SOOC Fujifilm XT3 Photos + XF 23mm F/2 R WR Lens - Tor Bay, Gower Peninsula, Swansea

Shot with my Fujifilm XT3 XF 23mm F2 R WR lens, this a collection of unedited SOOC (straight out of camera) photos of Tor Bay, my favourite beach on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, South Wales (UK). I used the Classic Chrome film simulation for the colour shots and Acros for the black and white shots.

Please note: All of these photos are unedited and literally straight out of camera with no cropping, straightening or colour/exposure adjustments. For this reason you may notice that they’re not quite “perfect”. However, as with this imperfect old 35mm photos you used to get from the developers, somehow I feel they’re more characterful as a result, more alive somehow.

Tor Bay, Gower Peninsula, South Wales, Swansea - Fuji XT3 + 23mm F/2 SOOC Photo Samples by Ben Holbrook from DriftwoodJournals.com

There are two types of photographers: those who enjoy editing their images in post, and those who want their images to be “done” as soon as the shutter has been pushed.

I’m one of the latter. In an ideal world, I’d never edit a photo again.

Perhaps it’s an age/generational thing. I remember travelling with my film camera when I was a kid. Primarily my mum’s Canon Powershot – a really nifty little point and shoot.

You’d get 30-something shots, maybe 60-something if you could afford more film. You’d take your photos and that’d be the end of your involvement. The rest was up to whoever was developing your film. I loved the thrill of going to pick up my photos and never quite knowing exactly how they were going to look.

I think this might be one of the reasons I love shooting with Fujifilm cameras (namely, the XT3 and XT4). There’s just something about the look that I think is more or less perfect SOOC. Not to mention the physicality of the analogue-style dials on the camera itself, which makes it feel like shooting with an old 35mm SLR.

Fujifilm’s film simulations emulate Fuji’s 35mm film stock, and the “colour science” is, as everyone raves about, uniquely special. The Classic Chrome film simulation is fundamental to my style – for my video work as well as stills work.

I also like the strong contrast you get when shooting in the “spot” or “centre weighted” metering modes. And you can even add grain to your images in-camera, which I experimented with in these images (though I’m not entirely convinced I like it).

Of course, to benefit from all this, you do need to shoot in jpeg mode rather than raw. Although I was pleased to learn, when I got my first Fujifilm camera (the XT20) that you can actually select and apply any of the film simulations to raw images in Lightroom, which is what I do 99% of the time.

Now and again however, I get the urge to take photos of nothing in particular. I mean a craving for the physical process of taking photos, the action of holding the camera to my eye and hitting the shutter button.

I love being in this sort of headspace because I’m not putting pressure on myself to shoot anything special or “good”. I’m just enjoying photography as I did when I was a child, without any expectations on ambitions.

Sometimes I’ll get home after one of these shoots and just format everything on my SD card without saving anything.

So anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little gallery of Fuifilm XT3 SOOC photo samples. They’re my finest images, but I do think they demonstrate what makes Fujifilm so special. They certainly remind me why I love shooting with these camera so much.

Oh, and while I think of it… I’d also like to repeat what I’ve said many times before, that the 23mm F/2 is such an incredible and versatile lens. It’s the perfect focal length and there’s something magical about its F/2 – somehow it seems much wider, and I’m always amazed with the beautiful shallow depth of field it offers, and how sharp it is wide open. Check out this post for more example photos and thoughts from me.

Make it Happen

Regardless of what sort of photography you’re in to, and whatever camera you shoot with, I would highly recommend picking up a Fujifilm X Series camera.

If you’re purely shooting photos, I’d recommend the XT3. It’s cheaper than the XT4 and I prefer the way the screen tilts (though I’d recommend the XT4 if you plan to shoot video too).

If you’re on a budget then look at the XT20 or XT30. I fell in love with Fuji after getting the XT20 as a “for fun” camera and ended up leaving Nikon for it.

Get the 23mm f/2 and/or 35mm f/1.4 and I promise you won’t be disappointed.