X100VI: Street Photography x Mr Whisper

With the FUJIFILM X100VI in hand, Bal Bhatla, known creatively as Mr Whisper, explores the endless allures of Paris by night

When the sun sets on a city, darkness breathes life into a new kind of urban aesthetic. Within this world, Mr Whisper has found a creative paradise.

The London native is used to the English capital’s dramatic sheen of recent rainfall and fluorescent flicker of tube stations. In Paris, to get acquainted with the FUJIFILM X100VI, he found exciting, new sources of visual inspiration.

There, the maze of brick-topped streets glow amber, while the neon signs of late-night cafes flash temptingly at passers-by. Lovers meet beneath dim lamps, friends mingle behind the glow of restaurant windows, and visitors marvel at illuminated cultural icons. The city is alive with vibrant energy.

Such rich scenes, and the camera he had to document them with, took the photographer back to where passions began.

“When Instagram started, I found this little opportunity of creativity away from work. I started photographing commuters on the London underground – every day for a year – and it blew up,” he recalls.

“Through that period, I picked up the X-T range. I used the X-T1 all the way through to my current X-T5 for all my commercial and personal work – and completely fell in love with it. I’d always glanced at the X100 lineup, acknowledging all the hype around them. My first experience, though, was to test the new X100VI. When I discovered what was contained within this tiny little body, I was sold.”

Street Photography with the X100VI

Working almost exclusively at night, demanding a range of professional needs from his tools and possessing a desire to stay right in the mix of the city’s vibrant population, it seems there is no creative better suited to the X100VI than Mr Whisper. That, however, is only a testament to the camera’s unrivalled versatility.

Still, in this creative’s capable hands, the latest addition to the X100 line has been deployed to incredible effect. Mr Whisper’s first point of admiration was physical design.

“What I’ve found most of all over the last few months is that it’s just so discreet,” the photographer continues. “It allows me to get up close and personal with my subjects. It’s so quick that I can get my moment way before anyone knows a photo has even happened.

“It hasn’t been made just for street photographers and discretion, but it fits this genre so well. I don’t even have to put it on a strap, I can carry it comfortably in my hand all night. In over a decade of photography, I’ve not experienced these things before.

“The impromptu moments have undoubtedly become a bigger part of my work with the X100VI. The flexibility of having it there ready to go at any moment is the ultimate – it’s what every street photographer is looking for because you don’t want to miss those decisive moments.”

Above all its impressive internal specifications, this simple factor stands out for Mr Whisper. As the old photographer’s adage states, the best camera is the one you have with you.

“Many street photographers’ legacies are built on 1/500 sec,” Mr Whisper muses. “You’re remembered for that forever, and you never know when it’s going to come. So, this little camera is something I can have with me always – and if that moment arrives in my career, wherever I am, I’m ready. That’s what excites me.

“I used to document a lot of scenes I found on my phone, then come back later with my real camera to get the image. With the X100VI, I document moments in incredible quality the second I see them – good enough to send to a client if I wanted to. Be careful: you can accidentally start working on your days off,” he laughs.

“I also love the 23mmF2 fixed lens because there’s no fuss. I used to carry a few primes everywhere, but you always end up falling in love with one focal length. The X100VI has made me realise that every image maker will eventually find a time when they want nothing more than the best performance possible, in one seamless camera-and-lens combination. To me, that’s what this camera is.”

The X100VI’s Resolution and IBIS

The performance Mr Whisper mentions isn’t to be overlooked with the X100VI. Two significant introductions are those of the 40.2-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and an in-body image stabilisation system offering up to 6.0 stops of benefit.

“The 40.2-megapixel sensor is invaluable to my process,” Mr Whisper reveals, “simply because it allows me to crop in greatly to more detailed subjects, without losing any visible image quality. It’s high-res enough for my clients’ needs as well as my own. At this resolution, if you get something truly precious, you’ve got the best record of it possible.

“IBIS is another feature I was familiar with from my X-T5, and when I discovered it was also within the X100VI, I knew I couldn’t go wrong. I thought immediately, ‘this camera is ready to create at night’,” he effuses.

“It’s incredible because with up to 6.0 stops of IBIS, shutter speeds can get very slow without having to stop working handheld. That’s all I ever do. I don’t use a tripod at night whatsoever. The more IBIS you can give me, I will embrace it, because it offers control and opens up a wider range of exposure settings.

“For content creators wanting to make video, it’s also great for the stabilisation of footage. I’ve been doing a lot of handheld video with the X100VI and it’s really smooth. It’s exciting to have that alongside other amazing video specs. In fact, I’d say IBIS is what tempted me to explore video in the first place. It isn’t talked about with this type of camera, which many people see as stills-focused, but the X100VI has 6.2K recording and so much control over file types and sizes. It contains everything technical you’d need for a lot of different outcomes. You just decide how much you want to dial up, all the way from beginner to professional standard.”

The Joy of Photography with X100VI

For Mr Whisper, the X100VI’s internal benefits don’t stop there. AI-based subject detection autofocus keeps him glued to his subjects until the perfect moment, the option of weather-sealing presents him with opportunity in all conditions, and even the introduction of the REALA ACE Film Simulation has shifted his perspective. The photographer is about to release his first set of unedited, straight-out-of-camera stills.

His closing thoughts, however, are not of features, but the overall process they facilitate when combined in a camera like the X100VI. There is an intrinsic joy in connecting, uninhibited, with a subject matter that inspires us enough to transform it into art. Be it the intoxicating pull of city streets at night – or any other niche from the world around us – what, if not the canvases we photograph, keeps us creating?

“The X100VI is simple. I don’t have to make any decisions before I head out the door. I know what I’m working with. As long as the batteries are full and the memory card is empty, I’m good to go,” Mr Whisper concludes.

“That takes me back to the beginning – to my roots in photography – where capturing the essence of a scene was the only goal. I’d forget about what my kit could do; I would document a moment and appreciate the image. What this camera gives me is the pure joy of not having to worry about the technical side of photography. There’s something deeply beautiful about that kind of partnership with a camera.”