I created this new Film Simulation Recipe while on my four-city photowalk tour. I didn’t have any specific film in mind, but wanted something contrasty, colorful, and warm—perhaps vaguely reminiscent of a push-processed Kodak emulsion without mimicking anything specific. In fact, I didn’t even reference any photographs when I created this (which is unusual for me), just used my experience making Recipes to achieve the aesthetic that I was after. Since it is only similar to pushed film in a very generic way, I named this Recipe very simply Pushed Analog.
Pushing film is where you purposefully underexpose, and then increase the time in the developer to compensate. This Recipe might be more similar to ISO 100 film pushed one stop or maybe two at most (but probably not two stops). Pushing film increases the contrast and grain, and makes the images more punchy and gritty. The more you push, the stronger the effect. The warmth in this Recipe is similar to using a warming filter, such as an 81A or something similar, with daylight balanced film, which used to be common in the film era.
This Pushed Analog Film Simulation Recipe isn’t for every subject or situation, and not everyone is going to like it. Some of you will love it, I’m certain; however, this is not an everyday option that everyone will appreciate. I found that it works best in sunny daylight, and can also be a good option for dusk or dawn. It’s so-so for overcast days, and not good for artificial light. You can get dramatic results, but you might not find every image to be striking. This Recipe is compatible with all fifth-generation X-series cameras, which (as of this writing) are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, and X-T50.
Film Simulation: Reala Ace
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: Fluorescent 1, -3 Red & -2 Blue
Highlight: +1.5
Shadow: +2
Color: +4
Sharpness: -1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Pushed Analog Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-T50:
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Fujifilm X-T50 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T50 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T50 in charcoal:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex
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This recalls the works of Fred Herzog who worked with Kodachrome slide film:
https://www.equinoxgallery.com/our-artists/fred-herzog/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I can see that. If I remember correctly, Fred used all three eras of Kodachrome over his career. Interestingly enough, back in the day Fred printed from the slides using the Cibachrome process; however, in the early 2000’s he scanned his slides for digital archiving, which is largely how we see his photos today (not the Cibachrome prints). I don’t think this is necessarily an accurate approximation of his photos (too warm, too deep of shadows), but it is in the general neighborhood, and perhaps some modifications can bring it closer. Thanks for the input!
Nice look / recipe Ritchie 👍
In my film days, I used a LOT this kind of warm 81A filter (in their Cokin versions) on my colour film during summer and winter times.
This recipe reminds me that vividly 😀
Awesome! I appreciate your kind feedback!
Superb look! I prefer it to 1976 Kodak… Well, for the most part.
Awesome! Glad that you like it 😀
Very nice Ritchie, It seems as if anything with Reala is a hit for me, and this recipe reacts very well to pastel tones reminiscent of old Agfa color films.
Thanks! The more that I use the Reala Ace film sim, the more that I like it. I can definitely see the similarities between this and old Agfa negative films.
And even if is not so versatile as Appalachian Negative, it looks good enough to replace it in my list of 7 favorite recipes for this sensor. It looks more filmic than the other.. I’ll find some time to update my selection…
Yeah, not quite as versatile, but when it works it really works, I think.