Water Reflections With Kodak Ektar
I recently had a large batch of color film developed (thank you Blue Moon Camera!) and this particular image was a standout for me. It was photographed right at the perfect moment a few minutes before sunset on Kodak Ektar color negative film.
Kodak Ektar has always been one of those films that is NOT recommended when working with people. It tends to have a very saturated look to it and the tones lead toward warmer colors like red and orange. The film was clearly designed for landscapes or macro shots of bright colored flowers. It isn’t always the best for skin tones and I won’t deny I’ve made a fair number of images with Ektar where it looks like the model has a sun burn.
However, I’ve never been one to strictly play by the rules when it comes to using the tools available to me for the intended purpose. If I wanted perfectly accurate colors I would just work with digital. Digital cameras do an absolutely great job of accurately portraying a scene.
Go bold or go home tends to be my frame of mind when I pop a roll of color film in my camera. Considering this stuff costs about $16 bucks a roll these days, not even counting development costs, I would argue thinking big is the only real option.
I’m adding in an image on black and white film to this blog post that was exposed right before I loaded the camera up with color film. It’s an extreme example of the way a simple change in film stock can alter the entire vibe of a scene. One looks bright and expressive, the other subdued and calm. Each image taken less than five minutes apart from the other.
Goes to show that every creative choice matters.
Camera: Hasselblad 500c/m camera with 50mm f/4 lens.
Film: Kodak Ektar and Ilford HP5 in medium format.
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