I found my wonderland

Hello, Alice! Would you like to start by introducing yourself to our readers?
Hello, I am Alice, 25 years old, and I’m from Macau. I am a freelancer and a huge fan of photography.

Could you tell us about your hobbies and passions?
I love plants, flowers, and walking around the streets. I really like travelling and visiting different coffee shops here in my city, but also in other places.

We must tell you that we were stunned by the fantastic photos of the places you share on Instagram. The streets, gardens, and architecture, all in a perfect balance between modernity and tradition. How is life in Macau?
Even though Macau is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, it’s still a very quiet and peaceful city, with very friendly people. You will always feel the mixture of Portuguese and Chinese culture, especially in architecture, food, and even in the way the streets are designed. With many churches, but also amazing temples (which are excellent for visiting and photography.)

What about your interest in Photography? How did it start?
Starting by using my mom’s camera back when I was nine years old, I was always attracted to capturing simple things like plants, pets, skies, houses… and also portraits of my little brother.

Do you have any sources of inspiration you would like to share?
I get a lot of inspiration from classic movies but also from vintage photography, clothing books and magazines, which always have amazing portrait and product photos.

We noticed you make sure to take pictures of your daily life and the places you visit. Could you tell us about the importance of documenting life as it happens?
I think documenting your life could be a bit underrated, and people don’t really appreciate it until it is too late. Looking back at old photos can give you the feeling of time travelling, and you remember amazing memories with your eyes, looking at those photos, and it doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad pictures.

What type of subjects usually interests you, and triggers you to grab the camera and take a shot?
Mainly plants, architecture, but also random people living their everyday life when I am doing street photography.

Would you mind telling us which cameras you used before Fuji, and what led you to buy the X100V?
Before, I used a Canon M50 and also the Sony A7C, but I never liked the idea of changing lenses and breaking the moment by stopping somewhere to change a lens. Also, I was not really happy with the colours straight out of the camera, so when I first saw the Fuji colours and film simulations in YouTube videos and other creators, I really liked the idea of having that camera. I love that, in the X100V, you get amazing optical quality, and I don’t worry about changing lenses.

Indeed, the X100V is a great little camera! Besides the 23mm fixed lens, what are the advantages, and disadvantages, of the X100V for lifestyle photography?
I think the main advantage is how compact and lightweight it is. It can really fit in a jacket’s pocket or in my little handbag, and that gives you the motivation to bring the camera with you basically every day or for any trip.

The disadvantage would be maybe the video capabilities. This may not be the best camera for video, to vlog my lifestyle.

Jpeg vs RAW, which do you use and why?
I prefer Jpeg because I don’t have the time for editing raws. I think the most significant feature of any FUJI camera is definitely the colours and image quality straight out of the sensor, and those amazing film simulations such as CLASSIC NEG and CLASSIC CHROME, which give you amazing results for posting or sharing without having to spend time editing.

It’s fantastic to see how you really take advantage of all the development work behind each film simulation in your Fuji! Do you have a favourite?
I use each film simulation for different situations according to the environment, lighting, and subject. For example, for sunny days with amazing lighting, I would prefer to use CLASSIC NEG, since it gives a very nice blue colour to the sky, and a very attractive contrast and more emotions to those photos. For other situations, such as portraits on cloudy days, I would use ETERNA. For a softer and more cinematic style, basically, I would try to get creative and try to adapt those film simulations for different situations.