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Something I've struggled with for years, and I am still learning and from time to time I am still making mistakes to this day. Without light, no photos, so it is obvious that to make a decent picture, technically speaking, understanding light and knowing how to play with it is the most important part of the process. Don't jump into Flash photography, don't use strobes, if you don't know how to shoot without. Before composing your shot, before you frame anything before you dial in your settings, the first very thing you gotta do is look at the type of light you have. Is it a harsh, hard light? Is it a soft light like the one you can get on an overcast day? Or maybe it's that soft morning/ evening light? Look closely at the direction of the light by looking at the shadows on the floor for example and look closely at the ones on your model's face and body and the ones all around. So what are we looking for? Any shadows created by anything around you that can cut your model in half, hide a part of the body. You want nothing in the way. You are looking at any type of shadow that would be too distracting or make things look weird. Unless it is something you want in your picture. It might as well be a concept If you wish to reveal or show only certain parts of the body as if they were emerging out of the shadows or just drown your entire scene into darkness with massive shadows. Look at the eye sockets of your model and ask Him or Her to slightly lift their chin and turn their faces left or right and find that sweet spot where you feel the shadows or light on the face looks right. The same thing applies to your surroundings. Any building, monument, wall, any objects in the background, look at the shadows. If you are working with harsh mid-day light parts of your image will be plunged into deep shadows, and others will be really bright. This hard contrast can be distracting, so you might change your angle or location for a spot where your background will be evenly lit or completely in the shadows. These small details make the difference, because sometimes and this includes me, you want to shoot in a specific place, with a specific angle, you want to include that building, that wall, that monument in your shot... but then you realize, you are taking you picture at the wrong time of the day. So you have 2 options, come back at the right time (that's why I made a video about preparing your photoshoot, to avoid this kind of situation). Or you completely change your framing, angle, and composition to have a pleasing balanced image. Again preparation is important, especially when shooting outside, some places look awesome in the morning but are hard to work with, in the evening. Light will also help you when staging your models. The way they pose, where they look, and so on... depending on where the light comes from and the desired effect if you don't know how to pose your models, let the light help you. Use light to draw attention, to guide the viewer's eye. Dafne Lugui Barbosa (Toulouse - France) To make the transition less obvious between light and dark I placed my model at the edge. Virginie Baïet (Toulouse - France) Use light to isolate your subject or what you want to show. What you wish to hide and reveal. Morgane (Mulhouse - France) You can also ask your model to close their eyes for a serene shot. Allegra Bird (Bordeaux - France) Christine Pham (Strasbourg - France) In these shots, the direction of the light defined the body, head position, and overall pose and movement and of course, it heavily influenced my composition Dafne Lugui Barbosa (Toulouse - France) Virginia Danh (Mulhouse - France) Fanny George (Strasbourg - France) Allegra Bird (Bordeaux - France) This may be obvious for a lot of you, but I felt this was important to share because I've seen so many pictures of pro photographers taking this for granted... And like I said earlier I am sometimes torn between keeping the composition I initially had in mind and the light I finally have in reality... In the end, I prefer having a well-executed and well-lit image to a potentially great composition and framing but with an awful light.

behind the scenes feat. Antoinette Djimou We are in Montpellier, wishing we could shoot really early in the morning with beautiful soft light. But no, this would be too easy. Past 10 am the light becomes gradually harsher, harder to work with and I won't even talk about the direction of the light because as we get closer to 12 o'clock the sun is basically too high. But life ain't fun when it's too easy. We didn't have much time, I was working all alone without any strobes this time and a few outfits to shoot. For this new behind-the-scenes video, I decided to apply all the things (almost) I shared in my latest video. Compose & Pose your models with Light & Shadows! These simple basic tips will give you a solid base to work on, an efficient way to quickly pose your models and stage your shots. It is basically the type of situation I handle on a regular basis. Tight budgets, shooting during the day, little to no time to set up my shots, and yet you've got to produce a dozen + pictures ranging from action shots to portraits. For an editorial, a portrait, an interview in a magazine I almost never have a comfortable budget and assistants with me... hope this situation will change someday or is this where this business is heading? is this the end? I hope not! Let's not waste your time, here are a selection of images from this fun session with Double European champion Athlete Antoinette Djimou (Heptathlon and Pentathlon): Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/1000s f4 ISO100 at 64mm Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/3200s f2 ISO100 at 110mm Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/1250s f4 ISO100 at 64mm Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/1250s f4 ISO100 at 55mm Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/640s f9 ISO200 at 55mm Antoinette Djimou (Montpellier - France) Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/1250s f7.1 ISO200 at 36mm I gave my thoughts on this camera a few weeks back, and although it has a few flaws, it suits my style and workflow. Plus, 50 megapixels is not a luxury when clients sometimes ask you to crop your images! Fuji GFX50s my thoughts as a Dance/ Circus photographer I know some of you have been missing my flash/ strobes tutorial/ behind the scenes, and I've received your requests on more Photoshop videos. Do not worry, it's coming!

Behind the scenes feat. Kristina Bentz To sum this up, I am trying my best to find a simple and effective way to bring you with me to some of my regular photoshoot sessions. I've used Gopros in the past to film my sessions, and now I am using a 360° camera called the ONEX. I love it for a lot of reasons and most of them were mentioned here: Do yourself a favor, prepare your photoshoot! Easy to use, just fix it on your camera and press the record button. The only issue is when I use a lens that is over 50mm... the ultra-wide-angle lens makes my subject super tiny as if he or she was a hundred meters away. Zooming in doesn't fix the problem, the resolution of the ONEX is 5.7k total (front and back) so zooming in too much gives you an over pixelated image. So I would need 2 cameras, my insta360 ONEX mounted on my camera and another one with a "télé" like lens on the side for some close-ups and a better view of my model overall. The idea was to have a portable rather small easy setup because I don't want to carry around too much gear, and I don't want to overthink it, because my priority is my photoshoot! I guess that my only solution for now, unfortunately, is having someone else filming for me on the side. Let's wait and see, maybe I will find a better solution in the near future. For now, this is all we have, and I am happy I still had my little camera with me for this fun improvised session with Kristi Bentz a wonderful and talented dancer from the Opera de Lyon. I wanted to change the way I work during my short stay in Lyon. After the first shot, I thought I would give Kristi a little more room to breathe, to move, to experiment. I just left her in her flow and tried my best to keep my mouth shut during the process. Usually, I give a lot of indications and constraints to my model. The reason for that is because I often make my framing and composition first and then I try to find a way to make something with my performer work within that space. By letting the dancer move depending on the amount of freedom you give them you will be less precise with your composition. If you are a bit like me you will also reject a ton of pictures in the post because the body movement, shape, and form might work with the background or with the environment. But the results you get are something different. More organic, it feels "real" and less staged, depending on how much you let your performer move. We didn't really get there on this session, because working this way for an entire shoot was new to me. I also believe that you cannot do this with anybody. Your performer must know how to improvise, under any circumstances, anywhere, and there has to be some kind of connection with the photographer too. Kristi was amazing, my only regret was to not have pushed this session further. I hope there will be a "next time", I learned so much during this short session. Fujifilm GFX50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/4000 f2.5 ISO100 Fujifilm GFX50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/250 f2 ISO100 Fujifilm GFX50s GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/250 f4 ISO125 at 32mm Fujifilm GFX50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/250 f2 ISO125

Challenge yourself I think I talked about this in a past video, but it doesn't hurt to talk about this subject once again. We always want to improve, we want to get better, develop our skills, and so on. And I believe the most effective way, according to me is to get out of your comfort zone. Do something for the first time, be an amateur, be a noob again! And that's what I am going to do next year from time to time and I will share this experience with you. Boudoir, glamour, lingerie is something I thought I would never do. Far from the athletes, circus performers, and dancers, I am used to photographing. Here you have a model that doesn't have that type of background and training, so you can't rely on complex and extreme athletic or artistic poses to make an interesting picture. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/160sec at f/2.0 ISO 100 - 110mm First, you have to quickly build a relationship with your model based on trust. She has to feel comfortable with you and the setting. You have to quickly know where you can take your model and what you can ask them to do (Remember, no crazy splits, backbends, and jumps on this one). Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/125sec at f/2.0 ISO 100 - 110mm Plus it is also important you are also comfortable during these types of sessions because of the theme... Please, don't be creepy, respect your model. Usually, Boudoir sessions are set up in a bedroom in an apartment or hôtel room. Unless there is a huge budget involved you won't have a lot of space to work with. I almost abandoned the idea of using a flash (not enough room) I just used it for a little fill or to add a little kick. So you guessed, I decided to use heavily the biggest window available in the room as the main light. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/125sec at f/2.8 ISO 100 - 110mm I am working with the Fujifilm GFX50s the Gf 110mm F2 and 32-64mm F4 once again, I am starting to love this camera. This is a first for me (really), I learned so much during this session, I changed my approach, simplified my shots, and took my time to make each one of them... having less gear involved helps a lot. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/125sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 110mm Being in a situation you have never been in before is scary, facing problems you have never faced before too... but the experience, the struggle, the mistakes you are going to make will help you learn faster... Trust me you will remember those mistakes and never make them again. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR 1/1000sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 60mm So I really recommend you do the same. You are not a landscape photographer? Go out there and photograph landscapes. You never shoot portraits? Setup your first portrait shoot next week. Make it simple, shoot outdoors, use only the available light and enjoy the process of starting from scratch. Make it fun but it still has to be professional... When was the last time you challenged yourself, do you often get out of your comfort zone? Tell us in the comments below! Share your experience. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/125sec at f/2.0 ISO 125 - 110mm Part II is just a click away: Challenge yourself – Boudoir/ Glamour photoshoot (Part II)

Challenge yourself If you haven't read or watched part 1, I invite you to pursue it because there is no specific order. Challenge yourself – Boudoir/ Glamour photoshoot (Part I) A brand new location, new model, but still in the boudoir, glamour, lingerie theme! Practice makes it perfect, although don't be fooled, you'll never reach perfection. But I can guarantee you, you will get better at what you do. So expect more of this on Instagram and in the Blog, and hopefully, we will slowly spice it up with a little more creativity each time. I've done a few of these the past weeks so I am getting a little more comfortable with the theme every time I shoot. I am still using for some pictures a little bit of flash for fill and backlight. But the sun remains my main light. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR 1/800sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 64mm We made a few bedroom shots and then we took the rest of the session outside. Now here are a few basic tips if you are planning on doing a Boudoir shoot soon that might help you if you are a complete beginner. 1/ First the obvious, respect your model, make them comfortable because you are responsible for the mood on set. Put some music, nothing too heavy, nothing too loud, something relaxed that will lighten the mood. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR 1/640sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 50mm 2/ Never touch your model! Really keep your distance, it has to stay professional. Even if you are doing a TFP (Time for prints/ photos). If there is something wrong with their outfit, their hair, or anything else, tell them and they'll handle the problem themselves. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR 1/1000sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 64mm 3/ Communicate and don't leave your model clueless about what's going on. Exchange and share ideas and keep your team (if any) and the model informed of what's to come. I've seen so many silent photographers leaving everybody waiting without giving any reason. People will think you don't know what you are doing and this breaks the flow and energy of your session. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR 1/640sec at f/4.0 ISO 100 - 64mm 4/ Choose your words wisely when you guide your models... No “ass”, or “butt”, prefer the term Glutes for example. Please don't be creepy and please avoid things like: “make love to the camera” “seduce me” or anything like that. This is just weird and inappropriate! Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/2500sec at f/2.0 ISO 100 - 110mm 5/ In addition to N°4, If you want a specific pose simply show them! Take the pose, move your head, shoulders, arms, and legs if needed and watch your model mimic your moves. Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/1600sec at f/2.0 ISO 100 - 110mm Fujifilm GFX 50s GF 110mm F2 R WR 1/1250sec at f/2.0 ISO 100 - 110mm You can take your time on a photoshoot like this the human aspect is very important if you wish to make your photo shoot a success. Are you an experienced Boudoir, Glamour photographer? Share your tips with us in the comments below, we would love to learn from you!

Making and delivering the right content for your client. Creating images that will satisfy them, images you will like and defend, adjusted to the project's budget and to your client's needs. It sounds easy, but in reality, it isn't... When I started, I wanted to make art all the time, create crazy images! These would require a lot of preparation, a team, technical difficulties onset, and sometimes a lot of editing in post. Unfortunately in the real world, you cannot do that especially if you are running a business. Commissioned work, editorials, and private sessions sometimes are made on tight budgets, so you can't go crazy on these, for the sake of your company and for your own health. Obviously, I will take much more time on a 5k shoot than on a 500, but this doesn't mean I will deliver cheap images. That's why you have pictures on my Instagram and my website that were clearly made with completely different budgets. Plus, making crazy artistic pictures isn't always what your client wants. Sometimes holding back and delivering simple and refined images is the way to go. That's what we aimed during this short portrait session. I had to photograph 2 triathletes and make only a few images that would illustrate the athlete and the sport. I knew early on I wanted to create at least one picture with all three disciplines... Something I've done a few times in the past. The sun was setting quickly so we had to work fast, plus with that 3 in 1 picture the constant light change could end up being a nightmare in photoshop. We quickly rehearsed the poses, and tried different things... and once we were satisfied overall it was time to shoot... Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/10 ISO100 - 32mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/10 ISO100 - 32mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/9 ISO100 - 60mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/8 ISO100 - 55mm Fujifilm GFX50s GF110mmF2 R LM WR 1/640sec at f/2.5 ISO100 - 110mm Fujifilm GFX50s GF110mmF2 R LM WR 1/500sec at f/2.5 ISO100 - 110mm Knowing how to adapt to any type of project and situation is a crucial asset. Giving and doing too much, risking being off-topic, in the end, you will end up wasting valuable time and potentially a client. Quick question, I am wondering, who my audience is... What genre, type of photography are you into? I would like to know! Huge thanks to these 2 wonderful Athletes: @emiliemorier and @alexia__bailly

The setup I use the most, the one you really have to master before jumping to 2 or more lights. To be really honest, even when I have the option I often simplify and use that one and only light. But the thing is, in a lot of cases, it is not an artistic choice. I don't really have that many options on most of my sessions for a simple reason: Budget! "Money" will obviously define what will be possible. I quickly talked about this in my previous video. You will have to propose and create images for your client that will suit their needs and that will be adapted to their budget. One of the reasons that push me to make a few changes next year, is that the clients I have today often don't have the money for big photoshoots. What I mean by "big" is that they can only afford me and my camera and the addition of a flash is usually a luxury. So this is the reason why I often only use one light or the light available on location and also because I am lazy and I don't want to carry too much gear with me when I travel (but you got to keep this reason for yourself). Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 32mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 23mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 23mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 32mm It's awesome to have control, and this is one of the benefits of using strobes, I also love having more creative options. Before jumping into more complex setups, I believe learning how to master one flash or a single light source first is important. This will already take a lot of your time and will benefit your work in the long run. CANON EOSR + Broncolor SirosL EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II 1/200sec at f/3.5 ISO100 - 65mm CANON EOSR + Broncolor SirosL EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II 1/200sec at f/2.8 ISO100 - 50mm CANON EOSR + Broncolor SirosL EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II 1/200sec at f/5 ISO800 - 24mm I would love to work on bigger projects more often, having my own team, travel first class, and eat in fancy restaurants... Forget the 1st class and the fancy stuff, I just wish money wasn't always in the way because my work would be totally different creatively. Now you know what to do, get your ass out there, and use only one light in every way possible until you get sick of it. Are you a natural light shooter? What is your favorite setup on location? one, 2 more lights? Tell us in the comments below! Huge thanks to these 2 wonderful artists! Alexandra Vadon Marie-Lou Lagrange

Behind the scenes Lingerie & Swimwear photoshoot This is a follow-up to the video I posted earlier this week... If you have missed it, don't worry I got you covered: Photographers, Do we need our own studio? [Part I] Basically, I was asked to make more studio-like images recently. Of course, this conversation is from a business perspective. So answering this question is easy... Do I need my own studio? Well, not really! So I was lucky to have this beautiful space for an entire weekend. I used it for a few Pole Dance sessions but my main goal was to turn this place into my temporary studio. And that's basically what I do when I need to make headshots, portraits, swimwear, lingerie sessions with a simple backdrop. You can also invest in a portable backdrop that you can bring anywhere, but that's more gear to carry with you... So I try my best to find places where I can actually find everything I need. And so far, it wasn't too hard for me to find a place to do these. I typically use 2 lights, sometimes one and use white walls to bounce my light back on my subject, I now kinda have my go-to setups that I rely on when I am short in time. Fujifilm GFX50s + 2X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 62mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 2X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 64mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm I came back to Toulouse just a few weeks later after these sessions and guess what? I was asked to do studio work once again. So I made a few calls and found the Espace Cobalt... where a black and a white wall were easily accessible for what we needed to capture. CANON 5DIV + 2X Broncolor SirosL EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L II USM 1/200sec at f/5.6 ISO 50 - 85mm CANON 5DIV + Broncolor SirosL EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L II USM 1/200sec at f/5 ISO 50 - 85mm CANON 5DIV + 2X Broncolor SirosL EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L II USM 1/200sec at f/5.6 ISO 50 - 100mm CANON 5DIV + Broncolor SirosL EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L II USM 1/200sec at f/5.6 ISO 50 - 85mm CANON 5DIV + Broncolor SirosL EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L II USM 1/200sec at f/5.6 ISO 50 - 85mm I really enjoyed these sessions, with one or 2 lights, you can already make cool-looking images. Of course in my case, I've said it earlier, my main problem is to find the right space that would allow me to do these images. How do you guys do it? Do you often work in studios? Or do you simply own yours? I don't think I need to invest in my own studio now. If you know my work you know how much I love to work in strange, weird places, outdoors and indoors. Maybe this will change depending on the amount of studio work that will come my way. Christmas is round' the corner, I hope you will be able to spend this wonderful time of the year with your loved ones. Happy Holiday season, I'll catch you guys in the next one but until the next one please, have a good one.

Contortion photoshoot behind the scenes Feat. Jess Prévalet This happens a lot, and most of the time you cannot do anything about it. You travel, you are only available a few days, you rent your gear, or get authorizations to a specific place at specific hours and then boom... Your model is late or has to postpone your shoot a few hours later, or you are shooting outdoors and it's pouring rain and unfortunately, you can't change anything. A few hours later means changing your entire schedule of the day, and the cost of a rental isn't cheap these days. I work on tight schedules, so I don't have much flexibility so it's either we cancel it or we do it anyways. Canceling for me means we won't meet again before a long long time if not ever. But this trip wasn't that bad, I was in Paris only for a few days for the Salon de la Photo and the guys at Fujifilm France let me borrow the GFX100 during my stay. But like I said earlier, the weather in Paris was awful, it was raining almost every day... it was really cold, and getting any authorizations to shoot indoors like London is a nightmare. To sum up the situation, the available light was flat and dull, I didn't have my flash with me and I wouldn't have risked taking them out under the rain. So I had to forget all the ideas I had initially for Jessica our performer of the day. All the following pictures have the same settings: Fujifilm GFX100 GF 110mm f2 LM WR 1/250sec at f/2.0 ISO200 - 110mm Crop with new 5:7 Ratio Zooming in... Just in case you do not like the reflection: A little tip for rainy days, avoid shooting the sky if you don't want washed-out skies in your images. You can also play with reflections in puddles and during this session, I tried to use any elements available to lean on to help us make our shots more interesting... The infamous 1:1 Instagram crop (I still can't get used to it)! 1:1What do you think? Original better? FujiFilm GFX100 GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/200sec at f/4 ISO400 - 32mm Let's get closer: I played with aspect rations on some shots because the GFX100 and its 102 Megapixels sensor let you crop without losing too many details. More on that on my feelings about this camera that should be out in a week or so. So how do you handle this kind of situation? Do you cancel and reschedule in hopes of better weather conditions? I personally rarely have this option...

It's out now, you no longer have to wait weeks to get it. It is considered as one of the best cameras released last year, who is it for? Is it now the time to go medium format? I've talked about size sensors and how the term medium format could be confusing for some in my video about the GFX50s, If you haven't seen it, here is the link to the article. Fuji GFX50s my thoughts as a Dance/ Circus photographer The camera has a 43.8 x 32.9 millimeters sensor, which is about 1.7 times the area of the one on a full-frame camera but smaller than the medium-format sensors in Phase One and Hasselblad's high-end systems, which are roughly 54 x 40mm. We now have the 4th generation of the X-Processor for this camera, you can definitely feel that the system is generally faster than the GFX 50S. The camera body is a bit like the CANON 1DX in terms of overall size, or you can describe it as a big brick coming straight out from the 1980s. They got rid of the physical dials on top, which is a shame in my opinion. The Fuji GFX 100 has now three screens. A small screen on the top plate a 3.2-inch 2.36million-dot touchscreen on its rear, plus a slim screen beneath it. At least now you can have a clean rear screen and still have your histogram or settings on the smaller screen underneath it. If you are looking for a lightweight, small system that will spare your soar back, pass your turn, this camera is not for you. But yes, they made major improvements from the GFX50s, you can feel it right away. At last, we have phase detect and contrast autofocus, we jump from 3 to 5fps in continuous shooting and at first glance the new EVF is beautiful. The menus haven't changed much if you are a Fuji user, you will feel at home. I don't want to dig too much into the specs here, I don't want to go pixel peeking either... The best way to judge a camera is to actually use it. If you wish to know more about these specs, google is your friend, you will find all you need on Fujifilm's official website. Before I go any further, I must thank Fujifilm for letting me borrow the GFX100 a couple of times for testing. I wish I had this camera in my hands a bit longer each time and for more ambitious projects but still, I have now an idea of its potential. Alice Catonnet - Théatre National Chaillot (Paris - France) F ujifilm GFX100 + GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f4 ISO100 at 50mm Alice Catonnet - Théatre National Chaillot (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f2 ISO320 at 110mm Alice Catonnet - Théatre National Chaillot (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/640sec f4 ISO50 at 110mm Marso - Théatre National Chaillot (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/125sec f6.4 ISO1250 at 110mm Shooting in difficult lighting situations lets you evaluate the performance of the autofocus, the camera never failed me even in really dark situations. I was able to pair it with my Broncolor light, I used the GFX100 as my main working camera during one of my stay in Paris. To further test the camera in low light, I decided to make a night session outdoors using only street lamps to light my subject. Marjorie Gollion (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/60sec f2 ISO2000 at 110mm Marjorie Gollion (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/60sec f2 ISO2500 at 110mm I love the images, the noise is visible at 800 ISO and above but it is not distracting at all. I would even say that it almost looks like film grains and gives an interesting texture to the image. You have probably seen my previous BTS video where I used the GFX100 during a cold rainy day, no flash just the light available, and the raindrops didn't stop us, I can confirm that the camera is weather sealed. Complete Gallery and behind the scenes video: When things don’t go as planned! Jessica Prévalet (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/250sec f2 ISO200 at 110mm I also took the camera with me for a portrait/ boudoir session in a tiny apartment using only the light from a huge window. Camille Bernard (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/125sec f2 ISO640 at 110mm Camille Bernard (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/125sec f2 ISO800 at 110mm There are a few things I really don't like about this camera. I won't talk about the look but some buttons are too small for me. The joystick is tiny and painful to use in the long run especially when you are trying to select a focus point amongst the 425 available. The vertical Grip could have been better, it's slippery, and it doesn't feel great in the hand. I ended up not using it much after a few tries. And on a personal note, why didn't they go for Cf express cards? These sessions happen a few weeks ago and I am still editing some of the files taken with this camera, but I can already say that I love the cGFX100! The double battery will give you almost 800 frames. The IBIS (in-body image stabilization) is more than welcome, I've been able to shoot handheld with slow shutter speeds and most of my shots were tack sharp. This beast will give you 14 or 16bit raw images, that will give you plenty of room to play with in post. I love the colors, the dynamic range, I sometimes only do light edits on some images because they already look beautiful straight out of the camera. The GFX100 without a doubt a big step up from the gfx50S! Mickael Marso Riviere️ (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/125sec f5 ISO640 at 110mm Mickael Marso Riviere️ (Paris - France) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR 1/100sec f5 ISO1250 at 110mm For all those Hybrid shooters out there, let's not forget this camera shoots video DCI 4k, 30, 25, 24 images per second, 4:2:0 internal with Flog (and much more) and the images are also amazing. During my stay in Paris, I visited my Friend Marso... A French dancer and choreographer, who was rehearsing with his company at the Chaillot Theatre. I decided to film a few random clips to test the low light of this camera in video mode. The audio on these samples was recorded with the camera's internal mic and I added a few images ungraded in F-log. Of course, this was recorded in 4K downscaled and rendered in 1080p. This doesn't do justice to the camera. Unfortunately, I only had enough time to film indoors so I really hope I will have other opportunities in the future to film with the GFX100. So what about the price? At around 10k, which is cheap compared to other medium format cameras, it is still a lot of money for a lot of us this is clearly aimed at a specific market. Not everybody can justify the acquisition of this camera unless you are filthy rich. Will it get you more clients? I can't answer, I haven't used it long enough. I've been working with the GFX50s for 8 months only and only had the GFX100 for a few sessions. Do you need 102mega pixels? Yes and no... I am old school, I try my best to get it all in-camera onset, and every element you see in the frame is there for a reason. You may not like it, but it was my choice at that specific moment. I see a lot of photographers framing and composing loosely their shots, not really paying attention to details online. We now have wonderful tools that have powerful eye detect autofocus and with 30 + megapixels we can always crop and recompose in post edit. It's a choice, it is not mine, and I believe that this is where you draw the line between photographers that build, construct, make carefully crafted photographs to convey a message, to tell a story or just to make an impactful visually pleasing shot and the others who just don't care. They just want to please their audience on Instagram and as long as they are following the latest trends and get the likes they are satisfied. But still, this happened to me a few times, now clients need files that can be used in various forms. Before I used to make several wide, medium, and tight shots of the same scene to give my client a wide variety of shots. They want to be able to use their images for different platforms. They will need different crops for different uses, for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and maybe for prints, for a blog, a magazine, or bigger campaigns. The advantage of having 102 megapixels is to potentially have the option to use any image you have made and crop it any way you want and still not be worried about losing too many details. Do they want to use that wide shot and crop it for a tighter image? they can. Turn a full-body photograph into a portrait? It's possible too. So let's wrap it up... Is it worth the upgrade from the GFX50S? In my opinion yes, if you are a working pro landscape, architecture photographer, if you shoot fashion, or do commercial photography or even fine art. If you are not making money out of photography then you can definitely live without it. If action photography or sports are your bread and butter, this is not the right camera! Despite all the improvements, this camera is still not up to speed for certain tasks, photographing a fast-moving subject will still be difficult with such a system. Would I invest in this camera? I don't know, now may not be the time for me, and if you have been following me for some time you might have seen fewer action shots in my work the past year. This coincides with me using more and more Fujifilm's GF cameras. I would need this camera for probably less than 10% of my work today and that's not enough for me to invest in the system. I prefer renting it wherever and whenever it's available, because yes, although they've been selling a lot of them lately, it is still hard to find if you wish to rent it... at least here in France. Maybe in a couple of months, if I do more advertising, commercial photography... we'll see! The GF line is still young and looks very promising, to say the least. To be honest, I am waiting for the GFX50s upgrade if there will be any because with all the improvements they made with the GFX100 and the price of the GFX50s, Fuji has potentially another hit camera awaiting to be made... or is it already?

Crossfit behind the scenes photoshoot Feat. Anaïs & Cynthia So I might be cursed... maybe... a week before our session one of the Athlete I was supposed to photograph injured herself during a WOD (work out of the day). I said this in a previous article, you cancel or you try to find a solution to still make it happen. She didn't want to cancel, so we made it work! This is unfortunate, for her of course, she got surgery since the incident and is slowly recovering right now. I would have never forced her to make this photoshoot, it was her decision to maintain it. We planned this a few weeks ahead, and after the incident all that we have planned became useless. I had 2 athletes that day, very little time so I had to find a solution to make a set of images that would still stick to the project without making it too painful for her. We couldn't get the box/ location for ourselves, and I hate having people in my shots, so we sometimes didn't have the choice for composition and placement. Anaïs Maï-Lan Lancry - (Crossfit Estuary / Bordeaux) Fujifilm GFX50s + 2X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 55mm Cynthia Balout (Crossfit Estuary - Bordeaux) Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm We had to work fast, so I had to minimize my lighting setups because I was working alone that day. When this happens, you rely on trusted techniques that give instant results. Make it simple, place your light on the side, 45 to 90 degrees camera left or right, slightly above your model's head. Look at the shadows, I usually use them to guide me, and help me add depth to my images, of course, it depends on your style. Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 60mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/5 ISO100 - 55mm I used 2 lights on some of the shots... The 2nd one was used as a rim, or backlight most of the time placed on the opposite side of the main flash. If you don’t have a light meter, there is an easy way to do it. Expose for your background first and then dial-up or down the power of your flash to properly expose your subject Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 120mm Basically, we decided to avoid any action shots and went for more static poses and portraits for everybody. We will make these probably during a future session. Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 64mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 2x Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4.5 ISO100 - 60mm Fujifilm GFX50s + Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm At the end of the photoshoot, for a few minutes we had a little bit of light coming from a window, so we made a few additional portraits there too. Fujifilm GFX50s GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro 1/1000sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm There is no room for frustration, I am now used to it... things never go as planned anyway, so you have to embrace the situation and work with what you have. If it's really necessary, your client will postpone the shoot. Join me on Instagram if you haven't already, this is where I make announcements, and share stupid stuff too. What is the craziest thing that happened to you or your models before a shoot? Tell us in the comments below!

What a weird Idea, sometimes I am obsessed with strange ideas and in order to get things out of my system, I need to materialize them. So that’s what I did. Do I like the results, what did I learn? Let’s find out! Maeva K. Hôtel du grand opera( Toulouse - France ) Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO250 - 43mm It’s really my thing, I’ve done it in the past, I’ve tried things that I ended up not liking afterward… Sometimes I enjoy the process, like the results right after, but when I look at the images months later I end up hating why I did. You can actually see some of these on YouTube and in my blog. Of course, they are no longer in my portfolio but they are accessible because I like the idea of having access to my old work and being able to see how much my work has evolved and changed through time. We tested different things during this session, different angles, and perspectives. We worked in a familiar hôtel room that didn’t give me much space to work with this time, even less than usual. But I had the chance to have a familiar face in front of my lens… Miss Maeva . The weather wasn’t great, and we missed the best time of the day already. You know that moment the light comes through the only window you have in the room? We basically missed it or had thick clouds blocking the sun most of the time. So we had to fake it, by placing my Broncolor flash on the balcony to replace the missing sun. Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO250 - 43mm I didn’t really Guide Maeva on this one, we tried a few different things. I simply described to her the mood and tone, gave her a few basic shapes I had on my mind, showed how I wanted to frame her and compose my shots and we built each image together. Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO250 - 33mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO250 - 44mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO640 - 35mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/5 ISO100 - 50mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO640 - 38mm Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 32-64mm f4 R LM WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO250 - 32mm I even brought my Broncolor Edge Mask. A tool I haven’t used much since that last portrait session I did more than a year ago. Fujifilm GFX50s + 1X Broncolor SirosL GF 120mm f4 Macro R LM OIS WR 1/125sec at f/4 ISO100 - 120mm How to easily make any location your studio Never used it for this type of photoshoot so I thought I might give it a shot. Usually, I do these with at least 2 lights and a dark or black backdrop. Now I can achieve the look with a single flash and the edge mask. Thankfully Maeva has a small body so she fitted perfectly. There is a bigger version of this setup but never considered upgrading since I rarely use it. So, will I dig further into this style of images? I don’t know, we’ll see, I will think about it in a month or 2, but I really enjoyed experimenting and trying new things. Here are a few before and after shots just to show you how much there was done to some of these images. How about you? How often do you experiment? What is the strangest session you have done so far?