On August 27, 2021, I was sitting on my couch playing with my Sony a6000 and a 35mm lens. The lens was new, which is why I was playing around with the camera. I specifically picked this lens to give me an inexpensive push into manual photography. The thinking was that if it didn’t work out, 🤷‍♂️ no big deal, I rarely used this camera anymore. I thought I didn’t care because the images from my phone were good enough and there weren’t circumstances that warranted taking my camera and lenses.

Sitting there, holding the camera, I realized I was trying to recapture what I had with the Fujifilm X10. That camera was between my “real cameras” when I had gotten sick of my Nikon DSLR. For all of the drawbacks of the X10, it was fun and I used it a lot. With the a6000 and that 35mm lens, it was obvious what I was trying to do.

Right then and there I decided to go back to Fujifilm. When I bought the X10 in late 2012, I didn’t even consider the X100 because it was too expensive as a transition camera. This time I knew that if I spent the money and bought it and I still didn’t go out then I was probably done with that kind of photography. I decided to sell all of my gear and buy whatever the latest version was.
     

(true story)
     
Within an hour, I was back on that same couch with the Fujifilm X100V. Only later did I learn how insanely lucky it was to have found that camera. Regardless, I found it. And it instantly felt right to me. I mean instantly.

     
I decided to pick a different spot, at least once a month, and try to capture it. I figured this would give me good practice and a chance to see new areas in and around Denver. I wasn’t interested in going full manual mode just yet but I did want to practice my compositions. I’d leave everything on full auto and just think about moving myself to get the better shot. Photography 101, if you will.

So I did. And I did. And I did. And I did.

I was enjoying myself but my photography was hit or miss. I know that’s the nature of photography but my stuff was all over the board. I was using Apple’s Photos because I didn’t want to get too bogged down in the process of editing photographs. Sometimes I’d edit the levels or play with the light but for the most part I’d take it as it came from the camera. If you look at any of those images, it’s a testament to how wonderful the Fujifilm X100V captures color.

This method of going out and shooting a location and then sharing my favorite 15 to 20 photos was hard to maintain. And it wasn't any fun for people I was trying to share with. Photographs are like dreams, people don't care unless it's about them or it's really good. Sharing to Flickr was cumbersome. Plus I was getting nagged all the time to pay for an upgrade and that was getting old. The fun was starting to get sucked out again, right around 6 months of owning this camera. The last album I shared on Flickr was February 20, 2022.

Enter Glass.

I had Glass on my iPhone the entire time I owned my camera, signing up about a week or two before buying. I’d post shots from time to time but thought it was a little niche, maybe a little limiting in how I could share. But there were some photographers that would post images every once in a while that would blow me away.
Then on February 15th, Glass came to iPad.

I liken Glass on iPad to a good coffee table book about photography. I’m not there for the likes or the interactions or the vanity, I’m appreciating photography.

That was it. That was the thing that helped me get through my years-long slump with photography. I started watching YouTube videos on street photography, using Adobe Lightroom, color correcting my photos. I started using the built-in film simulations and dialing in recipes from Fuji X Weekly. And I began posting only what I thought was worthy of sharing, taking time to crop and fix and correct my images. I have found a passion that has long been dormant.

Obviously the camera itself isn’t what makes people better at photography. Some of those great images from people on Glass were shot on iPhones. It’s the work, the effort you put in to get the shot and what you want it to be in post.

But it’s important to find a camera that you want to use. I think we lie to ourselves about that part. We go into making a big-ticket purchase and we don’t want to make a mistake so we do the pros and cons and we read the reviews and we just don’t trust ourselves. I realized that I loved shooting with the X10 because I wanted to pick it up and use it. That’s what I got back with the X100V. This quirky video on YouTube absolutely nails it. You want to use this camera.
     
The secret sauce this year was timing. I mean, the way the pieces all fell together is unreal. I was trying to make my old camera something it wasn’t so I made a decision to try something else. I call a local camera shop and they have the camera I want in stock, a camera you can’t find anywhere. And right as I’m making that decision, a new photo service launches that puts photography first. And then, just as I’m growing frustrated with my options for sharing, Glass makes an app for iPad that’s so good it changes the way I want to approach photography. I just deleted Instagram from my phone. What a year!

So, yeah. The X100V is 👍. And if you’re on Glass, please give me a follow. I’ll leave you with a couple of recent photos. Love this camera.