Fujifilm X Series APS C sensor camera

I took a couple of days off this week and was able to spend some time just shooting without the need to be somewhere else.  Not feeling the pressure of time freed me up to be creative and patient, and I believe the images reflect that creativity and patience.  Having the luxury of time totally transforms the street shooting process.  Standing in one spot for twenty minutes waiting for the right shot to come to me is not something I’m able to do ordinarily.  What a treat it was. Yesterday I packed along my X-Pro 1 with 35mm and my X100 for a walk from City Hall to Bush and Market via the Tenderloin. I took my time. Watched what was going on. Soaked it all in. I hadn’t walked that way before. I noticed I was being followed and photographed repeatedly by a very animated young woman with a cell phone camera. She approached me at the corner of Turk and Hyde and asked (I’d have said demanded, but the conversation turned out fine) in a very suspicious manner what I was doing, why I was taking pictures. What I did with the photographs once I’d shot them. If I was working with the Police. It was a conversation that will stick with me for awhile because it was the first time that I had had to explain what street photography was to someone who had absolutely no idea what it meant, what it was or why anyone would take photographs of strangers doing seemingly mundane things. To her, I was a threat.  What I was saying didn’t make sense, or she didn’t initially believe me.  I hadn’t taken her photo either before or after the encounter, but it was obvious she was looking out for her neighborhood and I had nothing to hide, so I was open and friendly and took the time to talk with her......

It’s not something I’m used to doing. But every now and then, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone. Most of my photography so far has been rooted in travel. I’ve taken quite a few pictures in the DMV, but the majority of them have been urban landscapes near tourist spots. I took my new Fuji out with my 5D recently to the Lincoln Memorial. Both performed splendidly, but there was something special about the look of my Fuji photos, even the ones that weren’t necessarily  the best of the shoot. I can’t wait to take my new camera with me on a trip overseas. Although the X-Pro1 is not pocket size, it’s a lot easier to carry around with than a dSLR. Even after I buy new lenses, I can still carry the whole kit around in a small bag. It also makes me want to take pictures of the most mundane things in my neighborhood that I hadn’t bothered to look twice at before. ........