6 minute read

X100VI Field Test: Documentary Food Photography

Penny De Los Santos finds use in FUJIFILM X100VI for her documentarian approach to food photography, as she visits cattle ranches in Texas and Mexico’s borderlands

The Creator – Penny De Los Santos

Photography is an endless search. On the highest level of genre, theme, and artistic inspiration – all the way down to subject matter and aesthetic trends – the process remains an evolution. Even for professionals, there’s potential to be grasped by something unforeseen. For Penny De Los Santos, that thing was food. A decade into her career as a documentary photographer, caught in the sensory delights of a Lima food market, she fell in love, and she continues to create food photography to this day.

“I experienced this unique revelation of connecting people and food. It just completely inspired me,” Penny begins. “I decided right there that I wanted to focus my work on the way in which people come together around food, how food migrates, how food traditions are passed on, and how food is experienced in the broadest terms. To me, it’s not just the meal. It’s everything before food hits the plate, and everything after.”

image of meandering river surrounded by bush

Photo 2023 © Penny De Los Santos | FUJIFILM X100VI, 1/500 sec at F6.5, ISO 160

The Project – Food Culture in the Rio Grande Valley

After countless projects, and with a refined approach established, Penny decided to return to her roots. She headed home to South Texas, and the lengthy stretch of land where the state meets Mexico, to photograph a trio of borderland cattle ranch families and their mixed culinary cultures.

“I had heard about these three cattle ranches and knew I had to get access. Ranches like these are something aside from your normal home. They’re a place to farm, barbecue, and spend time with family.

“Two of the ranches are historical family properties, passed down through families that applied for the Spanish Land Grant around 1725. The third is just as old, but is now owned by a family that migrated from the neighboring Mexican state a generation ago, bringing their own food traditions.”

The Camera – X100VI

This time around, Penny’s entire project was expertly created using FUJIFILM X100VI. The unobtrusive, yet powerfully equipped fixed-lens system was perfect for the job. She immersed herself in the three families’ food-focused lives – from managing cattle to grilling and traditional Mexican barbacoa. Size and design were X100VI’s first standout features.

Unobtrusive Size

“It was incredibly freeing to use only X100VI to experience this entire story. I found it easy to quietly make pictures. Many of the best moments I photograph are ones where I disappear, leaving the subject to do their thing. X100VI was perfect for that,” she says of the highly compact body. “There’s something romantic and meditative about that notion as a photographer.

“I made one of my favorite images in the project that way, watching the men of the family dig a hole, make a fire in it, and prepare this cow’s head for a long overnight cook. In this part of Texas, cattle is king, and the method of cooking is a sacred tradition that dates back hundreds of years in Mexican culture – I found that special.”

Two men lift barbacoa meat from a hole in the ground

Photo 2023 © Penny De Los Santos | FUJIFILM X100VI, 1/200 sec at F2, ISO 100

Documenting the Details

This scene, and every other, was rendered in exquisite detail on X100VI. Housing the 40.2-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, the camera boasts impressive image quality that Penny came to admire.

“Image quality is absolutely an important part of the detailed stories I tell,” she notes. “Just as crucially, I can be in visually challenging situations and a sensor like X100VI’s will still allow me to document what’s happening perfectly. I don’t have to change an environment when I can push my camera to adapt instead.

Fujifilm Color Science

Penny loved the control and convenience of the 20 Film Simulation modes available on X100VI, particularly the newest addition, REALA ACE. This versatile Film Simulation offers true-to-life colors and hard tones for an authentic look.

“I worked mostly with REALA ACE,” Penny continues, “but also made images with Velvia to see what kind of color I could pull out, which was phenomenal. The accurate emulation took me back to my celluloid days, but even better because I could toggle between different looks instantly. It’s awesome to change your visual approach based on the situation.

men in cowboy hats cook tortillas and meat on barbecue

Photo 2023 © Penny De Los Santos | FUJIFILM X100VI, 1/80 sec at F2.2, ISO 2500

“I went on to experiment with further adjustments,” Penny continues, noting X100VI’s extensive range of in-camera adjustments. “I could shift the white balance blue to match the environmental color, then add sharpness and clarity when the light got low and soft. The camera’s up-to 6.0 stops of IBIS also helped in those moments. But it’s cool to see that image come straight out of camera, knowing you still have the RAW file with its original information.”

Autofocus Performance

Despite being an autofocus (AF) skeptic, Penny was very pleased with X100VI’s AF performance. Built upon the rapid X-Processor 5, with AI-based detection and tracking, AF was unparalleled as hands, faces, cattle, and more flew in and out of frame.

“It was incredible,” she states. “I love that I could select a range of specific subjects for detection when I wanted, then rely on continuous tracking with anything more general. However my subjects moved, I knew I didn’t have to worry. I could mentally focus on moments coming into place, knowing they’d be sharp in the decisive second.”

Fixed-Lens Design

Where X100VI differs most significantly from its X Series siblings is in its fixed-lens design. This is a complete creative package – as versatile as it is well-specified.

Its FUJINON 23mmF2 optic offers a classic 35mm perspective as a 35mm film format equivalent, though 1.4x and 2x digital teleconverters can be employed for longer focal lengths, retaining respective 20-megapixel and 10-megapixel resolution.

close up of hands carving barbecued meat on a chopping board

Photo 2023 © Penny De Los Santos | FUJIFILM X100VI, 1/50 sec at F2, ISO 2500

The Verdict

It is in the wealth of potential where Penny’s thoughts remain. X100VI is a sturdy companion and creative spark.

“It’s the only way to photograph, if I’m honest,” she concludes. “It helps me stay active in my work and allows me to see more, forcing me to physically move around my subject. Changing perspective is key to finding images that tell a story. Having a fixed lens is a wonderful way to exercise that skill.

“Plus, I love that you don’t have to worry about changing to a different, right lens. X100VI freed me up to think only about composition, color, and light, and focus on the moment I was waiting for.”

people eating outside on wooden table at night, illuminated by a string of lights

Photo 2023 © Penny De Los Santos | FUJIFILM X100VI, 1/25 sec at F2, ISO 5000

Shop FUJIFILM X100VI today. Learn more and read the full specifications here.

Hear more from Penny as she offers her expert advice on documentary photography and food photography gear essentials, or browse all the content on Exposure Center for education, inspiration, and insight from the world of photography.


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