The last time we covered the XT2 we focused on my first impressions of the XT2. At this time I want to focus on the color and what it means for filmmakers as well as photographers.

I believe today a lot of people are fixated with looks and grades that are applied to their pictures and the videos. These looks aren’t unnecessary, the problem is most people have no idea what real color actually looks like. I believe this started to happen to me over the years because I find myself chasing after a particular look rather than taking pictures. What does all this have to do with the Fuji XT2? Well to me the X-T2 represents something from the past that’s still vital today — COLOR.

FUJI COLOR

Fuji pioneered color in their film stocks (I will list a couple of them below). The fact that Fuji was a film company and today they have brought their film looks into the digital cameras, means that while are out there trying to mimic a particular look with a piece of software many of these looks are achieved for you inside your Fujifilm camera. With the cameras creating the look, you can focus on shooting. While you’re shooting the camera will focus on applying a particular color based on your recommendations or the film simulation you choose from the menu.The image above amazes me because it was taken from a frame of video. Since 4k video, this has been available but not with such color fidelity. In the past I would have to increase contrasts and punch up saturation, mainly because with most cameras in this price range the color in video is more compressed than photos. Below are photos taking straight from the X-T2 without any color or contrast adjustments, also keep in mind all camera settings were on zero the only thing that was changed was the film profiles.

The Profiles

Asta – Standard color for most cameras (yet FUJI does some subtle tones and has the extra boost of color.

Classic Chrome – Colors are muted (or toned down) and the darks are lowered so there more contrast. To me this has a very organic movie look to it.

Velvia – Rich in color I haven’t used this one too much actually.

Arcos – Man what can I say about Arcos other than it’s not the typical black and white it has grain (that looks monochromatic not noisy), the contrasts in most situations are ideal rich and deep blacks overall Arcos is nice when used properly.

Click for larger sizes (images are untouched in terms of color just resized for web)

Finally below is a video I did which goes into some of the details covered in this article. It also has more examples of FUJI’s color enjoy.

When I picked up the XT2 I knew the technology would be better compared to my 5D Mark II, after all, it had been 8 years since the release of the 5d Mark II. What I didn’t know was that something so small would be so capable. Now I have said countless times (it’s the shooter, not the camera) and I still stand by that statement.

Half of the shots we see, we have no clue the story behind them. Sometimes the photographer is hanging out of a car window, sometimes they’ve taken 5-7 shots at a time before they get the one they want. Other times it’s a shot that no one would ever see that they just take. All in all bending the rules or even breaking them may sometimes give you good results and other times it turns out horrible. Yet when a camera aids in the process (fast focus, light or heavy, small enough to fit in a pocket) it helps make your job easier.

I believe the XT2 has given me the ability to merge my cinematography with my photography (as taught by my teacher Ryan Johnson). The color science behind FUJI is great it handles the shadows, mid tones, highlights naturally to the point where some of my images look less like a photo and more like I’m staring out of a window and seeing someone there. Am I a FUJI loyalist no… I still like Canon and Nikon and respect Sony but right now FUJI is doing what I want. The only thing that concerns me with the XT2 is battery life when I’m not using the XT2 battery grip that is (which cost approximately $300).

This photo took one attempt, in the middle of a downpour in NYC, normally I wouldn’t have taken it (due to the weather) but the XT2 has made photography & cinematography fun!

XT2 Noise & Color Compression

When I took this photo my initial thought was: I am losing it here… how can this image be so clean it was taken at ISO 10,000 after sunset: and to me, this looks good (there’s grain but it looks like film). Yet I heard sooo many folks who keep saying the XT2 is noisy, but I like it.

If I were starting photography today I’d choose FUJI not because they are better than all the rest but for what you pay, you get a whole lot. The only thing I would add is all day battery life (without the grip) and a more streamline phone app. You can pick up the XT2 for around $1500 it’s a great camera and it delivers on both the pro level and semi-profesional check it out.

Now that you’ve started your portfolio it’s time to share it with the world. One of the most daunting tasks for many photographers — and creatives alike — is choosing a place to display your work, after all this is your passion and how it’s presented is crucial. Before we jump into the various options, let me mention that finding a portfolio layout can take hours of searching. just to find the exact look. While you may enjoy the search, It is essential however that you eventually get your work out there. Sometimes free options are helpful when you have limited time and resources but when you set aside the time to search you should choose wisely.

WordPress & Themes

In my last article on portfolio platforms I mentioned the flexibility and efficiency of WordPress, well now we are going to dive into its options and capabilities. One of the key principles to remember is that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” basically keep it simple yet functional. One of my favorite features of WordPress is its ability to change the look and function of your website by using themes.. Think of  themes as phone cases or spring jackets, where you are able to change the colors & even function of what you had on before. When it comes to portfolio layouts these are a few of my favorite themes of 2016.

PIXELGRADE — PILE

I recently setup Pile to run my photography website C-WELL PICTURES. I choose Pile because it was UNIQUE yet Simple. Remember what I said about simplicity earlier? While there are many who’d say I need more options I’d say removing what’s unnecessary and keeping what’s necessary and what works is better than having excess. We see this a lot as photographers and artists — people who want everything thrown in when they’re paying for something — this mindset only cheapens the quality and takes the artist out of the equation. Pile does the opposite, it leaves in what’s needed and removes the fluff.

Here’s an example: When dealing with the headers on any given page

there are tons of options everything from video backgrounds, image backgrounds, text sizes, a slideshow and most importantly the position of your text.  Some of these options and more are available on other themes but to me one of the most essential option is where the hero text is placed. There are plugins like Visual Composer that gives you all the options in the world — when it comes to laying out your site — but with that plugin the developers skimp on simplicity and ease of use. As a result myself and many others don’t use themes that come bundled with Visual Composer.

Pile 2.0

While I was setting up Pile I realized there were a few things I wanted to change. Wanting to change a theme is common, as developers aren’t catering specifically to you, they might be catering to a particular market but your uniquely you, so don’t be surprised if you want to modify a few things. Within a few weeks, when I went back to my downloads area in Theme Forest, I noticed that Pile 2 was forth coming. The preview image looked interesting and after waiting about 2 months it was finally here. At first glance it looked pretty much the same minus the Hero area (top header area that displays the image for any given page).

When I looked a bit deeper and started to work with it I found there were a ton of features added such as:

• Lazy loader an overlay animation that displays as your page loads
  (which can be turned off and on by the way).
• Menu & logo areas now have more options
• Bug fixes the page builder has been cleaned up and works better
• WP forms & installs when setting up the theme and flows well with the Pile 2
• Social Sharing has been added
• Portfolio grid also received some upgrades

I am quite sure that Pixelgrade isn’t resting easy now that Pile 2 is here in fact the week of the release there was an update which addressed some of minor issues. Overall Pile is my goto theme because it has a proper balance of form + function. What would I change about Pile 2? Well here are few things:

• I would have mobile options for the hero areas as the desktop layout dictates more of what the mobile can and cannot do.
• More Options for video professionals (play button colors)
• Layout templates (where I can save a layout and use it again)

ThemeBeans — Charmed Pro

Theme Beans to me sits as an hidden gem in the WordPress Theme community. While owner Rich Tabor isn’t the best developer out there his attention to detail is something very few in this community demonstrate. Charmed Pro is clean and uncluttered, It displays your work with speed and its overall experience is smooth. Charmed also incorporates video into your portfolio which is a great bonus.

Features that Like:

• Speed and ease of use
• Mobile version is spot on great responsive work doesn’t take away from the site’s presentation.
• Floating Hire Me button so clients can book nice touch.
• Clean and fluid light box
• Lazy Loading of images as you scroll down 🙂

What I’d like to see:

• Top menu option not just side
• Color schemes
• Customized blog (similar to the portfolio layout)
• Inline Video where the user clicks on an image with a video icon and the video start to play in a lightbox similar to – Instrument’s video

Charmed isn’t a top menu portfolio theme and I get that, yet it’s so uncluttered you want to take it’s simplicity and speed to a different layout — this is what I was explaining when I said that themes aren’t catered to the individual but to a collective industry.

AVOC

Avoc is a theme that uses some of the similar functions of Pile yet it is totally different. Avoc displays its portfolios with a Wolf Parallax. This unique additions gives you a floating image and text that can move with the visitor as they sweep past your images with their mouse. Though I have Avoc last on my list of portfolio themes it’s far from being the least of these 3. This theme has the most options out of all the themes listed here. For instance Wolf parallaxes can be adjusted by percentage so an image can take up most of the screen while the text takes up a small portion & vice versa. Avoc also has hero options from Full height, to 80%, to 50% of the height of the window which means you have more control over how your hero images are displayed. Your pages are designed using a page builder which works through the use of columns and rows or if you’d like you can use a wolf parallax.

Features I liked:

• Page builder with good flexibility
• Lots of options to choose from (buttons / spacers / galleries)
• Lots of header options to choose
• Wolf Parallax different but useful

What I’d like to see:

• Ability to save page layouts to be used again
• The ability to drag and drop elements from different rows on the same page
• More mobile options where you can turn on/off items when on mobile devices

Choosing a theme, as most things in life boils down to your preference. It is important though, that we aren’t caught up in the sheer options and the aesthetics. A theme must on its own be able to get the job done. Once your can display your work and give users the ability to navigate your site then options and aesthetics should be considered.

One of the key elements of an online photography journal is telling the story. This site is my photo journal—although right now I use it to share my knowledge of technology & creativity—in the near future I intend to put up more of the work and the behind the scenes process.

As you take photos year after year, you want to eventually share the stories behind those special moments. Here are 3 tools you can use to share those stories.

Choose the Platform

Choosing the right platform for you journal is crucial. Most any web platform can work but the platform should be suitable for  you. Are you looking to post a photos, then write a few lines of text? If that’s the case, then maybe instagram would be ideal for you. If your looking to post more details, then one of these platforms below are for you.

Advantages

1. Quick setup
2. Simple
3. Affordable
4. Fee option available

Disadvantages

1. Lacks scalability
2. Takes control from user
3. Cannot Migration
4. When your needs change upgrading it can be costly

Advantages

1. Options
2. Plugins
3. Scaleable (wordpress)
4. Fee option available (wordpress)

Disadvantages

1. Learning Curve
2. Time Consuming

Verdict

If I had to choose one platform for a person who has photography skills and stories but lacks the time and skills to build a website, I would choose Squarespace. For those who are on a tight budget Wix and Weebly is a good place to start but I would recommend moving to Squarespace after you have enough content and an audience to view it.