X-E5, CLASSIC CHROME & Me — A Cinematographer’s Escape
Ten years ago, I made a decision that changed the way I saw the world — I moved to Fujifilm. And the main reason? CLASSIC CHROME.
Maybe it’s because I began my photography journey with film, chasing the mood, texture, and nostalgia it gave. Even today, I keep searching for that same feeling in my images — the balance of reality and art, the tones that are both timeless and honest. CLASSIC CHROME gives me that. It has been with me for a decade, and still holds me firmly in its spell.
As a cinematographer, my life is constantly in motion. I’m always surrounded — and often weighed down — by hundreds of pieces of camera gear. On set, every second is calculated, every frame planned. In that chaos, photography can become a luxury. Carrying an extra camera, framing a still in between takes, clicking just for myself — these moments are rare.
That’s why my Fujifilm X-E5 with the XF23mmF2.8 lens has become more than just a camera. It has become my everyday companion, my point-and-shoot escape. I can sling it over my shoulder and forget it’s there — until the right frame appears. Whether I’m climbing down riverbanks, weaving through crowded streets, or balancing on the edge of a cliff, it never gets in the way. And because it’s small and unobtrusive, the people in front of it are freer, more natural.
With the X-E5 set to aperture priority and CLASSIC CHROME engaged, I don’t overthink. I just shoot. I don’t spend hours editing, trying to recreate the look I had in my head. The camera gives me exactly what I want, straight out of it. In my early days, I used to spend long nights in front of a computer, chasing the feeling I imagined while shooting. Now, my two CLASSIC CHROME FS RECIPEs lets me skip the desk entirely — giving me more time to be out there, making images instead of manipulating them.
Right now, I’m in Assam, India, shooting a feature film. The schedule is tight, the days are long, and the energy on set is pure madness. But on that rare day off, I step away from it all. I wander into the unseen corners of this beautiful state — unexplored trails, unmarked villages, rivers that seem to have no name. Those days are slow, meditative, and restorative. And every time, my X-E5 and CLASSIC CHROME are with me, turning what I see into memories that feel like they’ve existed forever.
For me, CLASSIC CHROME isn’t just a Film Simulation. It’s a way of seeing — a reminder that an image is more than pixels or paper. It’s a feeling. And CLASSIC CHROME, for me, always hits the right spot.
