When asked why he makes images, there\u2019s no doubt for Emmanuel Akinnitire. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple answer,\u201d he says, \u201cI love taking pictures because it\u2019s fun and fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n
For him, this comes from being flexible enough to find the beauty in any situation and let his creativity guide him. Of course, his commercial and studio work will always be based around a creative vision, but it\u2019s the ability to change direction on the fly and make the most of any situation that he loves.<\/p>\n
It all began when he was at school. \u201cIt was very fulfilling, just seeing what kind of images I was going to get that day,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAnd school, you know, it\u2019s an ever-changing landscape; no day is the same despite the schedule you\u2019re on.\u201d<\/p>\n
When his excitement about the unknown was combined with the opportunity to connect with people and explore the world around him, Emmanuel was sold. \u201cI\u2019m constantly able to meet new people and get to see what they\u2019re passionate about. I love that process, and everyone you meet is going to give you a different story,\u201d he explains. \u201cPhotography has definitely given me opportunities to escape a shell and get out of my comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/x-s10-sooc_emmanuel-akinnitire_02-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto \u00a9 Emmanuel Akinnitire | FUJIFILM X-S10 camera and XF50mmF2 R WR lens, 1\/125 sec at F2, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
His project with X-S10 was no different. Despite going into the session with a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve, Emmanuel already knew the space he was working in offered some great opportunities, so he kept an open mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love framing different emotions, so I thought it would be cool to do a mix of ideas in a mix of locations,\u201d Emmanuel tells us. \u201cI wanted a lot of space for us to play around. When I was doing my scouts, I chose a location with areas I thought we would 100% use for the session, but also other spaces that we could use if we felt the vibe was going that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the first setting, Emmanuel wanted to convey the variety of moods you can have at work.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you\u2019re with your favorite coworker, you have a good schedule, there\u2019s not that many customers and you get to goof around and have a great time,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut there\u2019s also times where you\u2019re slammed, customers are giving you a hard time and your boss is on you, so you\u2019re not necessarily feeling as good.\u201d<\/p>\n
While working on this first session, Emmanuel became aware of a second area with a motorcycle that could be used as a prop. \u201cIt looked really cool and my stylist happened to have this jumpsuit that had a bunch of paint splattered on it. And I thought it would be kind of cool to combine that with the motorcycle as almost a cyberpunk-looking shoot.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto \u00a9 Emmanuel Akinnitire | FUJIFILM X-S10 camera and XF50mmF2 R WR lens, 1\/200 sec at F2, ISO 320<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Emmanuel tells us that X-S10 is user friendly and was the perfect tool for this organic way of working, \u201cI want my camera to allow me to focus on creating. I don\u2019t want to be looking through my menus, fiddling with my camera to make it do what I want it to do,\u201d he explains. \u201cI really liked that X-S10 made it easy for me to do my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
One big aspect of this was the quality of the files that the 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor can produce, along with the unique Film Simulation modes that are exclusive to FUJIFILM cameras. For this project, Emmanuel was using MONOCHROME+G FILTER, which enhances skin tones in an image.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s honestly amazing how little post-processing I had to do on the majority of my images, because of how good they looked straight out of the camera,\u201d he reveals. \u201cI really like the Film Simulations. With other cameras that have them, they\u2019re kind of basic and are not necessarily something you\u2019d use professionally. But I was able to essentially use MONOCHROME+G FILTER the entire session and it worked for all the different lighting scenarios I put it with.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n