Several years ago, I remember photographing a model who was frequently on this site. And while looking at the images, I noticed something was off. She had developed a bit of a thyroid problem, and my camera was picking it up. So she asked that we stop shooting. I agreed, but I offered an alternative: we would shoot on medium format instant film. After I shot an image and showed her what it looked like, we were both delighted. And since that day, I stand by one statement: it’s impossible for people and things to look bad on film. Kodak Kodacolor 100 takes that idea and waters it until it becomes as large as some of the Redwood trees in California.
Before I go on, know that the Phoblographer and Blue Moon camera have an agreement that we promote them and they handle our film development free of charge. We have this agreement because, genuinely, I feel like they’re one of, if not the single best, film developers in America. They’re also really consistent and they did these rolls. I also bought the rolls from them, as Kodak hasn’t answered our emails in a very long time.
With that in mind, I used Kodak Kodacolor 100 in my favorite film point and shoot: the Natura S. Then it was essentially just a point and shoot affair with the film. Additionally, I’d sometimes tell the camera that I wanted the flash to fire or not.
To describe Kodacolor 100 is a bit odd. It’s not like Gold, Portra, Ektar or anything else that Kodak has made. Instead, it runs warmer than normal and softer than normal. Where Portra and Ektar pretty much always render very sharp, Kodacolor 100 is much softer. I feel like it’s ideal for portraits where you want a softer and warmer look. Essentially, it’s wonderful for the winter daytime or the summer in general. The film has low contrast, low saturation, but a lot of warmth. There’s something both classic and modern about this look that feels like a nostalgic daydream about something you know actually happened.
One of my favorite things to do during the transition from the fall to the winter is walk around during the daytime. It’s nearly impossible to take a bad photo in NYC during this time because the sun is always at this special angle where anything kissed by its light always looks good.
Unlike lots of YouTubers who will shoot images of landscapes or pretty women, I choose to simply just incorporate shooting into my daily life. And because of that, I personally am in love with the images I made with it. The way that I see the world is unique due to legal blindness and so I think about and see light differently than most folks. This film captures that perhaps better than any others that I’ve ever worked with.
I truly don’t know what else more to say about this film except that I loaded it into the camera, shot it, got it developed, and enjoyed the images. The more carefully carefree I am about the photography process these days, the more I tend to enjoy it. Yes, that sentence was worded correctly.
But perhaps the images will speak for themselves more.
