Underwater photography with the Fuji X-T10

Hello Nikol! Could you please introduce yourself?

Hi guys, thank you 🙂 My name is Nikol Obrová and I’m a professional photographer based in Prague, Czech Republic. I’m mainly a digital photographer but I also really love analog and instant photography – it’s a huge relax for me 🙂  And another very important in my life is traveling…

 

 

 

Do you still remember when you discovered your interest in Photography?

Yes, I do remember it quite well – it was when I was about 8 years old and my parents sent me to a summer camp – and they gave me a cheap analog camera to catch memories from this summer experience. It didn’t feel like love at first sight but I was taking lots of photos – just for fun – no art – for about 10 years when my parents bought first digital camera and everything was immediately easier and cheaper 😀

 

 

 

Was it a passion that turned into a career, or did you get formal training in Photography?

It was just a passion – when I turned 18 I left home for college (economy – marketing) and at the time photography was my big hobby – I just need someone to photograph, because in my home town everyone was too shy 😀  But luckily one of my schoolmates let me take portraits of her (I have never done it before) and the photos were really great, which was unexpected – mainly for me 😀  This was the most important moment because it motivated me to improve. So I was studying, working shifts and in my spare time learning everything I could from Youtube and with trial and error method. After a while, the results arrived, and I began to build my portfolio and clientele so after 5 years of college I could try if I can be full professional… And it has been working for years until now.

 

What kind of work you like to do the most?

I love to work with people so I’m strong in portraits (senior, family, couples etc.) and even weddings… But truly I am the happiest when I can just take a MUA and a model of my choice and do “my stuff” 😀  because I have totally free hand 🙂

 

On your daily assignments you use Canon cameras, right? So, how did a Fujifilm X-T10 enter into your camera bag? Was it just curiosity over that retro-like camera, or did you buy it with some specific purpose?

Yes, you are right – for my regular work I use a DSLR camera, but when me and my partner decided to travel more I was looking for something smaller with great results – and my friend (also photographer) recommended me to try Fuji cameras (he also had one so I knew he was satisfied). As analog camera lover I could not resist the appearance of Fuji cameras and also their compactness and wifi connection etc. etc. I was enchanted. 😀  But truly first time I felt in love with Fuji camera was when I won a competition and Fujifilm Instax Mini 8…

 

What’s your general opinion over the X-T10? Have you ever done an entire assignment with it?

Ok, I won’t lie – there is a difference between a Canon DSLR camera photo and a Fuji one – mostly when you want to retouch some details but… who cares? I use Fuji mostly for my travels and these photos I usually don’t retouch at all. There is a time when X-T10 is better for me – with bad light conditions mostly. And I love possibility to adjust the photos in camera and send them through Wi-Fi connection to a mobile device so I can post it immediately. In my opinion you can hardly find a better travel camera. My X-T10 was with me in Wien, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Croatia and a whole month in Vietnam. Next trip is going to be Cuba in spring 2017- a month and a half. So it’s with me in few of my biggest assignments in life maybe. 😀

 

 

 

The underwater shots look amazing! How was this idea conceived? Have you done underwater photography before?

Thank you so much! I’m glad you like it 🙂  First time I did underwater photos was during my holiday in Croatia – I freshly bought a waterproof case and needed to try it. And it was a fun and great experience! 🙂  X-T10 worked well, even if it’s really hard to make a good and sharp shot when there are waves in the sea 😀  Later we did a beauty photoshoot in a swimming pool in Prague with my great make-up artist Petra Soukupová and a beautiful model Elizabeth Janků so I saw an amazing opportunity to make some more underwater photos – with easier conditions and even higher expectations… 🙂

 

 

Was it easy to coordinate all the tasks, like directing the model, camera setups, framing?

Well I can’t say if it’s easy or not – but it’s fun and challenging 🙂  You must have an exact vision of the final photo to coordinate everything well. Because of the underwater camera case I had to adjust the camera settings before sinking and had to show my model the accurate pose and face expression I wanted, then go underwater, make framing and after few seconds the model must go underwater too. I was so lucky that Elizabeth was totally amazing and did the poses and expressions really well and mostly at the first try. That was a dream! 🙂

 

 

Thank you Nikol for your time! Before saying goodbye, would you like share some tips to all aspiring photographers reading this interview?

Do it with love and do it a lot! 😀
Thank you very much for your questions, guys and good luck with good light.

Note: The underwater housing is Dicapac WP-S3 (http://ko.dicapac.com/wp-s3/)