Documentary wedding photography with the Fujifilm X-T3

I love shooting weddings with the Fujifilm X-T series cameras, as it’s so small, light, and fun to use. At the time of writing (back in 2018!) I was using the new (at the time!) Fujifilm X-T3 but I’ve since updated to the X-T5. You can find an updated list of the kit I’m using right here on my website, or you can check it out here at Kit.co.

I carry two cameras, and keep a couple of other primes in the Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L, along with other bits and bobs such as a convex lens, a fractal filter, some little bit of pipe for lens flares, a lens cloth, etc. I do take the 8-16 but I only use it for a couple of shots typically, such as a super wide in their ceremony venue when I arrive, and again in their dining room as soon as it’s ready for a few set-up photos. Other than that it’s too big and heavy to keep on me for too long, my style is much more low-key documentary.

I’ve been using the Fuji X-T series cameras for weddings since the X-T1 and got my X-T3s the day it was released in October 2018. I shot two weddings with them that month and while I waited for Lightroom to support the raw files I was able to make short preview films for the couples using the JPGs, and deliver them the very next day without any time in Lightroom at all. I made sure to let them know these were just previews and not edited images, but the couples were so excited to get something so soon!

So, if you’re a photographer curious about shooting weddings on the X-T3, below you’ll find the SOOC (straight out of camera) films I sent, and if you check out my blog of recent weddings 99.9% of the photos posted since the X-T3 was launched were taken on that camera.

For the SOOC JPGs I used the Astia film simulation in Large Fine quality, and dabbled with DR and Priority DR settings throughout each wedding. NR was set to -4 and sharpening was set to +1. No other editing whatsoever in Lightroom or anywhere else, so excuse any over or underexposed shots, or other imperfections – I’m going for emotion more than anything else here, and can ‘perfect’ them later.

Keep an eye on my documentary wedding photography website and you’ll start seeing larger galleries of Fujifilm X-T3 wedding photography over the next few months as I get through my blogging backlog!

Enjoy!

This first wedding, between Victoria & Kristian, was at Fulham Palace, one of my favourite wedding venues in London:

And here’s some of my favourites from Lauren & Alex’s wedding at The Andaz Hotel in London: