A year of photography

Some reflections on various topics related to my photography journey over the past year. This may be stream of consciousness because it’s 7:55 in the morning and my neighbors were making some noise last night, so I didn’t sleep well.

Starting with Lumix

I think right around this time last year, I’d gotten my first mirrorless camera: a Panasonic Lumix G7. I didn’t know much about photography at the time, but I knew that I wanted to add another hobby to my life, so I bought it anyway.

When I say I didn’t know much about photography, I mean it. I didn’t know anything about shutter speed, aperture, or ISO. I really treated it as a point and shoot camera. Which is why a lot of my first images were under exposed or overexposed. They also didn’t have a clear subject sometimes. At some point in mid-July, I started to become bored with photography and my camera usually sat on my nightstand gathering dust.

Moving to Fujifilm

I eventually traded in my Lumix camera for a Fujifilm XT-30 II and started learning about photography. Someone on Instagram influenced me, but I can’t remember who. I just remember that their photos had a film-like look to them, and I wanted that. They were using a Sony mirrorless camera, but when I checked the price for their model, I just started laughing. Fujifilm seemed like a budget-friendly way to mimic that film look.

Because I wanted to try taking this seriously, I enrolled in a beginner photography class in Akron last September that really helped me understand the exposure triangle.

Fujifilm’s film simulations also helped me to make shooting fun, so I was more motivated to go outside and take some photos. Going outside after work with my camera became a daily habit that I still (try to) do to this day. Some hotspots for me were University Circle, downtown Cleveland, or Edgewater Park.

After a few months with the XT-30 II, I started exploring different focal lengths, too. I largely stuck with the kit lens (XC 15-45), but as I learned more about photography, I wanted to explore other lenses, too. I started with the 35 f2, then the 50 f2…and then fiddled with the old 56 1.2. The 50 f2 was glued to my lens most of the time. I’ve actually taken ~3k shots with it!

In early 2024, I upgraded to the XT-5 because I wanted a body that fit my hands better, had weather sealing, and a better battery. I have no regrets.

Finding a specialty

I still don’t have one. 🙃 Not that you need to have a specialty, right? But I’d like to have one. Some photographers specialize in portrait photography, others in landscape photography, some in street. I still have no idea what my specialty is. If I’m downtown, it’s street photography. If I’m hiking, I’ll try a landscape or two. If I’m at an event, portraits. I don’t really have a niche yet.

I do sense, though, that I’m starting to gravitate towards portrait photography. I accidentally started going down this path when I began attending open mic nights around Cleveland. It started out as just taking a few pictures of poets while they perform, but then it became a thing. I enjoyed looking for the perfect moment to take a photo. Or rather, the best moment.

Now, I regularly attend poetry nights and post photos afterwards. It’s so great getting positive feedback from the performers. At least one person used my photo for his Instagram profile picture, which I take as a major compliment.

I also did my first portrait photography session with Jamerra, who I met at poetry night. That was a great learning experience, and the photos were amazing. It definitely gave me confidence to keep taking portraits of people.

Exploring portrait photography is something I’d like to do more of, but I need to meet more people! Sometimes I see YouTube videos of photographers just doing random portrait sessions with people. How do you find these people. I would like to know.

Mastering a focal length

I’ve had a solid year to explore various focal lengths: 18, 33, 35, 50, 56, 75, and 90. It’s time that I pick a focal length and master it. They’re nothing wrong with having a bunch of lenses, but I think I’d like to pick one and really try to own it.

I know that I’ve been using the 50mm for a solid six months now, and it really is my go-to lens. There’s a reason why they call it the nifty-fifty. However, I did have some time to explore the 33 1.4 a few weeks ago, and I really liked it. I miss the 33/35 focal length. There’s just enough room for you to include context in the photo. For example, I used the 33 to take the photo of the Cleveland Trust Building a few weeks ago.

So while the 50mm is still my go-to lens, I still think I want to go back to the 33/35 focal length and maybe use it as my daily driver for the next year. If I’m out and about, the 33 is on my lens. And I can reserve the 50mm for specific, tighter shots, like architecture.

First, I need to get my hands on the 33 1.4!

What’s next

I think that mastering a focal length and getting better at portrait photography might be on my radar for the next year. I’m also really, really hoping to travel again. Travel photography is something I’d like to do. Just being able to take photos in a new location is so exciting to me. I feel like I’ve been almost everywhere I can be in Cleveland. Or least places I’d want to be.

My goal is to get good enough to become a Fujifilm ambassador. So I have a lot of work to do!

Alright, that’s enough. I’m probably going back to sleep.