HDR Photography With The Fuji X100T? Yes You Can!

When I first started shooting with the Fuji X100T I noticed the options for shooting HDR photography kind of sucked. +-1EV? Seriously? There is also this other problem, when the shutter is set to auto it will only go as slow as 2 seconds. I knew these Fuji cameras have some potential to shoot some really stunning HDR photography because of the film simulators that look amazing. The trick will be working around these limitations.

To deal with a typical sunset scene like this, you often need about +-2EV or +-3EV. So the built in bracketing function becomes obsolete. You’re left with adjusting your shutter by hand which gets complicated because the three exposures you often need always sit somewhere on either side of that 2” shutter speed limit. Luckily for this photo it was, 0.5, 1, and 2”. But I still did it by hand. Here is how.

Shooting HDR With The Fuji X100T

To shoot HDR with the X100T, you first need to find your center exposure. For a scene like this it’s often going to be at 0 or +1 EV on your exposure guide when your auto exposure is set to MULTI.

Then you’ll have to figure out what shutter speed your other two shots will be. Sometimes they can all be done all within the T on the top shutter dial of the camera, which will give you a range from 2″ to 30″. And in the day they can all be done with Auto shutter which ranges from 1/30000 to 2″. But sometimes your needed exposures will sit somewhere within the 1 or 2 and T settings.

This is the technique – Take your center exposure, then set the camera to T, twisting the exposure thumb wheel to get you the exposure you need to capture your shadows. Then twist your  shutter dial to 1 or 2 and adjusting the shutter with the shutter control wheel to get your highlights. Usually I’m going for +-2 or +-3 difference between each exposure for a sunset shot like this. And that’s pretty much it. You have your three shots.

Use your ND Filter – You can also use your built in ND filter while adjusting your ISO or aperture to stay in or out of your T shutter setting. This is tricky but can make life a little less complicated. 

What Fuji really needs to do is allow us to adjust our shutter to any speed we want with the shutter control wheel once we are on the T setting. Instead of having these arbitrary limits. Or, expand our auto bracketing capabilities.

I hope this all makes sense. It’s kind of complicated. Leave a comment with any techniques you’ve come up with or questions you may have.

First Print Of 2015 – “Left Behind”

As part of my new year goal I wanted to go out and take more local landscapes. You wouldn’t think Los Angeles would be a great place for landscapes but you’d be surprised. Sure we never have clouds, or weather for that matter, but something happens to the sky near cities – you get these beautiful golden sunsets. 

Location: Dockweiler State Beach, Los Angeles California
Camera: Fuji X100T
ISO 200, f/16, 1.0sec
Software: Photomatix, Lightroom