Starting the New Year with my Fuji X-E2

I like starting off the new year with an early morning walk camera in hand to see what compositional gems I might find in the residue from the previous night's festivities. This year my camera choice was a no-brainer. It was the same camera I have been grabbing for all such occasions where I want the freedom of a small and light system coupled with the versatility of a wide assortment of focal lengths and excellent optics. That boiled down to a Fuji X-E2 and two zooms, the 18-55mm and 55-200mm -- easy enough to stick one on the camera and the other in a jacket pocket.

So off I went and gathered the following images within only a few blocks of where I live in Manhattan. I especially like it when the subject tells a story or conveys a double entendre.  Here are a few of this morning's examples:

A New York sidewalk version of the Milky Way. Someone left a trail of stars behind them as they went down the street.

Maybe some of the revelers should have paid attention to the warning sign before going out last night.

I always find some clothing left behind. Last year I found a pair of shoes. This year I found this purple jacket, a shirt, and numerous gloves with no mates.

I liked the way this had was just tossed in as an after thought with the wrapped up garbage.

This photo and the one below tell the story of a fairy princess and a prince who met at the ball.

Puttin' on my top hat... .

I loved the way the many colors balanced each other out in this spontaneous scene.

Anybody missing their balloons?

I liked the way the warm, early morning colors in this scene convey its story.

This little guy doesn't quite fit the theme, but he allowed me to put the 18-55mm zoom right in his face without any concern. After what he probably witnessed on New Year's Eve, he is ready to face up to anything. Gotta love the way the X-E2 allows you to put a pinpoint focus right on the eye, even with a wide open aperture.  Looking forward to what Fuji has to offer in the way of its new high speed f/2.8 zooms for 2014.