What is it About New York?
Travel Tom England Travel Tom England

What is it About New York?

I first visited New York at the end of December 2009 to cap off the decade past and welcome a new one forward. It was the first time I witnessed the crowds of Times Square, the gloriousness of Grand Central, and the iconic Statue of Liberty after years of seeing and hearing everything New York related in TV shows, movies, and music. I was so excited to go! It was finally a reality.

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Fujifilm X-E Series: Is This the End?
Gear Tom England Gear Tom England

Fujifilm X-E Series: Is This the End?

Fujifilm is renowned for its diverse range of cameras; since 2012, the X-E series has been part of it. With a subtle design, the X-E cameras have offered photographers an affordable way to get into the Fujifilm world while demonstrating excellent build, fantastic image quality, and solid performance overall. It’s been nearly seven months since the Fujifilm X-E4 was unofficially discontinued in March after just two years on the market.

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Photographs from Chicago
Travel Tom England Travel Tom England

Photographs from Chicago

Chicago is a US city that has been on my visit list for quite some time. I’m surprised that this is my first visit to the city, as Halifax is usually only a one-stop journey, but I finally had an opportunity to take in some of the city. Although the visit was brief, it was a great time to be there as the weather was fantastic.

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The 3 Most Important Things to Know About Travel Photography
Travel Tom England Travel Tom England

The 3 Most Important Things to Know About Travel Photography

Let’s start by saying that I enjoy travel immensely and that I regard travel as one of life’s greatest privileges. I love to travel, and obviously, I also love photography. Does that make me a travel photographer? Based on the standard definition of one, probably not. I don’t get paid directly to take photos of the places I visit, and I’m not associated with any publications. But if I travel and take photos when I do, what does that make me?

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South Africa: The Gear I Used Most
Travel, Gear Tom England Travel, Gear Tom England

South Africa: The Gear I Used Most

It was weeks before I had to depart for Madikwe in South Africa. I had Evernote open, and I was reviewing my packing list. I had a “Camera Stuff to Bring” portion on that list that appeared rather lengthy. Is this too much for one backpack? There is no way this is all going to fit. I also had another physical list beside my packing. I thought this was the best way to remember everything, and with two weeks to go, I had plenty of time to revise as needed.

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How I Secure and Backup My Images
General Tom England General Tom England

How I Secure and Backup My Images

As a photographer, I would put myself at the low end in terms of the number of photos I take even when travelling, but recently, the volume has increased due to my continued use of the X-E4 and choosing to shoot both RAW + JPEG sometimes, which doubles the number of photos that reach my hard drive. I don’t shoot 10,000 photos during a trip, and I rarely get over 1,000.

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Classic Monochrome: An Excellent High Contrast Film Recipe
Street Photography Tom England Street Photography Tom England

Classic Monochrome: An Excellent High Contrast Film Recipe

Last month, I completed a personal project focusing on the uptown area of my hometown, Saint John, New Brunswick, in Canada’s oldest incorporated city. For that project, I focused on the uptown revitalization and what I remember growing up in the city. I wanted to use black and white as the absence of colour can convey a nostalgic throwback to the past and direct the viewer’s attention solely to the composition, shapes, lines, light and shadow.

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Fujifilm Simulations and Recipes: 3 Reasons Why They Make Sense
General Tom England General Tom England

Fujifilm Simulations and Recipes: 3 Reasons Why They Make Sense

Film photography has experienced a remarkable resurgence in popularity. What used to be reserved for the nostalgic few gained interest, with many looking to return to a tangible process and achieve a unique look for their images. Digital photography was introduced long ago and since then has improved immensely and offered convenience and technical quality that made film mostly forgotten by many.

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Photographs from Rhulani
Travel Tom England Travel Tom England

Photographs from Rhulani

I arrived without delay in Johannesburg after a full day of travel. I had enough time to check in to the airport hotel, have a quick meal and adjust as much as possible to the five-hour time difference. The following morning, I grabbed breakfast at the hotel, took the shuttle back to the airport, and met everyone at arrivals from Cape Town. We boarded our van and began our four-hour drive to the Rhulani Safari Lodge, where I would experience one of the best times of my life.

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Warming Up and Why It Matters
General Tom England General Tom England

Warming Up and Why It Matters

In Lightroom, my currently imported library contains over 14,000 photos, and my complete archive is many times that. I look through this library, often looking for those hidden gems in the ones I’ve overlooked; sometimes, I find them; sometimes, they continue to elude me, and sometimes, they were never there to discover. When I dig through my archive, I notice something evident in many of my photo sets - the first 10-25 captures are usually terrible.

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