Inspiration
8 August: International Cat Day
Pet Photography
As if you needed any more excuses to snap your feline friend, 8 August is International Cat Day. Celebrate the occasion with a round of pet portraiture. If, like most cat owners, your phone is filled to bursting with photographs of your pet in various poses, try picking out a selection of favourites and using an instax smartphone printer to convert them into vintage-style physical mementos. Cat Scan Making photos of a cat follows many of the same rules as portraiture with people – the crucial difference is that you can be certain they won’t listen to a word you say. Get your camera settings right ahead of time, so you can work quickly when they finally hit that perfectly elegant pose. If you’re using an X Series camera, try tilting the LCD screen up so you can easily work with the lens at your cat’s eye level. If your camera has deep-learning-enabled AF, try switching on subject detection (go to AF/MF SETTING > SUBJECT DETECTION SETTING > SUBJECT DETECTION ON > ANIMAL) to make certain your focus is spot on every time.
20 September - 6 October: British Food Fortnight
Food Photography
prevent ending up with a flat- looking image. This is a superb opportunity to get experimental with modifiers like diffusers and reflectors – both of which you can make simple versions of at home if needed. A diffuser is used to soften a hard light source – if you are working in the midday sun and want to tame some contrasty shadows, this is what you should reach for. If the shadows remain a little too deep, you can angle a reflector to bounce light from your primary source onto the dark side of your subject. Sticking with the kitchen theme, a rudimentary diffuser can be made by stretching out some baking paper. Meanwhile, you could build a reflector in a pinch simply by taping tinfoil onto a flat surface.
British Food Fortnight presents a chance to celebrate the best local produce and independent suppliers in your area – and for image makers, it’s another great excuse to have a crack at some food photography. Pick up a selection of fresh ingredients local to your area and arrange them for an artful still-life scene or flatlay photo. If you’re the kind of person who keeps a book full of cherished home recipes in the kitchen, try adding some extra flavour to it by attaching an INSTAX print of each finished meal. Go Natural Flash is often the culprit when you see an unflattering food picture online – so leverage whatever natural light you can to make your colours pop and
12 FUJIFILM Focus Magazine
August/September 2024
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