Hello Daniel! After having the opportunity to share one of your Fuji Recipes with our readers, it is a real pleasure to welcome you for this interview. To begin, could you introduce yourself to those readers who may not yet be familiar with your work?
Hello everyone! My name is Danny, and I’m a photographer from Germany, a husband, and a father of two boys, with a third child on the way. Photography has been a part of my life for almost 20 years and has become much more than just a hobby. I love creating warm, nostalgic images that feel like memories and capture the beauty of everyday life. In recent months, many people have discovered my work through my Fujifilm recipes, which I enjoy sharing with the community. My goal has always been simple: to inspire others to slow down, enjoy photography, and create meaningful images straight out of camera. At heart, I’m simply someone who loves storytelling, beautiful light, and preserving moments that might otherwise be forgotten.
When did your passion for photography begin, and what role does photography play in your life today?
My passion for photography began almost 20 years ago. Back then, I started with street and landscape photography because I simply enjoyed being outside, exploring new places, and capturing the little moments that often go unnoticed. As time went on, photography became more professional for me. I moved into portrait photography and even photographed a few weddings, which I truly enjoyed. A few years ago, I went through a difficult period in my life and, to be honest, I had lost my passion for almost everything. But one thing never changed: no matter where life took me or how many times I moved, my cameras were always by my side. I never sold them, because deep down I think I always knew that photography would find its way back into my life. At the beginning of this year, I bought my first Fujifilm camera, and honestly, I haven’t been able to put it down since. Fujifilm brought me back to my roots. It reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place—to slow down, to enjoy the process again, and to photograph for myself rather than for a client. Today, photography is my creative outlet and a way of finding balance. It helps me appreciate the beauty in ordinary things and preserve memories of my family, my travels, and everyday moments that might otherwise be forgotten. For that, I am incredibly grateful.
Looking through your Instagram feed, it is impossible not to notice the importance you place on Fuji Recipes and the sense of freedom they provide. Did you buy your first Fujifilm camera with this approach already in mind, or was it something you discovered later on?
To be honest, I didn’t buy my first Fujifilm camera because of the recipes. I bought it because I wanted to fall in love with photography again. Very quickly, though, I discovered the world of film simulations and recipes, and it completely changed the way I approached photography. For the first time in many years, I found myself spending less time editing and more time actually taking pictures. There was something incredibly freeing about seeing an image on the back of the camera and already loving it. It made photography feel more intentional and much more enjoyable again.
The recipes became more than just settings for me. They helped me slow down, trust my creative decisions, and focus on the experience rather than the editing process. I also realized that recipes are a way of seeing the world. Sometimes they reflect how I already see things, and sometimes they represent how I wish the world would feel. That’s probably why I naturally gravitate toward warm tones, soft light, and nostalgic colors. Maybe it also has something to do with my constant search for harmony in life… haha.
At some point, I started creating my own recipes because I was searching for certain emotions and tones that reflected the way I see the world. Sharing them with the community and seeing other photographers create beautiful images with them has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my photographic journey. In many ways, Fujifilm and its recipes brought back the joy and freedom that I had been missing for a long time.
How has your workflow changed since you started using recipes? Do you still keep the RAW files as a backup and for future flexibility?
My workflow has changed completely. In the past, I spent a lot of time editing my images.
Sometimes I even found myself sitting in front of the computer longer than I had actually spent taking the photographs. Looking back, I think I was often searching for a certain feeling that I couldn’t quite achieve in camera. Recipes changed that for me. Today, I spend much more time behind the camera and much less time behind a screen. I photograph more intentionally because I already have a clear vision of how I want the final image to look before I press the shutter.
I still shoot RAW + JPEG, so yes, I keep the RAW files as a backup and for the occasional situation where I might want a little more flexibility. But honestly, I rarely go back to them. That said, I still genuinely enjoy editing from time to time. I love playing with colors and creating different moods and atmospheres through editing. Sometimes a slider accidentally ends up somewhere I never intended, and the result surprises me so much that it becomes the inspiration for an entirely new look or even a new recipe. Most of the time, though, I genuinely love the JPEGs straight out of camera. They feel more authentic to the moment and allow me to enjoy photography in a much simpler and more meaningful way. Recipes have given me something incredibly valuable: time.
More time to photograph, more time to be present, and more time with my family. And for me, that’s probably the greatest freedom they provide.
As someone who generously shares your recipes with the Fuji community, could you tell us a little about your creative process? What is the starting point for a new recipe, and how do you go about refining and developing it?
For me, a recipe rarely starts with numbers or settings. It almost always starts with a feeling. My biggest inspiration actually comes from films. I love cinema, and I’m constantly inspired by the way movies use color and light to create emotions and tell stories. Maybe that’s also why I often read comments saying that my images feel cinematic. To be honest, that’s the only explanation I have. I often ask myself questions like: How do I want this moment to feel? Warm and nostalgic? Calm and dreamy? Soft and emotional? The answers usually guide the direction of a new recipe. Another thing that has influenced my recipes is the light here in Germany. Our light is often much warmer and more yellow than in many other parts of the world, and I sometimes struggled to find recipes that truly complemented those conditions. That’s one of the reasons I started creating my own. I wanted recipes that worked with the light I see every day. Then comes a lot of experimenting. I go out, take hundreds of photos, change one setting after another, and sometimes even put a recipe
aside for a few days before coming back to it with fresh eyes. And to be honest, some of my favorite looks happened completely by accident. Occasionally I try something new or a setting ends up somewhere I never intended, and suddenly I discover a color palette or mood that inspires an entirely new recipe. I think that’s why I enjoy creating recipes so much. It feels less like a technical process and more like painting with light and colors. In the end, I only share a recipe when it gives me a certain feeling—when I look at an image and think, “Yes, this is exactly how I remember this moment, or maybe even how I wish it had felt.” If other photographers can create their own memories and emotions with my recipes, then that’s the greatest compliment I could ever receive.
Could you describe your current camera and lens setup, and explain why the X-E5 has become the ideal camera for documenting everyday life, your travels, and the people closest to you?
At the moment, my setup is actually quite simple. My main camera is the Fujifilm X-E5, paired most of the time with the XF 23mm pancake lens and occasionally with the TTArtisan 56mm f/1.8.
The X-E5 has become my ideal camera because it fits so naturally into my everyday life. It’s small, lightweight, and unobtrusive, which means I can take it with me almost everywhere. For me, photography is all about preserving memories—my family, my travels, and all those little moments in between that often become the most meaningful ones. I also love the rangefinder-style design. It slows me down and encourages me to photograph more intentionally. Combined with the 23mm pancake lens, the camera becomes incredibly compact, making it the perfect everyday companion.
I almost always keep the Freewell Glow Mist 1/4 filter on my lens, along with the matching lens hood. That combination has played a huge role in helping me create my own visual style. The way it softens highlights and renders light helps me strengthen the emotions and intentions behind my photography. It brings my images a little closer to how I feel a moment rather than simply how it looked. More recently, I’ve also started experimenting with the small Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro, which has opened up even more creative possibilities for me. At this stage of my life, my camera isn’t just a tool anymore. The X-E5 and this small setup have become a part of my everyday life and the perfect companions for documenting the people and moments that matter most to me.
As with many things in life, trends tend to come full circle, and the vintage aesthetic of our childhood photographs taken with an on-camera flash is clearly making a comeback. Could you tell us about your experience with the compact Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro TTL Retro flash and what it brings to your photography?
I think many of us have a deep emotional connection to photographs taken with a flash, even if we don’t always realize it. When I look through old family albums, so many of my favorite memories were captured with a small on-camera flash. Birthday parties, holidays, family gatherings—those photographs have a certain feeling that instantly takes me back in time. That’s exactly what I experienced when I started using the Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro.
At first, I was simply curious about the look. But very quickly, I realized that it wasn’t just about the aesthetics. The flash brought a new emotional layer to my photography. It gave my images a sense of nostalgia and sometimes even made ordinary moments feel like memories from another time.
What I love most about the Z1 Pro is that it’s incredibly small and easy to carry. It fits perfectly into my compact setup and doesn’t change the way I like to work. Creatively, it has opened many new doors for me. The flash allows me to add context, shape the mood of an image, and direct the viewer’s attention in a very intentional way. Sometimes, just a small amount of light can completely transform a scene. I also think the return of flash photography says something about the times we live in. In a world where everything often feels polished and perfect, flash brings back something raw, honest, and beautifully imperfect. It reminds me of the photographs I grew up with, and I think that’s why it resonates with so many people today.
For me, the Viltrox Vintage Z1 Pro isn’t just a flash—it’s another tool for storytelling and another way of turning everyday moments into memories.
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