To Break Away

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DSCF3920FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec, ISO200)

Austria is a beautiful country but there is one thing missing – the sea! But I think I have said that before.

Where ever I go for a longer vacation I make sure that I also spend a couple of days at the sea. But I don’t swim or surf I just walk and watch. Like I did here somewhere in between Carlsbad and La Jolla.

DSCF3884FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/8, 1/220 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF3898FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/8, 1/150 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF3901FUJIFILM X-T1 (55mm, f/8, 1/180 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF3919FUJIFILM X-T1 (23.3mm, f/8, 1/40 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF3932FUJIFILM X-T1 (18mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO200)

If you love to take pictures a simple walk by the sea is a wonderland. There are great things to see everywhere. And there is no need for fancy equipment. If you have a Fuji X the kit lens will be perfectly fine. And if your camera has a tilt screen like the X-T1 you don’t have to crawl on the floor to get those shots.

And the nicest thing is that camera plus kit lens is small and light. Smaller than most bridge cameras that use much smaller sensors. It really pays to compromise on reach if you can get such results in return.

DSCF3948FUJIFILM X-T1 (42.5mm, f/9, 1/105 sec, ISO200)
 DSCF4198FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (230mm, f/6.7, 1/250 sec, ISO500)
 DSCF4201FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (230mm, f/6.7, 1/250 sec, ISO400)

But when I spotted a Western Curlew I switched to my X-Pro 1 which had the XC 50-230 OIS attached. It’s very convenient to shoot with two cameras instead of switching lenses. Plus at the sea I never felt comfortable switching lenses. When it is windy there is salt spray and sand and dust – in short there is a high chance to get some dirt on your sensor.

The best way to avoid that is to shoot with two camera. On my first trip to the desert with the X-Pro 1 the dust on the sensor was a serious issue. I was lucky to find a Leica camera store in Rancho Mirage that cleaned the sensor. It saved my hours of post processing at home. Since then I’m very careful when switching lenses in windy or dusty environments.

DSCF4236FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (143.9mm, f/6, 1/250 sec, ISO250)
 DSCF4242FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (204.6mm, f/7.1, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

Even though the sun was behind the clouds the light was great. A perfect evening on the beach. I love the picture above: The parents have packed and are ready to go but the kids don’t want to leave. Childhood memories. Same story but on a lake or river instead of the sea of course. I was not willing to go out of the water even though my lips had turned blue.

I hope someday I will become a child again and simply do what I love to do. To break way to live by the sea. I guess California would be a good place.

DSCF4266FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (95.4mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)