Does this lens have a glow? The Fujifilm XF35mm F1.4

Recently I photographed my teenage daughter Colbie to help build her modelling portfolio. I organised with one of my clients the use of their lovely business interior and coordinated with my girl a simple colour palette to compliment the environment we would use for the imagery.

I use both Fujifilm GFX and the Fujifilm X systems, but decided to roll with the X system and a combination of the XF 35mm 1.4 and XF 50 - 140mm 2.8 lenses.

The first scene we worked used a fabulous hanging chair for Colbie to lounge in. I used the XF 35mm here at f1.8 as the chair was ever so slightly rocking and wanted a faster shutter speed to keep subject sharpness.

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f1.8, Classic Chrome.

So I’m looking at these images on the back of my camera and thinking this looks really nice, but right at this moment I wasn’t thinking about any special ‘glow’ quality. The next scene within the space was the back wall with a georgeous reclining couch, lovely palm pot plant, and coffee table stump. Colbie did a great job with her pose, and the images on the back of the camera looked fab to me, but I still wasn’t getting a ‘glow’ vibe.

Fufifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f2, Classic Chrome.

The next shot is based on a yoga pose, and out of habit I had the 35mm at f2, as that’s where I usually set the aperture, again not really thinking of any special glow exhibited by the image here, as this is more of a pulled back environmental image.

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f2. Classic Chrome.

But then as I took more tightly cropped images, here is where I started to notice a lovely softness to my daughters skin, dare I say it, a hint of a glow. The first image is in Classic Chrome, so a little desaturated, but in the following 2 images I used the ProNeg-Hi simulation and the warmer skin tones I think exude a bit of a glow.

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f1.8

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f1.8, Pro-Neg Hi

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f2, Pro-Neg Hi

So right about now, you are either agreeing with me or laughing at me, as you can or can’t see a glow… You know what, you might be right and I might just be fooling myself. However, let’s finish off the shoot.

Next I stood Colbie up and took out the XF 50-140mm f2.8. Shooting wide open I took a series of images, again they look great, but looking at them now, I don’t think they have the same ‘glow.’

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm, @ f2.8, Classic Chrome

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm @f2.8, Classic Chrome

Back with the 35mm on the camera I took some waist high up shots, but from this sort of distance I didn’t really see anything other than good natural light on my subject.

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f1.8, Classic Chrome

In the next image I threw back on the XF 50-140mm and now looking at this image of my daughter, am I seeing a glow on the XF 50-140mm lens? Maybe it’s just the lovely natural light we are using. Now I’m confused, everything is starting to glow.

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f2.8 @3.2, Classic Chrome

This time we moved locations to a space right next to this room, it allowed all the natural light from this space to filter in from a large side window above. Using the XF 35mm I utilised the lovely couch for a picture with Colbie.

Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 @ f2, Classic Chrome

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm @ f2.8, Classic Chrome

One last photo above using the XF 50-140mm. I look back on these images and are completely undecided on whether I am just seeing things or there is really a glow to this lens, either way, the Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4 is a gem for stationery subject photography, and will always have a place in my tool bag.

Photographer: Trev Hil - Model: Colbie Hil. - Location: Well + Being, Dunedin.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Lockdown Photography.

NB: This is a rolling blog, as during lockdown this has become a place to pop images up I enjoy taking.

Let’s face it lockdown is a just a big pile of poop. If it saves lives then I’m all for it, but having been in it for over a week, it does feel a little like imprisonment. Still, I am not about to let the situation stymie my creativity, so I have made an effort to look for things around the home and property to photograph.

In New Zealand there is a shortage of flour, as with more time on our hands it seems kiwis have become a nation of home bakers. Personally, I think this is marvellous as baking is fun and relaxing, a couple of things we all need right now. Myself, I love making pasta and pizza so that is where my flour ends up.

I am a huge fan of homemade pizza, especially with tomatoes and basil out of the hothouse, along with fries we dug from the vegetable patch. I am using a cheap vinyl backdrop here as well.

Same pizza night, but second one out of the oven. Topdown view using another cheap vinyl backdrop that looks great.

I have broken about 3 pasta maker machines over the years, but hopefully I’ve learned a thing or two about making nice pasta. Above, I rough cut these pasta ribbons with a pizza roller. Behind are some lovely tomatoes from the hothouse, with parsley and rosemary. The fake vinyl marble backdrop looks awesome.

More pasta, but this time I used the fettuccine cutter on the machine. Another fake vinyl backdrop with a porous cement look.

Something a bit different with these tasty curried lentil patties, packed with flavour, and a perfect filling with salad in wraps.

You may have noticed the beautiful purple flowers of the rosemary from one of the images above. Our local honey bees have been loving them as well. So over the past couple of days I have devoted 20 minutes or so to try and take a decent ‘macro’ photo of the bees doing their thing. The image below was taken from day 2 of my honey bee photography. I love it to bits, so I might be annoying those bees a little longer.

Fujifilm X-H1, XF35mm 1.4 @ f5.6, with macro extension tube MCEX-16. I triggered a flash I held in my left hand to help illuminate the scene. The key here was getting the subject and flowers lined up on the same focal plane so not only is the bee sharp but we also have parts of the dew covered purple flowers in focus.

A different day, but a lovely shot of a wonderful honey bee using same set up as above.

An overcast day with plenty of rain made for lovely conditions to use the Fujifilm extension tube.

A lovely yellow rose covered in raindrops. Again using the Xf35mm 1.4 @ f8 with the MCEX-16 (20 odd images stacked.)

I’m not sure how long this pandemic will continue for but I know my camera will be getting a work out no matter what. Hopefully you too have found a creative outlet to pursue during these trying times. Stay safe and thanks for stopping by.

Trev Hill is a professional photographer based in Dunedin, New Zealand.