“Children of the Sun” – A photo project shot with the Fujifilm X-T3 and Fujinon XC35mm F2

My name is Alexey Aksenov (1983), I am a photographer from Krasnodar, Russia. Since childhood, I have been engaged in photography, but I consciously began to get involved in this art form only in 2014. Photography, for me, is my main profession and my biggest hobby.

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I am directly involved in portrait and fashion photography. In addition, sometimes I shoot in the art nude genre. Not just nude, but with a story. However, today I will show you exclusively the work I shot with my new Fujifilm X-T3 camera and Fujinon XC35mm F2.

I just recently (no more than a month) switched to a Fujifilm system. Prior to that, since 2009, I used Canon DSLR cameras, and even earlier, film cameras and instant print cameras of the Polaroid type.

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My first digital camera was a Canon 600D DSLR, given to me by my father, along with a Canon EOS EF50mm F1.4 lens. I loved this camera and shot it until the first version of the Canon EOS M50 mirrorless camera came out with an 18-150 EF-M lens. I really liked this small camera for its weight, design and most importantly, the high quality of the photos. However, after 6 months, the touch screen began to live its own life, and I decided not to bother with warranty cases, but to sell this baby on my own.

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It was 2019,  and after the sale, I went back to DSLR cameras, but this time to full-frame. Everyone around me told me that the full-frame cameras shoot better. I fell for it. Although deep down, I knew that the photographer was shooting, not the camera. I bought a 6D, and at first, everything was fine with me in terms of creativity. However, since the camera was out of hand, as if I had taken over the karma of the owner of this camera.

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What do I mean by this? Before buying a Canon 6D, I had regular orders for photo shoots, but here, the quality of the picture increased, but the orders simply disappeared. I decided it was a sign and got rid of it in March 2020. I wondered what to buy for a long time, I wanted the high image quality and compact body of my former M50, but I didn’t want to go back to Canon.

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I have dreamed for a long time that my camera was truly dustproof and waterproof and compact at the same time, but Fuji cameras at the end of 2020 (December) were still expensive to me. Then I took a closer look at the Olympus brand. I reviewed a lot of videos and settled on the OM-D E-M5II with an incredible zoom 14-150 Mark II lens. The camera instantly captivated me with its appearance, build quality, user-friendly menu, and all the camera settings from above.

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I have long wanted to shoot at long exposures handheld and in the rain, without fear of a blurry picture from shake and the fact that the camera will get wet. The in-camera protection and stabilization are incredible. I used this camera until June 29, 2021. When I suddenly did not see that a sale for Fujifilm cameras had started in a local store.

I would not look in their direction, and I was completely satisfied with the Olympus quality, and this camera brought me quite a few clients. But, in poor light, the micro 4/3 sensor did not show itself entirely from the best side. I was tired of struggling with noise, although it was minimal at ISO 1600.

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In general, one of the customers set a condition that it was necessary to shoot in natural light in the evening and with minimum noise, or he would find another artist. I really didn’t want to go back to Canon cameras, I categorically did not consider Sony because of their expensive original optics, and I just don’t like Nikon design.

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It was then that I made the decision to purchase the Fujifilm X-T3 and the Fujinon XC35mm F2 lens, which covers 80% of all my needs and customer needs. There are plans to purchase a pair of other lenses, such as the Fujinon 56mm F1.2 and Viltrox 23mm F1.4.

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I have never regretted that I bought an Olympus in my time, and when I picked up the Fujifilm X-T3 and Fujinon XC35mm F2, I also never regretted this choice. Intuitive camera control, everything is like on film, everything is placed on the top of the camera. Incredible Raw files and Jpegs. 

And after I discovered the possibility of editing a series of presets right in the camera, I practically do not process any more photos on the computer. I clean the skin of acne as much as possible and add contrast. I can say in all seriousness – thanks to Fuji.

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Moving directly to the photo project, I can say that as much as I liked the autofocus at Olympus, in the Fujifilm X-T3 the eye focusing and tracking focus are much faster and better. It is more tenacious, you can judge for yourself by my work.

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Also, wear protection on your hands and feet if you are shooting in sunflowers and you are allergic to them. This is very dangerous, and I was convinced of this from my own experience, but that’s a different story.

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