5 Frames with Kodak Ektachrome on the Nikon F3 – by Tiffany Perez

Slide film, the troublesome film child. I say this because slide film is a very sensitive film stock. You need to nail exposure for it to look nice most of the time. If you are new to film photography, slide film is basically a film that comes out positive rather than as a typical negative. As soon as it is developed you can already see the picture. The original LCD screen is how I look at it.

I had never shot any slide film before this roll but I had always been intrigued with the idea. The 3D look that it was supposed to have. The colors that I saw in all the photos online. It made me extremely curious. It has been a bit cloudy/rainy here in Southern California so I have been holding off shooting it. When the weather seemed right I took the leap and loaded my camera with the new and improved (jury is still out on the improved part), Kodak Ektachrome!

The Method

I had heard that this film doesn’t have too much latitude in terms of over and underexposing. So for the purpose of accuracy, I chose to shoot this film through my Nikon F3. I will admit that I am bias towards this camera as it was my dad’s. But it is really my constant workhorse and honestly my favorite camera at the moment. I paired it with my 50mm F1.4 AIS lens. I tend to see pictures in this focal length. It is wide enough to get nice architecture shots while being narrow enough to get those nice portrait shots when I need it.

The Mission

I saved the film for a special event: Lunar New Year. For those unfamiliar, Lunar New Year is a time of year, often celebrated by those of Asian descent. It is a time of new beginnings and good fortune. Each year is celebrated with an animal corresponding with the Zodiac. This year is the year of the pig *oink oink*. There is a temple called the Hsi Lai Temple that decorates the entire place for a month or so for the event. Lots of reds and greens. With a clear blue sky, I knew this would be the best setting to shoot Ektachrome.

Shots Fired

Red Lantern

Symmetrical Gateway

Off-Guard Shot

Blue Skies

Lunar Balance

Conclusion

I love the way that the blues and reds come out in this film. They just look so real. Almost as if it were a 3D picture. This makes sense since slide film was made to be projected using projectors for presentations and the like. I tried to take pictures of the temple itself and some of the decorations of pig statues.

I have to say that I am in love with this film. The colors just pop, the saturation is just right for my taste and not only the scans but the developed film itself is so cool to look at. I want to shoot it as much as I can while the sun is still shining here in California.

I hope you like the pictures and if you have any feedback I would love to hear it. This being my first time shooting slide film, I know that I have a long way to go. Thanks, everyone!

My Instagram: www.instagram.com/tjpiks

You can see all my post from 35mmc here.

Tiffany Perez
The Drive-By Film Shooter

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