On the trail Sunday afternoon with The Girl, I noticed this BLM marker for the trail we were on. I like the contrast, so I made the capture. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-02-15 12:43:59, 27mm, 1/1900sec, f/8, ISO-640, in-camera Monochrome-R film simulation, SOOC.
I am having some fun learning the Fujifilm X-Pro3. I decided to mount the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 pancake on the body and carry it for a few outings. I have the second generation model that has an aperture ring. (It is absolutely necessary for my style of shooting.) The small size of the lens makes for a very small package. I like it.
It is a decent lens. It might not have the character of some of my other glass, but the form factor sort of makes up for that.
On the trail, I noticed this BLM trail marker. I wanted to do something with it, so here it is. Enjoy.
This was something, once. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-01-28 11:57:38, 23mm, 1/640sec, f/8, ISO-640, Classic Chrome film simulation, in camera.
I am in a busy season, once again. But I still carry a camera daily. An image does not always present itself, or I am not paying sufficient attention to see the image presented.
Walkies through the sagebrush out at Silver Saddle Ranch sometimes provides an interesting image. This pile of boards, while presenting a hazard for doggo with respect to exposed nails (and later the possibility of a rattlesnake hide), was something, once. It might have been a door or gate. Or maybe a platform for some other purpose. There was clearly a structure in the area by virtue of other ruins. But I do not know what it was.
In any event, the area provided some fodder for a daily image.
I photographed this survey marker before. While playing with the Fuji X-Pro3, I decided it could use another look. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-01-25 12:20:53, 35mm, 1/8000sec, f/2.8, ISO-400, Acros film recipe (PhotoLab 7).
This marker has been on the top of this post for several years now. I have used it as a subject for an image a number of times, usually when testing a camera, lens, or a film stock. So, when hiking through the Silver Saddle Ranch compound, I noticed it once again while playing with the Fuji X-Pro3 and a Fujinon 35mm f/2 lens combination.
The background for this capture is usually interesting, particularly as the seasons change. The cottonwoods provide an interesting out of focus palette of tones in both black and white and color renderings.
So, I like to make a capture of this subject when playing with a camera, or a lens, or a film stock (which includes simulations).
On another topic, I have my guitars back in shape. I retrieved my classical Thursday, after a fret rework. I will be working on finding the right string set for that guitar; one that will provide a nice tonal complement to the cedar top and be more comfortable for me to play.
I will enjoy working with it this year and, hopefully, for a few more years to come.
A bit of Mormon Tea against an out of focus view of Carson City and Mount McLellan. Captured with X-Pro3, 2026-01-26 14:25:43, 16mm, 1/8000sec, f/2.8, ISO-640, Acros-R film simulation (in-camera), SOOC.
Last week, I had The Girl outdoors for walkies/hiking at Silver Saddle Ranch, our favorite Winter haunt. The days are extraordinarily warm for now and so hiking is pleasant without the Winter Bite. We do need more snow, though.
I rented a Fujifilm X-Pro3 body from (a href=”https://lensrentals.com”>Lensrentals a couple of weeks ago and have been putting the camera through its paces. It has a relatively low shutter count (about 15K actuations) and the body is pretty clean, I would say very good with only a little paint lost here and there and a mark on the bottom plate from tripod use or something else. The hybrid optical viewfinder is interesting and I can see why the rangefinder-style body is so popular, especially with street shooters. I am liking what I see and this camera is probably good for a lot of my daily carry outings where I do not need to extra size of the X-T5 for larger lenses or the in-body stabilization for low-light.
I have been in something of a photographic rut, needing some inspiration or a photographic ass-kicking to restart my observational skills. So, I elected to mount a lens I do not often use, the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 that is in my inventory. I tend to have a telephoto eye, so do not usually use a wide-angle lens. So, I thought mounting one might shake up my vision a little.
Well, it did make me look at things a little differently. I am really enjoying the in-camera Acros and Monochrome film simulations, and am playing with the Classic Chrome simulation as well. I have not programmed any of the film recipes into this camera. I will play with those Fuji provided for awhile first.
I noticed the juxtaposition of the Mormon Tea against the McLellan backdrop, so I open up the aperture to put the background somewhat out of focus, framed the shot, and made the capture. I rather like the contrast of the in- and out-of-focus areas. I did not post processing of the image other than resizing.
It was a good day in the field. I am having a lot of good days in the field. I love hiking with The Girl. I am grateful. Life is good.
