a film guide to kodak gold
QUICK QUIDE:
ISO: 200
Sizes: 35mm, 120mm, 4x5, 8x10
Process: C-41
Best for: natural daylight, warm landscapes, flash photography
When it comes to consistency, Kodak gold is the one film that never DISAPPOINTS. Loved by amateurs and professionals alike, Gold is that one film stock you know you could whip out at most occasions and achieve a pretty good result from. It’s versatility makes it perfect for BEGINNERS and people looking to explore film. Its relatively low price also makes it much more accessible to the wider public, making it a great film to practice and experiment (or not) with.
Introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1986, Kodak gold was sold as a consumer film, thus distinguishing it from its professional portra counterparts. However it quickly gained popularity for its warm tone, versatility and grain. It’s also one of the most popular consumer films to have been launched in the 120 format, something which has previously been reserved for more professional films. i think this says a lot about just how much gold is loved by analog enthusiasts and photographers alike. And in this series, i hope to shed a light as to why I too love this film stock.
Projects shot on Kodak Gold: Dalmatia on film, Paradise in Devil’s Isle, New England and the city, Summer in Occitanie, New to Narbonne,
The perfect balance
Not too grainy or fine-grained, not too saturated but still saturated enough, Kodak Gold truly is the Goldilocks of film stocks. It offers you that perfect COMBINATION of image sharpness, grain and colour that you would want in film without being too much on the nose. Consequently, if you’re looking to get that film look, this is probably the film I would encourage you to gravitate towards.
One thing that draws me to Kodak Gold specifically is its warm tones (hence giving the film its name gold), something which I love to use in daylight settings, especially in summer. Gold really does give this ethereal glow, making most moments trapped in joy and nostalgia. Naturally, gold thus becomes one of my favourite film to use during the summer is it truly captures sun-drenched landscapes. It was my film of choice to capture New York and Connecticut in 2022 as well as the south of France in 2023, and these were probably the best choices I could have made at the time.
As stated above, the relatively low ISO gives Kodak gold a relatively low grain. This is great for photographers such as myself who prefer a finer grain and sharper images. However, unlike other films in the lower sensitivity spectrum such as ektar and portra 160, gold still offers a slightly more distinct grain, meaning you can get a good mix of image sharpness whilst still maintaining a very film-like texture. This is also partly why I like to use it in bright light and sunny settings, meaning I can really reap the benefits of this film to the max. Unlike other stocks such as ektar and Ultramax, gold performs very well with flash, offering very natural skin tones which aren’t too oversaturated. In many ways it behaves like a portra film, meaning you can get very similar results for a fraction of the price.
I also think Gold is the film that has never really DISAPPOINTED me after the development process and is probably the film which has always delivered the most consistent results. Ironically I’ve been let down by films such as portra 400, 800, 160 and ektar, but never Kodak Gold. This is not to say that this may never happen, but from my experience, Kodak Gold can always be a safe bet for achieving good and consistent results in the final images.
The most versatile film
I know i’ve said this before but I cannot understate just how versatile this film is. From flash to day and from professional to personal, kodak gold is the film you wish you had in your camera if you’re constantly facing new lighting scenarios and settings.
Obviously the relatively low ISo of 200 means that it is relatively harder to work in low lighting scenarios with no flash. However, i would say kodak gold has got you covered in 80% of normal life scenarios. However, in those 20% of remaining cases, chances are with correct light metering and flash use, you’ll be able to get a pretty good image. Gold can also be a good stock to start EXPERIMENTING with long exposure night photography due to its forgiving nature, though its low ISO may result in longer exposure timings as opposed to films rated at 800 and above.
What i love most about gold is how many scenarios I’ve been able to it use for, from my personal documentation of my hometown to capturing candids on my nights out to shooting for clients, gold has really been a film that’s been there for me in so many lights. I truly believe that if you had to pick one film to use for the rest of your life, gold would truly be a top contestant, at least in my eyes.