Mike Mayer from Germany is the winner of the November photo assignment “Digital World” for FujiLove Magazine subscribers.
Tomash: Who is Mike Mayer?
Mike Mayer: I am Michael (aka Mike) Mayer, a street- and street style photographer based in Southwest Germany near to the French and Swiss borders. Since 2011 photography has become my absolute passion and what I can say of myself is that as an autodidact to have build up a great wealth of experience. I love the work with the camera, playing with light and shadow, and creating a unique moment. It all started with the landscape- and cityscape photography, inspired by the famous Peter Lik. Street photography was also added very quickly and it has remained an integral part of my work to this day. Meanwhile, the combination of street- and portrait photography has become my source of inspiration.
When did you discover the Fujifilm system and what made you start using it in the first place?
I was involved in the mirrorless system cameras from the very beginning. I started with the Olympus OM-D system and worked a long time with these cameras. But in February 2017, I got my first Fujifilm camera. The Fujifilm X100F. I love this small and beautiful rangefinder style cam. I also used the amazing 19mm and 33mm converter lenses. And now this year after the Photokina fair, the Fuji X-T3 has joined in. It is the most perfect tool ever. In particular, I like working with bright open lenses with this camera.
What is your most favorite Fujifilm camera / lens combination these days and why?
As already described, the Fujifilm X-T3 is currently my absolute favorite. I use it with the XF16mm f/1.4, the XF56mm f/1.2, and especially with the awesome Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 for Fujifilm X-mount. All these lenses are excellent for creating shallow depth of field in the images. Working with the manual Mitakon is quite different and that is the special attraction. By comparison, working with Fujifilm´s light-heavy autofocus lenses is an easy task right now. But the image results are no less exciting. Above all, I now work more with color images instead of black & white images. And there´s a very simple reason for that: the color grading by post processing, especially when using the Fujifilm film simulations with Fujifilm X-trans RAW´s, looks amazing. Last, but not least, sometimes I also work with the XF18-55mm “kit lens”. To be honest, I am very fond of what this lens is capable of doing.
Tell us more about your photograph. Could you share a story behind it?
As I told, I am mainly a street- and street-style photographer. I like to dive into the metropolises and capture the impressions gained in pictures. It´s a documentation of the moment for me. And I find it particulary exciting to be able to look at these images again and again in the future and to see the differences in lifestyle, architecture and the work-life balance of the people. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to London for a short time. Of course, the Fujifilm X-T3 was in the luggage. What a happy coincidence! So I am now able to show you a small selection of the image results from this trip. Here I quite deliberately developed the RAWs only in colour this time. The look is simply stunning and it was the right choice to tell a impressive image-story about London in the run-up to Christmas. You can also find the complete story in a small video on my YouTube channel.
Make sure you visit Mike Mayer’s street photography and portrait urbanframe- and urbex photography websites.
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