Color negative choice for architectural interiors?

[macmx]

Hi everyone,

I have an interior (architecture) project coming up in a few months, which I will be shooting on medium format (6x6 or 6x7) and was wondering whether people have experience with which color negative emulsions are good for this?

It's of course all tripod, so speed is not an issue. I am tempted to go with Portra 400 because I know how it behaves, but also considering Ektar to get that finer grain (I don't mind reducing the saturation in post if needed), or Portra 160.

Does anyone have experience, photos to share og perhaps suggestions for pro photographers who shoot on film? I know that for example Francois Halard shoots 6x7, but I don't know which film. As does Leslie Williamson and one of my favourite photographers Trine Søndergaard in her "Interiors" series. Again not sure about the emulsion itself, and a lot depends on the scanning of course.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[narsuitus]

I went back to my notes and here are the color negative films I have used:

Kodak Portra 100T (tungsten)
Fuji Portrait 160NPS

I do not know if these films are still available.

 

[Richard G]

My suspicion would be that the precise subject and the look you’re after should determine the film. Are those favourites contactable?

 

[Vince Lupo]

Are you going to be using any auxiliary lighting? What time of day will you be shooting? Will these be ‘whole room’ interiors (and if so, how large are these rooms) or just smaller vignettes of a room? Are windows likely to be in your interior photos? If so, is it important to also show the exterior space through those windows?

 

[keytarjunkie]

Kodak Portra 100T (tungsten)
Fuji Portrait 160NPS

None of these kinds of films are available anymore, unfortunately. I would recommend Portra 800, even on a tripod. It is better balanced for indoor lighting and not grainy if exposed properly. It is used in the professional fine art community a lot. Otherwise, I would go with Portra 160, which has a more neutral palette. Portra 400 has a very distinct look, especially with blues, that may not be helpful here (but it's personal preference). And Ektar is just plain ugly for this kind of photography. You might also have luck with Fuji Pro 400H. You can see plenty of samples on flickr and instagram, but honestly you're best suited by buying a few rolls and trying it for yourself, finding what works for what you have in mind, since any of these films can be used for interior architecture.

 

[macmx]

Thanks everyone.

Interesting suggestion with Portra 800. I will try that in addition to Porta 160.

I don’t particularly like 400H, but it might be okay for this type of photography.

It’s whole room photos. There is plenty of natural light (both very cold from the sea and warm from the sun side, sometimes in the same frame) and some built in lights at 2700K and 3000K temperature, which is part of the architecture, so it should also be shown and not switched off.

 

[pvdhaar]

.. I would go with Portra 160, which has a more neutral palette. Portra 400 has a very distinct look, especially with blues..

My personal experience is the other way around. My shots with Portra 160 tend to have a very strong blue cast, while Portra 400 seems better able to capture warmer tones. This may of course be tied to exposure, which is said to affect color on Portra quite a bit. With a 6x6 SLR handheld, I like to keep the shutter at 1/125 or faster to avoid camera shake. That may very well influence how I interpret a meter reading; rounding shutter speed down for 400ISO and up for 160ISO. All in all, I'd suggest rating the film 1/3 or a 1/2 stop slower than indicated if you're going with Portra..