My Photographic Year In Review

Last Image of 2015 (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T1, 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 @ 200mm; 1/40th sec. @ f/8; ISO 400 (handheld)

At the beginning of each year, I take stock in what photographic imaging I have done in the previous year and conduct a bit of analysis to better understand what cameras, lenses, focal lengths, ISOs, apertures and shutter speeds I have used most.  I also look at how many images I have made over the year.  All of this gives me a little better understanding of my vision and allows me to compare, year to year, changes I may find in my photography.  I learn something about myself, where I have been and where I may be going.  I don't believe in not understanding where one is going, so I want to understand my own photography as much as possible.

I have now done the same for 2015.  Here is what I have found and how it compares to previous years.

First, it is obvious to me that my single wildlife excursion in December using my Nikon D810 and the new Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens totally skewed the results for the year.  I think I will have to conduct two analyses; one with and one without consideration for the Nikon anomaly. You will be able to easily see what I mean in the figures below.  Out of the 2682 images I made with the D810, 2177 were made on a single weekend and almost all at a single focal length.

                                                                             2015              2014         2013           

Total number of images made                               12,987           12,594      12,396

% of images with Nikon D810                    20.65%     2,682            3,745
% of images with Olympus E-M1                30.43%     3,925            5,671
% of images with Fuji X-T1                       45.53%     5,889               670

Miscellaneous Cameras                              3.61%          39                46

I was surprised to learn that I made more images this year than in 2014.  In 2014 I had traveled quite a bit and photographed a lot.  This year, due to frequently assisting a family member with a terminal disease, as well as coming out of retirement and going back to work for the past six months, I didn't travel at all.  I made all of my images locally (with the exception of one weekend excursion to Lancaster, PA). Bit I did force myself to get out and photograph locally more often because of not traveling.

I was VERY surprised to learn that my most used camera for 2015 was my Fujifilm X-T1.  I thought for sure that I had used the Olympus more often.  Of the two, the Olympus has come out as my preferred camera, but now I see that I actually picked up the Fuji and used it more!  Wow!  The Nikon use was basically a one weekend prolific wildlife excursion where I bought a new lens and really put it through its paces to full learn its strengths, weaknesses and quirks so, the next time, I know how to get the best out of it.  I don't believe my next D810 wildlife excursion will prove to be so photographically prolific.  So, my results are somewhat skewed by that particular weekend.

The below stats are for 2015 only:

Lenses I used most

Fuji                                                         Fujifilm 18-55 f/2.8-4      3955
Nikon                                                       Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6   2177
Olympus                                                  Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8   1443

I have found the Fuji 18-55mm lens an excellent all-purpose lens and I don't hesitate to keep it on my X-T1 most of the time.  It is measurably better than most kit lenses that I have used.  Additionally, when using the E-M1, I find the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens to be extraordinary and keep that on that camera as a general rule.  It is even better than the Fuji lens.  Since most of my photography is the general subject matter of travel, rural and urban landscape and nature, the use of these lenses doesn't surprise me as being dominant.  After all, my subject matter varies infinitely.

Second most used Lens

Fuji                                                         Fuji 50-200 f/3.5-4.8        1443
Nikon                                                      Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6     2177
Olympus                                                  Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8    861

Focal Length I used most

Fuji                                                           55mm  (82.5mm~)              949
Nikon                                                      500mm    (500mm~)            1689
Olympus                                                   40mm      (80mm~)              456

Second Focal Length I used most
Fuji                                                          55mm    (82.5mm~)             975
Nikon                                                       200mm  (200mm~)               256
Olympus                                                   150mm  (300mm~)               313

Removing the single wildlife weekend with the Nikon and looking at which focal lengths I most used, again I am somewhat surprised.  I used to be very much a wide-angle biased photographer, you know, the grand landscape, leading lines, etc.  Now, I see I sort of am leaning to short telephoto.  This tells me a lot about how my "vision" is changing with time.  Isolation of subject rather than being all inclusive with strong leading lines seems to be where I am going.

If I look at what lenses I used and analyze all the focal lengths they represent and compare them to the frequency of use, I see that I tend to use the extremes from each lens.  For example, with the Fuji 18-55, I tend to use 55mm and 18mm more than the middle focal lengths.  Same with the Olympus 12-40.  That tells me that I probably could be happy with prime lenses as my focal lengths don't jump all over the place.  Of course, for 25 years, I used nothing but primes, so this is of little surprise.  However, I am extremely precise in my compositions so I must be zooming with my feet more than with a zoom lens.  Old habits, I suspect.

Aperture I used most

Overall                                                        5.6                                 3598
Fuji                                                             8.0                                 1622
Nikon                                                          5.6                                   527
Olympus                                                      5.6                                 1596

This doesn't surprise me.  Over the past 45 years, I have consistently made my images around the f/5.6 to f/8 range as, in the olden days, those two stops were almost always the sharpest (2 to 3 stops down from wide open was the rule).  Now, even though they don't show up as a predominantly used aperture, I don't hesitate to use a lens wide open. In most of my Nikon lenses as well as the Olympus lenses, wide open or a half to 1 stop down prove to be excellent and I find myself using them much more often than in past years.  Again, isolation of subject through limited depth of field is what I am thinking.

Second most used Aperture

Overall                                                        8.0                                  3205
Fuji                                                             5.6                                  1459
Nikon                                                          8.0                                    485
Olympus                                                      5.6                                  1596

Aperture I used least

Overall                                                        3.8/6.7         each with only 2    
Fuji                                                             1.8/3.8         each with only 2                 
Nikon                                                           6.0                                      2
Olympus                                                       2.0                                     1    

Most of my photography has been done with apertures in the f/5.6-8 range, then f/2.8 or near there, then third stopped down to f/11 for more depth of field.  Aperture seems to depend more upon which camera format I am using as depth of field varies with size of sensor.
                             

Shutter Speed I used most

Overall                                                         1/500th sec.                   1104
Fuji                                                              1/125th sec.                     350
Nikon                                                           1/500th sec.                    1104
Olympus                                                       1/500th sec.                      611

Second most used Shutter Speed

Overall                                                         1/1600th sec.                    721
Fuji                                                               1/400th sec.                     387
Nikon                                                            1/1600th sec.                   721
Olympus                                                        1/1000th sec.                   452

Shutter Speed I used least

Fuji                                                            2.1/13800/1400th sec.       1 each
Nikon                                                          1/6 to 1/8 sec.                  1 each
Olympus                                                      .6 sec.                               1

Overall, my proclivity is to use faster rather than slower shutter speeds.  Taking out the Nikon based wildlife/bird photography, my most used, on average, shutter speeds are in the range of 1/125th-400th sec.  I worry about motion blur when it is not wanted.

ISO I used most

Overall                                                             ISO 200                       5101
Fuji                                                                        200                       2444
Nikon                                                                     400                         580
Olympus                                                                 200                       2230

Second most used ISO

Overall                                                              ISO 400                      4906
Fuji                                                                         400                      2313
Nikon                                                                     6400                       511
Olympus                                                                  400                      1630

Highest used ISO

ISO 6400 had been used on each of the cameras for several images, at least.  On the Olympus and Fuji, for less than 10.

On the E-M1, 0.4% of my images were made above ISO 1600.
On the X-T1, 3.9% of my images were made above ISO 1600.
On the D810, 19.7% of my images were made above ISO 1600.

Of course, the Nikon high ISO usage was due to low light wildlife photography.

This tells me, for almost all of my photography, a camera/sensor/lens combination that will perform excellently up to ISO 1600 would serve my needs beautifully.  I almost never use ISOs higher than that, therefore, when cameras are described as having native ISOs or good imaging at 12,600 or higher, it really is pretty much meaningless to me.  When I do need a very high ISO, I can pick up the Nikon. 

AND...with mirrorless, it is only going to get better and better over the next few years.

(Lesson to be learned:  when reviewers talk about how great a camera is, how much better camera A is than camera B, because it can make images at ISO 50,000, or 15 frames per second, or something else like that, think to yourself, "does that really mean anything to me and my photography?"  Don't let those distractions confuse your decision-making when considering buying a different camera body.)

Also, I sent 400 images off to my stock agency for consideration.  That is more than I thought I would have as well.

That is enough analysis/paralysis for now.  This may have absolutely no meaning for you, but for me, it gives me an idea if my photographic vision is evolving, changing the way I see or remaining static.  It lets me know that when I lust for a new lens or camera, I can analyze whether or not I really will use it or just "want" it and it will largely go unused.

I will continue to look back and see what else I can derive from my past couple of years.  

Finally, I can't wait until February 1, as that is when I go back into retirement and will, again, have time and opportunity to pick up my cameras more often.


Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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