Maternity Portraits on 35mm Film
Norbert is the lead shooter for Pinehurst Photo Video. The following blog post has been reposted from his personal website. originally published January 14, 2022.
Cinestill 50D
2020 was the year I started going heavy into doing styled shoots. They’re a great way to build your portfolio. The organizer takes care of securing the location, model, wardrobe and hair & makeup. You just have to pay a fee that’s less expensive than if you did all of that yourself, and you get a chance to build your portfolio.
In November of that year I attended a maternity-themed styled shoot organized by Ellis and Indigo Photography with Ally Boik as the model. I shot the indoor portion digitally with my Canon R6, and decided to switch to 35mm film for the outdoor section.
Kodak Portra 160
The film camera I used was the very first one I’d ever bought: the Canon EOS 650. It’s the very first “modern” film camera Canon ever made with a form factor and features that would eventually be adopted for their DSLR and interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. It’s my go-to 35mm film camera for serious business. The biggest draw is that it takes the same Canon EF lenses that my digital cameras use. This leads to a very lopsided combination where I’ll be putting a $1300 lens on a $20 camera.
CineStill 50D
The lenses I used were my staples: the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 Art and the Canon 85mm f/1.4 IS. People who’ve shot medium format have the tendency to get a little down on 35mm (myself included), but shooting with this high quality glass really shows what 35mm is capable of. I’d go as far to say that 35mm with modern, high-quality glass rivals most medium format setups.
CineStill 50D
The Canon EOS 650 performed perfectly even with the third-party Sigma glass. The camera and lenses were made 30 years apart yet didn’t give me any issues. I shot all of these in Aperture Priority mode, which I’ve found to be extremely reliable on this camera.
I kept the Aperture at f/1.4, both because I wanted to get the creamy bokeh to give a nice dreamy look to the shoot, and because I was shooting on ISO 50 and 160 films and needed the light on this dreary, cloudy day. Despite this camera’s autofocus system being from the 80s, it nailed focus on nearly all of the photos.
Kodak Portra 160
I started this shoot by polishing off a roll of Kodak Portra 160 and then I switched over to CineStill 50D. The Portra really brought out the reds of Ally’s dress, the whites in her shawl and the green of the plants.
This was my first time using 50D. I was much more interested in this film than its more-popular counterpart CineStill 800T. I really like how the CineStill pictures turned out. I know that “cinematic” is a meaningless meme, but hey, I’m feeling it. The colors are more dull, but at the same time warmer. The film even gives a bit of a warm glow to Ally’s skin. I’ve only shot one roll, but I get the feeling that this would be a really good choice for portraiture with light-skinned models.
CineStill 50D
My biggest negative though is that the film really doesn’t do well at all underexposed. Despite my camera’s best efforts, I did get some underexposed shots. And they quickly became muddy with a green color shift. Nothing too bad that couldn’t be solved with some Lightroom skills, but you really have to make sure you have enough light for this film. In fact, it might even be best to overexpose by a stop and shoot it at 25 ISO.
Kodak Portra 160
Looking back at these pictures makes me really rethink the use of sky in composition. Over the years I’ve struggled with exactly how I should include the sky in my photos. First I’ll say that I’m a big fan of the cloudy skies in this shoot. The nice solid grey/white does a great job of contrasting with all the green. Secondly, the interaction between the terrain and the sky makes for some really interesting composition. Going forward, what I’m going to be looking for is uneven terrain close enough to the subject to create solid lines between it and the sky.
I’m a photographer in Long Beach, CA. I’m accepting clients for photo shoots in Southern California. To reach out to me to book a shoot for yourself, go to my contact form.