Ahh the famous Portra, known all across the land! This is easily the most talked about film online, and I think I see why. It renders beautifully - everything about it appears to be perfect. The colors, the dynamic range, the grain, it’s outstanding. I do have one qualm with it though: the price. At $14 per roll, I can almost buy 3 rolls of Kodak Gold 200 for the same price, and the reality is, when I’m shooting film, it’s because I want my images to feel special and different. Portra certainly does that, but so do other types of film, so I don’t think I’m going to hop on the Portra train and dedicated the rest of my time to it just yet - there are still so many other films to try out! That being said if you have some rolls lying around that you don’t want to shoot, pleas please please send them to me, do it, now.
Roll #7 - Portra 400
Roll #6 - Kodak Ultramax 400
I don’t know where to begin. I think I wanted to try something new again, and I was curious about this cheap film. I’ve found cheap films to be super rewarding, granted you nail the exposure. I wanted something with a bit more low light ability, and the trade off was grain. There was a lot more grain, but not too much - I still find it gives a cool look and I’m really happy with how the shots with flowers turned out.
Roll #5 - Lomography 800 - 36 exp. - Pentax KM + SMC 55mm F2 Lens
Everyone seems to have wildly contrasting opinions on Lomo 800. Some people say it’s completely whacky and all over the place. Others say it’s wildly inconsistent, and then their friends will tell you that it isn’t even true lomo, but rather re-packaged fuji superia 800 or portra 800. Well if it’s either of those, it’s a steal, and even if it isn’t, it’s also a steal! I had no idea what to expect from this roll, but I certainly didn’t think it would be good. I stand corrected - I’m in love with this film. Maybe I’m just new to film, and in love with every new film I try. Regardless, I’m excited to have found a cheap, lovely, beautiful, cheerful high ISO film. Time to buy more of it and see if this talk of inconsistency has any truth to it. Stay tuned for potential tests of this film in applications that require high-isos… i.y.k.y.k.
Roll #4 - Kodak Gold 200 - 36 exp. - Pentax KM + SMC 55mm F2 Lens
I know I haven’t attached a full Gallery here, and that’s because I’m still working on the scans. Every time I go in to scan, I seem to mess just one thing up without realizing (batch scan at wrong res) and then my whole scan plan is suddenly pressed for time. Regardless, I thought I would share these gems with you because of their significance. I’ve never considered myself much of a “people” photographer - I’ve always enjoyed shooting landscapes, wildlife, and of course, astro. But film has made me want to capture fleeting moments, and for some reason my brain seems to associate that with people, with the beauty and fragility of life. I asked my friend Rylee and before I knew it I had the best people photographs I had ever taken. These are some of them! What is happening, am I becoming an environmental portrait photographer???
Roll # 3 - Fuji Superia 400 - 36 exp. - Pentax KM - SMC 55mm F2
I bought this roll from Kerrisdale Cameras for $13.57 before tax. The special deal here is that they include the price of developing and either a set of scans or prints. I opted for prints as I could scan the developed negatives myself. When the prints came back, I was a bit put off by the colors. Being a good scientist, I remembered that there were multiple variables at play, and that in order to make a more accurate comparison, I should scan the negatives in the same way I had scanned the Kodak Gold Negatives from rolls #1 and #2, and only then would I be able to make a good comparison. My thoughts? I love this film too. The image is a bit colder, I’ll expose it a bit more next time.
Roll #1 & #2 - Kodak Gold 200 - 24 exp. - Pentax KM + SMC 55mm F2
Bought 3 X24 exp. rolls at Beau photo in Vancouver upon recommendation from Nicole (she works there). As a first film, I don’t really have any point of reference but I really like the warm colors and the way the film renders highlights.
Roll #0 - Fuji Superia 400 Disposable
This is it. The roll that started it all off. Damn you, roll - you’re the reason I’m broke. But you’re also the reason I’m happy and falling in love with photography all over again. I decided to go on a last minute adventure with my friend Chris. We drove through the night and stopped at a walmart around 3:00 - everyone knows this is when the best purchasing decisions are made. I found this gem for $8.00 - a steal. If you ever think your gear is inadequate, just remember what can be done with an $8 camera.
