0:00 So, I've gotten a number of comments asking me what settings or recipes I use in my photos. So, hopefully this video sheds some light into my process. I'll be covering the three Fujifilm recipes or presets that I use in maybe 90% of my photos, as well as my personal reasons as to why I gravitate towards them. Starting off at number one, we have Reggie's Portra by Reggie Balastto. Arguably one of the most popular Fujifilm recipes out there. The settings are up on screen, and I've also linked his Instagram and his own video tutorial of this recipe in the description. So, go check that out if you're looking for a more in-depth dive into this preset. The only personal change I've made to this recipe is turning the grain and clarity off, but other than that, everything else remains the same in my camera. The thing I love the most about
0:46 this recipe is its versatility. You can use this preset in practically any kind of lighting situation. Be it daylight, artificial light, golden hour, blue hour nighttime indoors outdoors you name it. And chances are it's going to perform pretty well. The preset gives a softer look to your photos and adds a slight warmth to it. Nothing too overpowering. It's actually very subtle, but you can see it when you compare it to photos taken with Fuji's default settings. I think this recipe shines because of its subtleties. A little softness here, a little warmth there. These slight adjustments that aren't too in-your-face, but they are enough to give your photos a very nice feeling, which is honestly my biggest consideration when it comes to choosing
1:32 recipes, which is how do I want my photos to feel? So, when do I find myself using Reggie's portrait? Well, this preset is basically my daily driver. When I'm outside and I feel like taking photos, this is what I usually have loaded up in my camera. I find it perfect when it comes to capturing scenes of daily life, like dinners with friends or walks around the city, cute animals, basically anything and everything. The results are photos that have a warmer feel compared to how our eyes or phone cameras may see it, but they also don't really skew the white balance too strongly, if I'm making any sense. It's a subtle effect,
2:17 but one that you'll definitely notice when you compare it to, say, photos taken with your phone. In my opinion, this is the perfect preset for everyday photography. So, shout out to Reggie Belleras. You made a banger with this one. Next up, we have Classic Cuban Negative by Osan Billy. The settings are up on screen, and I've linked Assan's Instagram and website in the description below. Like with Reggie's Portra, the only personal change I made with this recipe was turning off the grain and the clarity. Everything else remains the same. This recipe gives me a very warm, almost hot feeling, as the white balance definitely skews towards the warm side. The preset is punchy, bringing out a lot of contrast in the photos. It gives your
3:04 photos a sort of golden sheen and makes any strong colors pop out, like for example these Tory gates in Kyoto. Overall, this recipe turns up the heat while bringing the punch along with it. You get warmer tones with a lot more contrast, and you expect stronger shades to be more prominent in your photographs. Now, you might think that these attributes might make this recipe a little more limiting than something like Reggie's Portra, but I actually find this one to be very versatile as well. I find myself using it in everyday photography, especially when it's hot outside, and I want to capture that feeling of a hot day in the city. I also like how it plays well with buildings and cityscapes. And I like how my photos benefit from the golden look. I enjoy using this recipe in the summer
3:50 and for beach scenes since my photos end up feeling very hot, which I think is apt for how summer and beach days feel like. Anyways, for more specific use cases, this is my go-to recipe for nighttime shots or for pictures of my food. I like how it interacts with artificial lighting, be it from signages outside or lights inside, and it gives my night photos a warmer feel to it, which is how nights in my country normally feel like. Anyways,
4:36 I also like using it when I'm in a restaurant or in a bar. In my opinion, the contrast and the golden feel make food look more appetizing. And the same applies for cocktails and drinks. So yeah, thank you Assan Bilgi for this beautiful recipe. I love using it at night or during meal times. Our final recipe belongs to Bright Kodak, a recipe from Fuji X Weekly. They have a huge collection of free recipes for you to try and I highly recommend that you check them out. For this recipe, I did change the white balance a bit since I found that the original one made my photos a bit too green for my liking. Grain and clarity were also
5:21 changed, but you can find the original recipe on Fuji X Weekly site, which I've linked in the description below. Now, I find that this recipe gives a very soft vibe to your photos. It makes them look charming, nostalgic, and makes them look like they came straight out of a roll of film. Out of the three presets we've discussed in this video, I think this is the closest you can get to the quote unquote film look. Now, within the context of this video, I describe this recipe as a bolder Reggie's portra since it does alter the white balance by a significant amount. You can immediately see the change in color the moment you load this up in your camera. Now, with that being said, I personally don't think it's as versatile as Reggie's Portra, and I don't use it in all of the lighting situations that I find myself in. But man, does this recipe shine when
6:09 it does? So, when do I use bright Kodak? I first loaded up this recipe when I was on a trip to Osaka. It was spring at the time, and I just loved how soft and filmic it made everything look, perfectly capturing what spring feels like. It played really well with the cherry blossoms and soft daylight, and it made my photos feel like a memory, which made me more fond of them when I started looking back after the trip was over. After that trip, I started using it more and more, especially during sunny days where I think this recipe works the best. Whenever I'm looking for a very soft feel for my photos, you know, something that feels like a slow early morning or a perfect spring day, this is my usual go-to recipe. And I also love how nostalgic it feels and how it encapsulates that feeling of a memory
6:56 so well. However, I do find that this recipe is limited by natural light. So, I don't really use this when I'm indoors or when the sunlight starts to fade. Still a super great recipe, though, and I love using it when the light is cooperating properly. So, thank you to Fuji X Weekly for this one and for all the other great recipes you have in store for us. So, yeah, that sums up all three of my go-to recipes when I shoot. If you've noticed, a lot of them tend to skew towards the warmer side of the white balance. I'm aware that there are cooler toned recipes out there, like Sinestel 800T, for example, but I don't know. I think I'm just at the stage of my photography journey where I just gravitate towards warmer tones. It's really just a matter of taste and
7:42 preference, and this will probably change in the future when my taste further develops. But anyways, those are the three main presets I use in most of my shots. I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, be sure to like and subscribe. And yeah, thanks for watching. I'll see you in the next one.
