Street Portraits With a Buzz
Pro portrait and street specialist Rinzi Ruiz on how FUJIFILM X-E4 and FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 R WR energized a special street project
“I believe a camera really can give you energy,” enthuses portrait and street specialist Rinzi Ruiz, “and I definitely felt that way when using X-E4.” Across a range of subjects in and around LA, he found the camera and new FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 R WR lens suited his street work perfectly. It even prompted a significant feel-good factor for a city in lockdown.
“That energy,” he continues, “is why people choose the cameras they choose. It’s because those tools give them a certain feeling or emotional state that makes them want to start creating. A new lens, or a new camera, can be so inspirational if it’s the right one for you. I definitely found that with X-E4 and XF27mm. I can’t tell you how much fun they were to use!”
For the few weeks Rinzi used X-E4 and XF27mmF2.8 in tandem, they didn’t leave his side.
“I took them everywhere I went. Getting to know the new gear, I did a bit of hiking up in Griffith Park, and that really helped me notice how small and light the pairing was. I got some selfies and sunset images from up there, too. But the main project was to make some street portraits in downtown LA,” he recalls.
As well as being a professional portrait and wedding photographer, Rinzi’s love of street photography meant he was instantly at home making portraits on the street. “I included street portraiture on this project for a few reasons, not least because during lockdown, there’s not as many people out — that makes regular street work more difficult,” Rinzi explains. “Portraits, even of complete strangers, gave me a little more control, and it really worked out because almost everybody I asked was happy to be featured.”
So, how did the street portrait session unfold? And how did the combination of X-E4 and XF27mmF2.8 help Rinzi with his project? “Street portraits — where you approach complete strangers — are something I’ve done before, so I walked around Downtown and just kind of felt it out, depending on who was around,” he explains. “It’s always a little push to get started, but really I was just approaching people and saying, ‘Hey, I’m making pictures of people during the pandemic, would you like to collaborate with me?’ and that was that. I said people could do it with or without a mask and made sure we kept a safe distance. People were actually really responsive.” For the project, Rinzi planned to make an ambitious 27 street portraits with XF27mm, eventually creating 19 before only time restraints could stop him.
Keeping the project as natural and faithful to the streets as possible, Rinzi gave his subjects very little direction to reflect this in his pictures. “For images like this, some people ask how they should pose, and we may joke around a little, but unlike in my work as a professional portrait photographer, I’d never want to instruct them to the point where their character isn’t on show. Sure, I’m conscious of placing them in the best light, but I never get them to distort who they are, which is the whole purpose of pictures like this. I just ask them to be themselves, and whatever happens, whatever we get, that’s fine,” he explains.
“I think the whole vibe that X-E4 gave me really helped the project as a whole,” he continues. “The way the camera is designed just made the process so pleasant.” Like its predecessors, X-E4 is a pocket-friendly model, which brings greater freedom to street projects, and Rinzi certainly noticed that during his time with it. “The size of the camera,” he says, “does make a difference, especially in places like Downtown LA. It affects how people react to you on the street, compared to walking around with a larger body or a bigger lens. Really, nobody noticed me, especially when I had the LCD flipped down, and when interacting with the portrait subjects, it has a different energy than a larger camera that kind of frees people up.”
Not that a smaller body means X-E4 lacks the impact of the higher-end models in the X Series, according to Rinzi. “It’s got the same excellent 26.1-megapixel X-Trans sensor and the same fast Face and Eye Detection AF as X-Pro3, so it’s perfect for portrait subjects,” he says. “And even though some of the buttons and dials aren’t there, I’m not lacking any control. I’ve still got my shutter, my ISO, and my aperture right there, via a ring on the new 27mm lens. That’s great because it means I don’t need to customize a button. For everything else, I can just swipe the touchscreen and get into any of my other settings.”
For Rinzi, there were a bunch of positives with the model’s build, too. “I found it solid in my hand and it’s a decent weight — not too heavy, not too light, and with a comfortable grip. The whole idea of this camera is that it’s pocketable and the design of the LCD screen and the EVF make this obvious, because they sit flush or close to the body and don’t snag on your clothes. It functions simply and effectively, and that’s fantastic when you want to react fast on the street. Switching it into Program mode, it’s also easy enough for beginners to use. Things like the selfie screen are a big bonus for those that are new to photography, too.”
Singling out XF27mmF2.8, Rinzi says: “It offers a nice compromise between XF23mm and XF35mm, because it is wide enough for scenery, but also gives you nice portraits, especially when it’s opened up to F2.8, where you can get some nice depth-of-field. While I know my X Series lenses do a great job, I’m not usually all that motivated by critical sharpness in my street work; it’s more about the emotion of a particular moment, but this lens is super sharp, too, even at F2.8. That meant the faces and eyes of the people I worked with were tack sharp.”
But according to Rinzi, connecting with his subjects was probably the nicest part of his X-E4 project. “For a whole year, we’ve been indoors or keeping our distance from one another. To talk to people and have them say, ‘Hey, that was so much fun,’ it was a really, really good feeling. I have their contact info and I can send them their photos, so it’s a project that’ll feel complete when I do,” he beams.
“And I really think that a lot of that reaction came from me using X-E4 as the tool to do it,” he concludes. “Going back to that idea of having this small and unobtrusive camera and lens in my hand instead of a big DSLR, you know, there’s a lack of pressure and intensity in your interactions. It’s so cute and small, and it’s a really fun camera to use. That brings out true creative energy in your photography. It really got my creative juices flowing, it made me happy, and I really felt the same way every time I picked it up.”
FUJIFILM X-E4 and FUJINON XF27mmF2.8 R WR are coming soon to your nearest FUJIFILM Authorized Dealer.
Find out more about the project, the gear, and Rinzi’s creative process with this exclusive behind-the-scenes video!
Get more education, inspiration, and insight from the world of photography on the FUJIFILM Exposure Center.
