a film guide to portra
QUICK QUIDE:
ISO: 160, 400, 800
Sizes: 35mm, 120mm, 4x5, 8x10
Process: C-41
Best for: natural daylight, warm landscapes, flash photography
Welcome to my three part series on one of the most popular professional film stocks on the market, the portra range. As you will see in the following articles, I would define my relationship with portra as that one trendy dish you really want to like, but always seem to find it slightly overrated. Don’t get me wrong; portra is popular for a reason and has also been a stock that has produced some of my favourite work, but overall I think you should tread with caution when shooting this film. I think its important also note that not all portra is created equally, and that asides from the obvious ISO factor, each stock has its very distinct colour and exposure properties. So welcome to this extended guide in which I break down all three stock, how I recommend you use them and my personal experience with them.
Portra 160: the underdog
I know i’ve just spent the previous paragraph talking about my reluctance to use portra, but this does not apply to portra 160 at all. In fact, I would argue that this is the most underrated (and arguably) best film stocks within the range.
With its low ISo rating, the images produced by portra 160 have a very fine grain and are extremely sharp. Obviously If you prefer grain to be more visible in your images, then 160 may not be the right stock for you. However, if you’re like me and prefer a crisper image, this stock is definitely one I would recommend you have in your arsenal.
The one drawback of this low ISO sadly means shooting portra 160 requires a higher amount of light to get the correct exposure. This means that 160 would definitely not be recommended for shooting hand-held in low light settings such as night photography (unless you’re a big fan of tripods and long exposures). However, the true-tone quality of portra 160 makes it excellent for flash photography if there is sufficient lighting. I know it may seem like a bit of a waste, but if I’m documenting a big event, I’ll always load portra 160 into my point and shoot as I feel like it’s always been the stock which has given the best images.
In terms of colours, I would say portra 160 is the most different to the other stocks within this range. Though it still maintains the same true-tone properties that define the portra range, it definitely has a certain saturation and vibrancy you don’t find within the other stocks. Furthermore, portra 160 also has a slight shift towards greener tints, particularly with shadows. Consequently, If you’re looking to capture vibrant and colourful landscapes without having to commit to ektar, then maybe this film stock is the right one for you.
Projects shot on 160: Beyond the Blue: Film edition, Pit Stop In Montpellier, kcl fashion x photo,
Portra 400: a toxic relationship
don’t get me wrong, there is a reason that portra 400 has the cult status that it has. It truly is one of the most versatile films on the market and definitely one that can give you great results. One of the choice stocks by professionals and amateurs alike, portra 400 is one of the stocks I choose to use the most within my client work.
There are quite a few reasons why portra 400 is so popular. First of all, its 400 ISO rating makes it an extremely versatile stock able to deliver great results within a wide range of different lighting scenarios, allowing for a higher degree of flexibility. Secondly, the similarity of the colours it delivers to real life makes it a very reliable film to use for both portrait and landscape photography alike. Portra 400 equally works extremely well when paired with flash photography, offering very complimentary skin tones and colours. Therefore, If you want to use a film that you can put in your camera and not have to worry too much about shooting in very specific conditions, this film is probably the perfect one to use: it offers you the perfect middle on all aspects of the image.
I argue that this is exactly why portra 400 is the film stock I have the strongest love-hate relationship with. On the one side, its versatility, medium grain and great colours make it a great safe choice. But when has safe ever meant great? Portra is undeniably a very useful film stock to use, but I’ve always caught myself mildly DISAPPOINTED with the images DEVELOPED from it, especially once I consider other film stock such as ektar or Kodak gold. In other words, Portra is a great film to get good results, but not a good film to get great results, and sometimes it’s vital to consider how you’re gonna be shooting a film before you put it in your camera.
Projects shot on Portra 400: Dalmatia on Film, Beyond the Blue: Film edition, Copenhagen and Collioure,
Portra 800: Another man’s trash is another one’s treasure
Portra 800 is probably one of the most popular stocks within the higher iso colour film range, with very few offering the same quality and sensitivity before we move into black and white stocks. Because of the higher ISO rating of this film stock, portra 800 can give photographers a lot of flexibility in what they are shooting, whether this be sports, indoor or low-light photography. Indeed, it allows you to play much more with shutter speed and aperture without worrying too much about getting an underexposed shot. Portra 800 can also work great in bright and day photography, though sometimes ND filters may have to be used in order to achieve the correct shutter speed and aperture to avoid over-exposing the frame.
However, this flexibility comes at a price: like many other higher ISO films, images shot on portra 800 are very susceptible to having a very grainy look and some slight colour distortions. For some people looking to get a more grainy and "filmy look," this film may be perfect, however, it's important to take note of this stylistic preference when purchasing and loading 800. Additionally, whilst being advertised as a film that still works exceptionally when being underexposed or pushed, I tended to disagree with this as the quality of the images became very different when being underexposed by a stop or more.
Unlike portra 400, I argue that 800 is best used when you know exactly how you want to use it and you have very specific lighting conditions to work with. I also believe that this is the best film stick you can get within the 800 iso range (unless you don't mind the style of cinestill 800T) and should be picked up more by amateurs and professionals alike.