Portra

As I go through my films (roughly about 1/3rd of the way through them so far), I'm finding that I'm very much in love with Portra 160NC, but I really can't use 400NC in future. It simply lacks the tonal scale I want from a 6x4.5 negative.

For those of you shooting digital (roughly 99.9% if my workshops are anything to go by), then this is all meaningless to you. Unless you like the colours and tones I've got in my India and Nepal Portfolios and also evident in this shot of an Ethiopian Orthodox Deacon.

It's very hard for me sometimes to go back to scanning film. I feel I'm getting so used to seeing smooth clean images on my workshops and by contrast, film simply looks far too noisy at first.... but it just takes an adjustment to get back into it.

Besides, by contrast, I feel digital has too much of a smooth-plastic-look to it and the colours just don't 'sing' the way Kodak's Portra 160NC does. Which reminds me, I get a lot of correspondence from people wanting to know how to get the same look with their 5D. You can't.

If you want the look of film, then shoot film.

Anyway I love this shot and wanted to share it with you today.

I intend to put some material together over the coming months about how to prepare for a photo trip abroad, how to work with film (for those who are interested) and all the other gubbins that goes along with a remote photo shoot.