Claudia Curici Photography
Exploring my passion for photography
Time for a change, a 56mm one
Today I finally got to be the happy owner of a Fujifilm X-T1 and most importantly, of a FX56mm F1.2 R lens – 84mm in 35mm format – (plus the kit lens that came with the camera, 18-55mm). I love my x100S, but there are many times I find the lens doesn’t really suit my style, plus is becoming frustrating that I am not able to change lenses, hence my decision to get the X-T1. This was a birthday present and to prove I took my time to do a proper research and didn’t rush into it, it’s only almost 2 months after my birthday that I got it.
The 56mm is a love at first sight. I don’t think there is anything not to love about this lens. I briefly tried it this afternoon on a bouquet of white lilies I have at home, but I had done it before I changed the quality settings from just Fine to Fine + Raw, so the below four pictures are Jpegs straight from the camera.
A couple of days ago I did the same thing with another lens I love, Nikkor 40mm. The last three pictures are the processed versions of the Raw files. Although I love this lens and will still remain a favorite one, especially for macro (an affordable one for that matter), It feels like a breath of fresh air that I don’t have to get that close to subjects to fill the frame.
Back to the 56mm, I just can’t wait to use it on people and can’t wait to try it tomorrow for the Fujifilm Global Photowalk in Dallas 🙂
Nikon D5300, Nikkor 40mm
One afternoon in San Antonio
…and my first time on a golf course. Not playing golf, but taking pictures, obviously :). There were few guys playing, they must have thought I am a freak. The photos below appear in the order they were taken in one afternoon, starting from around 4pm until after sunset. I usually like to shoot silhouettes at sunset, but this time I chose to turn the back to the sun and follow this splendid light around, with my Fuji x100S, handheld, until the sky lost the golden light and turned blue grayish.
In the mood for pink (With Maggie at Dallas Arboretum – Part one)
Going to a park with a yoga teacher is a lot of fun, especially if the teacher is Maggie, who not only is a beautiful subject, but she is not afraid of getting dirty :). I grabbed both my Fujifilm x100S and my Nikon with the 40mm lens and headed to Dallas Arboretum (the first time for me) with this specific location in mind (I saw it once on Instagram). Never mind we only found this place 10 minutes before the closing time, by the time we got here we had found many other interesting locations. Today I’m in the mood for pink, so I will start this series in a pink note 🙂
Blue reflections
I love big, blue skies, and we are not missing them here in Texas. This is probably my last post from the Galveston / Houston collection, all photos taken with Fuji x100S. First four pictures are taken at Galveston Historic Pleasure Pier in the afternoon, the fifth one at sunset  on the south-west tip of the Island and the last one at San Jacinto Monument in Houston.
Houses of Galveston
What I was most impressed with in Galveston were the houses, which I briefly saw while driving through the city. Unfortunately I haven’t done a proper research before, so I had no idea Galveston (according to Wikipedia) is home to six historic districts containing one of the largest and historically significant collections of 19th-century buildings with over 60 structures listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Galveston was in fact a last moment decision, as our initial final destination was Houston. I took the photo below in between taking pictures of the sunset, as the house was right behind me and facing the sun, hence the beautiful light. It is most probably a new house, but the only one I have from this trip. Galveston is now definitely on my list for just a photo trip though the historic districts.
I gave it a little bit of punch plus a vignette, to reflect the strong impression Galveston houses  left on me.
Beach fractals in Galveston
I found these beautiful sand patterns on the beach in Galveston. Always amazed by the works of nature.
Sunset in Galveston and quitting social media
I’ve realized I haven’t posted sunset images for quite some time. This past weekend I visited Galveston, a coastal city not far away from Houston, Texas, located on the Galveston Island and I endured being eaten alive by mosquitos to take these pictures. 🙂 Lesson learnt: take mosquito spray everywhere.
In other news, this past week was quite special, as I decided to quit Facebook and Instagram, which I was very much into. So much I was spending few hours of my day checking my accounts and always being obsessed with what I should share next. Not normal, I decided, so I closed them and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I want a life that is more curated, and through Facebook and Instagram we are being force-fed so much junk. I believe in the added value of the Internet, but I still want to put a little bit of effort into finding the information I want and need. Plus, I don’t want the act of sharing to take over the creative process. There are many things I considered and I won’t start detailing here, but I would like to share this article with anyone who is considering quitting social media, as it has been of a great help to me: Why I deleted my social media accounts by Daniel Milnor.
And now the Galveston sunset, taken handheld, with my Fuji x100S.
Soft
Back to Seattle being the city of flowers 🙂
Views of Seattle
I think one of the most difficult things for beginner photographers (those who did’t attend an art school, like me) is to identify which photos are good or worth sharing and which ones are not (especially when critique sources are scarce). What I found it helps me and gives me confidence is learning more than how to use a camera; studying design and graphic basics or color composition and always going back to the work of the best photographers. Some of us may have the eye, the intuition for a good composition (that’s probably the reason we decided to get into photography in the first place) but are we able to explain why a photo is good (and I am not talking about outstanding technical execution)?
A selection of photos from Seattle, all taken with my Fuji x100S.
Self explanatory. Waterfront Public Market at dawn.
Waterfront view, afternoon light.
View from Kerry Park before sunset (Queen Anne Hill). Visibility was low due to the wildfires smoke.
Same view, different moment, different white balance.
View from the Space Needle on a hazy day
Seattle full frame
I love markets, and Seattle is the market paradise. Only had about 20 mins to take some pictures at the waterfront farmers market and I fell in love with the patterns and textures created by the piles of fresh produce, especially seafood.
Claudia Curici Photography 