Mirror Selfie of the Author with Fuji Rangefinder in the Catskills
Those who know me well, know that I prefer to use one of my not-iphone cameras whenever possible. For the most part, I’m a die hard SLR guy. But different situations call for different tools. Cue, the Fujifilm x100s. I first discovered this camera when I was visiting my family in UT. A guy who I went to school with had recently opened a photog store in Salt Lake City and lent me the camera for the weekend. I found it to be very versatile and ended up picking one up for myself when I returned to NYC.Fast forward five-ish years: After taking a hiatus from riding motorcycles for a few years after this, I was back in the saddle (literally) and had made some new friends at an outfit in Red Hook who sponsored group rides on a fairly regular basis. On one such ride, there was an Italian dude by the name of Fabio Affuso who joined myself and the other usual suspects. He was toting the same model of Fuji that I owned, slung cross-body and used it to snap some amazing images from that ride. After seeing the images from the Fuji rangefinder that he captured on that ride, I was inspired to try it out with mine!
My Good Friend Szabi on the Left, Me Center, on the Monster | Photo: Fabio Affuso, Courtesy Union Garage
The first time that I tried it out was on a ride into western PA for an overnight trip, also with the Union Garage guys. The method is basically to jam the throttle for a sec, then pull the clutch and coast while clicking a few frames, then back on the throttle. Only a few of the shots turned out, but it definitely made me hungry to try it out more often. When COVID happened and I was able to consistently spend so much time upstate during that time, I would bring the Fuji along with me for almost every ride.
An Example of How Getting Sharp Focus Can Be Tough When Shooting on the Move
I have been able to use a lot of these types of snaps for a project I have been working on called Catskills Moto Club. Still working on dial it in (the club and the photos), and enjoying the process along the way. Thanks Fabio for the inspo. Thanks to all of my friends who ride with me for the friendship and for being such willing subjects! Here is a gallery of my favorites from the saddle from the past few years-
