Thoughts on NOT Editing Your Photos

And using the Fujifilm recipes instead.

For the first time in ten months of owning my Fujifilm X-H2, I decided to stop editing my photos.

And just see what happened.

Market in Basel Center - Image by Author: Bryan Dijkhuizen

Normally I’d use Fuji’s film simulations as a guide, then build my own version in post.

But on this trip to Switzerland, I wanted something else. I wanted to let go of control — in both travel and photography — and trust what came out of the camera.

I’d ditch the jpg’s and just edit the raw files.

All I shot during this trip to Switzerland I used the following setup:

Film Simulation: classic neg
Highlights: 0
Shadows: 0
Color: +3
Noise Reduction: -4

Sharpness: -2

Clarity: -2
Grain: Small, Strong

Color Chrome Effect: off

Color Chrome Effect Blue: off

WB: daylight, +4 red & -5 blue

ISO: Auto (max 800)

The results weren’t perfect. Some photos felt flat, others had a magic I never could’ve edited into existence.

But all of them felt honest.

Wandering Through Zermatt

Zermatt was high on our list. We wanted to see the Matterhorn — the Toblerone mountain in real life.

So we hopped on the train to Zermatt hoping to escape the rain - it was so rainy this week in Switzerland and Zermatt apparently was the only place (and Lugano) in the country that was dry.

Zermatt in Switzerland

We walked up to the viewpoint and hoped to see the beautiful Toblerone Mountain.

But then…

Nope, all clouds.

When we came there it was all clouds and this was the best moment.

We hoped it would clear up, but it unfortunately didn’t.

St. Gallen

Next up the list is Sankt Gallen.

A town in North-eastern Switzerland that we picked as our base for the next hike.

My impression of St. Gallen is that it’s a very cute town. Not too busy. Peaceful.

We stayed in Hotel Walhalla, very near the central train station of the city. So if you ever stay in St. Gallen I’d recommend staying there.

Street Shots in St. Gallen

What I loved most, though, was how the town seemed to breathe.

Cafés weren’t overcrowded, locals strolled instead of rushed, and it gave us the kind of quiet pause you don’t realize you need until you’re in it.

Final Thoughts

It was about letting go of control — both in photography and in travel.

I didn’t edit, and I didn’t get the Matterhorn view I hoped for. But that’s the beauty of it: sometimes the raw version of life, with its clouds, imperfections, and unexpected quiet towns like St. Gallen, tells the better story.

And maybe that’s what I’ll remember most from this journey.