X-T5 x Thai Pham

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is a very broad category and everyone has their own definition. For me, photography is simply understood as a way of expressing emotions and stories that I personally want to convey to people through images.

Emotion is always an indispensable thing in photography. But emotions are a complex and elusive thing, sometimes, we can’t control them. During more than 11 years of working with photography, I have experienced many emotions as well as lost my passion for photography or the feeling of holding a camera in my hand.

Especially, during the difficult time that everyone has been facing for the past 2-3 years, a lot of my projects had to be put on hold, and countless ideas were drawn in my head but couldn’t be implemented. So, when everything settled down, I decided to do a series of shots with the X-T5.

AND THE INSPIRABLE CAMERA

For photographers, a camera can simply be a tool to help create an image, but it can also be an item that gives them endless inspiration in composing photos. So do I, I’ve experienced a lot of different cameras, all of which are designed to optimize the photographer’s workflow. But it is also that optimization that has partly made the camera boring, or, in a funny way, a bit “industrial”. In the past, I have used many of Fujifilm’s Medium Format lines, and I really haven’t experienced much of the X-T series. In my opinion, Fujifilm cameras always have a very special style with a luxurious and nostalgic appearance. It gives me so much inspiration that I want to pick up the camera and shoot right away.

And then I got my hands on the Fujifilm X-T5, which is completely different from the cameras I have used before. The retro design with the interlacing of colors, the physical dials, and the shutter key, all of that remind me of the old film SLRs. That ignited my passion for photography and made me want to explore, learn how to control this camera, take it out there, and immediately implement my ideas.

WHAT DO I NEED IN A CAMERA?

I am a person who does not like to confine my workspace to the 4 walls of the studio, I like to do photos outside in a natural environment, or on the streets. Therefore, I always prioritize compact devices for easy transportation. The X-T5 is a very neat camera, but the quality of pictures it delivers is beyond my expectations.

I was quite surprised with the super high resolution of up to 40 MPs of this camera. What I could only see on GFX systems lines before, is now all wrapped up in this APS-C camera. The second thing that particularly impressed me with this X-T5 was its powerful IBIS stabilization system. These are the two possibilities I always focus on when choosing a camera for photography.

X-T5 & XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR

A SET OF PHOTOS AT THU LE PARK

The reason that I chose Thu Le Park as the place to take this photo shoot is that it is a place associated with the days of my childhood, as well as many people born in the 80s and 90s in Hanoi. Coming back here after decades, there are scenes that make me constantly nostalgic about the old days, it helps me find a lot of material to create. Therefore, I decided to immediately make a set of photos in this park to convey my cherished feelings and old materials that I have found to viewers.

X-T5 & XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR