Shapes and shadows in Southbank

Yesterday, after meeting some wedding clients in north London, I decided to take a walk around Southbank and road test my new Fuji 23mm f1.4 lens.

Aside from testing the new glass, I wanted to use the opportunity to experiment a bit more and push my abilities as an observer. Instead of taking shots of famous landmarks and tourist spots, I found myself trying to look at the environment from a different perspective, taking in the many shapes, shadows and reflections that Southbank had to offer.

I also found myself being much more patient. Usually, I find myself setting my Fuji XT1 to continuous shooting mode and firing off shots until the cows come home. Instead I opted for single shooting mode, which encouraged me to pause and to wait for the right moment before clicking. It was very much like shooting film again and reminded me that by sometimes setting yourself some limitations, you can learn a thing or two.

I decided to shoot in JPEG mode and make use of the Classic Chrome film simulation. So when it came to editing in Lightroom, the only thing I’ve really had to adjust was the brightness, contrast and clarity settings. As predefined colour settings go, I have to say I’m a big fan of it and I will definitely be making more use of the Classic Chrome setting.