Army reservist Matthew Williams takes the FUJIFILM X-T5 on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to South Georgia to document sights unseen
Photography, at its heart, is an opportunity to make memories. Genres allow deeper exploration of themes and niche visuals – but always, the artform comes back to a record of lived experience.
With that comes the chance to glimpse into worlds unlike our own. When those venturing far from the traditional path carry a camera, they carry us with them too. Looking at an image, the spectator can share – for a few moments – in an adventure they could otherwise only imagine.
Earlier this year, Matthew Williams took this idea to the extreme, going where few have gone before. To the benefit of all those who see the resulting photos, he kept the FUJIFILM X-T5 close by as a travel companion.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/2200 sec at F3.2, ISO 125
“This was an expedition run by the Corps of Royal Engineers, to put a team of 15 soldiers on the island of South Georgia to conduct exploratory mountaineering,” Matthew recounts. “We flew to the Falkland Islands where we met our yacht, spent a couple of weeks getting it ready to sail, then took it 860 miles across the Southern Ocean. We spent a month on South Georgia exploring terrain that had never been covered before, over a series of four-day-long expeditions.”
As an army reservist, Matthew has long had a taste for adventure. Photography, however, is an altogether newer passion – at least in practice.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/8000 sec at F1.4, ISO 125
“A year ago, I wasn’t a photographer,” he states. “I enjoyed documenting memories when I was out hiking, but I only had my phone to do that with, so none of the real process was there. When selected for this expedition, I decided I couldn’t come away without having some great photos. I started learning.
“My father is a keen photographer, and he lent me one of his cameras – the FUJIFILM X-T2. I took it on as many trips as I could, getting a feel for it and practicing technique. Right before I left, I bought my own X-T5.”
Matthew’s South Georgia expedition was no leisurely hike. Beautiful subjects were abundant, but photographing them often fell outside of a typical process.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/500 sec at F13, ISO 320
“When you’re up in the high mountains – attached to the same rope as up to four other people – you can’t pause to line a frame up perfectly. For me, it was about taking opportunities when they came, and focusing on the emotion of the landscapes around me more than the perfect visual.
“There were times throughout the trip where I wanted to get the camera out, but it wasn’t appropriate. I probably missed some good photos, but you can only get what you can get.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR, 1/1000 sec at F5.6, ISO 125
“On the wildlife side of things, I had a bit more time and space to play with visual ideas,” Matthew continues. “We moored up between excursions in Grytviken, which is an old whaling station with a beach, where we found several elephant seals giving birth and some penguins.
“Some wildlife images are wider frames with mountains in the background, but the ones I came away happiest with are those with tighter compositions. I was able to isolate a king penguin with the dark sea as a background, which draws attention to the majesty of the animal; it was beautiful lighting too. In the right place at the right time, all I had to do was position myself carefully and wait.”
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR, 1/250 sec at F5.6, ISO 250
The explorer surmises his overarching goal succinctly and delivers an important reminder: often in photography, beauty speaks for itself with little intervention.
“Ultimately, I set out to achieve an honest depiction of what I found. I didn’t want to skew that with a lot of visual trickery. What was much more important to me was telling the story of the whole expedition – from arrival to departure,” Matthew explains. “And I’m not necessarily the most artistic person, but I’m confident in my ability to make an image representative of how a moment felt.
“On the other side, I wanted to enjoy moments fully, rather than worry about getting specific photos that represented them in a certain way.”
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR, 1/500 sec at F5.6, ISO 125
This process is not as simple as it may seem, however. It requires presence of mind, pure artistic vision, and importantly, a highly capable set of tools. Alongside his X-T5, Matthew packed the FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR, XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, and XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR.
“In alpinism, every gram counts. You shave your kit down to the bare minimum. Food and equipment are simply more important than a camera,” he says. “I knew the X-T5 was very lightweight – then I added the fewest lenses I could for my landscape, wildlife, and portrait needs.
“From experience, I also knew I got on well with the physical design of the X-T2 and saw X-T5 as an extension of that. It was exceptionally easy to use – especially in the cold environment where I could adjust the dials with gloves on. I couldn’t have gone into fiddly menus, so it was great to have full manual exposure controls externally.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/30 sec at F10, ISO 125
“Although I was trying to protect my kit from the worst of the weather – because I needed it to last – full weather resistance meant I never had to worry much,” Matthew adds. “When we were sailing, a couple of waves crashed over the top of me and the camera, and of course it was freezing at high altitudes; the X-T5 handled it all fine.”
On more creative fronts, Matthew was most impressed by the camera’s malleable 40-megapixel RAW files and AI-driven subject-tracking autofocus capabilities. Together, they allowed him to record maximal detail with seamless accuracy.
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1/1000 sec at F11, ISO 160
“The camera works exceptionally well,” he effuses. “The ability to nail focus straight on specific details, then follow them through frame, made life so much easier. When you’re trying to focus on the moment and getting the emotion right, you don’t want to be distracted by technical details.
“I wanted a raw record of every scene, so I knew nothing was lost and had full control when editing. I did use Film Simulations in the moment to guide my eye, though. Looking through the viewfinder at a monochrome scene, you can see exactly how the final image will look, then fine tune the details accordingly.”
Photo 2023 © Matthew Williams | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF10-24mmF4 R OIS WR, 1/125 sec at F11, ISO 125
Reflecting on what he’s achieved – both personally and photographically – Matthew remains understandably proud.
“I went in knowing I had to succeed, not only for my own selfish reasons of putting some nice photos up on my walls, but also to share the experience. The military perspective was important, but more broadly, it’s a beautiful part of the world which unfortunately not many people will ever see first-hand.”
“I’m very happy with the photos I made. My only wish is to have stayed longer and explored further,” he concludes. “But this was an incredible opportunity, and that gets to live on when people view these images.”