X-T2 in Washington D.C.

On January 20th, 2017, the United States of America swore in Donald Trump as their 45th president. It was a cloudy weekend in Washington D.C. with some light rain on and off and temperature of around 10°c. Although the weather was fairly mild, the energy around was nothing but. With the Women’s March scheduled for the day after and the large amount of anti Trump protestors flooding the streets, political opinions clashed and a great American divide surfaced up throughout the Capitol. The tension on the street was obvious but not violent, subtle yet concerning.

A while back during the early stages of elections, my friend Marcin and I decided to make the trip to Washington D.C. for the inauguration regardless of who ended up winning. It would have either been a first woman president, a first Jewish president (before Bernie Sanders dropped from the race), or Donald Trump. We figured that any outcome would make for a very interesting and intense weekend in the American capitol. I have always been fascinated with the United States and what I like to call the concept of “America”, and this was a great opportunity to get another insight into this extremely intricate society.

My initial thoughts were to treat the inauguration and Women’s March as two different events as they took place on different days. However, after experiencing the two firsthand, I feel like they are intertwined in ways that make them hard to pull apart. It was incredible to see the same faces reverse roles in a matter of one day, and feel the shift of energy between the two events. Generally speaking, this whole weekend really felt like one very long day. One of the most interesting parts for me was going through the photos after everything was over and realising how hard it was to tell which day a given photograph was shot on.

A few months ago I made my big switch from Canon to Fuji. I had enough of the weight of DSLR, as well as Canon’s lack of ability to listen to its photographers and what they need in their professional working tools. I have been a Fuji shooter since the X100S days and always knew that one day, when we are both ready, the switch will happen. Last fall I picked up two X-T2 bodies as well as the XF 16mm f1.4 WR, XF 23mm f2 WR, XF 35mm f2 WR, and the XF 56mm f1.2 R lenses. Over the years I simplified my kit down to four prime lenses I shoot most frequently, with the XF 23mm being my lens of choice for most things. I also have an X100T as my everyday walk around camera.

Switching to the Fuji system was a much-needed breath of fresh air for me. The shooting experience made me remember why I became a photographer and that alone was worth it. To me, these Fuji X cameras are a piece of nostalgia wrapped up in a fancy box. Technologically speaking, they are as advanced as it gets, yet they still feel like analog cameras in so many ways.

As I often do, I decided to pack light for my Washington D.C. trip and only take the bare essentials in order to cover all events during the weekend. Here is a list of what was in my bag during my trip to the American Capitol:

• Fuji X100T
• Two Fuji X-T2 bodies
• XF 16mm f1.4 WR
• XF 23mm f2 WR
• XF 35mm f2 WR
• XF 56mm f1.2 R (never left bag)
• Canon 600RT flash (never left bag)
• Batteries and memory cards
• First aid kit
• Extra T-Shirt
• Extra socks
• Surgical mask
• Water
• Banana
• Cliff bars

January 19th

I arrived in Washington the day before the inauguration so I can walk around and come up with a game plan, as well as capture the energy leading up to the big event. The city definitely seemed quieter than I expected and it was hard to get a feel for what the next few days would be like. People from all over the world walking around the National Mall, chatting about access points, tickets, and how to move around on the day of the inauguration. Meanwhile, police cars’ sirens wailing down Pennsylvania Avenue interrupted the calm before the storm every few minutes. When asked about the rushing police cars, local people on the street explained that things are running late this year, and not everything is ready for the weekend’s affairs.

January 20th

We woke up a 4:15am so we can get ready and catch the Metro at 5am sharp. Coming out of Metro Center station we approached one of the inaugural parade’s access points and lined up for a security check with a couple hundred people waiting to enter the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue. While we waited for the gates to open, three middle aged women from Arizona asked to get close to us so we can block the wind from hitting them and by doing that keep them warm. We laughed about the fact that being Canadians we are enjoying the above freezing temperatures and cannot complain about the weather.

From a photographer’s point of view, the secured area we chose to go into was incredibly versatile, visually speaking. We were able to document supporters and protestors alike, as well as the new president as he took twenty steps outside of his car right by the Trump Hotel. While the two sides only had minor clashes, the atmosphere was one I will never forget. Tears of disappointment and despair opposed victorious feelings of pride and power, and the national anthem seemed to have never meant so little and so much when sung after president Trump’s speech.

During that time I ran with a setup I thought gave me the most flexibility capturing all of these historical moments. I shot with two X-T2 bodies with the XF 16mm on one body and the XF 35mm on the other. I enjoy being right in the middle of things when they happen and shooting with a wide angle lens like the XF 16mm forces me to do that. It’s important to me that viewers of my photographs can feel like they are right there in the scene while everything is happening.

As soon as President Trump got back into his car and moved beyond our stretch of the parade, the crowd dispersed and most people left for the day. Marcin and I took a short break, as we knew things are not over when it came to the anti Trump protestors. We made our way to Franklin Square to document the events that took place into the evening. This is when the X-T2+XF 16mm combo really shined. Being able to shoot at f1.4 and ISO 6400 when needed meant that I could leave my flash in the bag, and achieve results that are much more faithful to the ambient light the scene offered.

January 21st

After a very long and intense day, I headed back to the National Mall to document the Women’s March on Washington. Although it was estimated around 500,000 participants in the capitol, I felt like I was in a crowd much larger than that. The grounds were absolutely covered all the way from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument. At one point before the march started, I spotted an unoccupied traffic light and slowly made my way towards it. I climbed what seemed to have been almost three stories high to get an incredible vantage point, and a true understanding of how powerful and historic that moment was. I used the in camera panoramic settings to capture the photograph below.

This gathering of people was as different as could be from the previous day’s events. While there was definitely a strong sense of protest, there was even stronger feeling of togetherness. People of all ages, colors, genders, and ethnicities voiced their opinions and practiced their freedom of speech to express their frustration with the situation.

The 2017 inauguration weekend was everything I imagined it to be. As America is facing a new chapter with Donald Trump as president, the winds are blowing in many directions and the division in the people is crystal clear. For me this is the first assignment with the Fuji system as my main setup and I could not be happier with the results. The X-T2 rendered me unnoticed in many situations, and allowed me to get close to people who might shy away from a bigger camera. As a photojournalist, I honestly cannot ask for more.

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