Kodak Ektar 100 ISO 35mm Color Negative Film on a Pentax K1000

According to Wikipedia: Ektar started as a color 35mm and 120 semi-professional film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1989, which used the common C-41 process. It was designed to offer ultra-fine grain. Before that, “Ektar” was used primarily for film being used in movie making, starting around 1936. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this roll of Ektar 100, other than some color photos. I generally use a little higher ISO when I choose film, but this one was given to me as a gift, so while I was a little out of my comfort zone, it was not frivolous, because I got some really beautiful shots. I loved the color saturation that I achieved with this film. The earthy tones are deep and rich and the bright colors really pop! I found the contrast to be a whole mood. It definitely has a very retro feel, my photos came out looking like a total throwback and I just love it. I would really recommend this for a fun shoot on a beautiful spring day.

Originally Published Winter 2021

Lomo-Chrome Metropolis 100-400 ISO 35mm color negative film with a Pentax K1000

I was a little hesitant to try LomoChrome Metropolis 100-400 film. Historically, while I have fun with the experimental - everything is a happy accident - quality of color shift films, I have also felt that they can cross the line into looking over manipulated. As if they are a little heavy handed in their inclusions, and too purposefully wrong.

I am finicky and picky and deeply committed to using my camera as a tool for preserving the truth. I like my new films to look new and my old films to look old and when a new film looks old I look at it as if it is like a puzzle that can’t be solved.

This film, manufactured by Lomography to have an intentional color shift, boasts a retro aesthetic, according to Lomography: “This film comes with a unique chemical formula specifically developed in our Lomography film manufactory, which desaturates colors, mutes tones and makes contrasts pop.” I decided to rate my light meter at 200, right in the middle of the 100-400 variable range, since it was going to be mostly shot on winter days in bright conditions. I was so pleasantly surprised by the results that I yielded with this film. The color saturation really brought depth to anything green or earthy, and the skin tones that I captured were dimensional and spot on. All of the brighter colors were a lovely contrast, with nothing feeling contrived. Overall, I would love to use this film again and take more portraits with it in deeply forested areas, to get the rich lush greens and woodsy vibes that this film honed in on so spectacularly.

Originally Published, winter 2020

HARMAN SWITCH Azure ISO 125, 35mm creative film on a Canon F1

I have been following the new film releases of Harman for a few years now, trying their newest films whenever I get the chance. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Harman was releasing another film so soon after the Phoenix II that I got to try out last summer. 

Harman Switch Azure is marketed as a “ a fun, playful, creative film. You can expect your colours to ‘SWITCH’ rendering blues as orange, bright yellows as a vibrant azure and reds as hues of purple/blue.”

Even after reading the description of what the film would do, it felt unpredictable, but in a really exciting way.  I love the surprise of seeing my film scans for the first time and this was another layer of anticipation. 

I love the results of this roll of film. It is a little wild, a little trippy, and lots of fun. I took these photos mostly outside on a clear day with beautiful blue skies, and what I got back was a peachy orange sky, tangerine water, and green sand, people show up with blue skin, green hair, and hints of purple. It was still early spring here in Southern Maine, and the grass was a bit yellow, but the photos I took of Guinea Fowl on a recently thawed patch of grass came out a rich emerald green with a coral pink sky, so delicious.

While I would not recommend this film for a photographer seeking true to life colors, it is incredibly fun to play with pushing the limits. It was such a simple way to get experimental and it was just the creative push I needed to get excited about the warmer seasons to come.

Retrochrome 400 ISO 35mm color positive film with a Pentax K1000

In 2015 The Film Photography Project released “Retrochrome 400,” a re-roll and repackage from industrial Eastman Kodak Ektachrome rolls that were originally intended to be used by Sandia National Laboratory.  They have a really fascinating write up about this film’s origins that I encourage everyone to go read.

I was nervous to use it. I think that it’s status as “cold-stored expired,” plus the pressure of color positive film, notoriously testy, showing every error, got stuck in my brain and I felt like it was too precious. Like I couldn’t blow it on even a single shot, because once it’s gone, it’s really gone forever. So, I was incredibly careful with this one. I’m not the kind of photographer who stages shots.  You will never find me aiming fancy light rigs on a boom or asking my kids to cheese a fake smile or pose.  I’m looking to capture the truth.  So, I wait, like a patient crocodile, camouflaged in broad daylight, until the moment is right. Then I strike. But sometimes I get lost in the moment and before I know it I’ve gone through a whole roll.  

I had to hold back, stay present, click the shutter deliberately. Shooting Retrochrome was an exercise in intention. It paid off, though.  There is a slight dreamy mute on all of the colors, the grain is fuzzy but consistent.  The vivid saturation of fabrics was softened but the intense blues of a beautiful summer sky and the rich greens of a forest in full bloom were captured precisely. These exposures make me feel transported. I loved using this film, when I saw my exposures for the first time I shrieked and then sighed because they felt nostalgic, with a deep longing for a time past. I will treasure these photos, they are some of my favorites that I’ve ever shot. 

Film stock reviews are a labor of love, and one that I hope to continue for a long time. While I believe that information like this shouldn’t be kept behind a paywall, support from my readers helps keep the lights on, film in my camera, and my business alive. You can make a small donation here to help my business stay afloat.

originally published in 2020

Street Candy ATM 400 ISO 35mm black and white film with a Pentax K1000

My first proper photography class was at San Diego City College, an “intro to black and white photography” 100 level course. It challenged me to learn all the nuance of using black and white film, taught me to use light as my partner, and forced me to push through creative blocks. I also started seeing images in black and white. I would look through my viewfinder and suddenly the world was in grayscale. I love returning to black and white film for this reason. I recently acquired a roll of Street Candy ATM 400 while participating in the Tandem Coffee Double Exposure Film and Camera Club, which is one of the best things to happen in 2020.

Street Candy is a hand-rolled black and white film that was re-purposed from old atm security cameras. I love trying out film that has been repurposed in this way because I love the environmental aspect of taking something that was meant for another purpose, would otherwise be wasted, and using it to make something else.

I didn’t know what to expect from the clarity of the film. The times that I have seen atm footage it appears pretty dull and grainy and I was worried that the grain would be distracting, or that the results would be dull, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. I set my iso rate at 400, though it is suggested to rate at 320 if you are in incandescent light. The contrast is rich and the grain, while present, gives a velvety texture. I was able to achieve crisp, clear exposures. I am so pleased with the results of this film and hope to get my hands on some more.

Film stock reviews are a labor of love, and one that I hope to continue for a long time. While I believe that information like this shouldn’t be kept behind a paywall, support from my readers helps keep the lights on, film in my camera, and my business alive. You can make a small donation here to help my business stay afloat.

Originally published in 2020.