Going Out On A Rainy Day To Play With the Fujifilm X-T3

Great Blue Heron.  I spotted this heron off in the distance as I drove over a small ancient bridge between some wetlands and a pond.  I stopped, grabbed my camera and lens, pointed it out of my window and made some images. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T3, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens @ 400mm; 1/240th sec. @ f/8; ISO 3200 (handheld)

We've had a really rainy year here in southeastern Virginia.  That trend has continued into autumn.  That's okay.  Sometimes rainy days can produce good images.

With the enthusiasm of having a new camera and a "need" to just get out and photograph, I drove over to the Yorktown Battlefield, part of the Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP), managed by the National Park Service.  The CNHP consists of the Yorktown Battlefield, the Colonial Parkway and Jamestowne.  You can find more information here if you are interested in visiting.  There is a plethora of history centered around the founding of the Colonies and the ending of the Revolutionary War as well as some really nice photographic opportunities.  I'm lucky these places, as well as Colonial Williamsburg, are so close.  There are some roads that travel through the battlefields and adjacent woods and, often times, I've seen deer, fox, eagles, etc.  So off I went.  

Into the Forest. This loop road circles a battlefield. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T3, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens @ 100mm; 1/150th sec. @ f/11; ISO 640 

I wasn't looking for anything in particular to photograph.  As I said, I just wanted to get out and exercise my shutter finger.  Shutter therapy always brightens my mood. 

As I slowly drove around the battlefield grounds, I just kept my eyes open for anything of visual interest.  I did spot on nice white tailed buck with about 12 points on his antlers, but he wouldn't allow me to photograph him.  He stayed safely behind the undergrowth of the nearby trees.  There wasn't much autumn leaf color.  Spots here and there but this years weather seems to have dulled the annual show.  The four images here are just a sample of what I saw on that dreary, rainy day.

Wooden Web.  I've watched and photographed this old tree several times.  I just love it.  There is and incredible the number of branches and suckers that are intertwined.  (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T3, 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens @ 176mm; 1/250th sec. @ f/11; ISO 640 

I shot with both my Fujifilm 16-55mm f/2.8 lens as well as my new the Fujifilm 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens.  Yes, I did buy another copy of the lens after selling my other copy some time ago.  I'll write about why I sold that lens and recently bought another copy in the near future.  The camera performed admirably.  The lenses are, as we have come to expect, superb.  I experimented with the "Natural View" EVF setting to see how well that captured all of the shadow and highlight detail as well as a downside I discovered.  The downside is that there is almost no saturation of the colors found in the EVF.  It became hard to judge how differing colors would juxtapose and contrast so I turned it off and used the Provia film simulation.

A fallen branch acts as a dam to block the leaves floating with the slow current. (25% of full frame) (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T3, 15-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 48mm; 1/75th sec. @ f/11; ISO 3200

For a guy who doesn't seem to be interested is shooting nature much anymore, I seemed to have shot nature!  Lol.  I just love getting out with my gear and wandering, no matter what I end up photographing.  It always makes my day.  

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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