Last week I attended another workshop at Aspire Photography Training, titled ‘Becoming a Storyteller’. This is a workshop in cooperation with Fujifilm and one has the opportunity to become acquainted and familiar with the Fuji X series, a new generation of cameras for professional photographers. Lucky me, I had won this course in a summer selfie competition. A shadow of me on my bicycle. Thank you Aspire!

It was a truly enjoyable day for me. I could take a break from the daily routine of my business and just play with new gear and ideas. The ladies at Aspire are always so creative and inspiring! The theme of the workshop was love and Valentine and we have had two beautiful models gorgeously styled. There was loads of love related little artifacts such as hearts, and roses and apples and … best of all, rose rollers, how amazing is that! So, a massive compliment goes to the talented hair stylist too!

Playing with the Fuji x series was a great experience. I have been avoiding engaging with this new technology as I knew it would entice me. Many professional photographers seem to change to this new generation of cameras, either as their second camera or even converting completely. Considering the quality of the images, it is very tempting. There are so much smaller and hence so much lighter than conventional DSLRs. This is not only helpful for the photographer, but also, since the camera appears to be less intimating or obvious to the subject, it can be of great benefit in many situations, be that at weddings or at family photo sessions. Most of us are shy and don’t feel comfortable being photographed, so a smaller camera can be very useful. The strongest point for me as a female photographer is the weight though. These little devils are so incredibly light that even a long wedding day seems manageable without getting tired arms, wrists and hands.

However, considering how much we have all invested into our professional gear, switching to a different system, even though it is a little less costly than the traditional pro DSLR, does bear it’s burden. One needs a complete new set of lenses, batteries, in some cases memory cards and so on…. But then, they are incredibly light and the image quality is nothing short of amazing!

So, I would like to thank all the team at Aspire, especially Catherine Connor and Tamara Peel who guided us through the day, as well as Fujifilm and John Grayston for giving us the opportunity to ‘play’ with all sorts of cameras and lenses. Having been at Aspire’s HQ in Cumbria, I always come away refreshed, relaxed and above all inspired and motivated!

Enjoy the images,

Love Kati

Image and blog post by Kati Fichtelmann