The Combs Kids, Child Lifestyle & Portraits | A Fujifilm XE-2 Shoot | Boston Child Photographer

I was hired by The Combs to do a photo shoot of their three boys, ages 5, 3, and 1. The Combs wanted this shoot to focus primarily on the children with candid images of them playing outside in their backyard, along with a few traditional portraits (but only a few!). The shoot took place on a crisp, Autumn day in October. Dad was away at work during the majority of the shoot. 

Their home, located in a beautiful rural area just outside of Boston, had a large backyard complete with a vegetable garden, a tree swing, some woods...and chickens! Such a perfect space for three little boys to run around and play in.

These brothers were the sweetest. They warmed to me quickly, which warmed my heart.

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I began the shoot with some quick portraits of the two older brothers while the little one was being woken up from his nap. 

The littlest brother and Mom joined us...

The chickens came out to play.

The sweet middle brother was very excited to show me the fresh-laid eggs.

The tree swing!

He called Mom over to push him on the swing...

A boy and his rock collection.

And the littlest brother...

These shoots are all about the kiddos...but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to do a quick portrait of the loving parents together.

*Photo geek notes: This entire shoot was done with my stealthy little Fujifilm XE-2 and my 23mm 1.4 and 56mm 1.2 lenses. Some images were shot using only available light and some were lit. 

"Strangers On Buses", iPhone Street Photography Series | Boston Street Photography

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Turbulence"

Back in 2012 I wrote a blog post about my burgeoning iPhone Street Photography Series on my Instagram feed called "Strangers On Buses". In that post I talk about how this series came to be. I also talk a bit about how my photography obsession began, about how I am self-taught and how I learned the basics of photography while doing street photography. You can see that post here.

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Alone Together"

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Lone Child"

I'm still plugging away at this series and still only using my iPhone. When I started "Strangers On Buses", I intentionally used mostly monochrome images. I felt that full-color images could be too distracting, diverting focus away from the content. The use of monochrome also gives the images a sort of "timeless" feel, which I like. 

But then, a few months into this year, I allowed myself to play with color in this series. I think this was because I'd seen some old street photography photos from the 1940's that were originally shot in black & white, but that had been expertly colorized...and I was stunned at the new life the color gave them. You see, I've always loved gazing at and studying old photos, especially street photography. I could spend hours upon hours looking at street photography from different decades. I get so much pleasure out of seeing what life was like back in (you name it!) decade/century. I'm absolutely fascinated by what the fashion was like, and how people related to each other in public, how children played. I guess those colorized old photos stunned me because suddenly the people in them didn't seem so different and far away. I felt a deeper connection with the people in those photos. The times they were living in and the rules of society were, for sure, very different than the present, of course. But it reminded me that people are people, and though technology, fashion and social graces may change over the years, we never really change. 

Also new this year: I started giving titles to many of the new images in this series. 

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Seeing Green"
 

© 2104 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Graphic Novel Love"

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Stuck in Traffic"

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Case of the Mondays"

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Tax Break"

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Day After Labor Day Morning Commute"

@ 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses: Days End on a Friday"

Whenever my parents pull out old photos of me as a teenager during the early to mid 1990's (I guess I'm outing myself with my age, here!), I'm always so surprised at what I was wearing back then and how my hair was styled (or NOT styled - I was a grunge kid Generation X-er, after all). I remember the turbulence and emotional drama of my teenage years, but it's so funny that I don't remember how I actually looked! When I'm in my sixties, will I remember how I look and feel now, in my 30's? Probably not, judging from the past. But photography - even the crude snap shot that has been lovingly printed out and kept for others to see - is so, so important. 

© 2014 Sarahmica Photography - "Strangers On Buses:  Strangers NOT on Buses"

Street photography is special. It documents actual, real moments of life. I think of future generations who, like me, are curious and want to gaze at and study and ask questions about what it was like in 2014. It's a sort of anthropology. If done well, it's considered "art". I always strive to be artful in each of my street photography images, of course. But if they fall short of being considered art I know that, at the very least, they are Life, Documented. And I take immense pleasure in that.  

It's FUJI TIME! | Boston Fuji X Series Photographer

I cheated on Canon with Fujifilm. What I thought would be just a casual little dalliance became a full-blown love affair. I've fallen deeply in love with Fujifilm and we're moving in together. 

It all began this past December, as I was preparing for a trip to the UK to spend Christmas with my British husband's side of the family. I couldn't stomach the thought of lugging my huge Canon 5D MII with me to England again for leisure photography, mostly candid portraits of family and such. What I needed was a small camera just for my personal needs and travels, something compact and lightweight with manual controls, but that also had RAW capabilities and produced high quality image files. I'd been hearing so much about the big splash Fujifilm was making with their X Series cameras, specifically the x100s.

The x100s seemed to be the camera for me, but I couldn't quite get over the fact that I'd be forever stuck with a 35mm (equivalent) focal length, since the x100s isn't an interchangeable lens camera. I just couldn't pull the trigger on it. Around that time the X-E2 had come out and was also getting rave reviews. If these Fujifilm X Series cameras and lenses did indeed turn out to be as spectacular as I was hearing, I wanted to make sure I invested into a system that I could grow with, keeping the door open to the possibility of building a new kit.

After more research, I felt the X-E2 was exactly what I was looking for. Only problem was, I didn't have enough money budgeted for my Fuji lens of choice which, at the time, was the 35mm 1.4. So I made a compromise. I went ahead and bought the X-E2 camera and acquired, for very cheap, an old Canon FD 24mm 2.8 lens on eBay. I hoped this would satisfy me until I could get a Fuji lens. Off I went to England with my new little camera and, as it turns out, a piece of crap old lens. The aperture blades on that Canon FD were stuck at f/2.8 and it was not at all sharp. Every image I shot with it was slightly soft and it drove me crazy. I knew I wasn't really getting the Fujifilm experience. I came back to Boston a little frustrated and set my beautiful new X-E2 aside until I could get some Fuji glass.

It was several months ago that I was able to finally get my Fuji 23mm 1.4 lens.  And what a lens! Since then, I've been taking some time to get familiar with my new Fuji system.

Honestly, the shot below is what made me stop and seriously contemplate switching from Canon to Fuji. As I was processing this image in Photoshop, my thought process went sort of like this:  "Holy cow, the image files are gorgeous and I can push them around in post just like I do with the image files from my full frame 5D! And I love using this little camera - it feels so good in my hands! These Fujifilm mirrorless systems are so light and compact, it makes me giddy! Fuji's lenses are top notch and they're coming out with more! Fuji's X Series cameras are top notch and they're coming out with more! Hmmm..."  

And that was the moment. That was when I began to realize that this was not just a fling, but something substantial. 

Candid portrait of Dave the Muse, shot RAW in available light at f/2, 1/180, ISO 1250. Processed in Lightroom & Photoshop.

So, I've jumped onto the Fujifilm boat. I just sold my beloved Canon 135mm f2L lens in order to get the Fuji 56mm 1.2 (85mm equiv) lens. It's currently backordered, but as soon as I can get my hands on it, that 56mm is MINE. I'm going to make the switch incrementally, because it will take some time for me to acquire the necessary gear to go "full time Fuji". I need more glass (the 56mm, as I said, and maybe the 35mm, and perhaps something wider, like the 14mm). I also want to see what the rumored upcoming X-PRO2 will be like, as well as the next generation X-T model. I'll eventually need to get another Fujifilm camera - a top of the line model - and let my X-E2 become my backup.

Canon and I aren't actually divorced yet. I still need my Canon gear for professional, commissioned work. But my little X-E2 will be there with me on those jobs, as well. 

More images shot with my X-E2 coming soon.

Smoking in the Bathroom...With the Fujifilm X-E2 | Boston Fuji X Series Photographer

I'm testing the capabilities of my Fuji X-E2 and brand new 23mm 1.4 lens! I absolutely love the feel of this camera in my hands. It's compact and lightweight and the image files are beautiful. There is definitely a significant shutter lag, however. Not a huge problem - it'll just take some getting used to, is all.

The 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens is superb. Sharp and fast. I almost bought the 35mm due to budget constraints, but I knew I would start to feel limited with that focal length after a short time. I tend to shoot portraits at either very wide or telephoto focal lengths; I use my Canon 24mm or my 85mm much more then I use my 50mm. So, I went with the 23mm and I'm glad I did. It will be a versatile focal length for me. 

The following image was shot in RAW, using only available light (the quality of which was pretty awful) in an old, dingy bathroom, using the shower curtain as a background. The ISO was cranked all the way up to 6400 and I was somewhere around f/2.5 and 1/180th. I've been keeping the in-camera noise reduction turned down to -2. Otherwise, it's a tad bit heavy for my liking, as I prefer to have more control in post.

I processed this image in Lightroom and Photoshop...and, yes, I did add some noise reduction back to this image in post. 

I am really digging my X-E2 and 23mm. I just cannot get over how small and light this camera is and the high quality images files it produces! I definitely plan on testing this Fuji system with some studio lights in the near future. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.