Red Benches & Post Office – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Polaroid”
I get asked frequently to create film simulation recipes for all sorts of different looks. Sometimes I’m successful, oftentimes I’m not. I received one such request recently that was a little unusual: the stills from the television series True Detective. The set photographer for this show is Michele K. Short. The show itself was shot using Kodak Vision3 50D and 500T film. Michele likely photographed the stills with her Leica M10-P, and edited them to look like analog pictures. Honestly, I have no idea what specific film they’re supposed to resemble, but I was able to pretty quickly create something that is in the ballpark of those stills.
I looked and looked at different films to figure out what this aesthetic might be close to. I didn’t find anything that I was satisfied with. There were a couple of films that I thought, “Well, you can make an argument, but it’s a stretch.” I decided that it most reminds me of Polaroid peal-apart film, perhaps 669. It’s not intended to resemble Polaroid, and perhaps it doesn’t do so very well, but I needed a name, and I wasn’t going to call this recipe “True Detective” so I went with “Polaroid” instead. Whether this does or doesn’t resemble Polaroid, I think you’ll find it produces interesting results. Some of you are going to really appreciate this film simulation recipe!
Abstract Architecture – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Polaroid”
You can get good results with this recipe when you over, under or correctly expose, but some of my favorite pictures were overexposed. There’s a lot of latitude with this recipe. It’s fun to play around with. It seems especially well suited for high contrast scenes, although it can still be used in mid and low contrast scenes. It’s compatible with all X-Trans IV cameras and the Fujifilm X-H1.
Eterna
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +4
Shadow: -2
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -1
Grain Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Off
White Balance: Auto, +5 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Polaroid” recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:
Red, White & View – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Storm Behind Rural Neighborhood – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Thistle Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Girl Unsure on Path – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Dormant Branches & Half Moon – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Reeds & Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Evening Light at Francis Peak – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
House Roof – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
House – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Garage Rooftops – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Bicycle Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Hooded Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Joyful Girl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Smile – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Girl with Curls – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Happily Running – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Paw Patrol – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Shoe on a Red Tricycle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wilting Flower – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lots of Luck – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lamp – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Leafy Indoor Decor – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lamp in Daylight – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Empty Ski Lift – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Trees & Lift – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Pine Tree & Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Snow At The Fuel Stop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Unused Snow Bridge – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Park City’s Empty Street – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Downtown Park City, April 2020 – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Park City Buildings – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Flag U – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Center Street Lamp – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
See also: Film Simulation Recipes
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$5.00
Fantastic one will test today definitely, and will be waiting badly for the Kodak Vision3 500T one.
Thanks Ritchie for making us come back to explore the photography with Fujifilm when ever we saw a post from you.
Regards
Dia
I appreciate the kind words of encouragement and feedback!
Will this work on X-T20?
No, unfortunately, because you don’t have Eterna. Maybe use Pro Neg. Std instead, and perhaps +3 Highlight and Color -4? That might be similar, although I don’t think you’ll get real close to a match.