On Photos That Last, Rather Than Just Pretty Photos

When I look at photos by FUJIFILM users on Threads, there are moments when I suddenly find it easier to breathe.

To be honest, I am a little tired of so-called "Instagrammable photos." They are flashy, intense, and eye-catching in an instant. The time between stopping my scroll and thinking "like" is very short.

They are easy to understand, and they are certainly good.

But when I keep encountering that "certain goodness," I start to feel a sense of suffocation somewhere.

Beautiful things can be exhausting at times.

I start to feel like I am being placed in an atmosphere where I have to judge whether something is "good or bad" immediately, without even realizing it.

In reality, I want to look at photos while taking a slightly slower breath.

In the midst of that, when photos by FUJIFILM users appear, the flow of time changes just a little.

They don't necessarily have dramatic lighting, nor are they perfectly composed. They are just snapshots of casual daily life, and to put it bluntly, they are "not Instagrammable."

But that is exactly why they are good.

Those photos don't assert themselves strongly. They simply exist.

That is why I can look at them at my own pace. Instead of changing my senses to match the photo, I can engage with the photo at my own natural rhythm.

When I thought about why this feeling arises, one thing came to mind.

Film Simulation.

FUJIFILM cameras come with several pre-set "color directions." Some are vivid, some are a bit pale, and some have soft contrast.

If you think about it normally, it's just a matter of color settings.

But when you actually use it, it feels a little different.

The moment you choose a color, the "destination" of the photo is determined to some extent. Film simulation is a philosophy for photography. It is a sentiment.

It's less about crafting "how it looks" before you shoot, and more about leaning into "how it feels."

That, as a result, slightly weakens the "strength" of the photo.

But, in exchange, it leaves behind "white space."

It's not a perfectly controlled color.
It might be slightly off, or slightly lacking.

That imperfection becomes room for the viewer. There is white space to be filled by imagination.

That's why it doesn't tire you out to look at it.

I suspect the comfort one feels in the photos of FUJIFILM users comes from this "premise of not fully controlling everything."

Lately, I've been conscious of "not taking beautiful photos" myself.

With the high performance of modern cameras, they capture too much, for better or worse.
So, if I don't try not to take beautiful photos, I end up drifting away from my own reality, and even I, the photographer, get tired.

Don't over-polish.
Don't make it too easy to understand.

When you shoot like that, you naturally move away from being "Instagrammable."

But in exchange, the gap between the photo and your own senses becomes smaller.

It feels like what I truly felt is what remains.

I think film simulation is one means to that end.

It's not a setting to bring you closer to a correct answer, but
a tool to bring you closer to your own senses.

That's why, in truth, there is no such thing as a "correct" recipe.

I think it's more like a hint to nudge things slightly in a certain direction.

If you are feeling a bit tired of flashiness or obviousness,
it might be worth trying to shoot with those settings for a change.

It's okay if you don't take a good shot, and it's okay if it isn't praised.

If you can take even one photo among them that matches your own breathing, it will probably last.

I feel that from the moment you notice that sensation, your photography will gradually begin to change.