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 f ..read more

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 ..read more

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 s ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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) ca ..read more

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 ..read more

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 On ..read more

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 ..read more