Portra 400 was the very first roll of film I shot back when I got my first medium format film camera. It’s fair to say that my results with that one roll were hit and miss and I wasn’t in love with the colour palette, which drove me down the road of Fuji 400H – the road I have mostly stayed on since, with regular side roads to Portra 800. I see Portra 400 that I really love and I also see some that I don’t like as much as 400H, yet I haven’t quite worked out what the secret ingredient is…I suspect that like other film stocks, it just looks better in some light than in others. Anyway, for some time now I have been thinking about trying my hand with Portra 400 once more…the availability of Portra 400 in 220 format is part of that, so today we headed to Chatsworth House to take some photos. We’re lucky enough to have Chatsworth House very close to where we live and so for years now it’s been a frequent haunt of ours. Hours can be spent wandering the Estate as well as the gardens of the House itself, and they offer so many looks and moods depending on the season. Today was the first day the gardens were open in 2014, so we headed there first thing. I was armed with my new Pentax 67ii and some Portra 400. I feel like my relationship with this film is in too early a stage to say how it’s going to go, but I think it’s safe to say that at this stage I am happy with what I’m seeing. One thing is for sure though – I love the Pentax 67ii! All photos below shot on Pentax 67ii with a 105mm f/2.4 lens, using Portra 400. Developed and scanned at UK Film Lab.
Theresa Furey - Gorgeous set Christian. I’m really loving the Portra 400, Pentax 67II combo.
Were they rated at box speed?
christian - Thanks Theresa! These were mostly around 1 to 2 stops over.