With an affinity for photographing the American West, Slovenian creative Dino Kužnik embarked on a two-week road trip across Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico after months of lockdown in his New York home base. Used to shooting on medium format film, Dino opted for digital medium format using the X1D II 50C and XCD 45 and 90 Lenses. Driving through the earthy terrain of the rugged desert landscape, Dino’s images let us travel back in time to an America of yesteryear.
I feel like the X1D II is a very similar experience to photographing on film. It made me slow down and take more thought out compositions.
I have to say that the X1D II files are probably the best RAW files I have ever worked with. The Dynamic Range is fantastic, the ISO sensitivity is excellent, and even the grain's shape is quite appealing to me. Colors are great straight out of the camera, but what is most important is that the files give a ton of flexibility with post-processing.
I am a medium format film shooter, so in that regard, the portability [of the X1D II ] is fantastic and way better. If I compare it to a full-frame DSLR, which I also use quite often especially for more of my commissioned work, the X1D II is more portable. Because of the leaf shutter lenses, the camera's design can be very compact, and that shows. It is smaller and sometimes even lighter than my DSLR setup.
ABOUT DINO KUŽNIK
Originally from Slovenia, New York-based photographer and graphic designer Dino Kužnik uses photography, with an emphasis on colour and composition, to preserve aesthetically unique scenes. His work encompasses a wide range, from documentary, automotive, architecture, and landscape to environmental portraits and fashion. In 2019, Dino published his first photography book entitled “Shaped by the West” and his work has been exhibited internationally in London, Ljubljana, New York, Toronto, Trieste, Arles, and Paris. Some notable clients include Tyler the Creator, Tesla, Jay Versace, and Adobe. See more of his work here or @dinokuznik.
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