The last time I shot this film outdoors I got some fabulous results with natural light. It got me thinking how this film would handle indoors with natural light and then outdoors with my Profoto lighting kit.
Big shout out to Evie for reaching out for this shoot. There was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to shoot in Mansion! Let’s see how the shoot went down!
All images were shot at box speed, with the same shutter speed, aperture and this time shot different setups and frames. As mentioned before, changing light intensity would be something I would have to carefully consider.
As always I was trying to get the most consistent results possible. We got a little more creative with the shots as the shoot progressed! The word out there is that Kodak Gold generally tends to gravitate towards warmer tones with slightly more granular images in comparison with Portra 160.
It goes without saying that metering for these films is essential unless you have a bottomless pit of money! I was using my Sekonic L-308X. Kodak Gold has a slightly wider dynamic range but generally you don't want to go to far from about 3-4 stops to be on the safe side.
This is certainly more important when shooting outdoors without guaranteed consistency of light. The shot of Evie and Sammi with the natural light coming in through the window showed the capabilities of Kodak Gold in low light conditions. You can see from the first image that there is a green overcast on the far left with a darker one in the shadows to the right of the window.
Even so, the warm colours with shadows gives a real classic look and feel. As the light poured through the window a little more intensely this afternoon it hit on those light pinks on Sammie’s dress and softened the whiteness of Evie’s dress. It’s got almost a Bridgerton-esq feel to it and this shot is certainly a keeper!
Next we stepped and got to use this beautiful garden golden chair/hammock! I set up the Profoto B2’s to the left of the frame and had Evie sit on the suspended chair with Sammie standing to her left. After a few manual adjustments of the lighting and working through some poses I ended up freezing this look and was amazed by the outcome.
I love the richness of color from the grass in the foreground to the trees in the background but without a doubt the pose and colors from the dresses and chair/hammock this image is a real stand out!
We drifted out to the garden area and shot this with natural light. The balance of colour is consistent although the brilliantly white dress isn't as well captured, I wonder if that’s because of the scanner or some other reason. Chip in your thoughts in the comments below!
The afternoon light was drifting away and so was my time in this shoot so rather hurriedly we shot these two with the profoto lights to make sure the image would definitely come out.
A little overexposed, which can certainly be fixed in Lightroom, it almost looks as if Evie has been superimposed onto a background. A fill light would certainly have complimented this image, a note for next time!
A quick change into the pink dress and a couple of shots with Evie sat outside in the garden patio. The lesson here is that having an external light source certainly guarantees the image will come out as long as it is well metered!
By this point I do think that Kodak Gold would really have struggled to get anything and I wasn’t going to risk it especially with an opportunity to shoot in such an environment does not happen everyday!
My brief experience with this film stock is making me wonder if Kodak Gold may just be cheaper and equally well performing as Portra 160. Do you really need to spend almost 25% more for incremental sharpness? Tell me what you think in the comments below.
The summer is going to be coming into full swing and I would love to connect or collaborate with you if you’re in London! Shoot me a comment and let's set up something!
Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or either of these slide film stocks?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?
Be sure to check out my shoot with Fadhillah on Kodak Gold too, see you there!
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