Classic Negative.
Fujifilm just recently released some major updates for the GFX system. One of them is the film simulation classic negative! Never thought this simulation would end up in an ageing processor like my GFX-50R. Which leads me to think about, how important are film simulations to you? Basically there are two camps:
One: you try your best to capture the moment in camera, but leave the rest to processing later. So you will shoot RAW, and then proceed with minor adjustments like white balance, exposure, highlights, shadows, and then on to major adjustments like masking and healing, before the photo is ready.
Two: you try to get everything right in camera, and then live with the results. You ensure exposure is spot on, the correct film simulation is added, and then you capture the image. No matter how poorly aligned, how bad the composition is, you live with it.
I guess most photographers are somewhere in the middle? Personally I tend to be the latter. Processing and editing is hard work, and it makes me adopt the “spray and pray” method where I capture as many moments as I can, later on find the best moment and edit the heck of that chosen image. I end up with a lot of unused photos, and more often than not, none of the them are the perfect images.
Most of the time, I still edit my images. Straighten it up, dial down the highlights, brighten up some faces with masking. But I am considering to go the extreme, i.e: no editing at all. This has two implications. 1) No need to worry about editing. 2) A self- imposed pressure to get everything right in camera.
Therefore we come to film simulations. I shot a lot of Acros JPEGs, and many commented that we should shoot RAW, and Acros JPEG so we have a backup in case we want a colour version But the question is, why do we need that colour file? To dial back a bit, I am mainly talking about enthusiasts and hobbyists, professionals probably need to shoot according to the client’s needs, but then again, our clients should be hiring us to shoot based on our style, and not theirs! Like, you go to a restaurant because you like their food, right?
So back to classic negative. It really is a different look that all previous simulations. This is a look that you love, or you hate. Some will say it is just some extreme colour grading, and using one that is in camera will result in a look shared by all who uses the same colour grading. Some will say it is probably the nicest simulation since Classic Chrome, and welcome it with open arms. Most blogs I read seem to be the later, including myself. I almost got a X100V because of it!
I shot a number of classic negatives in the past few days, check them out and see if that’s the look that you want. What do you guys think?
