Better Fuji Photos

Better Fuji Photos Episode 42: 2023 Wrap and 2024 Thoughts We made it a year! I honestly didn't think this podcast would make it a year, discouraged mainly by statistics of how many of them quickly die. But I was encouraged to continue by all of you! How did 2023 go for everyone? Were you able to pursue the year-long challenge presented in Episode 1? I hope so, and I hope it made you a better photographer. Going into 2024, this will no longer be a weekly podcast. I need to take a few things off my plate, so I'll only be able to keep this up every two or three weeks. And that leaves me with a final thought going into the following year: what does photography mean to you? This was posed in another podcast a few years ago; I answered it in an article linked below and now here in this episode, and I'd be curious to hear your answer in the article comments. Accompanying web article: ⁠https://jmpeltier.com/what-is-photography-all-about/ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠ Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

Better Fuji Photos Episode 41: Tips for Using Fujifilm's Color Chrome Effect Fujifilm's camera manuals leave much to be desired when discussing Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome FX Blue. What exactly do they do? When would you use them? And how? Color Chrome Effect settings (which may or may not be found on certain cameras) help you avoid oversaturating specific colors by decreasing the luminance of those colors, effectively giving you a wider range of tones in colors close to oversaturation. This can really help photographers photographing for in-camera JPEGs. They will not affect the RAW file. When using these settings: Remember that they will respond differently to each film simulation A setting that looks good for one film simulation might look like garbage in another The Color Chrome FX Blue setting works great as an "artificial polarizer" to get the same effect with skies You can preview setting effects either from the Image Quality menu or programming them to the Q Menu (ep. 31) Accompanying web article: ⁠https://jmpeltier.com/color-chrome-effect-color-chrome-fx-blue/ Perfect Fujifilm In-Camera JPGs course: ⁠https://photocourses.link/jpg⁠ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠ Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 40: Mastering Depth of Field - It's Not Just Aperture! Maybe you've been there. You're wondering why your photo created at f/22 has a sharp foreground but a blurry background, even though it was at f/22. Or why your photo made at f/1.4 doesn't have a blurry background like f/1.4 photos should. That's because, as educators, we've failed to emphasize how depth of field is equally affected by variables other than your aperture. Focal length, focus distance, and how the photo is viewed also affect your depth of field. In this episode, we'll discuss how: Wider focal lengths give you deeper depths of field Further focus distances give you deeper depths of field Smaller apertures give you deeper depths of field And how all three combine to give you a final depth of field Read the accompanying web article here: https://jmpeltier.com/what-affects-depth-of-field/ Take the Advanced Depth of Field course: https://photocourses.link/dof Explore the Fujifilm Photographer Membership options: https://photocourses.link/fujimembers Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 39: Processing with Fujifilm's In-Camera RAW Converter If you're striving for the perfect in-camera JPEGs but want to change something simple on a photograph you already captured, like the exposure or the white balance, no need to take that file to a computer to make the changes! Use your in-camera RAW converter. To do this: You must be recording the RAW file (Image Quality setting: RAW or FINE+RAW) Press the Q button while reviewing an image in Playback mode Unfortunately, you can't preview the changes as you make them. You'll need to adjust a setting, press Q to preview that change, and then press BACK to go back to the editing menu. Go through the list of image quality settings you want to change, and when you're happy with the preview, press OK to save it as a new JPEG at the end of your camera roll. Want to see a list of what's available, with some further information? Here's the full web article: https://jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-in-camera-raw-converter/ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 38: Obsessing Over the Wrong Things What do you think is the most important part of a photograph? The moment captured or the small technical details that no one but yourself will notice? This short episode is not meant to diminish the technical aspects that accompany photography - only to say that, with all of the gear being sold to us, sometimes we lose sight of what's really important. Take a moment to re-calibrate your priorities and what you value most when creating a photograph. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 37: Staying in Manual Focus All the Time Are you currently using the "traditional" back-button focus (BBF) technique where you're in autofocus modes but using the back AF button? Or have you tried BBF but didn't like how you had to permanently disable autofocus with the shutter button? This alternative may be a better solution for you. Staying in Manual Focus mode all the time but using the back AF button to get quick autofocus when you need it can give you the best of having all of the amazing manual focus tools but also instant autofocus when you need it. Flip the focus mode switch to S or C if you need to track something or go back to the "shutter button autofocus" mode without changing any other settings buried deep in the submenus. A few notes: Set the behavior of the back AF button while in MF mode in the AF/MF Setting menu > Instant AF Setting If you were using the "traditional" BBF setup but want to try this, remember to re-enable the shutter autofocus function in the Button/Dial Setting menu > Shutter AF Learn more about your specific camera in our camera tutorial courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/cameras⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 36: Using the Histogram for Perfect Exposures Traditional "metering" is still available in today's digital cameras. But why not use an easier, better tool to get more accurate exposures? That's the histogram! This graph, which you can enable in different ways in your camera (outlined in the podcast & article), is easiest to use when broken up into three "zones": the left third representing the shadows, the mid third representing the midtones, and the right third representing the highlights. Then, you simply adjust your exposure to "place" things where they belong in the histogram, depending on how much light they should reflect - or how bright you want them to be! See this breakdown, along with a walkthrough, in the accompanying web article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/using-mirrorless-histogram/ Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 35: Fujifilm's Targeted Contrast Control Fujifilm Film Simulations have set contrast levels, all different. But what if you want to modify that contrast even further? That's what the Tone Curve (Highlight Tone & Shadow Tone) settings are for, and the topic of this podcast episode. Just remember: Shadow Tone only affects the dark tonal areas (shadows), not the highlights Highlight Tone only affects the bright tonal areas (highlights), not the shadows Positive numbers increase contrast (dark areas darker or bright areas brighter) Negative numbers decrease contrast (dark areas brighter or bright areas darker) Accompanying web article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-highlight-shadow-tones/ Learn more about Fujifilm's film simulations in this free film simulation course: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/filmsims⁠⁠⁠⁠ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 34: Camera Bag Essentials There are just some things that photographers should always have with them, and I like to break this up into the "must haves," "nice to haves," and "situation-dependent." I'm also a big fan of the modular system - using organizers like those from Think Tank Photo and Shimoda to keep all related items together for quick transfer from one bag to another. You can read more about all of these things in the accompanying web article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/camera-bag-essentials/ Must Haves: Lens cleaning kit Extra battery Extra storage (SD) card Appropriate smartphone apps Nice to Haves: White balance card Lens cleaning solution Small tripod Tablet and external storage Rite In The Rain notepad & pen Portable battery charger Situation Dependent: Polarizing filters Cable release Red headlamp External flash (& kit) Rain cover Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 33: ACROS Color Filters ACROS is an awesome black & white film simulation. So why does it have color filters if there's no color? It's all about controlling contrast. Color filters separate colors rendered in grayscale, giving you different amounts of contrast. These color filter options are in the Film Simulation submenu for the ACROS and Monochrome film simulations. They can also be selected as different film simulations to use in the Film Simulation Bracket mode, discussed in Episode 5. The Red filter makes reds brighter and greens darker and is often used in landscape & street photography The Green filter makes greens brighter and reds darker and is somtimes used in nature & portrait photography The Yellow filter makes yellows brighter and purples darker and is a great choice to just add more contrast to regular ACROS But there are so many more nuances than that simple explanation - although that simple explanation is a great place to start! See examples in the links below: Accompanying web article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/acros-film-simulation-color-filters/ Learn more about Fujifilm's film simulations in this free film simulation course: ⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/filmsims⁠⁠⁠ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 32: A Photo Mechanic + Capture One Workflow Photo Mechanic is a great editor, but you can't process RAW photos. Capture One is a superior RAW processor, but its editing functionality is nowhere near what Photo Mechanic can do. How can you easily combine Photo Mechanic and Capture One in a workflow to get the best of both programs? That's what we'll discuss in this podcast episode, with these steps: Set up Photo Mechanic Set up Capture One Edit in Photo Mechanic Put the selected photos in a Selects subfolder Open photos in Capture One Process RAW photos in Capture One Export processed photos into Processed subfolder Though it may seem like a few more steps than necessary, it's actually faster and more efficient than trying to do everything in Capture One (or Lightroom Classic) alone! Accompanying web article: ⁠⁠https://www.jmpeltier.com/photo-mechanic-capture-one-workflow/ The Photo Mechanic Guide course: ⁠https://photocourses.link/pm⁠ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 31: Fujifilm's Q Button in Shooting Mode That little Q Button on the back or top of your camera - a nuisance to many, a savior to others. This episode will discuss what the Q Button is for, how to program it, and how to use it. We'll go over why to use it, picking how many slots to use, the background mode, and examples of programming for both JPG and RAW photographers. Accompanying web article: ⁠https://www.jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-q-button-shooting-mode/ Perfect Fujifilm In-Camera JPGs course: https://photocourses.link/jpg Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 30: Editing to Improve your Photography When chasing the perfect photograph, we often get bogged down in gear choices and post-processing techniques. But when was the last time you paid attention to editing - the process of selecting which photos you want to share - as a means to improve your photography? Why are you selecting those photos, and how can you improve your photography in general as a result of those selections? That's what we'll discuss here - how editing can improve your technical, creative, and storytelling skills. Links mentioned in this episode: Accompanying article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/editing-improves-your-photography/ After the Capture course: https://photocourses.link/ac Better Photography Through Visual Storytelling course: https://photocourses.link/story Use the coupon code "POD20" for 20% off all courses. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 29: Fine-Tuning Colors with White Balance Bracket Continuing with our one-year Fujifilm challenge outlined in Episode 1, here we're going to discuss another tool available to us to get to that goal. And that's the White Balance Bracket drive mode, useful for when you might want to see some variations in the selected white balance. There is no correlation between actual color temperature adjustments and the selected "strength," either +/- 1, 2, or 3. It's just going to be "a little," "more," and "a lot" of white balance variation. I would encourage you to experiment with it to see for yourself what the different settings do. The setup varies between different camera models, so here's a quick summary: Cameras with a Drive mode button on the back: Press the Drive mode button on the back of the camera and select White Balance BKT. Select the "strength" (+/- 1, 2, or 3) Set the drive back to Still Image to exit the bracketing mode. Cameras with a mode dial that has BKT on it: Go to the Shooting Setting menu > Drive Setting > BKT Setting > White Balance BKT to set the "strength" (+/- 1, 2, or 3). To select this as the active bracketing mode, go to the Shooting Setting menu > Drive Setting > BKT Setting > BKT Select and select White Balance BKT. Set your drive dial to BKT to enter the bracketing mode.  Set the drive dial back to S to exit the bracketing mode. Accompanying web article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-white-balance-bracket/ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 28: Finding Photography Success without Instagram Go to any "Starting your photography business" checklist and you'll see "create an Instagram page" on there, with a long list of "rules" for posting to Instagram. It works, and some people really have fun with it, and find success doing so. But it's not for everyone. So is it possible to find photography success without Instagram, or any social media at all? I for one wish I could enjoy the process. But I frankly don't, and that's okay. And guess what? I'm a full-time photographer without ever having a single dime come from using Instagram. There are so many other (and arguably better) ways of finding success as a photographer without Instagram. Take control of your publishing with a portfolio site and email list. Pitch your work to editors and publishers. Get on "call for submissions" lists. Network with others. Encourage word-of-mouth marketing. Join a professional organization. These are just some things that we discuss in this podcast episode. Links mentioned in this episode: Fujifilm Photography Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off your first three months. Article - Do You Need Instagram to Succeed as a Photographer?: https://www.jmpeltier.com/successful-photographer-without-instagram/ After the Capture post-processing course: https://photocourses.link/ac⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 27: How to "Simplify" Your Fujifilm Camera Do you ever get distracted by all of the fancy features in your camera that you get overwhelmed or, worse yet, miss an important moment? Do you ever wish you could just have a "bare bones" camera at times? Set your exposure & focus, wait for the right moment, then press the shutter button? This episode, answering a reader question, discusses why & how to disable your camera controls so that you can just get back to the basics. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focus - that's really all you need, right? In order to do this, we will go over: Reprogramming your command dials Disabling your touchscreen Reprogramming/disabling your buttons & controls Programming & using the Lock feature This can be a fun exercise when you just want to casually go out and photograph! It's akin to doing very basic drills that a musician or athlete might do - and a good idea for photographers also! Links mentioned in this episode: Fujifilm Camera Tutorial Courses: ⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/cameras⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 26: Stuck In a Rut? Give Yourself an Assignment! We all experience "photographer's block" or get in a rut where we just don't have any interest or desire to get out with our camera. And that's a shame! One way to fix this is to give ourselves photography assignments. We look at a few ideas for photography assignments in this episode, as well as how to brainstorm your own photography assignments. Some ideas include: Using a fixed focal length Limit your number of exposures Record JPEG only Focus on a specific subject To brainstorm your own ideas, use "idea mapping" or "clustering," writing down a broad topic and below that, write down related sub-topics. Keep going until you have a robust list. Next time you're in a rut and don't know what to photograph, go to the list and give yourself an assignment! Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 25: Dealing with High-Contrast Scenes in Fujifilm Cameras When the scene you're photographing has a lot of contrast - the entire range of tones from really dark shadows to really bright highlights - there are two standard ways of dealing with it: 1) Accept it, or 2) create an exposure bracket and blend an HDR image. What if you don't want that much contrast, but blending an HDR is out of the question? This episode will cover ways of dealing with high-contrast scenes in Fujifilm cameras for both RAW and JPEG photographers. For RAW photographers: Ensure you're using the "flat" display option without your image quality settings (Natural Live View On or Preview Pic Effect Off) Expose to the right utilizing the large histogram and Live View Highlight Alert For JPEG photographers: Use a film simulation without too much contrast Utilize the Dynamic Range setting Adjust your Highlight & Shadow tone curve There's also an in-camera HDR option, if nothing is moving in your frame Links mentioned in this episode: Corresponding High-Contrast Photography article: https://www.jmpeltier.com/dealing-with-high-contrast-scenes-fujifilm/ Article - Fujifilm Dynamic Range Settings: https://www.jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-dynamic-range-settings/ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Fujifilm Camera Tutorial Courses: ⁠https://photocourses.link/cameras⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Learn Fujifilm Film Simulations Course: https://photocourses.link/filmsims. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 24: Backing Up Your Photos While Traveling How do you ensure your photos are secure while you're on the road? You certainly don't want only to have them on one SD card - you'd lose everything should that SD card disappear or get damaged. You can still follow the 3-2-1 backup rule while traveling, and we'll look at some strategies for this in this episode. Have 3 copies of your photo files Store them on 2 different types of media 1 of those copies should be off-site (a different location) WITH A LAPTOP: Copy the photos from the SD card to your laptop, then from your laptop to an SSD (three copies of at least two types) Back them up to the Cloud if you have WiFi (one copy off-site) In all cases, spread out all three storage devices throughout your luggage, so they're not in the same bag WITHOUT A LAPTOP: Copy your photos to your phone or tablet using an SD reader adapter For added security, then copy them to an SSD using a USB adapter (three copies of at least two types) For extra security, back them up to the cloud if you have WiFi (one copy off-site) In all cases, spread out your storage devices throughout your luggage, so they're not in the same bag Links mentioned in this episode: Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. The Photo Mechanic Guide: https://photocourses.link/pm The Lightroom Guide: https://photocourses.link/lr Recommended SSDs for travel: LaCie | SanDisk SD readers for smartphones/tablets: Apple iOS | Android uses regular USB USB adapters for smartphones/tablets: Apple iOS | Android uses regular USB Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 23: Changing Aperture in Fujifilm Cameras Nearly all Fujifilm and third-party lenses have a ring on the lens to change your aperture. However, this may not be entirely intuitive and might be completely different than what you're used to if coming from a different camera. This episode will cover how to configure the different methods of changing aperture in Fujifilm cameras, including setting up and using the command dials, and using the aperture control ring. Links mentioned in this episode: Article - Changing Aperture in Fujifilm Cameras: https://www.jmpeltier.com/change-aperture-fujifilm-x-cameras/ Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Fujifilm Camera Tutorial Courses: https://photocourses.link/cameras. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off. Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going. If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com. End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip