Exposure Center

Photo © Alison Conklin

6 minute read

A Storyteller’s Lens

Working across multiple subjects, but with the same compelling natural style, Alison Conklin tells us why GF80mmF1.7 is the perfect choice

Alison Conklin is in a hurry. As a busy working pro, that’s no surprise, and this morning she has only a few minutes to tell us about the new FUJINON GF80mmF1.7 R WR lens. She has huge praise for the new model, so why the rush? “Well,” she explains, “this morning I’m making some campaign portraits for The American Heart Association’s annual campaign – it’s a really important project for me – and one that I’m especially looking forward to, as I’m getting to use GF80mmF1.7 to do it!”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR lens, 1/125sec at F1.7, ISO 320

Alison has been using the new lens since the end of November 2020, capturing a range of themes typical to her line of work. “I’ve made lifestyle, editorial, and formal-style portraits with local subjects here in Pennsylvania,” she says, “as well as using it for food and restaurant subjects, too. It’s not a great time for wedding photographers like me right now, but I did get to use it at one, and let me tell you, it was amazing. Basically, in the two months I’ve had it, it’s never left my GFX 50S. It’s like the most perfect combination for me – the focal length, the aperture, and the size – and it fit perfectly with the kind of natural images I want to make.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/125sec at F1.7, ISO 200

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/125sec at F1.7, ISO 320

Natural is a great way of describing Alison’s style, but why is it something that she favors? And how does the new GF80mmF1.7 fit into it? “Whatever the purpose of a session,” she explains, “whether it’s commercial, editorial or social, I really always want to capture the essence of who the subject is and tell a little of their story. I want it to feel like you’re caught in a real moment with them, and avoid anything that looks overly set up or contrived.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/250sec at F1.7, ISO 100

This, she says, is all about evoking an emotional response in the viewer, something that stops them scrolling on a webpage or turning the pages of a magazine or album. “When people look at my photos, I want them to actually feel something,” Alison explains, “I want them to feel like they were there at that time I made the image, or be connected to it in the same way that a sound, a taste or a smell would bring them back to a moment in time. It’s the same when I’m photographing food, and I’m trying to achieve an image that brings in another sense on top of the visual, like taste or texture.”

As with all successful photographers, Alison’s ideas come from a range of influences, including her experiences growing up, and the artists who inspired her. “My parents were hobbyist photographers,” she says “and so there were always a bunch of pictures laying around in our house, but the ones I fell in love with were the ‘outtakes’, the photos of my parents laughing with their eyes closed, or looking at the camera kind of unprepared. It’s those little accidents that really tell you who people are, not a Sears-style staged portrait.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/250sec at F1.7, ISO 125

Photographically, she took particular inspiration from the work of rock photographer, Linda McCartney. “Away from the glitz and excess of that world, she would just try to capture who the person was, which she often did by not letting them know that she was even in the same space as them. It might seem like a random choice, because she’s not like an Avedon like many people would namecheck, but for me her work is really beautiful, and really conveyed who her subjects were, rather than being some flat facsimile of a person. So that is sort of my goal, too!”

It’s no surprise then, that as someone who wants to make pictures in a natural style, and often in a candid and unobtrusive way, GF80mmF1.7 is a natural fit for Alison. “For starters,” she says, “the F1.7 aperture makes it an amazing lens to use in low-light. I rarely use flash outside of the studio, and I want to use natural light whenever possible. Things like portraits lit with a single light source, or wedding parties will be really easy, because the lens is so bright. I could be in near darkness and still be able to use it! And of course it also means you can use lower ISOs if you want.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/640sec at F1.7, ISO 100

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/500sec at F1.7, ISO 100

“Of course there’s also the effect of the huge maximum aperture on depth-of-field,” she continues, “which combined with the focal length, gives you that amazing larger format look. It really feels so different to something you can make on a DSLR. The combination of the fall off and the framing comes together with the rendering and the colors to make something unique. And with access to that kind of depth-of-field you can make portraits against almost any background with the subject standing out. I really think my work is going to change with this lens. Because, you know, my GF110mmF2 R LM WR is a beautiful lens, but this is not as close, so it gives you a little bit more of the story, and the context.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/2000sec at F1.7, ISO 160

Without her GFX system cameras’ advanced autofocus, making the most of that depth-of-field might be a tricky task, but Alison says it’s no problem. “With pictures like these created with the aperture wide open,” she explains, “you have to be sure you’re catching the actual eye, not just the eyelash, but that’s where the beauty of the GFX system’s Face and Eye Detection comes into play. And with that backing you up, you can see that this lens is insanely sharp, too. When I first got it, I threw it on my camera and was just photographing random things around the house, I was so blown away by it!”

“It’s surprisingly small and light, too,” she continues, “which means more freedom for me to make pictures in the way I want to. Because along with things like the GFX system’s silent shutter, I can be a little bit more invisible, because I never want to make a session about me. I just want it to be as natural as possible.”

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/160sec at F1.7, ISO 400

Photo © Alison Conklin | FUJIFILM GFX 50S and GF80mmF1.7 R WR, 1/160sec at F1.7, ISO 800

We could easily have spoken all day, but unfortunately, we ran out of time. Alison needs to be somewhere else, and for a good cause, too. “This morning’s session is for the Go Red For Women campaign,” she says, “and what we’re doing is photographing ten women for it – ten caregivers, nurses, and doctors, who’ve been at the front of the fight against Covid-19. I’ll be using the GF80mmF1.7 for sure, because of course it’s a great studio lens, too. Actually, it’s amazing for pretty much everything I want to do. If I had to dream up a perfect lens, this would be it!”

GF80mmF1.7 R WR is coming soon to your nearest FUJIFILM Authorized Dealer. Learn more and read the full specifications here.

CREATE/SEND/SHARE

see your image on our Social Channels

Share your image and story with us for a chance to be featured.

First Name

Last Name

Your Instagram Handle

Your Twitter Handle

Photo Upload

Success.

Please select an image

FUJIFILM Camera (Example: X-T3)

FUJINON Lens (Example: XF16mmF1.4)

Shutter Speed (Example: 1/125)

ISO (Example: 200)

Aperture (Example: F2.8)

Focal Length (Example: 16mm)

Story behind the photo

What's your passion, what's your drive, and what's important to you?

What would you like to share about this image and why would you like to share it?

How does your image sum up the story you want to tell?

Terms and Conditions

I consent to FUJIFILM North America Corp., its representatives and its successors in interest sending me information about this submission by e-mail and by other electronic means. I agree to the terms of FUJIFILM North America Corporation's privacy policy and terms of use. If I am a California resident, I also agree to the terms outlined in the California section of the privacy policy. I understand that I can withdraw this consent at any time and that I can contact Fujifilm at FUJIFILM North America Corp. 200 Summit Lake Drive Valhalla, NY 10595, Attn: FNAC Chief Privacy Officer, or by phone at 800-800-3854.

Yes, I am a U.S. resident and consent to FUJIFILM North America Corp., its representatives and its successors in interest sending me information about their products and services by e-mail and by other electronic means.

Consumer Submission Terms and Conditions:

MY FUJIFILM LEGACY MEMORY
1. AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS AND THE FUJIFILM PRIVACY POLICY: BY UPLOADING A SUBMISSION (as hereafter defined) AND CLICKING YOUR AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS ON THE SITE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND, WITHOUT LIMITATION OR QUALIFICATION, TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND THE PRIVACY POLICY, AVAILABLE AT https://www.fujifilm.com/privacy_policy/?_ga=2.188005036.507021620.1563365952-1582032552.1552994675. Any information contained in a Submission, including image, contact information such as physical address and email address, and any other personal information submitted, will be used in accordance with FUJIFILM North America Corporation’s (“FNAC”) Privacy Policy and these Terms & Conditions. Each Submitter acknowledges that submission pursuant to these Terms and Conditions constitutes the necessary and proper permission for FNAC’s use of his or her Submission pursuant to these terms and the Privacy Policy. In addition, by uploading a Submission on the Site, each Submitter represents and warrants that he or she is at least 13 years of age. Yes, I’d like to receive more information regarding FUJIFILM products and services via e-mail (e.g. by newsletter or other marketing communication). I also agree that FUJIFILM North America can use my contact data in accordance with its Privacy Policy to inform me about FUJIFILM products and services by e-mail.

2. IMAGE AND PHOTO DESCRIPTION SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
A. Each photo submission (each, along with the required submission form and any provided description, a "Submission") that you as the Submitter determines to submit to FNAC must be uploaded to the submission website at http://www.fujifilm-x.com/en-us/ShareMyFujifilmLegacy (the “Site”) and accompanied by a fully completed submission form located on the Site. Each submitted photo may be no larger than 10 MB, no longer than 2000 pixels in the longest dimension, and it must be formatted as a JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, or BMP. Any description you provide relating to the image may be no more than 1500 characters, including spaces. The Submission may reflect any topic or subject matter, but must be the original work of the providing Submitter, and must depict an original photographic creation. The Submission must have been captured using a FUJIFILM X Series camera and lens (i.e. any FUJIFILM XF or XC lens) or GFX System camera and lens (i.e. any GFX lens).

B. No commitment is made by FNAC to review, consider or post any Submission, and FNAC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to deem any Submission as inappropriate, unworthy, or unsuitable for posting for any reason, and at any time with no obligation to inform, explain, or justify its reasoning

C. The Submission(s) must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any third party person or entity, and by uploading a Submission you represent and warrant that: (a) the Submission is your personal, sole, and original creation and has not been derived from, reproduced, or copied in whole or in part from any work by a third party person or entity; (b) the Submission does not violate or infringe any intellectual property right of any kind, including but not limited to any copyright, trademark, trade name, publicity right, or other proprietary right of any person or entity; (c) the Submission is your personal, sole, and exclusive property; (d) any person(s) depicted in the image has given his or her approval for the submission; and (e) no person or property depicted in the image is depicted in a misleading, misrepresentative, or false fashion;

D. The Submission(s) and its title and description are subject to the following content guidelines, and may not, in any instance, in FNAC’s judgment:

(i) Contain, depict, reflect, promote or endorse nudity, profanity, obscenity or pornography; content that is sexually explicit or suggestive, violent, derogatory, disparaging, or defaming; or potentially hazardous content, behavior or activities;

(ii) Contain, depict, reflect, promote or endorse the sale, distribution, possession, use, or abuse of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, firearms, knives or other weapons; or any particular social or political agenda, issue or message;

(iii) Appear to duplicate or replicate a previously received Submission;

(iv) Contain, depict, reflect, promote or endorse any third party owned trademarks, logos, copyrights, images, or trade dress (such as clothing bearing a distinctive logo, a third party’s artwork, or materials from movies or published in other media) including third party products;

(v) Contain, depict, or reflect any identifying information relating to any person depicted, (such as license plate numbers, personal names, email addresses or street addresses), and including any likeness or other information of famous individuals (such as past or present celebrities or public figures, or individuals impersonating them);

(vi) Contain, depict, reflect, promote, endorse or communicate content inconsistent with the reputation and corporate image FNAC and/or FUJIFILM Corporation wish to communicate; and/or

(vii) Violate any law, or reflect, advocate or promote any activity that may violate any law.

Submissions determined by FNAC to violate any of the above content guidelines are subject to rejection. FNAC reserves the right to take all necessary measures to remove any given Submission as it deems appropriate in any given instance, and/or to change any Submission title or description provided at any time and for any reason.

E. If the Submission(s) contains, reflects or incorporates any materials, content or elements that are subject to the rights of third parties, the Submitter is responsible for obtaining, prior to providing the Submission, any and all releases, permissions and consents necessary to permit the use and posting of the Submission by FNAC and its parent and affiliate companies (including without limitation, FUJIFILM Corporation). This includes obtaining the written release, permission and consent to use any name, image, likeness or property of any person who, or items that appear in or are identifiable in the Submission(s). Where a minor appears in or is identifiable in any given Submission, the Submitter is responsible to put a written release, consent and permission into place with the appropriate parent or guardian of such minor. FNAC reserves the right to request documentation reflecting these releases, permissions and consents from any Submitter at any time, and to undertake measures to remove the posting of any given Submission(s) pending receipt of such documentation.

3. LICENSE FOR FNAC TO POST AND POSTING GUIDELINES: Upon submitting a Submission, each Submitter grants to FNAC, its parent and affiliate companies, a royalty free, irrevocable, perpetual and worldwide right and license (but without any right of sublicense) to modify, adapt, and reproduce the Submission, and to use and display the Submission, in whole or in part, either (i) on the FNAC Instagram (@fujifilmx_us), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/FujifilmXUS), or Twitter (@FujifilmX_US) Account, as a social media post; or (ii) on a FNAC or parent/affiliate company website (such as, without limitation, www.fujifilm-x.com), including without limitation, as a homepage banner. Submitter understands that any use made of the Submission will be commercial in nature, and may be in connection with the promotion of a FUJIFILM branded product. This right and license is granted in return for FNAC’s review and consideration of the Submission and in return for the potential opportunity for publicity resulting from FNAC’s posting and tagging of the Submission, and without any right or expectation of the Submitter to receive any further compensation (directly or indirectly) of any kind. FNAC and its parent and affiliate companies shall have no obligation to provide further notice to, or to obtain any further approval from, the Submitter. All Submission postings to be made by FNAC will be subject to the following posting guidelines:

A. If FNAC posts any given Submission, FNAC will use commercially reasonable efforts to credit the Submission on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by tagging the Submitter’s handle as provided to FNAC through the Site. FNAC will credit each Submission on the FNAC website with the Submitter’s first name and last initial, and Instagram handle if and as applicable. If city and state information is provided, FNAC may reference that information as well in connection with any given Submission posting. Note that FNAC does not guarantee that any given Submission will be posted.

B. FNAC is not responsible for any unauthorized third party use of any Submission. Without limitation, this includes any copying, reproduction, distribution, re-postings, forwarding, linking to, or re-publication made by any third party at any time.

C. FNAC shall have the right to modify each Submission, including but not limited to, altering, and editing any provided description. By uploading a Submission, each Submitter agrees that he or she shall have no right of approval, no claim to additional compensation and no claim (including without limitation, claims based upon invasion of privacy, defamation, right of publicity or copyright) arising out of any use, alteration, modification, editing of any or all of the Submission.

4. FUJIFILM SITE CONTENT AND PROPERTY: The trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, designs, images, and content at any time displayed on the Site, including but not limited to FUJIFILM, INSTAX, FinePix, BUILD YOUR LEGACY, any other trademarks, logos, designs, and intellectual property and the FNAC posted content and images, shall at all times be the sole property of FNAC and/or its parent and affiliates, or shall be the property of third parties (such as any given Submitter) used by FNAC with any necessary and proper permissions in place. Nothing contained on the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right for any Submitter, or any third party, to use any trademark, service mark, logo, design, trade name, product name, content or image displayed on the Site without the prior written permission of FNAC. For absolute clarity and without limitation, no Submitter or third party is permitted to post, display, publish, forward, link to or re-publish any images of FNAC or any Submission(s) of any other party unless specifically authorized to do so in writing by FNAC. Neither FNAC nor its parent or affiliate companies are sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or otherwise affiliated or associated with, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform.

5. NO REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, AND LIMIT OF LIABILITY:

A. FNAC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS RELATING TO THE SITE AND TO ANY IMAGES OR CONTENT POSTED ON THE SITE, EXPRESS AND IMPLIED, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. FNAC ALSO ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY, AND WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR, ANY DAMAGE TO, OR VIRUSES THAT MAY INFECT, ANY SUBMITTER’S OR SITE VISITOR’S COMPUTER EQUIPMENT OR OTHER PROPERTY, OR FOR ANY LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF ANY MATERIALS, IMAGE, CONTENT, OR DATA ON ACCOUNT OF ACCESS TO, USE OF, OR BROWSING IN THE SITE, OR RELATING TO OR BY REASON OF A SUBMITTER’S SUBMISSION OF ANY MATERIALS, IMAGE, CONTENT OR DATA TO THE SITE.

B. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING OR OTHERWISE ANY OTHER PROVISION HEREOF, IN NO EVENT SHALL FNAC'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO ANY SUBMITTER OR SITE VISITOR FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, CLAIMS, LIABILITIES AND CAUSES OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID BY SUCH SUBMITTER OR SITE VISITOR TO FNAC, IF ANY, IN CONNECTION WITH SUBMITTING MATERIALS, IMAGES, CONTENT OR DATA TO THE SITE, OR IN ACCESSING THE SITE, AS APPLICABLE. IN NO EVENT WILL FNAC BE RESPONSIBLE IN ANY INSTANCE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOST PROFITS, LOST OPPORTUNITIES, OVERHEAD OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES, LOSS OF USE, OR DAMAGE TO REPUTATION OR GOODWILL) EVEN IF APPRISED OF THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES.

6. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND TAKE-DOWN PROCEDURE: If you believe in good faith that any material, image, or content appearing on the Site infringes your copyright, then you (or your agent) may send us a written notice that complies with this provision, requesting that the applicable image, or content be removed. Note that by submitting this written notice, you acknowledge and agree that FNAC may forward your written notice (to include your, or your agent’s, personal contact information) and any related communications received by FNAC to the original Submitter of the allegedly infringing content. Furthermore, by submitting this notice, you acknowledge and agree that FNAC’s sole responsibility to you upon receipt of such notice will be to remove the allegedly infringing image or content, and you acknowledge and agree that you will have no further right or remedy against, or as to, FNAC for its original posting of the Submission on the Site, although you may have other rights and remedies as to the Submitter.
Your infringement notice must be sent to [email protected], and must include the following information:

A. A copy of your specific image or copyrighted work that you are claiming has been infringed;
B. identification of the FNAC posted image or content that is claimed to be infringing or the subject of infringing activity, and information reasonably sufficient to allow FNAC to locate such image or content on the Site;
C. the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the complaining copyright owner;
D. a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the image or content by the original Submitter is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
E. a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
F. a physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
Within ten (10) business days of receipt of a written notice meeting the above-referenced requirements, FNAC will take down the allegedly infringing image or content, and notify the Submitter of such image or content of your claim / infringement allegation. FNAC will not re-post the removed, allegedly infringing image or content until it receives written notice from the complaining party that the dispute has been resolved. The process outlined in this provision is the exclusive process to be used to complain to, or otherwise advise, FNAC about any infringement of your rights by any Submitter or any Submitted image and/or content posted on the Site.
7. PRIVACY POLICY: Personal information contained in a Submission or otherwise communicated to FNAC will be used in accordance with FNAC’s Privacy Policy, which can be found here: [INSERT LINK TO PRIVACY POLICY]. In addition, and as stated above in Section 6, your contact information may be shared to a party complaining of infringement. By uploading a Submission, you hereby agree to the Privacy Policy.

8. MISCELLANOUS TERMS:

A. By uploading a Submission, a Submitter is communicating with FNAC electronically. Each Submitter consents to receive communications relating to the Submission from FNAC electronically, generally by email. FNAC may communicate by e-mail, or by other electronic methods such as through social media communications. Each Submitter agrees that all agreements, notices, disclosures and other communications that FNAC provides electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.

B. All Submissions are administered by FNAC from its offices in Valhalla, New York, United States of America. These Terms and Conditions are governed and interpreted under the laws of the State of New York without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Each Submitter agree that any claim or dispute against FNAC arising out of or relating to the use of the Site must be resolved by a court located in the Eastern District of New York, unless otherwise agreed upon by all parties. Any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to a Submission must be filed within nine (9) months after such claim or cause of action arose, regardless of any statute or law to the contrary. In the event any such claim or cause of action is not filed within such 9 month period, each Submitter specifically agrees that such claim or cause of action shall be forever barred.

C. These Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy, which are part of these Terms and Conditions and are incorporated herein by reference, set forth the entire understanding and agreement between the Submitter and FNAC with respect to a Submission. Each Submitter acknowledge that any other agreements between with respect to a Submission is superseded and of no force or effect. If any provision of these Terms and Conditions shall be determined to be unlawful, void or for any reason unenforceable by a court or other legal authority of competent jurisdiction, then that provision will be severed from these Terms and Conditions and will be deemed replaced by an equivalent enforceable provision that, as nearly as possible, reflects the intent hereof. The severance of any individual provision of these Terms and Conditions will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

BY UPLOADING A SUBMISSION, EACH SUBMITTER AGREES
TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
AND THE PRIVACY POLICY.