ot a ho s o t S E I w R o E S H X M L I I F J F U W I T H 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 FUJIFILM X Series 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! 2 WWW.FUJIFILMXSERIESUS.COM /FUJIFILMXUS @FUJIFILMX_US @FUJIFILMX_US FUJIFILMYOUTUBE.COM 3 HOW TO SHOOT A PHOTO PROJECT 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 INSTAX 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. 4 WWW.FUJIFILMXGFX.COM /FUJIFILMXUS @FUJIFILMX_US @FUJIFILMX_US FUJIFILMYOUTUBE.COM 5 HOW TO SHOOT A PHOTO PROJECT 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. 6 WWW.FUJIFILMXGFX.COM /FUJIFILMXUS @FUJIFILMX_US @FUJIFILMX_US FUJIFILMYOUTUBE.COM 7 HOW TO SHOOT A PHOTO PROJECT 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 prime lens, 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. 8 WWW.FUJIFILMXGFX.COM /FUJIFILMXUS @FUJIFILMX_US @FUJIFILMX_US FUJIFILMYOUTUBE.COM 9 HOW TO SHOOT A PHOTO PROJECT 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.