CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

This was one of the images I took yesterday while getting some winter storm images in Dunbar.  This shot is in fact six images taken on the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and XF16mm f1.4 lens, taken in sequence and then stitched together using the 'photomerge' function in Photoshop CC to create a wider field of view. Once the images were stitched together I cropped it 3:2 to give it a standard size.  At 8121 x 5414 pixels the overall image was larger than the standard 6000 x 4000 I usual get from a straight image from the X-Trans III 24mp sensor on the X-Pro2. I then converted the image to mono using NIK Silver Efex Pro2 software, converting the image with one of the custom presets I have developed. I then did some dodging and burning to lighten and darken certain areas to increase the overall contrast of the image. Not long after I took this sequence of images the snow began to fall heavily again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------...

For the past two days much of the UK has been gripped in a severe snow storm, including the South East of Scotland.  In fact the Met Office issued the first ever 'RED' weather warning for snow in the central belt of Scotland.  The high winds and low temperatures have produced blizzard conditions and dumped a fair amount of snow across the country.   While Dunbar hasn't been as severely hit as other parts further inland, the weather has forced the trains to be cancelled, the schools to be shut and made roads hazardous to drive on and even impassable for a while. Today I walked with my wife to the school where she works and then headed down to the harbour with the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Xf16mm f1.4 lens to capture some images of the wintery conditions. I also took along my GoPro Hero5 Black and the Karma stabiliser grip to capture some video of the conditions.  I didn't fly the DJI Mavic Pro drone because the wind conditions were too strong to safely fly. ...

Japan is famous for its hot springs and volcanic activity.  Only last week Tokyo was hit by an earthquake but this happens so often the Japanese don't worry about minor events.  On Monday we went down to Hakone and took a trip up the Hakone Ropeway (Cable Car) to Owakudani station to see the volcanic venting on the top of the mountain.  The drifting steam look like white clouds but the rotten egg smell certainly made sure that you knew this wasn't anything so benign. The volcanic activity in the area has increased in recent weeks and while the cable car was still in operation, the paths further up the mountain were closed due to the danger.  Shooting from the viewing areas at Owakudani Station with the X-T2 and XF100-400mm I was still able to get some good shots of the rising plumes of steam. On the otherside of the mountain an area of volcanic activity had destroyed part of the forest, uprooting trees and killing the plants in the area....

The Three Widest Fujinon Prime Lenses 14mm f2.8 - 16mm f1.4 - 18mm f2 You often see on Fujifilm forums and groups questions about which wide angle lenses are the best for landscapes and travel and I see a lot of different answers from people of varying expertise.  It is really down to the individual photographer to identify what they want to shoot and the best lens for them.   For me I love to have an ultra wide lens, so  my favourite wide angle lens in my camera bag is the Fujinon XF10-24mm f4, which goes with me everywhere because of its flexibility and relative compact size.  I also have the XF18mm f2 prime, which was one of the four primes I bought with my X-Pro1 back in 2013, which is one of my favourite primes for having on the camera when I am travelling due to its small size and fast f2 aperture. The Three Widest Fujinon Prime Lenses 14mm f2.8 - 16mm f1.4 - 18mm f2 The widest field of view prime lens that Fujifilm produce for the X Series is the ...