New camera and New perspective
How the Fujifilm XHalf encouraged me to have fun with my photography again
I’ve been reading the rumor mills for this camera for months, a pocketable Fujifilm digital camera that brings their film simulations to a bite sized point & shoot / digicam body, and after taking it out on a North Carolina beach vacation I absolutely loved the new experiences it offered me.
Right after unboxing it and throwing an SD card in it there was so much fun adapting my decade of knowledge using Fujifilm cameras and their film simulations to a much more restrictive camera while equally exploring the joys of a new realm of unobtrusive portability and availability.
It felt creatively and physically freeing even in my first walk with the camera around the neighborhood even as I was learning what the limitations and opportunities of this much more limited camera had to offer.
However, it was that vacation to the beach that really felt like I was wandering into a whole new creative journey.
To go on vacation with someone I love and not feel the need to bring a backpack everywhere for my camera or conversely to reach for my phone to take a picture out of convenience and get sucked into other phone notifications or apps was a liberating feeling that I didn’t know I needed.
A new felt sense of present experiencing was beginning to emerge.
Gone was the concern about packing a backpack, being mindful of folks knowing there’s someone with a camera out, or even any expectation to create some grand transformative image. Instead there was a new curiosity to play in the moment. To see if I could just capture something interesting.
Being a small point and shoot camera not every image turned out well at all, but with less time put into packing a camera, composing a shot, and absolutely no need to edit afterwards it I felt like I was experiencing more and worried less about what I would do or enjoy with the photos afterwards.
But damn, when the images came together to quickly capture a moment in time 💅🏻
And with this camera I’ve also found a new found love of just keeping my favorite images on the device to view later. My own little pocketable collection of images that I love. No social media likes or comments. Just what I want to be able to look back on, all without opening a phone or app.
To me this feels like a larger journey emerging, a question of if we need perfect images. Or if we might have missed something along the way in 2025 and maybe there’s something to unpacking a more simple and analog-like experience.
So catch me out in the wild this summer, not worrying about packing the right camera/lenses, not thinking about where or who I’ll share my images with, taking quick snaps in the moment, and scrolling through my tiny little camera to reflect on the adventures I’ve had with friends and loved ones.
hey Ben,
i really like your commentary about returning to a basic photography experience, sans social media sharing and reaction, especially. i hope your substack supports your idea. the photos are interesting too. carry on…