08.03.2019

On the Road with the X-T30: Zion National Park with Caroline Tran

PHOTOGRAPHER: Caroline Tran
BASED IN: California, USA
KNOWN FOR: Wedding, family, and lifestyle portraits
SHOOTS WITH: FUJIFILM GFX 50S Camera, FUJINON GF63mmF2.8 R WR Lens, and GF110mmF2 R LM WR Lens

Introduction

Caroline Tran is a professional lifestyle and portrait photographer with a true passion for storytelling. Her family and the memories they make together are very dear to her, which was why for the next stop in our On the Road series, Caroline took the X-T30 on a family road trip to Zion National Park and Lower Antelope Canyon for a spring break adventure.

Caroline is very rarely without a camera in her hand, and although this means she captures a huge number of precious moments, sometimes she feels as though she doesn’t enjoy those occasions for herself. “As a photographer and a mother of two young boys, I often struggle between documenting everything and simply just being in the moment,” says Caroline. For this reason, Caroline wanted to use the X-T30’s strengths to do things differently on her spring break trip.

In pursuit of the perfect shot, it’s easy to favor quality over accessibility in both camera size and ease of control, which limits how far you can take your photography in more ways than one. The X-T30, however, offers the best of both worlds, as Caroline discovered. “What I loved about the X-T30 is that it didn’t weigh me down and was intuitive enough that my whole family was able to use it, too,” she explains. “I wanted to be in some of the photos as well! I want my boys to remember our time together, the fun we had, and the deep conversations we shared.”

She chose Zion and the Lower Antelope Canyon for the family’s spring break, because of its rich natural history. The fascinating landscape that acts as a kind of timeline for the Earth’s evolution made the perfect environment for her family to capture a part of their own legacy. “I wanted to take my kids on a getaway to have a little adventure, make memories, and get in touch with nature,” says Caroline. “It was amazing to witness the work of Mother Nature at Zion and the Lower Antelope Canyon. There were literally layers and layers of history that capture the legacy of our planet.”

Caroline found the X-T30 very well-suited for trips of this type. “The X-T30 was the perfect travel camera. During the last hike of our long day, I had to head up a very long and steep slope to photograph the canyon from above. It was a slippery slope, but the lightweight X-T30 and its compact build let me move around safely, without compromising quality,” she tells us.

She also commends the FUJINON XF35mmF1.4 R as an ideal all-round companion. “When combined with the 35mm lens, the X-T30 allowed me to capture multiple perspectives. It was wide enough to capture the scene, but was also able to capture photos of my boys and the fine details in the texture of the landscape,” Caroline enthuses.

  • Caroline Tran takes the FUJIFILM X-T30 to Zion National Park
  • Caroline Tran takes the FUJIFILM X-T30 to Zion National Park

Caroline believes that capturing all these different perspectives enables her to relive what it felt like to be there – a big reason why photography is so special. “Photography not only captures what a moment looks like, it captures what it feels like,” she explains. “It helps us remember the people that we love and relive moments when we see photos of them. It can be anything from the actual moment photographed, through to the expression captured, and everything in between.”

This power that photography holds is something that played a part in first attracting Caroline to lifestyle and portrait photography. “I love documenting stories… my stories are what I have to leave behind. They are not just for the people in the photos, but for those who will look at them 100 years from now,” she says, revealing that, for her, photography is so much more than just making images. “There’s a shared experience in creating these photos as I create a safe space to connect with my subjects. There’s no greater honor than when they trust me enough to let down their guard and share some of their most intimate stories. I’m not just documenting someone’s legacy, I’m also a part of it,” says Caroline.

It is this concept that drives Caroline to keep photographing. “My inspiration comes from the stories I want to tell. My photos and the memories I create are all that will remain after I’m gone. I want people to remember their time with me when they look back at the photos,” she tells us, concluding that ultimately she wants her story to be one of positivity: “I hope to inspire, empower, and lift those around me to be happier and to become better versions of themselves.”

Follow the X-T30’s journey and find out more about this amazing camera on our dedicated X-T30 page.

Caroline Tran is a FUJIFILM-compensated professional photographer.
To see more of Caroline’s work, visit her website.

 

  • Caroline Tran takes the FUJIFILM X-T30 to Zion National Park
  • Caroline Tran takes the FUJIFILM X-T30 to Zion National Park