BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Questions

How to get good enlargements using 35mm

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June 30, 2002

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June 30, 2002

Since you intend to make larger prints from these (8x10), here are some suggestions regarding film:

Low-end (inexpensive) consumer films such as Kodak Gold 100 (now called "Bright Sun") are relatively grainy compared to some others of the same or higher speed. While this isn't much of a factor in small 3-1/2x5 or 4x6 prints, when making larger ones it becomes one to consider.

Kodak's Royal Gold family of films are noticeably finer grained in larger prints. For a special shoot such as the one you've described, Kodak's Portra 160NC, Portra 160VC and Supra 100 are also much finer grained than Gold 100. Even Portra 400NC/VC and Supra 400 are finer grained than Gold 100 !! Portra and Supra are professional films; Supra is a "general purpose" film and Portra is geared for portraiture and wedding work. One of the differences is in color saturation level.

About the enlargement level:
When you shoot this, remember that a 35mm camera creates an image with a 2:3 aspect ratio. A 4x6 print theoretically can contain the entire negative from edge to edge. The entire film frame when enlarged to the type of size you want requires an 8x12 print, not an 8x10 which has a 4:5 aspect ratio and is "less rectangular" in shape. Remember this when you compose the photographs and leave some empty space along the long dimension to be cropped off in making the 8x10. If you want to get an idea of what this looks like, take a 4x6 print and mask an inch off of the long dimension it to make it a 4x5. This is something you should also do when you get the 4x6 proofs back so that you're not asking the printer to try to make an 8x10 photograph from subject material that won't fit into it (along the long dimension).

-- John

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July 04, 2002