Ektar’s Red, White & Blue

I was pleasantly surprised on the drive home today when I felt my phone buzzing. It was an email I always like to see, an email from Film Box. My scans were ready for download! I have been anxiously anticipating these scans. I could not wait to get home to start the download. This was my very first roll of Kodak Ektar 100. It was also my very first time shooting the streets with my Mamiya 645 1000S. I prepared myself to be let down a bit with the thoughts of bad exposures or out of focus shots. This is always the case when I prepare to see my shots for the first time. On a side note, I almost gave up film after my very first roll, because I had a lot of shots that were badly exposed and I thought the shots were too grainy. Well, I am glad I did not give up. I started to educate myself more and as the old adage goes, practice makes perfect.

Patriot Divas – Franklin on the Fourth – Franklin, Tennessee – Mamiya 645 1000S, Mamiya 80mm f2.8, Kodak Ektar 100

Watching my images appear on the screen for the first time is like opening gifts on Christmas Day. You kind of remember that day when you took the shots, but you may have forgotten exactly what was in the frame. There have been times that I have completely forgotten that I took a certain shot. These little surprises are one of the reasons I love the film process.

Another reason I love film is the different film stocks. Kodak Portra 400 and Fuji Superior X-tra 400 were the only color film I have used. While Kodak Portra 400 is my go to color stock, I wanted to try a more saturated color medium to bring out more vivid colors. After some research, I decided to give Ektar 100 a try.

Generations – Franklin on the Fourth – Franklin, Tennessee – Mamiya 645 1000S, Mamiya 80mm f2.8, Kodak Ektar 100

I have to say that I am thoroughly pleased with the out come of my first roll of Ektar 100. I absolutely loved all 15 shots! The colors, focus and compositions were better than what I had imagined. Even though it was an overcast day, the colors still pop off the screen. The focus was sharp and the wider perspective of medium format is just gorgeous! I compared these 15 shots to the 85 shots I took on the same day with my digital camera. As I look at the film shots, I remember my preparation before taking the image. It was calculative and methodical. I did a lot of observing before committing to a shot. While I did the same with my DSLR, I took more shots at a quicker pace. I absolutely loved my digital shots as seen in my earlier post here, but I had more shots that were not keepers.

A Different Time – Franklin on the Fourth – Franklin, Tennessee – Mamiya 645 1000S, Mamiya 80mm f2.8, Kodak Ektar 100

I hope you enjoy these images as much as I have. Stay tuned as some of these images might make the cut for another 205dpi Magazine article. This magazine has taken interest in my family and patriotism theme and want to feature me in another magazine issue. I will post a link here when the article is published. You can see the rest of my pictures below.

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