Better Fuji Photos John Peltier

Better Fuji Photos Episode 42: 2023 Wrap and 2024 Thoughts

We made it a year! I honestly didn't think this podcast would make it a year, discouraged mainly by statistics of how many of them quickly die. But I was encouraged to continue by all of you!

How did 2023 go for everyone? Were you able to pursue the year-long challenge presented in Episode 1? I hope so, and I hope it made you a better photographer.

Going into 2024, this will no longer be a weekly podcast. I need to take a few things off my plate, so I'll only be able to keep this up every two or three weeks.

And that leaves me with a final thought going into the following year: what does photography mean to you? This was posed in another podcast a few years ago; I answered it in an article linked below and now here in this episode, and I'd be curious to hear your answer in the article comments.

Accompanying web article: ⁠https://jmpeltier.com/what-is-photography-all-about/

Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠

Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses.

Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.

If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

Better Fuji Photos Episode 41: Tips for Using Fujifilm's Color Chrome Effect

Fujifilm's camera manuals leave much to be desired when discussing Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome FX Blue. What exactly do they do? When would you use them? And how?

Color Chrome Effect settings (which may or may not be found on certain cameras) help you avoid oversaturating specific colors by decreasing the luminance of those colors, effectively giving you a wider range of tones in colors close to oversaturation. This can really help photographers photographing for in-camera JPEGs. They will not affect the RAW file.

When using these settings:


Remember that they will respond differently to each film simulation
A setting that looks good for one film simulation might look like garbage in another
The Color Chrome FX Blue setting works great as an "artificial polarizer" to get the same effect with skies
You can preview setting effects either from the Image Quality menu or programming them to the Q Menu (ep. 31)

Accompanying web article: ⁠https://jmpeltier.com/color-chrome-effect-color-chrome-fx-blue/

Perfect Fujifilm In-Camera JPGs course: ⁠https://photocourses.link/jpg⁠

Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠

Use the code "POD20" for 20% off all courses.

Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.

If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 40: Mastering Depth of Field - It's Not Just Aperture!
Maybe you've been there. You're wondering why your photo created at f/22 has a sharp foreground but a blurry background, even though it was at f/22. Or why your photo made at f/1.4 doesn't have a blurry background like f/1.4 photos should.
That's because, as educators, we've failed to emphasize how depth of field is equally affected by variables other than your aperture. Focal length, focus distance, and how the photo is viewed also affect your depth of field.
In this episode, we'll discuss how:

Wider focal lengths give you deeper depths of field
Further focus distances give you deeper depths of field
Smaller apertures give you deeper depths of field
And how all three combine to give you a final depth of field

Read the accompanying web article here: https://jmpeltier.com/what-affects-depth-of-field/
Take the Advanced Depth of Field course: https://photocourses.link/dof
Explore the Fujifilm Photographer Membership options: https://photocourses.link/fujimembers

Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.
If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.
End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 39: Processing with Fujifilm's In-Camera RAW Converter

If you're striving for the perfect in-camera JPEGs but want to change something simple on a photograph you already captured, like the exposure or the white balance, no need to take that file to a computer to make the changes! Use your in-camera RAW converter.

To do this:


You must be recording the RAW file (Image Quality setting: RAW or FINE+RAW)
Press the Q button while reviewing an image in Playback mode

Unfortunately, you can't preview the changes as you make them. You'll need to adjust a setting, press Q to preview that change, and then press BACK to go back to the editing menu. Go through the list of image quality settings you want to change, and when you're happy with the preview, press OK to save it as a new JPEG at the end of your camera roll.

Want to see a list of what's available, with some further information? Here's the full web article: https://jmpeltier.com/fujifilm-in-camera-raw-converter/

Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off.



Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.

If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 38: Obsessing Over the Wrong Things

What do you think is the most important part of a photograph? The moment captured or the small technical details that no one but yourself will notice?

This short episode is not meant to diminish the technical aspects that accompany photography - only to say that, with all of the gear being sold to us, sometimes we lose sight of what's really important.

Take a moment to re-calibrate your priorities and what you value most when creating a photograph.



Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.

If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip

Better Fuji Photos Episode 37: Staying in Manual Focus All the Time

Are you currently using the "traditional" back-button focus (BBF) technique where you're in autofocus modes but using the back AF button?

Or have you tried BBF but didn't like how you had to permanently disable autofocus with the shutter button?

This alternative may be a better solution for you. Staying in Manual Focus mode all the time but using the back AF button to get quick autofocus when you need it can give you the best of having all of the amazing manual focus tools but also instant autofocus when you need it.

Flip the focus mode switch to S or C if you need to track something or go back to the "shutter button autofocus" mode without changing any other settings buried deep in the submenus.

A few notes:


Set the behavior of the back AF button while in MF mode in the AF/MF Setting menu > Instant AF Setting
If you were using the "traditional" BBF setup but want to try this, remember to re-enable the shutter autofocus function in the Button/Dial Setting menu > Shutter AF

Learn more about your specific camera in our camera tutorial courses: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/cameras⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Fujifilm Photographer Membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://photocourses.link/fujimembers⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the code "POD20" for 20% off.



Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you prefer to listen to your podcasts so we can keep this show going.

If you ever have any questions that you’d like to have answered in an episode, please send me an email at mail@jmpeltier.com.

End music: Dylan Sitts - Tahoe Trip