Early morning with the Fuji X100

We woke up before dawn to catch a glimpse of Erawan during its early hours of glory. Once we finished our coffee, we set off on our adventure. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the air had a crisp, refreshing quality to it. It was perfect! Equipped with just one flash, we made our way towards the waterfalls, stopping along the way to snap some shots.

I was testing my light, I had Lyn sat at the middle of the paved path surrounded by trees and bamboos.

A little farther ahead, we had a very nice spot where the sun is shining through the thick forest of bamboos.

I love how the X100 rendered the color of the sunlight. A handheld flash was used as a fill light.

After a brisk walk, we finally reached our destination: the first level waterfall, which we had chosen as the location for our portrait shoot.

As Lyn changed into a new outfit, I prepared my camera and flash, eager to start capturing some great shots.

Shot with one flash on a stand at camera right.  Lyn was braving the chilly water of Erawan falls.

After a satisfying photoshoot at the first level waterfall, we decided to take a couple more shots before heading back to our room. As we walked, we couldn't help but feel excited for the climb going to the seventh fall of Erawan. We knew that it was going to be a long and tiring journey, but the thought of capturing more breathtaking shots kept us going.

Shot with the same set up as above. Shot with aperture of  f2.8, 1/125 seconds at ISO 200.

The Fuji X100 is my go-to camera for environmental portraits. The sync at any speed and the built-in 3-stops ND filter make it a perfect fit. It's the camera I always grab for shots like the ones above.

There's something special about the morning light. The way it refreshes everything and adds a golden touch to the scenery is simply breathtaking. Walking around with the X100 during these hours is effortless, but if I had brought my DSLR, I'd be dragging it around like a backpacker's bag. Sadly, waking up early is not always easy, so we can always resort to shooting during sunset.

Cheers!

Alex