The FujiCast Podcast

Watch out watch out, there’s a Haggis about, and it’s playing central defence for the Vatican City’s football team! All will be revealed. The boys are looking ahead to their appearances at Fujikina this coming weekend and there are questions into the show about character and vintage lenses for travel cameras, and we ask whether Instagram should be looking over its shoulders at Flickr which is making a resurgence. Will Kev consider selling his camera bag dividers, why is my camera resetting, any tips on using the Fujifilm app, what are the most important books the boys have in their collections, is there any love for square format pictures, and what does Kev think of the 500mm beast lens?

Kev’s returned from Spain, and he’s possibly brought a suitcase full of scorpions home, so we’ve sent him to check! We say goodbye today to Pictime, our sponsor for the last few years, waving them off, but still loving their product. Questions into the show include whether the GFX is right for wedding work, or is it an incy bit slow, what’s the best social platform to concentrate on if you’re social shy or social fatigued, street projects to whet the creative appetite, and how to sort your images after a long day’s shooting. We also, have a book of the week by James and Karla Murray called Vinyl NYC, celebrating record shops of that great city.

Shhhh, don’t tell Gemma, but Kev’s got GAS and he’s starting a cider business! That surely won’t help! This time it’s a telescope, and we reckon at FujiCast HQ he’s hidden it in one of those shopping bags he keeps to sneak new gear into the house. On the show today, a little more on connecting cameras to telescopes, standing desks for your health, should I change my primes for one single zoom to go one body one lens, video tips including grading and sound. What non-Fujifilm gear would the boys entertain in their kit bags, stuff they might go back to or buy brand new? Turns out Kev may take a dalliance with a red dotted camera from that question.

In the midst of Summer with Kev sunning himself by a Spanish pool until 2027 the boys answer your questions about everything Fujifilm and beyond. This week, what are Kev and Neale planning to photograph in their retirement?! What is this R word? Do creatives ever truly retire? Also, being a creature of habit with the scenes you know, to travelling abroad with your lens - with a greater sense of adventure. We talk about travel photography, how to work with IBIS, problems with command dials, the upcoming Fujikina Photo Festival event in London, making cider, and what advantages do I really get by upgrading an older X-Pro system?

Kev’s off to Spain, so he’s understandably winding down, and after spending time photographing 22 priests, it’s probably just the break he needs. On the show, the regular spiky subject of Adobe subscription increases and how we deal with the rises and price of life, plus are there alternatives to popular platforms like Lightroom and Photoshop? Also, what can be improved with new cameras, they’re all practically perfect aren’t they, so is it worth constantly updating our cameras? Sony v Fujicast focusing, London’s upcoming Fujikina event, storing jpeg recipes, is social media replacing the need for a website, and is it worth buying an X-Pro3 in 2025?

Neale and Kev swap their stranger wedding adventures, swapping being apt in the case of Kev’s revelation! Also on the show, mouse v tablet editing, the money spent on kit we never use (!), great photo galleries and classic British pub suggestions to visit for a special tourist trip to London, how we’d run our photography businesses if we were to start again, advice on setting up an X100VI, Kev’s best chess moves in church and the target market for the new X-E5 camera and new 23mm lens.

We’ve reached 300 episodes! What’s changed since the first one, from a time we didn’t even see a pandemic coming? Well, for a start, the DSLR has quietly taken its place in the museum, while Kodak, CineStill, and Fujifilm ramped up film production, as demand for analogue exploded again; turns out grain never really went out of fashion. Medium format isn’t chained to a tripod anymore either. With Fujifilm’s GFX line, photographers are now shooting huge resolutions on something that fits in a shoulder bag.

Oh, and then there’s AI. In 2019, you might rightly have shouted, “A WOT?” Now it’s the invisible hand behind how clients and an audience find you. With more people using AI to search instead of scrolling Google pages, your website, your words, your presence, they all need to speak a language that machines can read, as well as humans.

Also on the show, Kev’s Driving School has started its engine, AI writes us some poetry, things to change on your website to allow AI to seek you, what to say when a client asks to see the raw photos from a shoot, buying the latest GFX, film photography borders on your website, and SCRL.

Kev’s unboxing a glimpse into his new photographic pastime, but what has arrived at Studio Mullins? All will be revealed. Also on the show: Lightroom sharpening tips - have the worms returned? GFX100RF dynamic range discussed and hopefully solved, pricing strategy and how we’d launch our photography businesses if we were starting again today - what would we do differently? We discuss smaller gigs in the light of consumer confidence, excellent used-camera purchases, advise how to survive multiple weddings in a row and street law.

Neale is trying to cheer Kev up, who is sitting in a blacked out room in beautiful Malmesbury counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until he can escape the UK for the sunnier climes of España! On the show, the boys discuss using Pictime as an art gallery, software solutions for back-up, the foto app, fixing up a retiring camera, the best compact camera in the Fujifilm range to travel with, switching to video using an X-T4, and we also feature the Zine work of Adam Ramjean, as he photographs the Notting Hill Carnival.

Neale invites Kev to street photograph and adventure with him in Kolkata and Varanasi as he prepares for the next 2026 Photowalk adventure in India, but will he say yes. Also on the show a VERY special offer from our wonderful sponsor Pictime, called 72, plus an invite to come and join us on a special Pictime Zoom show on Wednesday 14th May at 6pm UK time. Questions into the show about lost custom settings, website picture layout nightmares, finding a discreet camera system for shooting unobtrusively, the classic Fujinon lens line-up for the X-system, protecting gear from bangs and knocks in the bag, ChatGPT accuses Neale of stealing Kev’s 35mm, a 500mm beast, and battery talk. 

Neale’s getting nervous about the footie and Kev’s celebrating picture sales to clients who forgot to order ANY pictures when they got married almost a decade ago! Also on the show, trading in all the lenses you don’t use for one excellent lens you will, more on the GFX IBIS-gate story and cropping in camera, being honest in reviews, wedding-centric glass, learning to shoot candidly for day-in-the-life shoots, and what is your camera doing while it’s sat in your camera bag?!? The book of the week is Queer Happened Here by Marc Zinaman.

When we recorded this episode, the tariff situation was locked in, firm as a rock, ‘You know who' said absolutely no U-turns. So naturally, by the time you hear it, the rock's done a cartwheel and landed in a hedge. All the same, just in time for Easter, questions in to the show include how to egg collect and take pictures at the same time, although all is not as it seems! Also on the show, can Pictime be a replacement for your website, are mentors important to your development as a photographer, and should you pay for their services? Touch screen controls, do they drive you bonkers too? We talk about eye-tracking, a new pancake lens for the system and how to respond to unhappy clients.

Kev’s talk at The Photography Show draws more than a few admiring glances, and it’s now a film! The GFX 100RF has been announced and we ask, is it a camera you need for your kitbag? Who is this camera really for, and why does it leave some photographers vacillating between curiosity and a quiet sense of unease? Kev answers these questions and more, whilst attempting to keep his blood pressure within safe limits. Also on the show, finding a small interchangeable lens camera for street work in the Fujifilm range, manual focusing for astro photography, a documentary magazine collection introduced to us by Ashton Zala, sneak peaks of galleries for clients, and a new genre possibly: chicken dinners!?

Kev’s been to Cheltenham to take pictures of people losing money at the races, although he has a secret, not so secret strategy! Also on the show today, do you do colour calibration (?!?), back-button focus-gate, what’s happening with my X-T5’s ISO on all-auto, is there a good free alternative to Adobe products, there’s a hole in my lens hood - what should I do, and how do I cope with guests at weddings instructing me not to take pictures of them? Plus dealing with working outside your style for clients, the fabled 18mm f2 lens, and should you use your own name as your business identity.

Kev returns from Spain and seems to have found a new career as a handyman, finding a particular passion for cutting stuff down to size with a chainsaw!!! Also on the show today from the mailbag, Neale and Kev answer questions about photographing solo professionally, shooting video alongside stills, showing unedited material to clients, posing v doc, choosing email and mailing list providers, Substack, invoicing software, and why do people think Kev looks like David Brent??!?

Kev is wondering who sent red roses last Friday, was it you? On the show today, recommendations for a good zoom lens sub £400, just how good is the new Fujifilm X-M5, starting from scratch as a photographer, X100V as a powerhouse, audio kit to accompany your photo story telling, perfect lenses for travel photography, Kev’s post-retirement plans, can you become a pro wedding photographer in your 50s, and a peak inside Neale and Kev’s kit bags. Plus there’s a bonus question on Judo!

Don’t tell Kev, but Wales lost the rugby - at the time of recording he was completely unaware! Shhh. Neale finds himself on a commercial shoot where things go bump in the night. Also on the show, why are so many pictures shot in a vertical fashion? Kev isn’t convinced the world needs vertical images AT ALL! We talk about the number of pictures shot at weddings, gallery stats, the best time to send images to a client, taking a tripod v shooting using IBIS, updating your website to court search engines, showing pictures online that have feeling, understanding how to use ai and upselling social photography packages.

Kev gets dewy-eyed over the music of Ralph McTell, remember the Streets of London, and Neale is feeling hopeful and buoyant about people and business in 2025. Questions today about the best camera for sports photography from the Fujifilm range, the quirks of Auto ISO, contents insurance for kit away from home, moire issues, photo challenges for 2025, content creators snapping your original ideas and what software the boys use for editing video.

The boys hit the resolutions road running and answer questions about their photographic callings and choices in life and ‘employing’ your partner as a second shooter. Also today, should you let your camera choose ISO for every condition, facial recognition and battery drainage, focusing on eyes through reading glasses, Squarespace websites, HEIF format speed issues in post production, the pictures that affected us from 2024, battling muddy images and how do you squish photos for optimal web use?

The boys cancel Christmas, well, the pre-Chrimbles planned episode at any rate, with Kev’s home town hit by the Malmesbury Malaise, so our exploration into the cavernous Cupboard of Doom will have to wait until ’25. In the meantime, we have the winner of the Lowa boots; discuss how to expand your Insta reach and answer, “Why does my Fujifilm camera keep asking me to recycle the power?" Also, how to wear the cloak of invisibility when trying to act unobtrusively as a candid photographer, what defines a strong black and white image relative to the technical approach and a Zine of the Week by Kenny Gordon from Glasgow - a celebration of football.

Kev is photographing in the boxing ring with a GFX; hope he can duck out the way quick enough! Questions today into the show about making a macro investment, finding a perfect workflow that isn’t complicated when it comes to saving our precious pictures for all time, will more and better ai editing software reduce the need for personal presets, in wide-angle land - what’s too wide when it comes to hitting the dance floor at a wedding to get super expressive shots, what does it mean to drag a shutter, and am I wise to register a domain more locally sounding that a dot com? The book of the week is You Rebel Scum by Daz Smith, a ten year project to document ‘rebels in society.’

Neale’s entering the yuletide spirit early, Kev's fine tuning the recipe for humbug, but they’re both keeping their heads down when it comes to current affairs. Thank St. Nicholas for photography as today on the show we demystify the questions of tech that bamboozle you, whilst Kev explains why he is de-Muskifying at the same time. Why did Threads not quite make the noise creatives thought it may, how can I tell my client that the events pictures I have made are not to be presented free of charge to other parties and what’s the proudest achievement of your photographic career, so far? Also today, buying third party STUFF for your Fujifilm camera kit and enjoying vintage lenses. The book of the week is Pentwyn No. 3 Colliery from one of our supporters, Martin Ellard.

Kev and Neale return from their holidays, straight into the questions you’ve been sending in about photography and Fujifilm cameras. Questions today about learning from photobooks and what sorts of titles offer an opportunity to improve your photography, uninvited shutter speeds in auto ISO, a 56mm that won’t manually focus, how the change of seasons changes our personal photography, finding truly original creative paths, discontinued cameras we lament the passing of, the rise of content creation - is it a worry for professional photographers?

Is wedding photography still a viable business for somebody setting out today and can/are content creators spoil the party, should I be using ChatGPT instead of Google, and how do I stop people smiling inanely in portraits? Also on the show, in-camera recipes, mobile Lightroom, packing light for a trek, compatible lenses for higher resolution camera sensors, thoughts about wide angles, Fujifilm’s 10-24 and Sigma's alternative, the real reason why battery chargers no longer come with cameras and smart investments: and what’s the smarter investment, a new camera or new lens?

Kev and Neale discover the powerful secrets of ’the buried sausage’ and start to think about a new HoP event! Also this week, buying replacement STUFF, what to do when someone at a busy event asks you to avoid photographing them, Neale gets pinned against a wall by a Legionnaire, what guarantees can your contract provide in case of an unintended early demise, live view quandaries, setting up a new X100vi, Kev’s workflow, X Raw Studio and why is my tone out of LR a little muddy?

Kev and Neale get a proper ai roasting, though all is okay, as Mullins has received a windfall thanks to being a Pic-Time customer! Also today, the joy of using Godox on tour, is autofocus a reason to swap camera systems, GAS, brand loyalty, keeping your pictures safe on tour and shooting through prisms! We also have a book of the week, one close to Mullins’ heart: Great Bars of New York City by James and Karla Murray. 

Kev muses about what to photograph next as he moves away from regular wedding photography gigs, whilst Neale is travelling the opposite direction having now launched his NEW podcast especially for wedding photographers called 1000 Weddings. Also on the show it turns out that Mullins found a level of real anxiety shooting weddings, although it seems he’s not alone. Today we appeal for new questions to the show to take us into Winter ’24, Kev has some suggestions on how to digitise old slides, best practices for capturing candids at social events, the ethics or ‘rules’ of privacy when publishing candid photos online, branding v style, shooting weddings as a guest, how Instagram works under the hood, and using a smartphone for street work.  

There’s joint relief in the houses of Mullins and James, and we’re not talking knees and back, as our eldest kidlings both pass their first major school exams with flying colours. Meanwhile in the land of photography on the show, lens weights, white balance best practices, will LR lose my images if I cancel my subs, what is this obsession with tech, making pictures that aren’t perfect, using one camera with one lens for one year.

Kev’s sat under a storm cloud, literally - and not just because he’s back from his holidays! On the show, will Fujifilm ever produce a monochrome camera, just how good is the X-S camera, what are our favoured focal lengths and to convert or not to convert (focally) on the X100 range of cameras? Also, we discuss JPG simulations, the best/easiest way to archive a stack of film and building your main website on the Pictime platform. There’s a book of the week too, The Little Book of Camden Passage by Gary Williams.

Kev is still frazzling on his Spanish sunbed, though the show goes on. We have questions about Lightroom and whether it’s necessary to upgrade your computer to cope with ever larger file sizes, swapping online sales galleries, can art prints actually sell and should I invest in primes? Also small cameras for street work, how shooting style changes as you ‘mature’ and the book of the week is Gregory Crewdson’s latest self-titled monograph. Be sure to keep sending your questions into the show.