Fuji x100s / x100f

Buffaloes at Dawn

*Buffaloes at Dawn*
Fuji X100F

Last week the family went for a three day break in Mui Wo. I of course packed my medium format film cameras and woke up for dawn one morning. The water buffaloes were gathered on the beach, and I took several photos of the heard with my Fuji GW690iii which proved to be spectacular failures due to fogging on the lens. Thankfully I backed these shots with the X100F because it allowed me to get closer. There’s a fair amount of noise, but at least the colours and the scene are preserved.

Encased

*Encased*
Fuji x100f

Having taken a photo from the inside of an open courtyard in Vienna (Skywards), I did the same a few days later in Lyon. What I like about this one is that the angles are all a little skewed. It feels less geometric and a little more haphazard.

Stairwell Contrast

*Stairwell Contrast*
Fuji x100f

I spent a day in Lyon back in July and walked around the old city despite the brutal heat. What I loved there were these narrow winding passages (called Traboules) that connect the streets with encased courtyards. As we were exploring one of these I saw this little staircase on the side. I loved the way the light hit the top of the stairs…

Skywards

*Skywards*
Fuji x100f

I’m not sure there’s anything typically Viennese in this vertical view of a building’s inside court. But I really liked the perspective it offered and the geometry of the courtyard itself, the windows and the way the light hits them.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

*Gloria in Excelsis Deo*
Fuji x100f

As I think I have said before, I’m not a believer in any faith, but I am fascinated with religion as a social construct and as a photographic subject. One of the things that always (in my mind) represents a tension is the amount of effort and money that has gone (historically) into representing the glory of god. In Western Europe this is mostly true of Catholic churches, but of course it applies equally in other parts of the world and to other religions. Still, as a photographer it’s hard to deny that these displays make for good subjects!

The House of Upper Austria

*The House of Upper Austria*
fuji x100f

At first when I walked past this door, I was attracted by the caryatids. Then the name struck me OÖ Haus, that’s a bit weird ? By the time I put my camera up, this stripy shirted guy walked past. I knew he wasn’t French, no baguette nor beret. Still, a fun shot. Oh and I just googled OÖ and apparently it’s the acronym for Upper Austria.

Glittering Naïads

*Glittering Naïads*
Fuji x100f

As I was walking around the State Opera house in Vienna, I saw this wonderfully backlit fountain, but I struggled to find the right way to shoot it. I wanted the water to glitter in the way I saw it, but that meant the bottom of the fountain deep in the shadows. And then I thought that that might exactly be the right of dramatic exposure that would work. I’ll let you be the judge !

Under the Gaze of Gods

*Under the Gaze of Gods*
Fuji x100f

As you would expect, Vienna is full of classical architecture, and while I was a little bit shocked at times as to how much the city has let modern brands mar the facades, some pieces of architecture are mostly unscathed. This statue of (I’m assuming) some Greek gods quite appealed to me, and just then the ticket salesman walked past, talking on his phone with his little trolley…

Inside Mariahilf Church

*Inside Mariahilf Church*
Fuji x100f

Mariahilf Church in Vienna is quite a majestic sight, and the inside is as impressive as the outside, if not more. The pulpit is particularly adorned and quite spectacular.

Josef Haydn

*Josef Haydn*
Fuji x100F

As I was walking down the road leading from my hotel to the old city center in Vienna, I saw this beautiful church (Mariahilf) with a statue in front. I didn’t know who the statue was until the internet later gave me the answer : it represents Austrian composer Josef Haydn.