‘In search of desert landscapes with the XF 35mm 1.4’ for FUJILOVE MAGAZINE

Desert adventures in Europe. Reflecting on my love for this special lens and how gear limitation increases the flow of creativity.

Few months ago I had the opportunity of writing an article for Fujilove - a digital magazine devoted to all things Fujifilm. The article touches upon a variety of subjects with plenty of info on my work process, creative philosophy, the gear I use and why. I hope you enjoy reading it and of course consider subscribing to FUJILOVE for plenty of wonderful and inspiring articles from Fujifilm photographers.

I have always been fascinated by desolate arid landscapes, the kind we see in classic sci-fi’s such as Dune, The Martian. It’s the unfamiliarity of a landscape that inspires, something so different from our usual environments and senses and what our eyes see daily. I’m especially captivated by views that open our minds and imagination to the possibility of life beyond our green and blue planet. 

Living in Europe doesn’t present much opportunity for experiencing these kinds of otherworldly landscapes as it is mainly green and lush, unlike the iconic American southwest or the Atacama Desert in South America. However, few places within Europe do offer a glimpse into a different world and one of them is the island of Fuerteventura, where interestingly enough 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' was filmed on in 2018.

Fuerteventura is the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. In terms of geographic location and climate, it’s closer to Africa than to Europe. It is essentially a “sand” island, dominated by sand formed hills and volcanic land. Its colours are predominantly earthy - shades of sand, volcanic rocks, dust storms, sapphire ocean, and burnt orange sunsets. Apart from the main roads, most country roads are unpaved dusty lanes with breathtaking desert vistas. All ingredients for an unforgettable photography road trip.

Leading up to a trip, I spend a large amount of time researching, googling, pinning locations on google maps, and creating time schedules for every morning, daylight and evening of every single day I am away on location. The research process often takes months of preparation for a few days of shooting. It is certainly not the fun part but it’s so essential because without proper research and planning it would be impossible to achieve the creative vision for the project. 

When it comes to gear, the main decision before a photography trip is the choice of lenses I take with me. It can be a notoriously torturous decision for most photographers and I am one of those (I  often find myself needing that one lens that I just happen to leave at home).

So, for this particular trip to Fuerteventura, I packed all 5 lenses I own (Fujifilm XF 23mm 1.4, Fujifilm XF 35mm 1.4, Fujifilm XF 56mm 1.2, Fujifilm XF 16-55mm 2.8, Fujifilm XF 55-200mm) for backup, but all along I knew I was going to focus on one lens - which is the Fuji 35mm 1.4. I just love this special lens. It has a versatile focal length, it can shoot landscapes, travel, portraits, and almost everything else in between. But most importantly, above all else, it somehow manages to create magic with every click of the shutter; it just has a soft magic quality that I can’t quite achieve with other lenses.

I can not put into words how much I love the 35mm 1.4. It has the most beautiful rendering and adds a unique touch to everything. It renders images in a very analog manner, atypical for a modern digital lens. 

I feel that I am part of a slightly unconventional club of photographers that love shooting landscapes wide open (anywhere between 1.4 to 3). The rulebook says landscapes are shot at around f/11 and Ansel Adams and many more do it so beautifully. But it is a very conscious and purposeful decision of mine to shoot wide open because of the ethereal feel of the images. I am not after a corner to corner sharpness taken with a wide-angle shot of a landscape. I search for emotions, celestial moods and landscapes within landscapes in my photography, and my tools of choice to achieve this creatively are mid-range to telephoto range lenses shot wide open. This is one of the main reasons why I gave myself the challenge to only use this one lens for the Fuerteventura project (because of that magic touch of the 35mm 1.4 lens).

The other main reason for this is the deliberate gear restriction. It is undeniable that having less choice breeds creativity, that’s the psychology of limitation. And this simple approach is especially useful for us photographers. What restrictions do is take away some of the choices available to us, and with them, the paralysis of choice that stops us from getting started. Do you ever feel that way? I certainly do sometimes, paralyzed to even start working on my project because I can’t decide on my choice of lens.

Limitations stretch your creativity. Limitations motivate to create. Limitations challenge the way you see a scene or a landscape. Working with limitations can help build a wonderful, intimate relationship between you and your photography. Limitations yield more interesting results. Simply using one lens (one focal length) is a change in direction that will refocus your mind and can lead to some of your more interesting work. Introducing limitations into your creative process is such a great defense against the creative block. The benefits I have achieved through deliberately restricting my choice of gear have been so invaluable, which since made me really passionate about this idea that I want to share with other creatives who may benefit from it.

My real love for photography began five years ago when I discovered the Fujifilm X100T. The whole idea of this little camera is the deliberate gear restriction for a more creative and fulfilling photographic experience. My happiest moments creating with a camera are from this time.

So, in a way, I desperately wanted to recreate that feeling I had when I only used one camera with a fixed lens. 

I spent 5 days on the island of Fuerteventura, searching for and photographing desert landscapes. It was just my car, my gear, and myself, a true introvert’s dream.

I found myself driving down dried out river beds to get to small desert canyons with no other soul in sight apart from the sound of my breathing. Other times I was on top of a volcanic mountain in the Jandía Natural Park, driving to the incredible Playa de Cofete via an improbably slim winding dirt road with no protective barrier whatsoever whilst being blown by the strong Atlantic winds.

In every single situation and location, the 35mm 1.4 never left my camera. Even the shots taken through the car window where a wide-angle lens would be ideal, the little 35mm 1.4 was wide enough for that too. It is an incredibly liberating feeling for a photographer, to not have to think about switching lenses, instead to be fully present in the moment and the new environment. And for me that is really what photography is all about, it’s as much about the experience of taking pictures as it is the end result. Losing yourself in the environment, finding peace in the creative space, a meditation.