Goodbye Blue Sea, Blue Sky

DSCF2342FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (42.5mm, f/4, 1/1700 sec, ISO200)

The most important ingredient of travel photography is luck.

It is all about being at the right place at the right time. Of course it also involves some planning especially when it comes to landscape shots but most of the time it is just a matter of luck whether you have the perfect light or not. I can’t remember how many viewpoints I left without taking a picture because there was no view due to fog.

But sometimes I’m lucky. Like on this sunny afternoon in Chennai. It was too early for sunset but I had an appointment for dinner so I needed to return to the hotel early. After dinner I had to pack, shower and fly back home after another week in India. I was exhausted but decided that I need to get some sunlight and fresh air after spending most of the week in meeting rooms, airports and hotels. And most of all I wanted to see the sea before I return.

DSCF2344FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (55mm, f/4, 1/1100 sec, ISO200)
DSCF2345FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23.3mm, f/3.6, 1/1900 sec, ISO200)

When we (my driver and I) reached the beach the sun was still high but the moment was perfect though. There was school excursion and the beach was full of young pupils in their school uniform. Now there was my perfect subject. All I needed to do was to push the knob.

Of course it would have helped to think about the settings for a second! All images of this series was shot wide open but there is one thing I learned from equipment forums: Always blame your gear. In this case I blame it to the Fuji XF 18-55 OIS. There is no real aperture ring, OK there is a ring but it has no markings. I’m used to shoot primes and the fantastic Fuji XF 14/2.8 R is my favorite lens. Because of the lose aperture ring (equipment again!) I always check the aperture setting before I shoot. With the kit zoom there is nothing to see on the lens barrel and obviously I forgot to check it in the viewfinder. That’s why I shot wide open. Shame on you Fuji! 😉

I was focused to get some “clean” shots. By that I mean to get some pictures with a clear subject, no litter or other things and a clean background. The only way was to shot a smaller group of kids against the blue sea and blue sky. Of course there were way more kids. Small kids in white and red school uniforms, the beach and blue sky of course this combination has to work but only the first image is almost perfect. There is so much to see and yet it is still clean. There is the little boy chasing his friend, the group of kids standing in the shallow water, the girl crouching down to check out the water first and the two girls on the right side of the picture watching from some distance. It shows all the different personalities. The playful, the brave and the not so brave and the observers.

But most of all I love the shot because it looks like a painting thanks to the old fashioned skirts of the school uniform. I took this picture in 2016 but it could have been taken as well 50 years ago.

DSCF2346FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (46.3mm, f/4, 1/1800 sec, ISO200)
DSCF2359FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (24.3mm, f/3.6, 1/1700 sec, ISO200)

It was a beautiful, sunny day but it had 37 degrees Celsius plus I guess about 80% humidity. As a consequence my lens and the viewfinder fogged up. So I wiped lens and viewfinder but the foggy view was still there. Then I finally realized that the lens fogged up inside. I was in Asia and India many times but never had this issue with my primes lenses.

I blame it to the larger and heavier glass of the zoom. The 14mm and especially the 27mm are very small lenses. Less volume and mass means that they both adapt faster to changing temperatures. On my next trip to Asia I planned to use my new Fuji XF 16/1.4 WR but now I’m concerned. It is a heavy lens with lots of glass. Will I have the same problem when I step out of a car or out of a restaurant or shopping center? I guess the weather resistance will not help here but there is only one way to find out. I will post my findings here soon.

PS: It’s hard for me to say goodbye to the sea. No matter how often a have the chance to be at the ocean it is always hard to leave. This time was not different. Next chance comes in summer on the other side of the world. So here is one last foggy image from the sea.

DSCF2362FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (48.4mm, f/4, 1/1500 sec, ISO200)