post it to social media using the hashtag #FujifilmX_US. Don’t SHOOTING PHOTOS as part of a project gives them extra meaning – a reason to exist beyond just being a overthink it – go for the first idea that pops into your head. pretty picture. That reason doesn’t end when the shutter closes either – it lives on with whatever comes next: a photo book, a blog or even an exhibition.

MAKE THE EDIT MAKING A STATEMENT Whittling down hundreds of pictures into a smaller At some time in your project you’ll want to consider collection that tells a concise story can be an how to best display your pictures. For example, ominous task, but editing is a necessary part of carefully composed images that are full of detail shooting a project. At the initial stages, be ruthless! may deserve to be printed large for framing, while If a picture fails to fit the brief of the story or falls those that are accompanied by text will work better down technically, then exclude it. If you get stuck, as a printed photo book. A dedicated website is also get a second opinion from a friend or colleague an option, and lets you reach a very wide audience whose opinion you respect. A second pair of eyes is with little cost. SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WHO always a good thing. If your project shows something novel, significant MAKES YOU HAPPY YOU RESPECT or quirky, then you may even want to consider pitching it to a magazine or newspaper.

YOURSELF, IN A YOUR NEXT MEAL SPECIAL PLACE

HOW YOU RELAX SOMETHING YOU ARE PROUD OF

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