DPK on Film - Kodak Portra 400
Everyone has a favorite film. When I first started shooting, Kodak’s Portra 400 was THE film stock that almost every film photographer seemed to love. They talked about how Portra 400 rendered skin towns and blue skies with reverence, and how well it held highlight detail with awe. It was one of the first film stocks I purchased, but one that I waited to use until I had shot 5 rolls of Kodak Gold for practice.
Now that I’ve shot over 10 rolls of Portra 400 (on both 35 and 120mm) I can safely say that it is my favorite color film stock (with Kodak Ektar and Kodak Gold coming in close behind). I live in Florida and Portra 400 shines in the bright lights of the Sunshine State. In my opinion, this is the perfect film for shooting outside any time of the year in Florida.
Now, I learned pretty quickly that Portra 400 looks best when overexposed, and I got the best results by setting my ISO at 200 and metering for the mids. Here are a few of my favorite photos from my first three rolls of 35mm Portra 400 that I shot on my Pentax K1000. If you have any questions, tips, or favorite Portra 400 shots of your own please share them!
- DK
