Fuji X-Series, iPhoneography, Japan, Okinawa
Thomas Alan Smilie
Coin Laundry and Chicken
Coin Laundry and Chicken
Thomas Alan Smilie
Happy New Year
Happy New Year
Fuji X-Series, Photography
Thomas Alan Smilie
Fuji x100F w/ TCL-x100 Teleconverter

As I prepare to post my review, I thought I would share a couple photos. I love how my original TCL-x100 Teleconverter looks on my new x100F. I had originally purchased it with my black x100S, but I think I actually like this look better. I’ve now owned every x100 and the love affair just keeps growing with this camera. 

Fuji x100F w/ TCL-x100 Teleconverter
Tokyo, Street, Streets of Tokyo, Fuji X-Series
Thomas Alan Smilie
Streets of Tokyo with the Fuji x100F

This past July  my daughter and I decided on a whim to take a trip to Tokyo for a few days. She was out of school for the summer and it was perfect for some quality father daughter time. It’s been two years since our last trip. Scary how fast time goes by. On my last trip to Tokyo I had just bought the x100T and was testing it out.

Streets of Tokyo with the Fuji x100F
Photography, Fuji X-Series, Okinawa Journal, Okinawa, Japan
Thomas Alan Smilie
Photo of the Day - Waiting for a customer.

Hey everyone. Hope your all doing well today. I took this photo last year while testing my x100T that I had just upgraded to. The photo is part of a blog post I did on shop keepers in Naha. Click here to view that story. I love how he's surrounded with so much merchandise and yet everything looks in place.  

Photo of the Day - Waiting for a customer.
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Naha, Okinawa with the Fuji TCLX100

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Naha, Okinawa with the Fuji TCLX100

I love walking around in Naha. It's the closest thing we have here in Okinawa to the city. Many years ago I lived in mainland Japan, where I spent a good bit of time in Tokyo, and sometimes I find myself missing the city. Last year I purchased the new TCLX100 teleconverter for my Fuji x100s. I also did a review on it found here. Every once and a while I like to take one lens, and shoot all day at that focal length. It's a challenging and fun exercise that can allow you to see scenes differently than you normally do. So a few weeks ago I decided to head down to Naha, and shoot for a few hours with my TCLX100 attached.

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Alone in the Cafe

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Alone in the Cafe

"Finding some quiet time in your life, I think, is hugely important." ~ Mariel Hemingway

The Legend of Valentine

The Legend of Valentine

Pope Gelasius declared February 14th Valentine’s Day in the 5th Century, but the legend of the real St. Valentine’s is so much more interesting.

In the 3rd Century A.D. there lived an ambitious emperor named Claudius the 2nd. In an effort to make his vast armies stronger, Emperor Claudius banned all marriage for his solders so they would not have families to miss while serving away for extended periods of time.

A roman priest named Valentine, disagreeing with him, defied the emperor, and secretly continued to married young couples. When Emperor Claudius found out he sentenced him to death.

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Victoria - Banking

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Victoria - Banking

Meet Victoria, a banking representative from Washington State, USA. Thank you Victoria for being a part of Project 1001 Faces.

Three Reasons Why the Apple Watch will be Successful

Three Reasons Why the Apple Watch will be Successful

In 2007 Apple released the iPhone and in doing so changed society in ways Steve Jobs could only dream of. For better or worse, we are now consumed with the immediacy and convenience our iPhones have given us.  In April of this year, Apple is set to release the highly anticipated Apple Watch. Fashion, personal technology, and the drug of convenience will take the device to success levels smartwatches before it have yet to achieve.

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Everyday Beauty and the Fuji X-Pro1

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Everyday Beauty and the Fuji X-Pro1

We should all take time to stop and enjoy moments like these. All too often we take for granted the beauty around us. They say "the best things in life are free". Scenes such as this must surely be one of them.

Koi Fish Art with the iPhone 6 Plus

Koi Fish Art with the iPhone 6 Plus

The other day my daughter and I were hanging out at a park in Naha, and we decided to stop to take a few photos of koi fish in a small pond. I was inspired recently by some iPhone art I had seen on Apple.com shot with an app called Slow Shutter, so I decided to try my hand at it. Although it took me a few attempts, I was really happy with the results. Afterwards I imported the shot into Lightroom mobile and bumped up the clarity and vibrance. The only downside to Slow Shutter however, is that it doesn't seem to offer full resolutions options, producing files that are less than half the resolution of my iPhone 6 Plus.

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Amazing Japanese Magic Towelettes (Oshibori)

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Amazing Japanese Magic Towelettes (Oshibori)

Japan is famous for it's high tech toys and gadgets, and I am always finding cool stuff that seems to only exist here. Recently I discovered something new, or at least new to me. In Japan small towels called Oshibori are given to customers at restaurants to clean your hands before eating. A local ramen restaurant here in Okinawa called Motonari offers a slightly newer, high tech version of the simple towel. Tablets in a jar that expand to a full-size towelette with water. And they are disposable. So cool! Ok, maybe I'm a little too excited, but I do think it's a cool idea. They look like large Alka-Seltzer or breath mints. Good thing I didn't try to eat one. :)