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Why does everyone rave about shooting Portra 400 for portraits?
I was at a friend's wedding last summer in Asheville and brought my usual Fuji Superia 400 because it's cheap and sharp. Every shot of the reception came out with this cool muted green cast that everyone actually liked better than the pro photographer's warm Portra shots. Am I missing something or is the Portra hype just about paying double for a softer look?
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wyatta3013d ago
Look, I get the budget angle because film is expensive these days, but comparing Superia to Portra 400 for portraits is like comparing a Walmart dress shirt to a tailored one. I shot a birthday session last month with Portra 400 and the skin tones were just BEAUTIFUL right out of the box, no color correction needed. Your wedding shots might have looked cool with that green cast but that's a happy accident, not a consistent look you can rely on. Portra gives you that creamy, forgiving highlight rolloff that makes people look 10 years younger, and that's worth every penny when you're charging clients. Superia is fine for snapshots, but Portra is the standard for a reason - it's predictable and flattering in almost any light.
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