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Writer's pictureGilbert Carosin

Studio portraiture with kodak Portra 160

Updated: Aug 11

Over the last few months, I have been doing studio portraiture using Kodak Portra 160. This particular variant is not as well-known as the 400 version, which has been the go-to professional film for portraiture ever since it was introduced.


little girl posing in the studio

While the 160 iso may pose limitations, it is not an issue in the studio setting. Kodak states that the 160 iso offers lower contrast compared to the 400 iso, a claim I can confirm. Additionally, the 160 iso has finer grain and a softer overall look than the 400 iso, making it well-suited for portrait photography.

asian girl with traditional outfit

The 160, much like the 400, exhibits exquisite skin tone reproduction, boasting smooth skin texture with remarkable color transitions, all while maintaining sharpness and detail in every other texture.


little girl posing under butterfly lighting setup

The Kodak 160 offers a distinct experience compared to the Kodak 400. While it may take some time to get used to, once you appreciate it, switching back to the 400 can be quite challenging. I personally consider portraiture with the Kodak 160 to be more sophisticated and graceful than with the 400, which can appear somewhat artificial when overexposed. I prefer using a butterfly/clamshell lighting setup with extremely soft feathered light when shooting with this film, as very soft lighting tends to enhance its qualities, although individual preferences may vary.



To achieve the best results with the 160 film, it is recommended to use it at box speed or slightly overexposed by 1/4 stop. Exceeding this amount may cause the red tones to appear overly pronounced, especially when photographing models with darker skin tones.


shooting film with nikon f5 and 135mm lens


The photos were captured using a Nikon f5 camera paired with a Nikkor 135mm f3.5 Ai lens. Each image features a 2-light configuration consisting of a key light and a subtle hair light. The key light utilized was an Elinchrom Rotalux 53 mounted on a Godox DP-400II flash, while the hair light was a small LED panel positioned behind the model. Additionally, reflectors were used for fill and bounce lighting.




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