Last night when I checked the mail, waiting inside the metal box was the September issue of Arizona Highways. For those who may not know, this magazine has a long history of publishing great photographs, and many renown artists have been found in its pages throughout the decades. The newest issue of Arizona Highways features many pictures from the 1950’s and 1960’s, including the cover photograph by Allen Reed, so I found it especially interesting.
As I was flipping through the pages of the magazine this morning while sipping coffee, I was drawn to the Kodachromes, which can be seen many times in this issue. I was impressed with how well my Vintage Kodachrome film simulation recipe mimics the aesthetics of these pictures. It shouldn’t be too surprising since I consulted (among other things) some old Arizona Highways magazines when I created it, but it is a bit surprising that it’s possible to get this look right out of camera. Studying this issue was good confirmation that I got those settings right, and it made me want to shoot with it more. Perhaps later this week I’ll use Vintage Kodachrome for my Film Simulation Challenge.
If you can, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Arizona Highways so you can view these pictures for yourself. Look carefully at the vintage photographs captured by Ansel Adams, Ray Manley, Chuck Abbot and others. Esther Henderson’s pictures were especially impressive, and this was my introduction to her work. It was great inspiration for me, and perhaps it will be for you, too.
Personaly I find this the best simulation you created! I used it many times with very nice results.
I’m glad that you like it!
I like this one too.
Thanks!
I used to subscribe to lots of magazines, but marriage and kids made finding time to read them challenging. For a bit of nostalgia, I sometimes pick up a copy of National Geographic and flip through the pages.
Earlier this week, I popped a 36 frame roll of Ilford HP5 Plus into my Asahi Pentax Spotmatic II. I am debating with myself whether I should take the Pentax camera and my Fujifilm X-T2 into Princeton this weekend and shoot a “roll of 36” using your Ilford HP5 Plus film simulation recipe for comparison and fun, or should I treat them as two separate projects. I don’t want to carry two cameras.
That would be a fun and interesting experiment. Last summer I carried both an X100F and an X-Pro2 through Taos, and it didn’t take me long to regret it (because it was heavy and hot), but on the other hand, you do what you have to do to get the shot. Either way, can’t wait to see the pictures from your trip.
I think you’ve done a great job with your Kodachrome simulation. But one problem with using old mags as a basis is that the reproduction quality was a whole thing on its own. It leads people to be astonished when they see recent high-quality scans of Kodachromes from the ’40s or the ’60s. Because the reproductions gave no indication of the colour fidelity and detail that Kodachrome (especially those war-work 4x5s) were capable of.
I never got to use much, but I loved Kodachrome 25. Kodachrome 64 though had that magenta cast in the shadows and it’s not hard to see why people jumped to Fujichrome 50 and then Provia and Velvia – apart from the ease of processing.
I don’t disagree with this. One picture can look different depending on how it’s viewed, whether projected slide, print (and how so), scan (and how so and on what monitor), magazine, etc, etc. I am fortunate to have my Grandfather’s Kodachromes stored at my house. I have used Kodachrome 25 and 64, but the earlier iterations predate me. Thank you for the comment!