X-T1 and one lucky grumpy old man captured by Charlene Winfred.
Once upon a time
I was in Australia in April 2011 and had a chance to try out my friend Christian Fletcher‘s pre-production model of the much awaited Fujifilm X-100 camera. I was hooked instantly, despite the camera’s firmware being quirky to say the least and the battery ran out after half a day! The following year, March 2012, I was again in Australia, and again I commandeered Christian’s pre-production model of the soon to be released Fujifilm X-Pro1 with 18mm and 35mm lenses. Now I was completely sold, literally, sold all my Canon gear, became 100% dedicated to the Fujifilm X-system when I bought the X-Pro1 in April 2012!
In early 2013 Fujifilm Denmark became aware of my work with the Fujifilm cameras and on 8th of March 2013, 5 years ago exactly, I received an email from Fujifilm Japan asking me if I wanted to become an “X-Photographer”, their term for their camera ambassadors. I must admit I did not know much about what “X-photographers” were but it sounded fun! Five years later and it has been a helluva ride, ups and downs, but I really like being part of the Fujifilm family. It has brought me so many awesome experiences all over the world. Mainly, I love the Fujifilm cameras, I was using them 100% before I became an ambassador and they are perfect for my work.
I make better work with these tools, and that is the important thing, the work, the pictures, in the end that is what matters.
Let’s jump to some bullet point lists, random lists are awesome.
The cameras
- X100. Got this in April 2011, sold it in I think 2014. The original X100, the very first X-camera, the super quirky one, more bugs in the firmware than in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom! But I loved it. And I really wish I had never sold it but needed the money. Read my very first X100 post here.
- X-Pro1. I sold all my Canon gear and switched 100% to Fujifilm when the X-pro1 came out in April 2012. I bought it and the 18mm and 35mm lenses. It was still slow as molasses but compared to the launch model of the X100 one year earlier, the X-Pro1 actually worked out of the box! Read my first X-Pro1 post here.
- X-T1. Got this in March 2014 and I must admit I was so in love with the X100 and X-Pro1 rangefinder feel and look, I found the X-T1 to be a strange and ugly beast at first. That only lasted till I fell in love with the big viewfinder and the flipscreen. Almost 4 years later and I still use this amazing camera, still going strong!
- X-Pro2. Got this early 2016 as I was part of the team doing promotion shoots with it. I never really became great friends with the X-Pro2. I loved the X-Pro1, but the X-T1 had very firmly made me a T-series shooter. The X-Pro2 is an extremely beautiful and awesome camera, but it is not ideal for me.
- X-T2. Got this in October 2016. The best Fujifilm X-series camera (yes I have tried the GFX and X-H1, but on pure user experience the X-T2 is by far the winner for me). The X-T2 is close to perfection for me, I cannot see how they can improve this. Love it to bits, I have used it every day for a year and a half and shot all over the world and at many gigs. Not one hiccup, this camera rocks!
Cool moments from Five Years of being a Fujifilm X-Photographer
- Being part of the Fujifilm Nordic family. This is just a fantastic group of people, both the people at Fujifilm Nordic, and the Nordic X-Photographers. I am not biased at all when I say that the Nordic are totally world dominating when it comes to Fujifilm awesomeness!
- Getting to play with and try cool new gear from Fujifilm. I cannot believe how much Fujifilm has grown in the 7 years I have been using the system! Amazeballs, now there are camera and lens releases so often I cannot keep up at all.
- The movie is rough as hell and I sound like I am starring in The Castle, but man it was fun being part of the 55-200mm lens promo shoot and video back in May 2013! Click to watch it here, laughing out loud is encouraged!
- I swapped city and accent for my second appearance in a Fujifilm movie for the 16-55mm lens project. Fellow X-Photographer and videographer (and my magic better half) Charlene Winfred made this movie in Singapore and we had so much creative fun doing this.
- Met so many cool folks being part of photowalks in Denmark, Singapore and at Photokina in Germany. Most random fun encounter: getting totally randomly recognised in a shopping mall in Singapore.
- I got to do talks about my photography in everywhere from Denmark, to Sweden to Australia. I never figured I would really enjoy being on a stage talking about my work, but now I like it so much you can barely kick me off.
- I have become friends with some amazing fellow Fujifilm photographers that are really inspiring people and make inspirational work.
- Being fortunate of working with and being constantly inspired by Charlene. She has directed, filmed and edited some incredible Fujifilm video projects, that I have been lucky to be a small part of it. Check them out here.
- Finally, the movie Dual Vision. Really, words cannot describe this film. Also, it features no accent at all, as there is no voiceover haha!
Random Gallery from the past 7 years as a Fujifilm camera user
I do not know how many exposures I have made using Fujifilm cameras in the past 7 years but I do know I would be mega rich if I got a dollar for every click. I have lived as a nomad all my years using Fujifilm, so I have a truckload of travel pictures and I have worked as a music photographer since 2012 and so the following is a mess! What else is new! This is not my best-of, I just chose some random moments from 7 years, so scroll down memory lane, and read the captions please!
X100. Peru, 2011. The X100 was awesome for this kind of in your face documentary photography. The whole procession and 2 tonnes heavy Jesus is coming straight at me, I survived!
X100. Cusco, Peru, 2012. I was not exactly invisible at this very local event, but the small X100 meant I could get really close without anyone paying much attention.
X-Pro1. 2012, DJ Copyflex at Vega, Copenhagen during Strøm festival 2012 and a kind of legendary picture for me, my breakthrough radio hit that got me noticed by Fujifilm, got me noticed by the music scene in Copenhagen.
X-Pro1. Copenhagen. Strøm Festival 2012, Trans Metro Express. Another classic picture that really got some attention and still does, love this one.
X-Pro1, Miami 2013. Never before posted I think, I was in Miami for a week and I had really gotten into the habit of getting close with my X-Pro1 and 18mm.
X-Pro1. Guatemala, 2013. Channeling / Copying Alex Webb here! Fake it till ya make it I say. I did that a lot during the years where I desperately wanted to be a rich world famous documentary photographer!
X-Pro1. Guatemala, 2013. The Easter processions in Antigua are incredibly fascinating.
X-Pro1. Guatemala, 2013. I was in Antigua to go to Spanish language school, and spent every weekend documenting the pre-Easter processions.
X-Pro1. Guatemala, 2013. Antigua means 360 degrees of volcanoes + processions = awesome madness!
X-Pro1. New Mexico, USA, 2013. I could fill a blog post with a million pictures shot in the USA. Love this one, this moment, this trip in April 2013. Mad and Magic.
X-Pro1. Monument Valley, 2013. Nope, not sensor dust, mega snow storm happening! I was so thrilled to see this snow storm, you can ask anyone, I love snow! In hindsight, it made for some amazing shots, at the time I was somewhat angry at the snow ruining our video shoot!
X-Pro1. SGT Pokes at Strøm festival, Copenhagen 2013. Honestly I was a bit drunk and hardly remember making this nor how I got the slow X-Pro1 to make this shot – shooting on instinct totally rocks!
X-Pro1. Morocco, 2013. This was a weird trip, and I made weird random pictures but this one worked.
X-T1. Denmark, 2014. Rumpistol playing inside the KUBE, one helluva performance by him and my new X-T1!
X-T1. Denmark, 2014. Questlove, legend, nuff said!
X-T1. Nebraska, USA, 2014. The X-T1 travelled really well too, I loved the big viewfinder for travel shots.
X-T1. Yellowstone National Park, USA, 2014. One of my classic X-T1 moments. I shoot random shit, occasionally random good shit!
X-T1. Distortion festival 2015, Denmark. This epic stuff is what I and the X-T1 was made for!
X-T1. Distortion festival, 2015, Denmark. I have captured Courtesy several times but none better than this particular moment. Classic X-T1.
X-T1. Distortion festival, 2015, Denmark. Bok Bok bathed in the light from the best looking event I have ever shot. X-T1 can see in the dark!
X-T1. Distortion festival, 2015, Denmark. Same event, still amazing, Bambounou at the decks!
X-T1, Joshua Tree NP, USA, 2016. No blog post without a picture of the legendary U3! X-T1 self-timer exposure thingy awesomeness! And totally ripping off my hero Anton Corbijn. #SorryAnton
X-T1, Mexico, 2016. I love the 16mm lens paired with the X-T1/2. I am shooting from our terrace overlooking the incredible town of Guanajuato.
X-Pro2 (pre-production), at Zouk Singapore, 2015. The old classic Zouk club, I really loved that place, all gone now.
X-Pro2 (pre-production), Sri Lanka, 2015. I shoot random crap when I travel and then randomly, one picture like this will have all the elements coming together.
X-Pro2, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2016. “Techno-priest” my friend Markus named this picture.
X-Pro2, Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2016. World-famous MØ returning to her home for this mega performance, and I was ready. Bit of a new radio hit for me, this one. The X-Pro2 can certainly bring it, I just really need the massive viewfinder and the flipscreen of the T-series.
X-Pro2, Minds of 99 at Tivoli, 2016. This concert is always like a dream now, one of the coolest most amazing things I have ever shot.
X-T2, Arches NP, Utah, USA 2016. One of my favourite pictures ever, features Charlene at the Arches National Park and X-T2, the best camera ever, on it’s first trip into the world.
X-T2, on the road, USA, 2016. Road tripping. I could do it forever. Shot from inside the car, from the passenger seat while I am DJing, multi-tasking!
X-T2. Kölsch playing at Zouk Singapore, 2017. One of the first music events I did with the X-T2 and man did it perform like a beast!
X-T2. Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2017. Best camera ever, one of the best images I have made – this is Den Sorte Skole.
X-T2. Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2017. From epic to intimate, Sascha Ring from Moderat.
X-T2. Roskilde Festival, Denmark, 2017. Back to epic. This is Moderat, amazing concert, X-T2 and me at the ready!
X-T2, Charlene and Singapore, 2017. My second home, Singapore is in places very sci-fi epic looking.
X-T2. New Zealand, Lord of the Rings featuring Charlene, 2017.
X-T2. SØS Gunver Ryberg portrait at Pumpehuset, Denmark. A very recent X-T2 image and yes I screwed up the manual focus a bit and I don’t care! Happy accidents are wicked and welcome, perfection is boring!
Ending this with a phone shot of my two preferred cameras hard at work. This is my X-T1 and my X-T2 at Roskilde Festival, dusty and dirty, just after having shot the incredible The XX concert – 2017.
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Special thank you to
Fujifilm Nordic, especially Ib Thordal and Karl Löweberg
Fujifilm Japan, especially Kunio Aoyama
Steffen Haurum, from the old Fujifilm Denmark camera division.
Let’s do another 5 years!
Ok I am cheating a bit and ending with a portrait of me from 2014 shot by Charlene – only because I like this shot and I am sporting 2 x cameras, X-T1 and X-Pro1 I think, and not because the current me has a few more wrinkles and bags under the eyes! That is an evil rumour!
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12 Comments on “Five Year Anniversary as a Fujifilm X-series Camera Ambassador”
Congrats my friend!
I hope I will get there eventually. Keep up the great work, fantastic shots and continue being an inspiration as a music photographer!
Thank you so much Til! Hope we get to meet-up again soon!
Pretty awesome documentation of the past five years! Inspiring documentary work. After picking up my first Fuji X camera (a used X100T) late last year, my Canon FF dslr and lens sit at home in their bag. It now feels weird to handle such a big bulky camera. I’m sure it won’t be long until I pickup another X camera (already looking at used X-Pro1’s..).
Thanks Ben! Sounds like you have been bitten by the X-bug 🙂
Brilliant photography Flemming. I don’t shoot music (or listen to it much), and my style of photography is totally different to yours, but your style and the emotions evoked in your images are out of this world. I am so glad to see a current professional photographer (who shoots with Fuji), talking some sense and still sticking with their X-T2. I am amazed at how many people who only a month or two ago were speaking so highly of their X-T2’s are dropping them now and trading them in for X-H1’s. It doesn’t make any sense – they are as brilliant as they ever were and much smaller and more of the style of the classic Fuji Digital. I have two of them are they are going nowhere – I am not interested in the X-H1, one little bit. Keep up the great work and keep the images flowing.
Regards
Philip
Thank you so much Philip! Really glad you like my work. I also agree with you, it is silly that just because a slightly better camera came out then the older cameras are no longer good. Heck, I still use the X-T1 all the time, I love that camera. People buy into the hype, the gear thing, and just getting a new camera is not going to make anyone’s photograps any better. Only hard dedicated work is going to do that 🙂
WoW Flemming, what a bunch of beautiful images. And I’m not talking about technical qualities, just the fact that I’m in no way a traveler but you make me want to travel and shoot with my Fuji’s. Thank you
You are welcome, and thank you very much Patrick!
A great read and very inspirational photos. I was at Zook Out back in 2004, I think. With my 3mpix point and shoot. Those pictures look nothing like these
My favorite is the techno-priest – amazing photo!
Thank you Olof! I have actually not been to Zouk Out, my Zouk pictures are from both the previous and classic (26 years it ran!) Zouk club and the brand new (1 year old) Zouk Club in Clarke Quay. Glad you like my work!
Cracking images. Enjoyed the post a lot! Used to shoot a lot of gigs and have moved onto weddings now, so I loved seeing these.
Thanks Murray, thank you for reading, glad you like my work!