It’s been with much anticipation (reads: late nights and little sleep) that we’ve been working towards the first “Theme Show” of Season 3 of SOOC Live. And then, Thursday arrived and past by in a flash and here I am now, looking back on the show with a full and somewhat nostalgic heart.
When we first embarked on this endeavour we had no idea where it would lead us. I certainly didn’t expect to be here, today, 2 years and 2 seasons later having connected with such a great and loyal audience and, dare I say, getting to know many of you individually in a variety of virtual and real life ways.
I am immensely grateful for each and everyone of you and for all the support you have shown throughout our SOOC Live journey. It is amazing to see so many of you back, month after month, from Season 1 through Season 2 all the way to Season 3.
And that’s exactly why it wasn’t an easy decision to change the show format. However, after the end of the last episode of Season 2, Ritchie and I both felt that we were (all) ready to switch things up a bit. And so we did. But I have to admit that I felt a bit anxious as to how the changes would be received. Change isn’t always easy. Ask Spot, my dog! He is a creature of habit and hates change.

Luckily, the awesome SOOC community rocks and embraced the changes and I think we all enjoyed our newly designed “Theme Show”. Street Photography is the theme for March, which we know is a favourite amongst many in the community. If you missed the live broadcast, I suggest you play catch up first! You can watch the recording here:
Ritchie and I started out by discussing the definition of Street Photography and used a variety of sample images to illustrate what kind of photographs would fall within this genre:




















We also talked about what gear we use when out and about with the intention of capturing the beauty of the ordinary, everyday life and people interacting in public spaces. This was followed by a couple of creative tips that may improve your images and a few points to consider when taking photographs of strangers.
And yes, of course we also recommended a set of Fuji X Weekly’s recipes to use when creating Street Photography images.




Let’s have a closer look at all of them:
Kodachrome 64









This is a very popular recipe that will produce jpegs in iconic Street Photography colours. It is fantastic for sunny daylight conditions. It doesn’t do so well in artificial light but luckily we have a different recipe for you for those conditions.
Over the years, Ritchie has created versions for all X-Trans sensors (X-Trans V | X-Trans IV | X-T3/30 | X-Trans II) so everybody will be able to use this recipe, no matter which Fujifilm camera you are shooting on.
Classic Kodak







Similar to the Kodachrome look, Classic Kodak renders images that are pleasantly warm and vibrant while keeping highlights nicely controlled. Images shot with this recipe are generally pretty loud and punchy so don’t use this one to create very moody images (you may want to opt for our Black&White recommendation for that). It was originally created on an X-T30 and can be used on X-Trans III, IV and V cameras.
Serr’s 500T







Our recipe of choice for shooting after sunset, Serr’s 500T renders jpegs with a strong blue cast so it is most suitable for evening and night scenes with warm, artificial light. It can be used on Fujifilm X-Trans IV and V cameras.
Agfa Scala






Producing a classic and contrasty black & white look, Agfa Scala is a favourite amongst many in the SOOC community. Even thought it tends to blow out highlights quite easily, it will deliver great results for street photographs that focus on light and shadow.
These four recipes form the base for our Challenge of the month – also a first for this season. We are taking a “layered approach” to our challenge which looks like this for the month of March:

- firstly, we want you to take street photographs with any or all of the four recipes recommended above
- secondly, if you are keen to challenge yourself a bit more – keep an eye out for and capture “Reflections” and “Silhouettes” in anyone of the four recommended recipes
- thirdly, if you are feeling adventurous – set your camera’s shutter speed at 1/15s and see what results you achieve with this setting while shooting with any of the four recommended recipes
- finally, select up to three images and upload them here before 28 March (remember to add the recipe used to the file name):
All images we receive will get featured in the Viewers’ Slideshow which will premiere after the next live broadcast and everyone who uploads at least one image will automatically enter in our lucky draw. Up for grabs is a 12-month subscription to the fab Fuji X Weekly app.
If you’ve watched the show, you will know that Ritchie and I have challenged each other to participate in our “layered approach” to creating Street Photography images. So, it’s ON! And, since I can feel the pressure already, please excuse me, I’ve got to go and get shooting.
But before I dash out, just a quick reminder not to forget to subscribe to SOOC.Live on YouTube if you haven’t already and hit the “Notify Me” button so you don’t miss the next show!
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