Let's talk about film... Kodak film.
Kodak... An American Icon.
Eastman Kodak has been around since the beginning. 1889 to be exact, and is a huge part of American history. Kodak is an American icon and always will be. I have one photograph of my parents wedding day, yup just one, and what name is on the back? Kodak. Just know they have a place in my heart, and I am sure most Americans can share this love of this great company.
We have used Kodak chemistry since day one in both our color and black and white processors. The chemistry has been consistent and very stable and we depend on it to deliver top notch negatives for our clients. It just works.
Let’s talk about Kodak film!
The most exciting film advancement that has hit the market in recent years is Kodak’s Portra Films. How exciting is it that Kodak came out with a brand new line of films in 2010? Amazing right? We thought so too. This “new” film is a C-41 color negative film know as Portra. Three different speeds... Portra 160, Portra 400 and Portra 800. These color negative films are low grain, super sharp and easy to scan. And Portra 160 and 400 come in 220! Portra 800 is so amazing I shoot almost as much of it as Portra 160. I have always shot Portra NC and VC films so I couldn’t wait to shoot the new Portra line. Portra 160 is my favorite film to shoot, I love the skin tones on that film. I know tons of pros that love it as well. I know for a fact Mr. Ryan Muirhead talks about it a ton and for good reason. One of our clients, Ryan Ray, shoots 100% Kodak films; Portra 400 is his favorite film. Tanja Lippert shoots Portra 400 too, it is so warm. Check out the latest Southern Weddings cover for one of Ryan Ray’s Portra 400 shots! Amazing! So when we decided to do this trip across America to WPPI, we wanted Kodak to be apart of this little trip, and we knew we had to have some portra films to shoot. I can’t wait to see what Monument Valley looks like on Portra film!
We are also taking along with us one of the most timeless classic films ever made...Kodak TRI-X. When I look at a photograph shot on TRI-X film, I feel as if the photo has a soul. This film has so much “feel” to it. I KEEP it loaded in my Leica M6. Not to mention it is the most versatile film ever. This film can be shot at pretty much any speed. I mainly push it to 1600, but I have shot it at 3200 with great results. I can’t wait to shoot this in some of the street, or in some random ghost town or better yet, New Orleans. Can’t say enough about this film and will shoot it for the rest of my life!
Another film that I am super excited to shoot on this trip is Kodak Ektar. I just can’t imagine the colors it will grab from the Grand Canyon or some long exposure shot in Vegas. Seriously I just can’t wait to see how this film performs with all these colorful spots we are hitting.
Well I wanted to give a huge thank you to Tim Ryugo and Kodak for sending us on this trip with this amazing selection of Kodak films. I hear they are going to be handing some out in their booth at WPPI, so go by their booth at the trade show and tell them INDIE FILM LAB sent you!
To keep up with us on the road follow us on Instragram - @IndieFilmLab , Twitter @IndieFilmLab1, FaceBook.com/IndieFilmLab.... Hope to see you guys on the road!
Check out the Kodak shots below and on their 1000 word blog!